Do you drink & smoke during stimming?

[Anonymous]

Getting ready for another ivf cycle next month. I usually stop drinking during 2ww; but think I will probably stop as soon as I start injections this time. Sometimes I have had a few cigs/week when stimming...
Wondering what other ivf ladies do.

[Anonymous]

RE said that we need to stop drinking a month before we start the BCPs. he said ovaries kind of start "deciding" which eggs to produce for the next cycle a month before. there are no conclusive studies on alcohol's impact on eggs, etc., but he said why take a chance. i've had wine when i was on BCPs, but not later in the cycle.

no idea about smoking.

[Anonymous]

GW says it's fine to keep drinking (in moderation) during stims. I have had a couple drinks during stims -- but nothing crazy. I also drink in moderation for all but the last couple days of the 2WW. For the first part of the 2WW the embryo hasn't even attached, so I figure - what's the harm?

[Anonymous]

Smoking is horrible for your egg production. If possible, stop smoking at least 6 months prior to an IVF cycle---the doctors say that it takes about 6 months of being smoke-free for your egg quality to recover. (but the good news is that it does seem to recover).

I quit smoking in august 08, did IVF in Jan 09, and only produced 1 egg. (I'm also older). We recently tried again and produced 6 eggs, four of which fertilized. Of course, any number of variable (more acupuncture, different protocol, could also account for that).

I drank during stimming, but cut back. We usually have wine with dinner every night and I cut back to only once/twice a week.

[Anonymous]

there was a recent study linking alcohol consumption with decreased blood flow to the uterus and miscarriage. The study is about a year old. With everything invested in IVF, why take the risk. You have the next 80 years to drink and smoke.

[Anonymous]

yes but you're referring to once you are already pregnant; this thread has to do with alcohol/smoking on egg quality and stim process.

[Anonymous]

yes to drinking moderately -- no to smoking but that's because i don't smoke anyway.

[Anonymous]

Yes, smoking is the worst thing you can do for your fertility. If it is doable, I would stop period. As for drinking, there is one study showing that more than 1 drink a week during stimming can affect IVF success rates. I stopped several months before my cycle because, as PP said, your body starts prepping your eggs 2-3 months before ovulation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, smoking is the worst thing you can do for your fertility. If it is doable, I would stop period. As for drinking, there is one study showing that more than 1 drink a week during stimming can affect IVF success rates. I stopped several months before my cycle because, as PP said, your body starts prepping your eggs 2-3 months before ovulation.

pp were you successful?

[Anonymous]

There's clearly no harm in stopping drinking, but there's probably one study showing that standing on your head for 10 minutes a night can help with IVF - but that doesn't mean you should do it. Correlation does not equal causation. Another thing to think about -- a lot of these studies are based on asking women to report how much they drank. Women with a worse prognosis for IVF might be more likely to recall past drinking than those with better prognosis, since they might be more conscious of what they are eating/drinking in general. Until there have been many rigorous studies, the opposite (that moderate drinking could help your chances) could also be true. After all, moderate drinking has been shown to help with some things (heart disease).

[Anonymous]

to the 16:24: blood flow to the uterus is just as important before you conceive. Why cut the chances of implantation at all? . . . and many miscarriages occur before women know they are pregnant. The risk is hers to take but with IVF, why take such a known risk? If the reason that she is doing IVF is for male factor infertility . . . then that is a little different.