How to Increase Your Chances of Success with IVF

Before we get into the details, we just want to say that we’re sorry you’re reading this post. If you are, it probably means that having a baby has not been easy so far. It might also mean that you are about to start, or you are currently going through the process of IVF. We can imagine how physically and emotionally draining that can be. If you’ve decided to try IVF, we know how important having a baby is for you. The whole process can be extremely difficult. Coupled with the time and financial burdens, it can be a huge source of stress for both you and your partner. We want to say that we understand, and we’re here to help support you. 

Everyone’s experience is different and there is no magic formula to guarantee success. We wish there was. While IVF procedures continue to improve every year and the success rate is very encouraging, we want to acknowledge that even if you do everything perfectly, IVF may not result in a baby. We sincerely hope that is not the case for you. 

In this post, we have tried to include real, practical advice to help you on your IVF journey. Some advice is about lifestyle changes that can help support your IVF treatment. Other advice relates to practical and logistical aspects of IVF that you may not have considered yet. Whether you are just starting, or you’re on your 5th round of IVF, we hope some of these points can help you on your journey. 

Lifestyle Adjustments 

There are several things you can do to support your IVF treatments. For the most part, these lifestyle adjustments are the same advice you might get if you were trying to conceive naturally. So, if you’ve been at this for a while, you might want to skip to the next section. If IVF is new for you, this is a good place to start. 

Getting pregnant and your body weight

We know that being over or underweight affects the success rate of IVF. Being over or underweight can cause an irregular cycle and fewer ovulations. Being overweight also makes it difficult to monitor your ovaries during IVF and increases the risk of complications when implanting the egg.You can often achieve a healthy weight by changing what you eat and how you exercise. If you need help, consider working with a personal trainer or dietitian.

What is a healthy body weight?

Traditionally, BMI (Body Mass Index) has been looked at to determine whether someone has a 'healthy' weight. This measure helps determine body fat. But BMI is questioned by many scientists.

• The number says nothing about where your fat is. For example, belly fat causes more health problems than fat around the hips, buttocks, or legs. Abdominal circumference – the measurement around your belly -  is therefore also an important measure to take into account.
• BMI also does not take into account fat mass versus muscle mass. Someone who weighs a lot because he or she has a lot of muscle may therefore have a higher BMI.

Therefore, always look at your waist circumference as a supplement. Your waist circumference says something about the amount of fat in your abdominal cavity, which says more about your health risk than your BMI. A healthy waist circumference for women is ideally between 68 and 80 centimeters. 

Focus on good nutrition & consider a supplement

Eating a balanced and nutritious diet when you’re going through IVF can also help with your chances of success.

It’s also a good idea to ramp up certain types of food. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health monitored the fat consumption of 147 women undergoing IVF treatment and found that those who had high amounts of monounsaturated fat were 3.4 times more likely to have a child as a result of IVF. You can find monounsaturated fats in things like avocado, nuts and seeds. You can also get a high-quality supplement with sustainable omega-3.

 It could also be a good idea to add a supplement to your diet which can help support your hormonal health and help ensure you have a good balance of vitamins and minerals in your body. Look for supplements with Vitamin D as a good chunk of people (40%) are deficient and there is emerging evidence to suggest that insufficient vitamin D is associated with infertility issues and low IVF outcomes. You can ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level for you. 

You may also want to look for a supplement with folic acid. Folic acid is most often used by women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant because supplemental folic acid intake increases maternal folate status. Low maternal folate status is a risk factor in the development of neural tube defects in the developing foetus

Want to know more about folic acid? Check out our blog post here: Everything you need to know about folic acid.

Reduce stress (if you can) 

The whole process of IVF can be stressful, so this bit of advice may feel trite but hear us out. Stress levels can influence both natural and assisted conception rates. If you can take on fewer projects at work or clear your social calendar, do it. Several reports suggest an improvement in pregnancy outcomes when both men and women actively reduce their stress levels. We realise stepping back at work or from family obligations might not be possible, so instead, try to incorporate other stress-relieving techniques into your life. Consider things like acupuncture, yoga, meditation, mindfulness programs, or even a worry management workshop. 

