What I Did Differently During Our Successful IVF Cycle

I think there are a lot of contributing factors that are unique to each individual on what will allot for a positive outcome for infertility treatments. I spent a lot of time scouring the internet trying to find other people's advice on how they approached their successful IVF cycle. While, there are some things that I think can only go so far; overall, I feel like the changes I made set my body up to be in a healthy place able to nurture an embryo.

Diet

Throughout all three of my IVF cycles, I tried my best to eat as healthy as I could. Before all these fertility troubles surfaced, I thought I ate healthy. I was vegetarian since a teenager, so I had to be eating healthier right? While, I think I wasn't eating as bad as a the Standard American Diet, I did have things I could improve.

I ate bits of sugar here and there, I ate a lot of bread sometimes when I was short on time (quick and easy!), and I probably didn't eat as many vegetables as I knew I needed. So, when our last cycle came around, I tried my best to include healthy plant-based proteins*, plenty of green vegetables, and whole grains. I tried avoiding all sugars like candy, pastries, and ice cream. (wah!) I also did a period of gluten free. Though, I'm not entirely convinced I reaped any benefits since I don't have Coeliac Disease. (Even though, I'll probably do it again for any future IVF cycles).

Also, I ditched the caffeine. I indulged in some decaf every now and then. But found, with the mix of IVF meds, it messed with my stomach so I often regretted coffee in any form. Tea for the win!

*Note: There was a span of about a couple of months before our last cycle, where in my desperate-to-be-a-mother infertilityness I tried eating meat thinking, maybe, just maybe some of the naysayers of vegetarianism were right. Well, I ended up just getting sick to my stomach mostly every day and didn't notice any difference in my symptoms. So, I went back to full on vegetarian and have had a happy tummy since.

Exercise

One of the things I also tend to slack on normally (noticing a trend here?) is exercise. I get into periods where I work out consistently, but overall find it hard with my work schedule. (And as a mother of a toddler? - i'm really struggling with this recently). But, one of my most favorite forms of exercise is yoga. I can do it basically anywhere - like at home, for free. While there is a local yoga studio that I love, they can be a bit pricey - and we all know IVF or infertility treatments in general are pricey as it is. So, I tend to hit up YouTube (my favorite being Yoga With Adriene) and do yoga in the comfort of my own room. I think I was really in a groove during my last IVF cycle, and definitely noticed an increase in strength. (Something I am yearning to get back to soon.)

My therapist (Yes, I started going just to deal with infertility. My husband joined too!) also mentioned the need for some exercise that was more "aggressive" in nature. He simply stated, "there's probably a lot of angry yogis out there, you know?" We can't all thrive on 100% zen, sometimes, we need a more intense outlet. So, I also tried to do some running (intense for me since I suck at it!) and weights. He recommended kickboxing, but those classes are expensive!

When I wasn't doing yoga or running, I walked at work. I tried to take both of my 15 minute breaks to walk the halls, or during my lunch I would time and take 30 minute walks. I used my runkeeper to keep track and also listen to music. This also doubled as a sort of meditative mindful break in my day as well!

Meditation

Which brings me to: meditation. I think this is probably the single handed most important thing I changed. While, this may not have directly impacted my success (Right?! - if one more person says to "just relax and you'll get pregnant") I think lowering the stress/anxiety around my cycle was very helpful. Meditation allowed me to focus on what I can control. I also became more mindful in other aspects of my life, which just overall contributed to a calmer demeanor. I think getting out of my head, and asking for the universe to have my back helped a ton. Whether you believe in a higher power, or not, meditating and delegating your worries out is helpful in lowering stress. It took a lot of the pressure off of me (being my body, my mindset, my eggs, etc) and allowed for me to trust that my body knew what to do, and if it was ready or wasn't.

I know for our future FET cycle, I definitely will go back to gluten-free, limited dairy, and increase my exercise and meditation. It'll be hard to juggle with a toddler, but maybe chasing him around to keep him out of trouble counts as exercise? What different things have you tried during IVF?