# Ways to improve chances of success?!



## laura2 (Nov 12, 2008)

Hi everyone, i recently got a BFN with my 1st icsi cycle.

i was only on folic acid although my partner was on various amount of vitamins.

looking forward to our 2nd time lucky was wondering if anyone had any tips or knew any ways e.g vitamins, high protein food to improve chances!?

also we are thinking of starting accupunture, is we do have far before treatment does this need to be done and roughly how much does it cost? xxx


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## Harris Tweed (Nov 28, 2007)

HI Laura

I was so sorry to read your post / history. We get so used to so many oldies on here it was a surprise to see how young you are.  Not in a bad way, just a surprise and a reminder that this horrid TTC and IF can affect us all however old we are. I'm so sorry that you've had to go through all this and have a BFN too.  Hopefully you'll have more luck next time. 

I'm afraid that I don't know much about the male side of things (!!) but here's all the different things we do which may or may not make a difference..... Some Drs think all of this makes no difference, but I like knowing that we're doing everything we can. The Zita West clinic have really helped us and the changes we did everything they suggested   and most of the advice is theirs and some from lovely people on here. Zita West have got loads of helpful books which you can buy online - we borrowed one from the library initially and then bought one later on.

- We take the Zita West VitaFem (ladies), VitaFem (men) and Vital DHA fish oils. The first two are three a day and the fish oils are two a day each until you cycle when you increase to four while stimming. These are very expensive although they do a Pregnancy Plan supplement which is ok to take and better value. It would be perfect you as you are male factor. I think selennium (sp?) is supposed to be really good for men.

- We have mainly cut out caffeine, booze and cut down on processed food or anything containing transfats. I've found that PG Tips do a brilliant decaff tea and after the initial shock I haven't missed ready meals too much. I do still eat some bsicuits and things but try to have more of the healthy oat cake variety. Try to have your five a day and try to include different coloured fruit / veggies. Drink loads of water.

- *During stimms / before ovulation* try to keep your tummy really warm, either with your hands or a hot thingie that you microwave / hot water bottle. I don't find this very easy during the day but do it while I'm watching tv etc. Increase your protein intake - aim for 1 litre of milk everyday and lots of high protein meals / snacks. Brazil nuts are especially good. Try and get as much rest as possible and lots of early nights. Lots of people say that pineapple juice is great after ET.

- Somepeople like to rest after ET, others prefer to carry on as usual. Do avoid hot baths. Try to avoid ill people - not easy with swine flu lurking everywhere. After ET don't use any direct heat but do keep your tummy and lower back warm. The colour orange is supposed to help implantation! Flowers, scarfs, clothes etc can all be used, or just your imagination.

- Zita West really believes in positive visualisation too - focussing everyday on what is happening and what you want to happen.

Anyway, these are the things that we try and do. We don't manage it all of the time - especially the diet stuff, but its what we aim for  

Really good luck - do you know when you're planning your next cycle?

Love, Harris xx


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## laura2 (Nov 12, 2008)

wow harrisgame!!

thank you so much that was so helpful!! and will do and try everything you mentioned!

we are also going to start accupuntutre soon.

thank you and good luck to you xxx


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## ☼♥ Minxy ♥☼ © (Jan 13, 2005)

Hi

I know I "chatted" to you on the 2ww board and am so sorry about the BFN  How are you coping ? Have you had a follow up appointment with your consultant to discuss your next move ?

I'm going to cheat a bit by cutting/pasting from a previous thread I responded to asking similar question to you....so hope it helps...

There are so many varying ideas on what to eat/drink/do and what not to that it can all get very confusing. A good book that gives some really sound advise on diet/nutrition/supplements etc is Zita West "Fertility & Conception" which I have found very useful over the years of ttc, especially when going through IVF/FET treatments. I'd definitely recommend buying that if you've not got it already.

You may find the Prenatal Care & Complementary Therapy boards useful....

Prenatal Care: http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=20.0

Comp Therapy: http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=14.0

Although you're already taking folic acid, you may want to consider taking a good prenatal care supplement such as Pregnacare or Sanatogen Pronatal as these are specifically designed for when ttc and pg so contain the correct amounts of vitamins and minerals. If your DP/DH is already taking something like Wellman Vitamins too then that's good.....if you both take these then you shouldn't necessarily have to take any additional vitamins/supplements and just ensure healthy diet.

