Lifestyle choices to maximize your IVF chances

One thing that I ❤ love about our current RE (and one of the reasons we switched clinics) is that he believes in the mind-body fertility connection. 

Here are the guidelines I’m following to maximize my fertility leading up to our IVF: 

Healthy diet & exercise

• Eat a diet rich in greens.
• Avoid wheat and dairy – or at least keep to a minimum.
• Avoid sugar  – or at least keep to a minimum.
• 1 hour of exercise a day. 
• No smoking.
• No caffeine (I don’t drink it anyway!)
• Limit alcohol – red wine is preferred if any

Stress reduction

• Meditate
• Journal
• Yoga
• Enjoy time in nature
• Acupuncture – 2x a week leading up to IVF
• SLEEP!

Nutritional supplements

• Prenatal vitamin
• DHA/Omega 3
• Vitamin D (2000 units)
• Vitamin B12
• Alpha lipoic acid (300 mg)
• Co Enzyme Q 10
• Melatonin – 3 mg at bedtime 10-12 weeks before IVF, stopping at egg retrieval
• Probiotic

Where I’m currently at 

Diet proves to be the hardest. I’ve limited gluten and dairy as much as I can, but you don’t realize how much gluten is out there! I have a dairy sensitivity so I usually keep it to a minimal, but I have a hard time resisting ice cream season. 🙂 I’m also having my daily fertility-friendly Green Smoothie. 

I’m  working up to the 1 hour of exercise a day. Coming off a bad ankle sprain from last fall, I am way out of shape compared to normal – meaning my endurance is NOT there. My RE suggested daily 1/2 hour walks, followed by 1 hour of strenuous cardio/weights once a week. He doesn’t recommend going over 5 hours of strenuous exercise a week for anyone – no matter how good of shape you are in. Right now, I play ball 1-2 times a week, go to yoga once a week, and try to fill in the gaps with walks or bike rides. 

I’m a UBER geek (or maybe I should say Grandma?) who bought those pills cases to organize my daily supplements. I highly recommend this as you only have to dish them out once a week. Plus, it’s easy and convenient to throw in my purse for when I’m on the go.

The only supplement I need to double check is my probiotic. I’m going to confirm with my RE/Iridologist if I can take it the whole way through or if I shop stop before our IVF cycle begins. 

As for stress relief, my overall goal is to recognize my stress triggers and limit them as much as possible.  I’m on track with keeping the distractions (meaning negative people) out of my life.

One of my goals for August is to pull back on the social activities to ensure I am not wearing myself out. My husband and I always have a full calendar, but I tend to get overwhelmed if I have too much on the go. I’d like to reserve more time for me and to catch up on housework or home projects before we leave for IVF.

I will also be attending a fertility meditation seminar at the end of July and starting my Circle & Bloom meditation back up once this cycle ends. 

Disclaimer: The information within this post comes from the recommendation of my doctors and practitioners. If your doctor recommends something different, I suggest you discuss your thoughts with them before choosing to disregard their protocol. I also suggest that you may want to consider a consult with another clinic if you feel that their values do not align with yours. It’s your body and your future baby. Trust yourself and what feels right for you. 

What do you do to maximize your chances of conceiving? (and i’m not talking about laying with your feet up in the air!) 🙂