As we gear up for our third round of IVF (you can read about our first two failed attempts here and here, as well as my results from the second round and recovery from egg retrieval surgery) we decided to change things up to improve our outcome.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember that although I got a better number of eggs my last round, when the embryos were tested, they all came back chromosomally abnormal, which basically means that the egg quality was poor.
I took three months off from IVF and researched how to improve my egg quality for this round. I chronicled the book I read that informed my decision to try and fix my eggs. It takes about three months to affect egg quality, hence the break.
For the last three months, I have been taking the following supplements daily to (hopefully) improve egg quality and get us some viable embryos. You should discuss each of these supplements with your doctor before incorporating them into your routine. My doctor signed off on all of them.
The Supplements
Coq10: Coq10 is a rockstar supplement that is very important for egg quality. This is a supplement that I have been taking all year, but for this round, I switched things up. Instead of the 200mg I was taking daily, I now take 600mg a day. Make sure to get the right kind of Coq10. There are two kinds and one is much, much more effective than the other. Make sure the version you buy says it is Ubiquinol. Here’s the one I take.
DHEA: DHEA is the most drastic addition to my IVF supplement list, but I was sold on it after listening to It Starts With The Egg and hearing the types of results it yielded for women with diminished ovarian reserve, which I have. This is a supplement that is produced naturally in our bodies, but it isn’t for everyone. You should definitely run this one by your doctor.
I take this pill three times a day for a total of 75 mg. In the book, women went from having low volume of eggs produced from IVF with all of them chromosomally abnormal to producing tons of high-quality eggs, so I’m hoping for the same results! If I have to be honest, this is the supplement I am pinning my hopes on, so really, really hoping it works. (Reader update: it worked and I am now nine months pregnant) The one I take is made by Fertinatal, and I would ONLY use this brand. This is the most important supplement in the list and this company in particular has been proven to help improve egg quality.
Vitamin C: Increasing your antioxidants aids in egg health. I take 500mg of vitamin C daily, and I also upped the amount of antioxidants I get through food. Blueberries have been my go-to fruit during IVF, but have also incorporated lots of strawberries as well. These are the Vitamin C pills the ones I take.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D in liquid form is improtant for egg function. There have been studies showing that women with Vitamin D deficiencies have a harder time conceiving. I take 1,000 iuis daily in a dropper. This is the one I take.
NAC: This supplement reduces free radicals and has become part of my daily routine. I take 600mg daily. This is the one I use.
Chinese herbs: I started acupuncture for IVF right before my first round of IVF, but I have continued to go weekly this entire year. The longer you go to acupuncture, the better results. My doctor gives me a concoction of Chinese herbs that I distill in my water each day. They are bitter, but they are supposed to help with blood flow to the ovaries, which can improve egg quality. Acupuncture is also a nice escape from the stress of IVF, so it’s something I look forward to each week.
Prenatal Vitamins: Prenatal vitamins are something I wish I had started taking much sooner in my life. I take these ones daily because they have a big dose of folic acid and B12. They have a great cocktail of a lot of the nutrients that support egg function and overall health, so this is one I suggest you begin taking in your twenties religiously. These are the ones I take.
Alpha Lipoic Acid: I take one of these pills daily as it was something talked about very frequently in “It Starts With The Egg.” It is shown to improve IVF results of aging women and women with diminished ovarian reserves undergoing IVF.
Melatonin: Each night I take 300mgs of melatonin before bed. Melatonin is a sleep aid that your body produces naturally, but it is also linked to improving egg quality. I also upped my hours of sleep these last three months, making sure I get at least 8 hours for my body to rest and repair. Here are the ones I take.
Lifestyle Changes
In addition to these supplements, my partner and I have made some other pretty drastic lifestyle changes. We rid our apartment of plastic food containers because exposure to BPA in plastics can negatively affect IVF outcomes.
We stopped using any chemical-laden cleaners, personal care or beauty product, and instead use the products found in this blog post. We switched our pans to stainless steel Le Crueset and filtered all of our water.
I haven’t had a drop of alcohol in more than two months and am off of caffeine, other than decaf.
Now, we head into IVF round three, so wish us luck! As with the last two rounds, we will be chronicling my day-by-day IVF journey in the form of a diary, as well as our results, which I am praying are better this time. Hopefully three months of all of these supplements and lifestyle changes will reverse the bad news we have been getting. As always, leave comments or email us. Would love to hear your IVF stories.
Update: We are now pregnant and I completely credit our pregnancy to this regimen of supplements at lifestyle changes. You can read about our embryo transfer here, and read about the clean skincare and beauty products I use now that I am pregnant.
As always, if you have found our IVF coverage helpful, we would love if you would consider making a donation at our Patreon page to support our journalism!
Read More of Our IVF Coverage:
IVF Diary: My First, Unsuccessful Round of Egg Freezing
IVF Diary: My Second Round of Egg Freezing
IVF Diary: Egg Retrieval, Recovery & Embryo Results
IVF Diary: My Third Round of Egg Freezing
IVF Diary: Successful Results From Our Third Round of IVF
We’re Pregnant! Inside our Embryo Transfer
The Supplements I Take To Improve Egg Quality
Improving Egg Quality With “It Starts With The Egg”