Check your habits

Do you smoke? Stay up all night watching TV? Drink excessive cups of coffee all day or a few too many glasses of wine in the evening? These are the sorts of things that need to be considered. Smoking can drastically reduce the chance of success while doing IVF because it affects both egg and sperm quality. Not sleeping enough at night can also be an issue. Getting about 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night is highly recommended for couples undergoing IVF cycles for improving outcomes. And finally, you may need to reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake. Both have been shown to have a negative impact on IVF success rates. One study of 4,000 Danish women found that women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day were 50% less likely to become pregnant with IVF. 

Want to know more about the impact of coffee on your cycle? Check out this post: Coffee please! The influence of coffee on your hormones.

Other Advice for Couples During IVF 

Lifestyle changes are the most commonly talked about advice, but there are some practical and logistical things that you might want to consider too if you’re about to start or currently doing IVF. Here are some things to consider that may help make your journey a little easier. 

Find a clinic/doctor you feel comfortable with 

It’s important to find a doctor and a clinic that feels right for you. Once you start the IVF process, you will need to go there a lot and the processes and prescriptions you will need to manage can be quite complicated and sometimes feel overwhelming. Make sure that you like the people that work there and that you have good rapport and communication with them. Ensure that they explain things clearly to you and make sure they listen to your concerns. See if they have convenient, accessible ways for you to contact them if you have questions about the prescriptions or how to do something. If you’re not feeling reassured or taken care of, consider checking out another clinic for comparison. 

Make sure you understand the process 

While many couples are aware of IVF, most do not fully understand the process until they are already in it. IVF is a journey involving countless blood tests, injections and administration. Evaluate your own personal comfort level with these things and whether or not you feel you can give yourself daily injections. Most women find this difficult at first, but get used to it after a while. 

Also, the start of an IVF cycle begins by using synthetic hormones to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, rather than a single egg. This is because multiple eggs are needed because some eggs won’t fertilise or develop normally after fertilisation. Any time synthetic hormones are involved in your body, there can be side effects like mood swings, depression and anxiety. It can also cause bloating, nausea and headaches. Be aware of this possibility and how that might impact your life and your relationships. 

While the actual procedure will differ slightly from clinic to clinic, a typical treatment normally follows these steps: 

Step 1: Suppressing the natural menstrual cycle

You will be given medicine that will suppress your natural menstrual cycle. The medicine is usually a daily injection that you'll be taught to administer on yourself.

Step 2: Helping your ovaries produce more eggs

Once your natural cycle is suppressed, you will then take a fertility hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH increases the number of eggs your ovaries produce. This means more eggs can be collected and fertilised. With more fertilised eggs, the clinic has a greater choice of embryos to use in your treatment.

Step 3: Collecting the eggs

Before your eggs are collected, you'll have an injection of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) that helps your eggs to mature. After egg collection, you'll be given hormone medicines to help prepare the lining of your womb to receive the embryo.Your eggs will be collected using a needle that's passed through your vagina and into each ovary under ultrasound guidance.

It may sound scary, but this is a minor procedure that only takes about 15-20 minutes.

Some women might experience cramps or a small amount of vaginal bleeding after this procedure but don’t worry - this is normal. 

Step 5: Fertilising the eggs

The collected eggs are mixed with sperm in a laboratory to fertilise them. The fertilised eggs (embryos) continue to grow in the laboratory for up to 6 days before being transferred into the womb. A specialist will select the best 1 or 2 embryos and these embryos will be the ones that are transferred into your uterus.

Once the embryos have been transferred, you'll be advised to wait around two weeks before having a pregnancy test to see if the treatment has worked. This so-called “two week wait” can feel endless and stressful as you analyse every little twinge and cramp in anticipation of a (hopefully!) positive test. Try to keep yourself busy, and don’t test too early. 

