IVF, a technique which has seen more than five million babies born worldwide since its
introduction. IVF is very common today and people are aware to the word itself. It is typically performed on women aged between 30-40, there are many myths surrounding various techniques that will help to aid your conception.
If you're trying to conceive through IVF, you'll most likely hear a range of facts and myths about what you can do to boost your chances. It's important that you know what will and won't help you so that you can increase your chances, as well as enjoy the time as much as possible.
How to increase your chances of having successful IVF:
- The most common question I get asked is about diet. Being both underweight and overweight can affect a woman's chance of conceiving and delivering a healthy, normal weight baby.
- Also, exercise plays an important role in fertility, specifically, over-exercise and studies show that women who reported regular exercise had a similar live birth rate compared to women who did not exercise. However, women who exercised four or more hours per week for 1-9 years were 40% less likely to have a live birth, three times more likely to experience cycle cancellation, twice as likely to have an implantation failure or pregnancy loss compared to women who did not report exercise. However, compared to women who did not exercise, women who exercised regularly for 1-5 years were at greater risk for failure of cycle stimulation, implantation failure, and failure to develop a live birth after a chemical pregnancy.
- Acupuncture is another IN thing today. Some studies suggest that acupuncture may have a beneficial effect in female infertility as an adjuvant therapy, but unfortunately evidence is not conclusive and more studies are needed to clarify the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and its biological mechanism in female infertility.
Always note that it's important to know that there are many factors affecting your fertility and chances of successful IVF. Your doctor should discuss your individual needs with you and advice on what steps you can personally take to improve your chances.
