List of things to do to increase chances

[Anonymous]

I was definitely very stressed before and during my IVF cycle, which was nonetheless successful. Lots of anxiety apparently didn't hurt the outcome. I read about a study that showed that anxiety during treatment does NOT diminish your chances. Not that it isn't good, for other reasons, to try to reduce stress and anxiety, but don't stress about whether it will affect your outcome.

The only thing I did specifically to increase my chances was take a fairly large dose (60mg) of ubiquinol for five months or so before treatment.

[Anonymous]

What is ubiquinol?

[Anonymous]

Gain weight. Did anyone say this already? Most women need to carry - a little - extra fat on them to conceive. You won't conceive if Mother Nature believes there is any chance of malnourishment or starvation. It''s why many "type A" personalities (perfectionists who scrutinize body image) have trouble conceiving.

[Anonymous]

I truly think fertility odds are up to genetics, luck, and G-D.
(And in some cases, a good RE.) I am not a believer in acupuncture, or "certain foods" to "up the odds." However, everyone is different, and if YOU feel like something in particular will help, then go for it. The truth of the matter, imo, is that we really have so little control, BUT we are all looking for ways to make us feel like we do have control (acupuncture, food choices, etc.) GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gain weight. Did anyone say this already? Most women need to carry - a little - extra fat on them to conceive. You won't conceive if Mother Nature believes there is any chance of malnourishment or starvation. It''s why many "type A" personalities (perfectionists who scrutinize body image) have trouble conceiving.

This is simply not true and insulting. I had a pcp tell me this after I was already seeing an RE and undergoing ART, and I changed doctors. Yes, if you are so underweight you no longer ovulate that affects fertility...but most "type A" women are not in this category. Two different REs, neither mentioned my lowish BMI (around 19) as a contributing facctor.

I'm currently 13 weeks after my 5th IVF cycle...conceived when I was at my lowest weight (and likely body fat due to more weight lifting etc) on this whole multi-year TTC process. And FWIW, previous failures were not due to body weight issues either. They were due to undiagnosed uterine scarring (don't get me started on why I had to go to two different REs and have 3 failed cycles following a miscarriage before it was properly imaged and diagnosed). Our initial dx was MF.

[Anonymous]

OP, please don't just randomly take baby aspirin if you pursue ART or get pregnant!! Baby aspirin is only indicated for women with repeat losses for which there is a reason to suspect a clotting disorder (e.g. you are pretty certain it's not chromosomal issues due to testing of abortus etc). The only people I know who've taken it for a successful pregnancy did so with the knowledge of their doctors...though some people on this board take it on their own if their doctor doesn't believe in immune issues/clotting issues. That said, they have good reason to think they have those issues (e.g. multiple losses, or multiple transfers with good embryos that fail to implant). Until you know your issues, there is no reason to take baby aspirin. If you don't have a clotting disorder, it can cause bleeding that could jeopardize your pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

A lot of it is common sense (healthy lifestyle, take your prenatal vitamins, sleep well) and beyond that, you'll need medical intervention. I suggest you do your own research on your diagnosis, ask the doctor(s) all the questions you can think of and push for testing if necessary.

My accupuncturist always insists that I exercise to help circulating blood to the uterus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is ubiquinol?

It's the more absorbable form of CoQ10. There are studies that show that CoQ10 improves IVF success, likely because it improves egg quality. Even my RE supported taking it because she had anecdotal experience where it seemed to have helped a patient. You have to take it for months before the procedure though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is ubiquinol?

It's the more absorbable form of CoQ10. There are studies that show that CoQ10 improves IVF success, likely because it improves egg quality. Even my RE supported taking it because she had anecdotal experience where it seemed to have helped a patient. You have to take it for months before the procedure though.

And you have to take relatively high doses, which is why I went to ubiquinol (got it at Swanson's) because you need less of it.

[Anonymous]

*went with ubiquinol*

[Anonymous]

How much are you supposed to take?

[Anonymous]

I have learned that most of the things people on these boards suggest are compete nonsense not backed by My scientific studies (like eat pineapple and other rubbish). What might help you is entirely dependent on why you are infertile to begin with. Only your RE can provide you with any useful tips here. I wasted a lot of time and money trying all these ridiculous ideas like taking weird supplements, acupuncture, etc. but it was a waste.

[Anonymous]

Typo in my post above... Meant by scientific studies not my scientific studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No disrespect to the PP, but telling someone who is infertile to relax is one of the MOST aggravating pieces of advice we typically hear. That or take a vacation. I 'relaxed' and travelled the World- and I did NOT get pregnant. Yes, stress may have something to do with it, but quite honestly, there are other causes as well. You may not realize this because it was 'your friends' who got pregnant and you never had to go through fertility treatments, but let me assure you, the first piece of advice I always got from 'fertile' people was to relax and take a vacation. Sorry, now that I have removed that stick from my backside, onto the OP.

For me, we went through a couple rounds of IVF (after 6 unsuccessful years of trying). My first attempt was unsuccessful (out of 15 eggs, 13 were mature and only 3 fertilized). I researched what issues may or may not help with my specific situation. For example, I have a thyroid issues and an endometrioma on my left ovary - and other people I have talked to went gluten free and had some success with that- so I ended up doing gluten free for the 3-4 months leading up to my second attempt. I also took an entire regimen of supplements (CoQ10, DHEA, DHA, pre-natal,Royal Jelly etc) to help with egg quality. Some people swear by accupuncture (I ended up not pursuing it).

It was incredibly helpful to be on the same team with my husband. He was truly by my side the whole time and incredibly supportive. It is a LONG, hard road and can be very lonely (although you would be surprised how MANY people you know have had issues and just don't talk about it). I also cycled with some gals online (twoweekwait) and we could compare notes, stories and just vent. Make sure you have an outlet - it is helpful, expecially if things don't go as planned.

I wish you all the best- GOOD LUCK!!!

Did your gluten free, vitamin supplement regiment work? I am considering going gluten free as well.

[Anonymous]

don't take baby aspirin unless you know that you have blood clotting issues. I talked to my OB about it, and that is absolutely not a preventative measure that everyone should take. It's only really helpful if you have an issue.

I would talk to your OB first about what specifically you should do to increase your chances.