Consider your other obligations 

IVF is not a one-and-done procedure. Even a single round of IVF involves multiple tests and appointments. Think about the time involved and how you will manage this. How flexible is your life? Can you leave work when you need to for appointments? Will you require additional time off? Is this something you can be open and honest about with your colleagues or employer? 

Most managers are not trained in supporting employees having infertility problems. They might be completely unaware of the process and have many questions. Try to be open and explain the process as well as the uncertainty of the outcome of fertility treatments. You can also try some of following things to help manage your time at work while undergoing IVF: 

• Try to schedule appointments early in the morning. Most clinics have appointment slots as early as 7am 
• Choose a clinic that is close to your office or your house
• If you can, try to work from home during the IVF process to reduce your stress 
• If you can’t talk to your manager about your IVF journey, try to find a supportive co-worker or teammate that you can talk to about what’s going on and see if they can cover for you in case of emergencies

Be mindful of holidays

If you’re planning a trip while undergoing IVF treatment, share the details of the trip with your clinic and specialist. Certain parts of IVF treatment require that you remain nearby, as you’ll have to go into the clinic for daily appointments. There are also certain appointments that need to coincide with the day your cycle starts so you need to be available. 

Talk to people (or not) 

Many people require more than one cycle of IVF to achieve an embryo for transfer, and outcomes do vary from cycle to cycle. If your first cycle wasn’t successful, it can be incredibly disappointing. Some couples require many cycles and this can take a long time - in some cases, many years.

Given the volume of appointments, the hormones and relentlessness of the whole process, it can be incredibly draining and isolating. Sometimes, it helps to talk to other people about your experience. If you have a close friend or family member that you can confide in, consider telling them about what’s happening. And if you don’t feel comfortable with friends or family, consider seeking the help of a therapist or a support group specifically for women or couples undergoing IVF treatments. 

Remember: most (if not all!) of IVF is out of your control. This can be incredibly difficult to live with, even for people who aren’t controlling! The fact is, nobody likes a lack of control but if you can let go a little bit and talk to people about it, it might help you endure the journey a bit better. You are not alone. 

And, if things don’t go according to plan, try not to blame yourself. There will likely be setbacks or suboptimal outcomes, but find ways to take care of yourself during this process. Focus on self care and find moments of joy where you can. This is not an easy journey. 

And, if you would prefer to keep your whole experience private, that’s cool too. For some people, this is a very valid form of self protection. Everyone will have different ways to manage the emotions that accompany IVF. 

Helping your partner 

IVF is not a one-person job. Afterall, it takes both an egg and sperm to make a baby. For men, infertility issuas are often a private heartache. So much of the medical experience focuses on a woman and her body, yet a man is 50% of the equation! Here are a few things you can do to support your partner. 

Help your partner with sperm health 

Here are a few tips you can share with your partner to help improve his sperm quality and quantity:

• Drink responsibly! This of course applies to both men and women but a man who wants to be a father needs to drink in moderation. More than two alcoholic drinks a day reduces the quality of the sperm.

• Do not smoke or use drugs. This results in lower quality sperm. Just like alcohol.

• Keep it cool down there. If a man's testicles get too hot, sperm quality can decline. They shouldn't get hotter than 35 degrees – Yes, two degrees lower than the average body temperature. But don't worry, you don't have to put ice cubes on it. Loose underwear is good enough. And it is also wise not to sit in the same place for too long, not to take hot baths or to visit saunas.

• A healthy environment. If a man is sick, it can temporarily reduce the quality of the sperm. And if he works with chemicals or radioactive substances, pesticides, lead, radiation (such as X-rays) it can also affect the quality of the sperm.

• Reduce Stress. Stress is another culprit when it comes to sperm quality. We know the entire IVF process can be stressful, try to reduce intense and prolonged stress as much as reasonably possible.

• Exercise, but keep it calm. Regularly exercising, even to a minimum, can have a positive impact on sperm quality. However, if a man exercises too much, it can cause less testosterone production, which reduces sperm count. So don't go to the extreme.

• Eat healthy. Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables improve sperm quality. Vitamin B, folic acid, and foods high in zinc are also perfect for healthy sperm. 

