Diet and egg quality

[Xmishell37]

Hey, I've did one round of IVF - got 20 eggs and only 3 made it to day 5. I was told many of the eggs were immature and I know I really need to make changes to my diet to have any chance of success next round. I live on ALOT of sugar and only recently read about how bad this can be, can anyone give me tips on what to eat and what not to eat for the next 3 months that might make a difference or that's made a difference to them? I'm almost 38 so not expecting every egg to be perfect but I was devastated when only 3 out of 20 made it (two frozen transfers have failed so far), I'm now taking pregnacare conception max, coq10 and more vitamin D, thanks xx

[LittleBlueOwl]

I would add dhea into your supplements if not already. I took it in-between my 1st cycle where I only got 2 eggs and 0 made it to day 5 and my 2nd cycle where we got 5 mature eggs and 4 blastocysts. Other than that, lots of fruit and veg, things high in antioxidants like berries and greens. I ate so much salad! If you can find a dressing you like then a pile of leaves isn't such a rubbish meal plus making smoothies from banana, milk, honey and whatever fruit I had going was a bit of fun. good luck! Avoid alcohol, smoking and fast food would be my other advice. And also avoid strenuous/high intensity exercise and opt for something gentler like yoga or swimming - I stopped running because apparently that can have a negative impact on fertility.

[Xmishell37 in reply to LittleBlueOwl]

Thank you ❣️ I did consider dhea but I have quite high amh (for my age) and got OHSS after my last retrieval so am a bit worried it would make that worse if I get it again, I know someone who took dhea because of low ovarian reserve but does it help with quality too? I'm taking lots of coq10 thanks for all your other suggestions, I think I need to make a food plan/diary to help me along the way ☺️ xx

[Skittles11 in reply to Xmishell37]

I agree with you and would be mindful about taking DHEA if you have a high ovarian reserve

[Nakijo in reply to LittleBlueOwl]

How old were you and which supplements did you take?

[Xmishell37 in reply to Nakijo]

I was 36 and 6 months at my first retrieval, I was only taking folic acid and vitamin D as that's all that was advised by hospital at the time ☺️ xx

[Xmishell37 in reply to Nakijo]

Sorry that should have said 37 and 6 months!

[Nakijo in reply to Xmishell37]

Thanks for the response

[Nicnic888]

hi is there a chance you could have PCOS? Usually assisted with high than usual AMH, high testosterone and insulin resistance. I’ve read it would be helpful to take myo-inositol. Would be good measure you testosterone as this could also help to indicate whether you may have this, especially if it’s on the higher end.. Both imbalance of insulin and testosterone levels can result in immature eggs. Would recommend it starts with the egg 3rd edition!

[Xmishell37 in reply to Nicnic888]

Thank you ❣️ I'm going to order this book tonight as I've seen it come up on a few forums and everyone speaks highly of it!! I never thought of PCOS as it's never been mentioned at any of my IVF appointments but it's perhaps something for me to ask about, when I say high AMH it's still within the normal range for my age, and I've always had a high sugar diet all my life, hoping any damage done by that is reversible!! Xx

[Eloquentia]

Hi! I too wondered whether you might have PCOS given the number of eggs and the OHSS, as well as the sugar intake that you mention. I have PCOS (got OHSS after stimulations too and 24 eggs) and as Nicnic888 says, inositol really helped me with the insulin resistance and with balancing my cycles. Another vote for reading It starts with the egg! Great source of lifestyle and dietary advice.

[Xmishell37 in reply to Eloquentia]

Thank you ❣️ I'm looking forward to reading this book now since it comes so highly recommended ☺️ I hadn't heard of inositol so will look into that, I want to give myself at least the next 3 months to make the necessary changes before my next egg retrieval 💗 I will also look into potential PCOS as its not something id thought of before or been mentioned! xx

[raverg]

On the diet tips, I’ve recently done Zoe and got a lot of good tips for reducing sugar spikes - which I think is what It Starts With An Egg was suggesting too. Definitely check their chapter on diet. But sugar spikes come from both sugary treats and carby / processed foods. I’ll share some principles with you in case it helps and gives you a place to start.

First of all, it’s probably a good point to cut out all ultra processed candy, snacks and ready made meals or sauces you get from the store. Every now and again and in small quantities is fine, but generally cook with raw and minimally processed ingredients. Salads are good, guacamole on ryvita, fish, snack on nuts and seeds instead of crisps, spaghetti squash or courgetti instead of pasta. Basically the Mediterranean diet.

Secondly, try adding sugar via fruit instead. Whole fruits and smoothies are a good idea. Maybe avoid porridge in the mornings as it did seem to make everyone on Zoe spike, and it’s something you wouldn’t think of necessarily as sugary.

Thirdly, Zoe is a big proponent of managing spikes by combining less ideal ingredients with good ingredients e.g. for example we now eat a salad before a pizza and it dramatically reduced the spike when wearing the glucose monitor, or adding roasted veggies and/or a tomato sauce reduced from passata to a plate of pasta but avoiding bacon and pancetta and chorizo, or adding yogurt, pistachio and a splash of agave syrup to a bowl of strawberries, or adding guacamole topped with seeds and arugula to a slice of sourdough bread.

Finally, Zoe loves fibre, so try introducing more beans and hummus as they’re easy to incorporate and pretty high sources of fibre.

Zoe is personalised to each individual but I have noticed these general trends, and hopefully all of this is a good starting point to go out there and research some recipes that better suit your preferences. Best of luck!

[Xmishell37 in reply to raverg]

Thank you ❣️ sugar spikes is exactly what I've been reading up on recently and all of your response is so helpful ❣️ I'm very much looking forward to my book arriving on Tuesday and feeling motivated to make the changes required!! Xx

[K_LNB]

No helpful advice but just to say I’m in the same boat - age 38 with high AMH… 31 eggs collected, 24 mature, 23 fertilised and only 1 blastocyst. The drop off is really devastating isn’t it!

[Xmishell37 in reply to K_LNB]

It really is and sorry you had the same thing ❣️ I'm feeling quite positive that the diet and lifestyle changes suggested here will make a big difference, and I ordered the book last night 'it starts with the egg'!! Hope u have better luck next time ❣️ xx

[Gggjfx in reply to K_LNB]

Hi, exactly my story, the same number, I just have one embryo, but the clinic said, it was sperm quality, however, am on supplements, including my spouse…

[Xmishell37 in reply to Gggjfx]

Sorry to hear, it's so hard ❣️ I was only taking folic acid and vitamin D before my first transfer cos that's all that was recommended by the hospital, I'm now taking lots more and my other half is now taking Wellman's supplements for men's fertility so hoping it all makes a difference next round, hope Ur one embryo gives u the little miracle u dream of ❣️ xx

[Gemma-P]

I had similar problems first time round.

First round of IVF I collected 20 eggs but only 3 were mature and none fertilised.

I spent 6 months on supplements (incl coq10) and changing my diet to low carb high protein as my diet before was full of sugar and high carb.

I noticed a huge difference in my energy levels, lost a lot of weight and my skin cleared up massively.

Second round of IVF I only collected 11 eggs however, all of them were mature, all fertilised and 9 made it to day 5. I had 6 top quality embryos, transferred one and froze the other 5. I’m currently 26 weeks pregnant after my first transfer.

Other changes in my second round were using a double trigger shot to help the eggs mature and we used ICSI to improve the fertilisation.

There is a huge difference between egg quality and maturity so stay positive and trust that the changes you are making will make all the difference.

On the diet front - do you by any chance have polycystic ovaries? I was never diagnosed with poly cystic ovaries as my periods were regular and I didnt have any of the symptoms bad enough for them to diagnose the syndrome but during my first round, after collecting 20 eggs, the nurses suggested I had polycystic ovaries. In most cases this is driven by insulin resistance so the low carb high protein diet should help with controlling it. I followed a podcast called the PCOS nutritionist which I found really helpful and there are lots of info online which explain how diet has an impact.

Good luck!

[Xmishell37 in reply to Gemma-P]

Your story gives me so much hope that making these changes will give me the outcome Ive wanted to much for so many years thank you 🥺❣️🥺 not sure about PCOS but lots mentioned it om this post so if it is the case hopefully it can be resolved with diet and lifestyle changes, il also look up the podcast thanks!! ❣️ Xx

[Gemma-P in reply to Xmishell37]

you may be the same as me. You can have polycystic ovaries without having polycystic ovary syndrome (that’s how it was explained to me by the IVF nurses). You will only be diagnosed with the syndrome if you have a number of the symptoms from it.

I’m almost certain I must have it because my skin used to be quite bad (pre diet change) and our fertility issues were very much “unexplained” however, I never had the irregular periods etc so I don’t think PCOS was ever explored as a diagnosis by the doctors.

The fact that you collected 20 eggs I would say is an indicator of PCO / PCOS. It’s very much treatable and lifestyle / diet changes can make such a huge difference.

Also, something my consultant said to me which gave me a lot of reassurance after the first round failed. He said the fact that I was producing so many eggs was a good thing. He can treat a problem with the eggs (quality / maturity) but what he can’t do is create eggs if there is a poor response in egg production (eg only collecting 1-3 per cycle).

Stay positive - you’ve got this!

