Can I take herbs to improve my changes through IVF?
The short answer to this question is NO! If you are doing IVF it is best not to take any herbal medicines because there is a potential for herb-drug interaction which may even decrease your chances of creating a baby through IVF.
Your nutrients on the other hand are essential and should definitely be taken throughout the whole process. By nutrients I mean vitamins and minerals. The catch is that in order to get the best benefit out of taking your nutritionals is that they must be good quality products with high therapeutic dosages. As a general rule practitioner only products are much, much better than anything you will buy over the counter in a supermarket or health food store. This is a time and situation in your life that you want to ensure you get the absolute best advice — so seek the help of a competent and qualified naturopath or integrative medical practitioner who truly understands supplementation requirements during the IVF process.
Also, of course that when you and your partner are as healthy as possible prior to a conception attempt naturally or through IVF the likelihood of your desired outcome will be increased and studies show that the increase can be as much as 47.1%! You may think this is amazing but all it really takes is a little guided and consistent effort on your part — ideally for at least 120 days prior to a conception attempt or the start of a new IVF cycle.
However if you are starting an IVF cycle next week and don’t have that much time, you and your partner will still make a positive impact on your baby making cells by putting in place a healthy lifestyle. Really what both you and your partner need to do in order to have the best results is to pretend you are both pregnant right now and start acting as such! (I know this is difficult for the boys to visualise, but you see, right now, sperm is no more, no less than ½ of that baby you are yearning for…).
Here are some things you can start doing now:
- Reduce stress;
- Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate), alcohol, cigarettes and recreational drugs completely;
- Get professional advice about appropriate and beneficial nutritional supplementation;
- Acupuncture treatments embryo transfer and before egg collection have been shown to have a positive effect for IVF treatments;
- Avoid toxins, chemicals and radiation as well as airplane flights for as long as possible (ideally 120 days) before a cycle and during pregnancy;
- Drink only filtered water;
- Eat only organic foods wherever possible;
- Base your meals on vegetables and good quality protein — and be sure to eat every 3 hours;
- Find creative activities that make you happy and do more of them, more often — it’s extremely important to be happy and relaxed during this time!
