In Australia, the IVF success rates (clinical pregnancy) range from 44.9% for patients under 34 years, to 11.7% for patients over 43 years. If you have decided to start IVF treatment, it is worth to prepare your body and mind for it as soon as possible, as it could assist to increase the success rate. Here are some tips to prepare your egg retrieval in the IVF journey.
1. Have fertility friendly diet.
You should drink at least 1.5L a day of mineral or filtered water. Increase antioxidants, dark leafy greens, whole grains and healthy fats in your diet, such as blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates, spinach, kale, oats, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas,salmon and other fatty fish, nuts, free-range eggs, seeds, lentils, lean meat. Limit caffeine and stop alcohol and smoking.
2. Reduce stress and improve sleep
Slow down your lifestyle pace. The quality and quantity of sleep influences sex hormones, sperm production, and ovulation. It is therefore crucial to make sure you and your partner are getting enough good quality sleep, especially leading up to an IVF cycle.
3. Slow down your exercise
During the IVF cycle, the ovaries will become larger and there is a risk of ovarian torsion, we wouldn’t recommend high-intensity exercise and high cardiovascular activity. However, gentle daily exercise (i.e. walking and yoga) is safe during the IVF cycle.
4. Plan to rest comfortably for a day or two afterwards
Preparation for egg retrieval can be mentally and physically intense. Do not feel guilty if you need a nap. After procedure of the egg retrieval, you could expect a little cramping and spotting. But if there is heavy bleeding, give a call to your IVF clinic.
5. Try acupuncture
Acupuncture should be scheduled carefully to synchronise with your IVF schedule to have the best chance of success. In Traditional Chinese medicine, each person is treated individually, so recommendations will vary depending on your health and history. If you are interested in how to schedule acupuncture sessions to maximise the effectiveness of the IVF acupuncture treatments, we’ve put together a blog post outlining the process.
IVF can be a stressful experience for both you and your partner so it is important to take care of your relationship and support each other. At B&Q Acupuncture, our team of Chinese medicine doctors support couples through IVF treatment on a daily basis and have success in enhancing IVF outcomes. If you are interested in having acupuncture for IVF support, please contact our clinic (08)6111 5027 or email info@bqacupuncture.com.au. We are looking forward to supporting you.