Remember: The maturation of a sperm cell takes 75 to 90 days. So what a man eats today will impact the quality of his sperm in three months' time. Studies have shown that folic acid, zinc & omega-3 can be beneficial for sperm quality so in addition to a healthy diet, a man may also want to consider adding a supplement to his daily routine. 

For more information on nutrition and fertility, check out our blog post here.

Make sure your partner is flexible, prepared and understands the process 

It’s important to support and psychologically prepare your partner for the process. Just like how it’s important for you to understand the process and procedures, make sure your partner knows what will be required of him too. For example, on the day of the egg retrieval, your partner will be required to produce a sperm sample. Masturbation is the most common method used to produce a sample so make sure he knows this and that he’s not likely to freeze under pressure. Also, ensure that he is not traveling or on a business trip when the sperm sample is required. The precise timing may not be entirely predictable as it is based on your cycle so it’s important that he knows this. 

Try to keep him informed about the whole process and how you’re feeling about it so he can understand how to support you. Try to be honest and open about your feelings so he can support you and encourage him to share how he’s feeling too. It might even be helpful to attend a support group together. Also, if there are specific obligations that he can help with while you have appointments, be specific and ask for help. 

Waiting for pregnancy news 

Waiting to hear whether your IVF cycle has resulted in a pregnancy can be exhausting. During the nearly two week wait, you may be monitoring your body nervously for any signs of pregnancy and it can be hard to concentrate or focus on anything else. Try to balance the anxiety by treating yourself to something you enjoy. Be intentional about planning things that bring you joy so you can attempt to focus on something else. Meditate or practice affirmations that can help you reframe negative thoughts. Focus on your breathing when you feel anxiety and talk to your partner as much as you can. Remember that there is always the possibility of failure but that it is out of your control. 

Create a plan in case of bad news 

Despite IVF success rates, a single IVF cycle is more likely to fail than succeed. We know that no matter how much you prepare mentally, the fact is, if your cycle is unsuccessful, you will likely feel sad, angry and disappointed. Try to remind yourself that you have done everything within your power to have a child and doing so will help minimize any possible future regrets. To help protect yourself emotionally, here are a few things you can do: 

• Limit the number of people you tell about your IVF cycle. If it fails, it can be incredibly draining to have to tell and retell the news over and over
• Plan where you want to be when you receive the news. You may not want to be at work in a corridor for example. If this is not practical or possible, try to have a plan for what you will do if the news is bad. Can you cancel meetings on the day you’re expecting a call from your clinic or work from home that day? These things can help if you do not get the news you would like
• If the news is bad, discuss what you and your partner will do to support each other 
• Try not to plan events around the time you’re expecting news. Obviously, things like other people’s weddings will be unavoidable, but if you’re thinking about hosting a family dinner or going for a night out, consider rescheduling (or giving a tentative RSVP) 

Create a vision for the future 

Of course, it is important to try to stay positive and hopeful throughout your IVF journey. However, setting a limit of how far you might go with fertility treatments can also be a good idea. Having an end in sight can be psychologically helpful. Also, it can be useful to try to come to terms with the idea that IVF may not work so try to have a vision for your life that does not involve a baby. Thinking that a baby is the key to your long term happiness and life satisfaction can be incredibly damaging to your mental health if it doesn’t happen. It’s a good idea to figure out what you will do and how you might eventually be OK with the loss of your original life plan. This type of visualization can be helpful for both mental health and your stress levels. 

The bottom line

IVF is a challenging and often stressful journey for many couples. Remember that if you don’t have immediate success with IVF, you may go through a grieving process. All the tips in this article have been designed to help you manage the emotional rollercoaster of IVF, but we also want to acknowledge that nothing you do can fully take away the anxiety. After all, the stakes are too high. 

Sometimes, keeping the details of your experience private can help. Other times, talking to others is a source of support. Whatever you decide, remember that you are not alone. 

If you are going through IVF and feel like you need a little extra support, talk to our team of experts. We are here to listen and to help.