Lifestyle changes vs IVF
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Anonymous
| Hi all, I've been trying to conceive for a year with no luck except one chemical pregnancy. My husband and I have had fertility testing which has come back with normal results. The doctor said the next step for us is IVF (we don't want to bother with IUI). However I hear stories of people who do multiple rounds of failed ivf and then are able to conceive after making diet/Lifestyle changes. Has this happened to anyone you know and what changes did they make? I'm already a non smoker, occasional drinker and in a healthy weight range... |
Anonymous
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Have you had an HSG that checked that your tubes are clear? For some, just having the procedure “removes cobwebs” and permits people to conceive afterwards. If you’re not ready for IVF but want to try something that could help (and would be a diagnostic requirement before IVF anyway) schedule that.
That said, we were exactly same as you: Healthy weights, in good shape, non-smokers, minimal drinking, perfect semen analysis and ovarian reserve. Still took multiple IUIs and multiple IVF egg retrieval’s and transfers before getting pregnant. Sadly, for some it’s just a mystery why it won’t work without (serious) medical assistance. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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How old? How’s your thyroid? Is your tsh under 2.0? Vitamin D levels? You should aim for the high end of the normal range. Vitamin D impacts ovarian function. Any sign of endometriosis, like painful periods? Have you tried acupuncture? There are also supplements you can take to improve egg quality. Start here - https://itstartswiththeegg.com/
Put your dh on Fertilaid for men. It’s a daily vitamin that supports sperm production. Even if you do decide to do IVF, these things will support the process and up your odds of success. |
Anonymous
| I would just go and do natural cycle IVF with icsi and assisted hatching. I tried for years with only one blighted ovum to show for it. When I finally did IVF it worked on the first try. I highly recommend dr DiMattina at dominion. Not the best bedside manner, but an excellent doctor. He said that maybe the “shell” of my egg was too hard and needed help. I have no clue, but I couldn’t believe it worked on the first try after 32 negative cycles. I agree not to waste tons or emotional energy on iui. Also, has your husband been checked? |
Anonymous
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op- thyroid and vitamin d is normal. Tsh is like . 75 from what I recall.
Had a hsg and it's normal. Sperm quality is apparently excellent. I'm 33...thinking it might be one of those unexplained things that can be helped by IVF but I guess the only way to find out is to try... |
Anonymous
| FWIW, we had male factor and IVF wasn’t an option. Our 2nd IUI cycle worked. You just never know! |
Anonymous
| What your doctor should have explained to you is that, after trying for a year and being diagnosed with unexplained infertility you have an approximately 2% chance of conceiving naturally. So sure it can happen, and it does, but how long do you want to wait? Also unless you have obvious lifestyle changes to make, like you or your husband smokes, I don’t think that will make a difference. We are also unexplained and our original RE made us do timed intercourse then IUI then IVF. Nothing worked until IVF. Every IVF transfer we have had has implanted (although we had a miscarriage after our first one and both implanting is kind of luck thing). So obviously there is something going on that ivf fixes but they aren’t quite sure what. |
Anonymous
What was the male factor? |
Anonymous
Maybe mobility and count? I really can’t remember. |
Anonymous
| I would make plans for IVF which can take awhile and make some lifestyle changes while trying naturally. We are also 34 and unexplained but trying IUIs before moving to IVF (currently waiting to see results from the 2nd IUI!). We started taking 400mg CoQ10 (Ubiquinol), NAC, multivitamins/prenatal, DHA, Vitamin D, and C. My SO had above normal sperm when we started but his motility shot up after taking supplements for 3 months. We also started eating less gluten and dairy because I suspect possibly having a mild form of endometriosis so wanted to decrease intake of inflammatory foods. At the same time, we are researching clinics for IVF if IUI isn’t successful after 3 tries. We have to pay out of pocket so considering some Czech based clinics to make a trip out of it. Good luck in your journey! |
Anonymous
Forgot to add we started eating a few Brazil nuts a day. We can’t be sure but his post-wash TMC and motility increased dramatically between IUIs after taking these for a few weeks. Could be anything but can’t hurt to take either 
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Anonymous
| My first RE was into IVF from the start so I left her for that reason. My new RE wouldn’t do anything until atleast 3 months of dietary changes and taking specific vitamins. Our numbers improved DRASTICALLY (and they weren’t that bad in the first place) by the end of the three months. He thought we’d get pregnant naturally but we decided to speed the process along and got pregnant on our first IUI. Even if you do do IVF, I don’t know why you’d go through all that without first getting yourself the absolute healthiest you can be. |
Anonymous
This. We are also unexplained and nothing except IVF worked. I wish we'd have gone straight to IVF, but it is also comforting to know we tried all possibilities. The unexplained diagnosis worked to our benefit in that it was a textbook experience with each transfer that was successful (uncomplicated pregnancies with 2 of the 3 transfers where 1 transfer never implanted). |
Anonymous
| We were "unexplained" after testing. Conceived on second IVF try at age 35. If I were you, I'd try to destress more than lifestyle changes the next 4-6 months. Then go straight to IVF. |
Anonymous
| I would read it starts with the egg and implement the changes the author recommendss. It couldn’t hurt while you being preparing for IVF |