1. Exercise
When we exercise, our body releases chemicals called endorphins
Endorphins will trigger a positive feeling in body
I walked about 45mins to 1 hour 3 times a week
When I exercise and eat healthy regularly, my menstrual cycles become regular
2. Eat Healthy
I took multi vitamins and folic acid
I changed my diet to include lots of vegetables, fresh fruit, milk, oats, hard boiled eggs and lean meat
6 months before my IVF treatments, I lost some weight to get well within my ideal BMI index
3. Get Sufficient Sleep Every Night
Before IVF treatments, I tried to sleep at 10pm and get 8 hours sleep a day
I woke up at 6am and exercised for about an hour before I started my day
4. Relax
Going through fertility treatment could be stressful for a couple whilst juggling all the other things in their lives
Although I cannot completely remove my stress, there are some things that I did to reduce it:
* Exercise is brilliant for relieving stress and I felt good
* Read some positive IVF stories online helped me stay positive and I felt that I wasn't going through this alone
* Don't set or accept deadlines that I could not keep
* Plan some holiday trips
* I have created a support group called "IVF Moms Malaysia" for IVF parents to share and discuss our experience
5. Drink 2 Litres Of Warm Water A Day And Avoid Icy Cold Foods
2 litres of water a day is recommended so I started increasing my water intake 6 months before the treatment to get used to it
I stopped drinking cold water and icy cold foods such as ice cream because our body warms it up by using energy and circulation that could be put to better use in pelvic
6. Keep My Feet Warm
My feet were always cold, I wore socks as much as possible before and after IVF treatments to keep my feet warm as it helped increase blood flow to reproductive organs and optimise fertility
7. Stop Eating Raw Food
I stopped eating sashimi or any raw food 6 months before IVF treatments because it may contain bacteria
I ate more cooked salmon because the omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish have fertility-boosting benefits
8. Quit Alcohol And Caffeine
Based on research, excessive alcohol and caffeine intake can affect both men and women fertility
I stopped completely a few months before my IVF treatments
I would recommend both partners cut down and limit their alcohol and caffeine consumption or preferably stop completely before treatment
9. Have A Realistic Expectation
I discussed with my husband on how much we were prepared to spend and roughly outlined how many attempts we felt was fair and work out a plan that we were both happy with
Having a plan in mind really helped us to manage the disappointment of a failed cycle and to start mobilising ourselves to try again as soon as possible
We have no control over the success rate of IVF but if you pursue a healthy lifestyle, you will increase your odds for successful IVF.
All the best!
