How To Lose Weight While On Ivf
You’ve made it to chapter 5! In this chapter, we will go over how you can prepare your body for IVF treatment for the best results. Remember, healthy babies are born to healthy parents. If you’re trying to increase IVF success, in addition to considering the adjunct treatments we previously talked about, you must go through some lifestyle changes, as the quality of your eggs and sperm is dependent on your health. In this chapter we will talk about;
And how you can better your lifestyle for a greater chance of success with IVF. The information provided in this chapter will talk about what you can do in preparation for IVF to improve your overall health, which will boost your fertility. We will also go over some misconceptions and debunk some myths about what you can and cannot do. The advice provided in this chapter is for IVF preparation, but we recommend keeping some of these habits throughout your journey, and well into pregnancy.
As we all know, when it comes to health, weight is a major factor in everything. Having a high BMI increases your chances of developing type two diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. And when it comes to infertility, it can be a major factor. When you’re getting infertility treatment, your entire medical history is examined, which also includes calculating your BMI and risk for other conditions.
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For women, a higher BMI can be the problem that’s preventing them from getting pregnant in the first place, as it can affect ovulation and the quality of eggs they produce [1]. A higher BMI can also be a hindrance during treatment because medications do not work as intended compared to non-obese women. Even if everything went well, women with a higher BMI are still at a higher risk for developing complications during pregnancy. When the mother is overweight, there is a higher chance of the baby also being of a bigger size, thus making the birth process more difficult.
BMI is also as important for men as it is important for women when it comes to fertility, as obesity can affect sperm motility and cause DNA damage [2]. So both men and women must try to lose some weight before IVF treatment if they’re overweight.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, having a low BMI can also negatively influence fertility, causing low birth rates [3]. Especially in women, low weight and insufficient nutrition (caloric deficit, low-fat diets) can cause the menstrual cycle to shut down, leading to anovulation and infertility. Losing your menstruation for long periods due to an eating disorder, low weight, malnutrition or excessive exercise can be a problem if you want to get pregnant.
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Even if the IVF treatment results in pregnancy, an underweight mother can be a risk factor for the developing baby’s health. Fetuses with underweight mothers have delayed development, and have low birth weights compared to babies with mothers that have a normal BMI. We advise that patients with low BMI adopt a nutritionally and calorically sufficient diet that can help them reach their fertility goals.
Whether you’re overweight or underweight, by changing your diet and exercise routine you can achieve a healthier BMI, thus increasing your fertility and success rates to give birth to a healthy baby.
Officially, no. But most clinics won’t treat patients with a BMI over 38.4 kg/m2 because the treatment may not work as intended, or there might be a higher chance of complications during operations.
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A good BMI for IVF should be between 19 to 25 kg/m2 which is the healthy range for all adult females and males.
When it comes to IVF preparation, food & dietary habits might be the most complicated subject. As it is with all other diets, no best IVF diet can magically help you. There is no 10-day or 30-day balanced diet regimen that will contribute to your IVF success in a meaningful way. What we recommend is that, instead of searching for a miracle diet, you should change your lifestyle, and relationship with food and exercise for overall better health.
Although there are diets that claim to specifically help fertility, the consensus is that a Mediterranean diet is the best option for overall health, including reproductive health.
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Do not let the name fool you, the Mediterranean diet isn’t a strict regimen, but more of a lifestyle. Unlike other diets, what makes it effective is not about what you are or aren’t allowed to eat, but the overall approach to nutrition.
The Mediterranean style diet is characterized by the intake of complex carbohydrates from whole grains, legumes, fresh fruit, and vegetables that are in season; healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, and seeds; protein from fish, other seafood, poultry, and dairy products; and the very occasional red meat and sweets. On top of its nutritional aspects, exercise, and enjoying meals with others for longer periods are also characteristics of this diet, making it more of a lifestyle.
The Mediterranean lifestyle is one of the best diets for overall nutrition and balance. It provides a great foundation for reproductive health and can improve results for ART patients. Now lets’s take a look at some specific food groups and nutrients that are good for IVF outcomes for both men and women.
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Your diet must include all food groups in varying amounts. However, some food groups have been proven to benefit fertility when incorporated into the diet. If you follow the Mediterranean lifestyle, these foods will be your primary source of nutrition. However, incorporating these food groups into your regular diet can also have a positive effect.
In a study focused on patients receiving ART treatments, a dietary increase in fish was associated with a 34% to 48% higher probability of live birth. In the same study, it was found that if the poultry and meat in the diet were replaced with fish, it improved the chances of live birth by up to 54% [2] For men, increasing the intake of fish can improve sperm count and morphology [4]. The diet must include a variety of fish, with low amounts of mercury for the best results.
Dietary Intake of low glycemic index and low insulin resistance carbs can improve fertility [5]. Intake of simple carbs and sugars can spike the blood glucose levels, and in turn worsen the effects of insulin resistance, which is present in most women with PCOS. The ovaries are very sensitive to insulin, and with the wrong diet, this can affect not only insulin levels, but other hormones working for the reproductive system and can cause PCOS, anovulation, etc. Whole grains are also helpful for sperm production [4].
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Vegetables and fruits provide the body with vitamins and other micronutrients that improve sperm quality. Especially folate-rich vegetables such as asparagus, leafy greens, and beets have a positive effect on both male and female fertility [4].
Especially for men, nuts play a big role in the fertility diet [4]. In a study, the subjects added 75 grams of walnuts a day to their diet for 12 weeks. In the end, their sperm vitality, motility, and morphology have significantly improved [6]. In another study, intake of almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts for 14 weeks significantly improved sperm motility, morphology, vitality, and total sperm count [7]. So it’s probably a good idea for men to incorporate various nuts and seeds into their diet, regardless of the kind of diet they have, to improve fertility.
On top of general food groups that are good for fertility, let’s go over some specific vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that have a positive effect on fertility. Most people feel like they need to take a supplement for every micronutrient. However, we recommend you try to incorporate foods rich in these vitamins and minerals into your diet first. If you’re following the Mediterranean diet, you can get most of these micronutrients from your diet very easily.
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The benefits of folic acid supplementation for pregnancy are well documented and widely known. Folic acid use can improve fertility, and live birth results for patients going through IVF [5].
The benefits of omega 3 are considerable for both female and male fertility. It improves pregnancy and live birth rates for female ART patients [5]. For male fertility, omega 3 improves sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm morphology, and motility[4].
Vitamin C is the most well-known antioxidant. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress and prevent DNA damage, thus improving sperm and oocyte quality [2] [4].
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Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like antioxidant. In males, it can increase sperm concentration and sperm count and can improve motility and morphology [8].
An essential vitamin for human health, lower Vitamin D levels are associated with anovulation and PCOS [9] [10]. Vitamin D improves follicular maturation and can help with implantation.
When it comes to micronutrients like vitamins and minerals, we advise patients to be cautious. While we suggest getting these nutrients from your diet as much as possible, we know that in cases where there is a deficiency, or when it’s too difficult to get higher amounts of these nutrients through diet alone, sometimes dietary supplements are necessary. If you’re using a prenatal vitamin approved by your
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