[Xmishell37 in reply to Gemma-P]

Thank you that is a good way to look at it and I suppose I'm lucky to still have a good reserve at my age! ❣️ I wish there was more information available about egg quality during IVF...I was so naive in thinking quality was just something u were born with or weren't...like the number of eggs! Xx

[Aquaaddict]

I’ve recently had a nutritionist appointment through my clinic. She recommended fruit or veg with every meal. Authentic Greek, Skyr, Natural or Kefir Yoghurts and including nuts and seeds in my diet.

Also having a Vit D test to make sure your level isn’t low enough to need a high strength supplement. She said most gps will test it if you ask or you can buy tests online for around £30.

If your clinic doesn’t have their own nutritionist I think this one can be booked privately, it was Angela Attwood. love-nutrition.com/copy-of-...

Good luck x

[Xmishell37 in reply to Aquaaddict]

Thank you ❣️ I'm now taking high strength vit D but it is probably worth getting checked! Xx

[Twiglet2]

I agree with what everyone has said here diet wise and the vitimins you are already taking but I would also ask the clinic if there is anything they can do meds wise or timing wise to help the eggs collected be a bit more mature sometimes switching the type of stimulation can help as well and maybe giving a day longer until egg collection (sometimes at the expense of your lead follicle) can be useful xx

[Xmishell37 in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you ❣️ it's so easy to blame yourself and I was confused about day 1 of my period (I usually have spotting for 1 day and called the next day to start but then had spotting for almost 2 days) so always wonder if I'd juse waited and called 1 day later would it have made a difference 🥺 xx

[Twiglet2 in reply to Xmishell37]

No I don’t think think that’s on you they can just keep you on stims one more day if they need to it’s a balancing act between not letting the lead follicles get too big and the smaller ones catching up and sometimes it’s a learning curve on the first round for them and you! I defo wouldn’t blame yourself just a learning experience for next time 🤗💜 xx

[Xmishell37 in reply to Twiglet2]

Thanks ❣️ hoping for much better luck next time 💗 xx

[Olive12345]

Add lots of fruit and veg, eggs, salmon, yoghurt, avocado and nuts. The NHS / health professionals now recommend that half the plate should be veg based for fibre and antioxidants! I still have half a sugar in my tea and coffee and I would say that’s healthier than putting sweetener in there unless you have diabetes or PCOS (not sure if sweetener is ok with that). Switch to healthier alternatives for sugar rather than swap for diet versions because the sweeteners have been shown to have worse effects on health in some cases. It’s probably easier to focus on adding the healthy stuff in rather than taking the bad stuff out as you’ll cave and crack if you feel like you’re not allowed rather than you’re making a healthy choice!

[Xmishell37 in reply to Olive12345]

Thank you ❣️ I'm only on day 2 and feeling motivated but this is absolutely going to need to be a whole lifestyle change for me so I know there will be times i struggle and i cant really afford to lose any weight, if anything I'd want to put on weight but hoping I can stay focused and eating leafs becomes just as attractive as a nice steak and chips 😂 xx

[Olive12345 in reply to Xmishell37]

You’ve got this 💪 healthy food makes for a healthy weight I reckon! Be careful about dropping healthy carbs if you haven’t got much weight to lose.

I reckon steak and chips is fairly healthy… I mean it’s just meat and potato right?! Just throw half a plate of salad or veg on top!

[Xmishell37 in reply to Olive12345]

Great, love a fillet steak haha, the problem is I need to do so much research into things to learn more..but Ive started making small changes this week with what I do know..more leafy greens and veg on the plate is a good start and I'm giving myself at least 3 months...feel like im going to be a new woman after this 😂❣️ xx

[Whooper in reply to Olive12345]

I am using organic blue agave which is a lot better than sugar…

[Christianbaby]

Hi! Consume food rich in antioxidants like fruits (berries, oranges), vegetables (leafy greens, broccoli), and nuts (almonds, walnuts).

Choose lean sources like fish, chicken, tofu, and legumes.

Minimize processed, sugary, and high-fat foods.

And, lots of fruits and vegetables.

Good luck! x

[Xmishell37 in reply to Christianbaby]

Thank you ❣️ all noted ☺️ I was never a fan of nuts but if there is ever a time to restrain my brain it's now! Xx

[Christianbaby in reply to Xmishell37]

You can do it! Rooting for you! x

[Natasha2012]

I would recommend Metformin , I used to have pcos and it changed my life . I’m 38 and have a low AMH of 6 but got 9 eggs all mature and 8 fertilised , 3 made it to day 5 but il blame my husband for that 😂😂 xx Ask your gp about it xx

[Xmishell37 in reply to Natasha2012]

Thank you ❣️ never heard of it but will look into it ☺️ xx