Upping protein can be good for encouraging healthy eggs. Although some dairy products and meat can contain hormones/anti biotics etc, it's fine if you have as much organic as possible.

Try to drink at least 2 litres of water a day plus 1 litre of milk (preferably organic - skimmed or semi skimmed which have higher protein than full fat). The water helps flush the drugs around your system and keeps you hydrated and helps prevent headaches and OHSS. You should drink this all the way through the treatment cycle....downregging, stimming and 2ww. Water is essential for organ/gland function and cell production....so subsequently hormones and egg production and cell division.

The milk is good for the eggs because of the protein and zinc but also helps go towards preventing OHSS (protein helps this).

Ideally you'd want about 60g of protein in your diet per day.

"Too little protein in your diet can result in a reduced number of eggs. Make sure you have an adequate daily supply of protein"

"A good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement will help your body cope with the demands of IVF. These are namely Vitamin C and E, which enriches the fluid which surrounds and nourishes your eggs. Zinc, which is essential for hormone production. Magnesium and vitamin A, which aid egg production. Selenium and magnesium to improve fertilisation rates. Iron and Co-enzyme Q10, to enrich the womb lining. Vitamins C, E and zinc also help you to repair quickly after the egg retrieval, ready to receive the incoming embryos and B complex will help your body cope with stress"

As well as the protein in milk, which is essential for hormone production (and subsequently healthy eggs !)....it also contains zinc, magnesium, vitamins A, C, E plus B vitamins....all vital in some way or another for egg and hormone production.

Vitamin A in form of betacarotene is fine but avoid too much in form of retinol as may cause problems to unborn foetus when pg.

http://www.milk.co.uk/page.aspx?intPageID=70

Another reason why milk can be good when having IVF is because of the calcium, especially if you're on long protocol and downregging. The process of downregging (putting body into temporary menopause) may decrease levels of calcium in your bones (which is why osteoporosis is something menopausal women should be aware of). By ensuring you get a good intake of calcium, this can help alleviate this (obviously you can get calcium from other sources if can't stand milk). As well as good if downregging, if you're prescribed an anticoagulents such as Clexane or Heparin, this may also contribute to decrease in calcium levels.

Other protein sources:

cheese (including cottage cheese, dairylea, philadelphia)
yoghurt
eggs
quinoa
chickpeas (hummous)
lentils
baked beans
baked potatoes
oats/cereal
kidney beans
nuts (including cashew, peanuts, brazils, almonds, pistachio, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan...peanut butter)
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
flaxseed (linseed) - put on top of cereal
rice
wholewheat
spinach
parsley
broccoli
avocado

Zita West advises against soya and soya based products as it has mild contraceptive properties.....and I'd be cautious of some Whey Protein Powder Shakes because many contain soya. Personally I avoid soya as much as possible because it aggravates my endometriosis (because of the plant oestrogens).

Zinc is also good for healthy eggs and is found in milk and eggs amongst other things

Vitamin E is another thing which helps promote healthy eggs and is found in wheatgerm, nuts, seeds

Selenium is a good mineral because it's an antioxident it helps promote a healthy womb lining - brazil nuts have the highest level of this, so a handful (about 5 or so) a day is good but there are lots of other food sources for selenium.

Coenzyme Q10 can help bloodflow to womb and also fertilisation.

Pineapple juice contains a certain amount of selenium which is why it's thought to help with implantation ie helps encourage healthy womb lining. Fresh or pressed pineapple juice is best but "from concentrate" and "not from concentrate" are still fine. It's eating fresh pineapple that should be avoided as it contains an enzyme called Bromelain which may cause uterine contractions but during processing (canning/juicing) this enzyme is destroyed. Pineapple does contain manganese though which is very beneficial when ttc.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp

The main thing is to have a healthy balanced diet....with as much organic as possible.

Avoid certain herbal teas such as green tea (as can effect the absorption of folic acid) and any that contain hibiscus (may cause uterine contractions)...as well as caffeine (which includes chocolate !)

Avoid certain essential oils/aromatherapy as there are several that should be avoided when ttc and pregnant.

Keep your belly and back covered & warm at all times as this can help encourage follie growth & following ET. Could try using heated wheatbag or hot water bottle during stimms. You may start to feel tired and bloated towards the end of stimming...peppermint tea is good for bloatedness but unforunately most of this will be caused by the fluid in the follicles so not an awful lot you can do about it whilst stimming...and if you feel tired then rest/sleep...don't overdo it as your body is using energy in other areas ie womb and ovaries.

Other things you could try are acupuncture, reflexology, hypnotherapy cds, supplements like spirulina and wheatgrass (as high in protein) and also bee products (I always take Apimist during IVF which is a honey with royal jelly, bee pollen and bee propolis ).

http://www.apitherapy.biz/home.html

Coenzyme, zinc, selenium etc are all good for healthy sperm too so make sure your DP has plenty of these in his diet !

If you use the search facility you'll find your question is a very frequently asked one.... here's just a few I've found by using the search tool but if you have a little look yourself you'll find plenty more I'm sure.

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=155760.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=153617.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=145656.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=136506.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=125053.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=126851.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=92876.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=70674.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=110535.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=87432.0

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=116495.0

There's also a sticky post on 2ww board called "2ww ~ Frequently Asked Questions" which has some useful info, including about pineapple...

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=87948.0

I've taken all the supplements that I've suggested above, plus followed those tips and have responded really well on all my fresh cycles. Although we've not had a BFP that's stayed (both FETs were chem pg/early mcs), I still try to stick with everything above. I don't take all the supplements when we ttc naturally (although try to ensure healthy diet and always take prenatal care supplement) but I had another naturally conceived suspected early mc last month so it's given us a little bit of hope (last natural mcs were back in 2005!), especially given my age.......and we're looking at doing another fresh IVF in next few months (had over a years break from treatment) so will be back to all the supplements etc again soon (although not sure if I'm going to have acupuncture again - had for 4 out of the 6 treatment cycles).

Sorry, realise I've already waffled enough but wanted to add some more info about acupuncture which you'd asked about.

Personally I would only see a registered practitioner who has sound experience working with women with fertility issues, specifically working with women who are having IVF as there are strict protocols they should adhere to. Also, most clinics will advise against taking any form of herbal remedy, including Chinese Medicine, when taking the drugs as they may react and interfere with one another. Whenever I've had acupuncture with IVF, I've had weekly sessions for around 2-3mths before starting the actual treatment to prepare my body and then continued weekly throughout the whole cycle (from downregging onwards)....and then on day of ET I've had a session just before and just after. At the time, each session cost me £35 so I probably paid around £500 or so on acupuncture with every IVF treatment. Take a look at the Complementary Therapies board (link above) as there's loads of useful info on there and links to websites where you can search for registered practitioners in your area.

Anyway, hope that helps....and good luck  
Take care
Natasha

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## cherry blossom (Jul 20, 2009)

Hi Laura , 

I would agree with all the advice posted so far about diet 

I ate 5-6 brazil nuts a day , pinealpple jiuce , extra protein especially milk , lots of fruit and veg , no convenience foods , other nuts and seeds, ( organic and fresh if you can get it),cut down on red meat

I took a general pregnacare multivitamin and coenzyme Q10 .

I reduced caffeine to max 2 cups of tea a day - no chocolate or diet coke or iron bru etc 

I started Acupuncture 6 weeks before starting the drugs and continued weekly sessions until 12 wk scan ( on the cycles where I got pregnant) I also had sessions immediatley before embryo transfer and imm after . My therapist trained in china and specialises in women infertility - she also made herself available to fit round my transfer - even changing other peoples appointments and fitting me in at her home after her work as she felt it was so important . 

The only time I didnt use her I got a BFN .

I also used the natalhypnotherapy cds for IVF - I took my ipod into embryo transfer  to help me to relax and visulise. 

I also exercised moderateley and lost weight and the 2 cycles where I got pregnant my BMI was 24 . 
Optimum BMI for IVF is between 20 - 26.  

For each cycle I had 4 days bed/sofa rest to assist implantaion and took the whole 2WW off work - no stress - just being pampered at home by Hubby .  no house work ( hoovering etc) No hot baths .

I know this will sound a touch extreme  But I also used feng shui in my fertility corner of my bedroom , bought fertility crystals and this last cycle I bought a fertiltiy spell from Mia on Ebay. 

Visualisation and being positive and relaxed does help. 

Good luck with your Next treatment
CC xx


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