When I had my 1st IVF cycle, I spent the preceding months focusing more on worrying, panicking, and playing it by the ear. I did not prepare myself physically or mentally. And that was a major undoing! By the time I was cycling the 2nd time, I was wiser and realised that, just like anything in life, adequate preparation was needed for success. So, I did my homework, incorporated these changes into my life, and got a much better outcome.
Here are some of the things I did differently:
1) Detox
Two months to the start of my cycle, I went on a 3-day green juice diet. It was surprisingly not as hard as I thought it would be, and by the end of the 3rd day, I felt so much lighter and ready to take on the world.
Basically, a good round of detox prior to the start of your cycle will help your chances, as your body will be cleansed of the nasty stuff that could impede your chances. A good analogy is a water bottle. If you find a good source of pure, clean water, it’s a good idea to wash the bottle properly before putting the pure water in.
2) Nutrition
It is imperative to start a healthy diet regime at least 3 months before your cycle. This is necessary not only to ensure your body is in good condition for the journey ahead, but also to help improve egg and sperm quality. After my 3-day detox, I commenced a fully overhauled diet, devoid of white foods like bread and rice, and richer in lean meat, eggs, and fruits. I paid a great deal of emphasis to protein rich foods, as I had heard they greatly improved egg quality.
3) Vitamins
In addition to a good diet, it is important to supplement it with the necessary vitamins, such as omega-3, folic acid, and other essential vitamins. I was on a daily cocktail of Pregnacare Conception, Royal Jelly, and Omega-3, and I believe these greatly helped as well.
4) Exercise
My husband and I enrolled in a gym near the house, and 3 times a week we would go there straight from work. The first week was rough, as I had never been to a gym prior to this, but I soon got a hang of it and started looking forward to these gym sessions.
Basically, exercising helps to ensure your body is in prime condition, and also to get your BMI to an appropriate number. The endorphins you release will also help with stress management. HOWEVER, it is imperative to ensure that you donât go too aggressive with your exercise, especially when you have started the cycle.
5) Eliminate Smoking & Alcohol
This was a no-brainer for me, as I don’t do either, but for those who do, this is one of the first rules to obey. Smoking and (excessive) alcohol are vices even when you are not trying to conceive. When you are on an IVF cycle, they are the last things you need! They both adversely affect womb lining and sperm quality.
6) Sex
Yepâ¦.very important. Sex is very important to help reduce stress levels, and also to keep you and your partner bondedâ¦both of which are very important to this process.
7) Communication
This will help you and your partner feel bonded in the process, especially the men as they are mere observers for the better part of an IVF cycle. For my 1st cycle, I didn’t really carry my husband along, and in the end he was at a loss about to really support me. With cycle 2, he had a better understanding of what we were doing and we felt like more of a team!
So….these worked for me. What has worked for you?
Join the conversation with any of our TTC and Pregnancy Groups here.
Photo Credits
- http://www.detox.net
- http://musclemindmotivation.com
- http://readynutrition.com
- http://www.diabetesforecast.org
- https://yourbesttop10.com
- http://www.museandcompass.com
- http://reussir-en-couple.com
It’s me again. 🙂 Please what was the content of the green juice? and a simple average meal at that time? Also, did any of the drugs need a prescriotion? What brand of omega three did you take
thanks plenty
The green juice was basically a smoothie I made from cucumbers and apples. I was supposed to add spinach and/or celery, but just couldn’t bring myself to do that :haha:. But if you can, it makes the smoothie even richer.
As for the meal, it depends on what you mean by average. The key thing was ensuring that carbs were minimal, and proteins were more dominant. And of course, portion control is very important too.
Pregnacare Conception is an over the counter drug, so prescription isn’t needed for it. Neither is one needed for the other general vitamins. I took Holland & Barret’s Omega 3 supplement.
Hi guys – re green smoothie , i had same initial reservation on spinach as Nicole .however adding half a banana makes it more palatable .
I cant recommend this smoothie enough, Also if possible you can add a handful of Kale (one of the worlds most nutritious vegetables)
into your green smoothie .
Thanks IvyF
I agree that bananas make smoothies more tasty! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for kale for my next smoothie 😉
@nicole..pls where u on only d green juice diet for d 3 days or u had it along side ur food.nd did it help empty ur bowel…going to d toilet these days is a major struggle