Boosting IVF Success: The Crucial Impact of Lifestyle and Social Habits on Fertility
A common misconception is that lifestyle and social habits are irrelevant when undergoing IVF treatment. However, research has shown that everyday choices significantly impact egg and sperm quality.
Boosting IVF Success: The Crucial Impact of Lifestyle and Social Habits on Fertility
By: Jessica Boone, MPA, PA-C
Founder of Fortitude Fertility Consulting & Board-Certified PA Specializing in Infertility
In this article, we’ll explore how lifestyle habits affect fertility and outline practical steps you can take to improve your chances of conception. Implementing these lifestyle changes at least two months before beginning fertility treatments—or even at any point during your journey—can significantly improve fertility outcomes and offer a more hopeful path forward.
Fertility Is A Window Into Your Overall Health
Before diving into the steps you can take to improve fertility, it’s essential to understand that fertility issues are rarely just about reproduction alone. Many people view infertility as an isolated issue, but it is often a sign of deeper health imbalances. Think of fertility as a window into your overall health.
Our bodies are designed to prioritize vital functions like brain, heart, and lung health over reproduction. When faced with health challenges, egg and sperm production can take a back seat. This is because our body systems are interconnected and rely on balance to function properly. For instance, issues in your endocrine, immune, or digestive systems can disrupt your reproductive health. This insight is critical for both men and women, whether you’re trying to conceive naturally or through fertility treatments like IVF.
The First Step to Improving Your Fertility: A Shift in Mindset
When it comes to enhancing your fertility, the journey starts with a change in mindset, it's about taking an active role in your fertility. This shift is crucial in how you approach both your lifestyle and your overall well-being.
Embrace a Lifestyle for Long-Term Health
Think of improving your fertility not just as a temporary fix but as an opportunity to make lasting, positive changes for your health and your future family. The goal is to transition from thinking, “I’m making changes just to get pregnant” to “I’m making changes to live a healthier life for myself and my future family.”
Research shows that many infertility issues are linked to lifestyle choices and environmental factors, which can lead to hormonal imbalances and inflammation. The good news is that these issues are often reversible with consistent effort. While you might not see immediate results, sticking with these changes over a 2-3 month period can lead to positive improvements.
Shift from “Why is This Happening?” to “What Can I Do About It?”
This change in perspective is more than just a mental shift; it’s about becoming proactive. Instead of wondering why you’re facing challenges, focus on what you can do to address them. This shift empowers you to take control of your fertility journey rather than feeling passive or overwhelmed.
Adopting this mindset doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a gradual process that starts with gaining knowledge and understanding. The more you learn about your body and fertility, the better equipped you'll be to make informed decisions. This is where support and guidance become invaluable. By educating yourself and seeking help, you can navigate your journey with more confidence and clarity.
The Second Step: Understanding WHY and WHAT You Can Do About It:
When dealing with infertility, we typically concentrate on well-known factors like age or anatomical issues. However, there are deeper underlying factors that can significantly impact fertility. Recognizing and addressing these issues can help tackle the root causes and enhance fertility outcomes, whether you're undergoing fertility treatments or trying to conceive on your own. Let’s explore some of these key factors and understand why they are important.
Chronic Inflammation: The Silent Saboteur
Think of chronic inflammation as a low-grade fire burning inside your body. While inflammation can be helpful in short bursts—like when fighting off an infection—when it becomes ongoing, it can harm your body’s systems, including those needed for reproduction.
Common Example In Women: A common example of this is endometriosis. The inflammation from endometriosis causes pain and can also hinder conception by disrupting ovulation, making it harder for sperm and egg to meet, and interfering with the implantation process.
Common Examples In Men: Conditions such as chronic prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate or a varicocele, which are swollen veins in the scrotum, can raise temperature and inflammation, negatively impacting sperm quality.
Chronic inflammation can also be driven by autoimmune diseases, environmental toxins, and obesity, all of which can disrupt hormone levels and fertility for both men and women. Tackling inflammation through lifestyle and dietary changes is an important step in optimizing your fertility.
Hormonal Imbalances: Beyond the Obvious
When we talk about hormones and fertility, we often focus on well-known conditions like PCOS in women and low testosterone in men. While these are important, there are other, less obvious hormonal imbalances that can also affect fertility. Let’s dive into some of these hidden factors:
Thyroid Disorders: Your thyroid is like the conductor of your body’s hormonal orchestra. If it’s not working properly, it can mess with menstrual cycles in women and affect sperm quality in men. Keeping your thyroid in balance is crucial for overall reproductive health.
Insulin Resistance: Often linked with PCOS, insulin resistance can throw off hormone levels in both men and women, which can make it harder to conceive. Managing blood sugar and insulin levels is essential for improving fertility.
Adrenal Fatigue: Your adrenal glands produce hormones that help manage stress and energy levels. When these glands are overworked or stressed, it can lead to fatigue and hormonal imbalances, which can negatively impact fertility.
Endocrine Disruptors: Exposure to certain chemicals in plastics, personal care products, and other environmental sources can interfere with hormone balance. These chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, can subtly impact your fertility over time.
These less obvious hormonal issues can have a significant effect on your fertility. It’s important to consider these factors and take a more holistic approach to fertility. Understanding and addressing these imbalances can help you better manage your fertility journey and improve your chances of success.
The Role of Nutrition
What we eat has a big impact on our overall health, and this includes our fertility. Making simple, healthy changes to your diet can play a crucial role in improving your chances of IVF success. Here’s how you can start:
Eat the Rainbow: Try to eat fruits and vegetables of all different colors. Each color provides different nutrients that help your body stay healthy, support your fertility, and improve your gut health. Aim for a colorful plate at every meal!
Include Probiotic-Rich Foods: Add foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi to your diet. These foods have good bacteria that keep your gut healthy, which is important for balancing hormones and absorbing nutrients that help with fertility.
Incorporate Lean Proteins: Opt for plant-based proteins like lentils, beans, and quinoa, as well as lean animal proteins like poultry and fish. Protein helps control hunger, stabilize blood sugar levels, and supports muscle mass, which can positively affect fertility.
Avoid Processed Foods and Sugars: Refined carbohydrates and sugars, commonly found in processed foods, can cause blood sugar spikes and worsen insulin resistance. Reducing these foods can help lower inflammation and promote better hormone balance.
Nutritional deficiencies are often overlooked in discussions about infertility. Ensuring you get the right nutrients can make a big difference in both men’s and women’s fertility. Here’s a look at how specific nutrients impact fertility:
Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps maintain a healthy uterine lining in women and improves sperm quality in men. Low levels of Vitamin D can make it harder to conceive, so ensuring you get enough of this vitamin is crucial.
Iron: Iron is vital for regular ovulation. Without enough iron, you might experience issues like anovulation (no ovulation) or oligovulation (infrequent ovulation), which can complicate conception. Iron also supports sperm production, making it important for both partners.
Folic Acid: This nutrient helps produce new cells and is crucial for a healthy pregnancy. It reduces the risk of birth defects and supports overall reproductive health.
Zinc: Zinc supports hormone production and regulation, which is important for healthy ovulation in women and improved sperm quality in men.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Healthy fats, found in foods like fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds, help reduce inflammation and support hormone balance. Omega-3s are also known to lower androgen levels and improve reproductive function, particularly in women with PCOS.
Making these dietary adjustments can have a profound impact on your fertility and overall health, setting a solid foundation for a successful IVF journey.
Gut Health and Fertility
Your gut plays a crucial role in keeping your body’s systems running smoothly, including your reproductive system. Think of your gut as your body's second brain, and its health is closely tied to your overall well-being and fertility.
Your gut is home to a vast community of microbes that help regulate hormones, support your immune system, and absorb nutrients. For women, a balanced gut helps keep reproductive hormones like estrogen in check, which is essential for regular menstrual cycles and healthy ovulation. For men, a healthy gut supports testosterone levels, which is important for producing strong and healthy sperm.
When your gut is healthy, these microbes work harmoniously, supporting your body’s natural balance. But if your gut health is off—due to factors like an imbalanced diet, stress, or antibiotics—it can lead to an imbalance in gut bacteria, known as dysbiosis. This imbalance can cause inflammation and disrupt hormone levels, creating an environment that can make it harder to conceive.
Even if you eat a balanced diet, poor gut health can prevent your body from fully absorbing essential nutrients. This means your reproductive system might not get the vital building blocks it needs to function properly.
To support gut health, focus on:
Probiotic Foods: Incorporate foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, which contain beneficial bacteria that help maintain a healthy gut.
Fiber-Rich Foods: Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps keep your gut microbiome diverse and balanced.
Avoid Excessive Sugar and Processed Foods: High sugar and processed foods can harm gut bacteria and lead to inflammation.
A healthy gut supports hormone balance and nutrient absorption. By taking care of your gut, you’re also taking care of your fertility.
The Impact of Stress
Stress is another crucial yet often underestimated factor in fertility. Chronic stress raises cortisol levels, which can interfere with reproductive hormones.
In Women: High cortisol can disrupt ovulation and lower ovarian reserve, making conception more difficult.
In Men: Stress can reduce testosterone levels and can in turn lower sperm count and motility.
We all know that it is impossible to avoid stress, but what is important is to be sure that during times of stress you are turning to healthy coping mechanisms and managing our response to stress in ways that support our overall well-being and fertility. Managing stress through good sleep, regular physical activity, and healthy relationships can positively impact both fertility and overall well-being.
The Power of Mitochondrial Health For Boosting Fertility
One crucial but often overlooked factor in fertility is mitochondrial health. Mitochondria are tiny powerhouses inside our cells that provide the energy needed for producing healthy eggs and sperm. If these mitochondria aren’t working well, it can affect egg and sperm quality, making conception more challenging. The good news is that many of the lifestyle changes we’ve discussed already can also boost your mitochondrial health.
In addition to focusing on proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and lowering inflammation to support your mitochondria, focus on:
Daily Movement: Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Whether it’s a brisk walk, a yoga session, or any other form of exercise, staying active helps keep your body and mitochondria in top shape.
Hydration: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Proper hydration is essential for overall health and ensures that your body’s systems, including elimination pathways, are functioning smoothly.
Be Mindful About What Goes Into Your Body: Limit your use of plastics, especially when it comes to food and drink. Avoid warming up or storing food in plastic containers and opt for metal or glass instead. