What I did to insure a successful IVF transfer

I would like to start out by saying I am NOT a medical professional. I did a ton of research and implemented things that I thought would help my body properly prepare for a successful embryo transfer.

First was seeing a holistic hormonal doctor. I started to see one a year prior. This visit was to do a full blood panel geared towards my fertility hormones. It is very important that your progesterone, estrogen, and vitamin d levels are in proper range. You also want to make sure your thyroid is in check as well as white and red blood cell count.

Next up was seeing a acupuncturist to prep my womb. I started going twice a week two months prior to my transfer. Chinese medicine in my opinion second to none when it comes to fertility. Not only was this amazing for my mental state, but I knew it was working because my uterus lining was the perfect thickness when it was time for my transfer. Most clinics will tell you a 7mm is optimal … After all my research 10mm is preferred by your little embryo.

I also completely changed my diet. I had nothing cold and it was august in NY when I started this diet. No smoothies no ice cream no ice in general. Why? In Chinese medicine the womb needs to stay warm in order for the embryo to attach. Now my transfer wasn’t until the end of September, so this “diet” was started a month an a half prior to transfer day. Besides having only warm/ room temperature foods I would make two eggs w/spinach every day a slice of avocado toast or peanut butter toast with bananas. A handful of fruit usually cherries or a berry since raspberries and blueberries are amazing for fertility. I would also have a small bowl of goat kefir with goji berries as well as chia, hemp and flaxseeds. I cut out all processed foods along with refined sugars and the only oils I allowed into my diet were coconut and olive. Another important item that I added into my diet was 250ML of fresh beet juice everyday. Beets help thicken your uterine lining and promote healthy blood flow to the uterus. I continued this every other day during my TWW as well.

I was pretty strict about my clean eating. I would even go with my husband to our favorite ice cream shop and not have a bite! I knew that one bite wasn’t going to hurt me, but I wanted to stay true to our end goal a successful transfer and birthing a healthy baby. That was way more important to me than any ice cream cone. I also wasn’t annoyed with him for having ice cream it was summer! Just because I wasn’t having it didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy himself.

I was also very strict about what went onto my body. I didn’t use any thing with fragrance and made sure my products were clean and approved on the dirty app. Phthalates are sunk into so many things we use and eat. They are endocrine disrupters which can hinder your fertility. I did my best to make sure it wasn’t in anything I used down to my shampoo & conditioner.

As for exercise, working out leading up to your transfer is very important! I made sure to do 20-30mins of low impact cardio everyday on my peloton bike. As well as a 10min pilates session. I chose low impact because it doesn’t stress out your body. You’re still moving and getting in a workout without over exerting yourself. I added in the 10min sessions just to help with toning my arms. I would recommend stopping your workouts during the TWW. Talk to your doctor, but mine recommended no exercise except brisk walks after day 3 or 4 of the transfer.

A few other things I did were place a heating pad on my uterus and my back for 10mins twice a day. This was recommended to me by my acupuncturist (please note you should NOT continue this after your transfer). I also changed my water to mountain valley since it has minerals and comes in glass bottles. *The more research you do into plastic the more you’ll want to switch over to a glass water bottle. I wrote out positive phrases/mantras about my fertility to say to myself everyday. I also started every morning writing my thoughts into my journal and held crystals that helped my specific issues for womb healing. I read the book it starts with the egg BUT this book is known to induce fear, so please remember that. If you find it too stressful to read you don’t have to. Another thing I did was start to buy small baby items and put them where I could see them.

The last thing I did was go to two reiki sessions. I found a reiki instructor that specializes in womb and fertility. I knew because of my ttc trauma I needed something to help get rid of that bad energy and this was amazing! Not only did she help me with clearing my ttc trauma but she also helped clearing generational fertility trauma. I’m not saying it was easy I had to do the work too, but I was already doing the working the months leading into my session. I think that’s why it was such a positive one.

I did all of these things so the day of my transfer I felt like I left no stone unturned. I went in knowing that I did EVERYTHING in my power to have a successful outcome.

After my transfer I did continue acupuncture for my entire 1st trimester as recommended. I also stuck with my clean eating until my nausea set in around week 7/8 after that all bets were off on eating. As for a positive mindset I did my best, but TTC trauma is real and can sneak into your thoughts. They say being positive is super important, but I’m here to tell you that you can’t stop intrusive thoughts all you can do is acknowledge them and steer yourself back into a positive mindset.

I hope this post is helpful! I have a lot more to share on this topic so hit follow to continue on this journey with me 🫶🏼

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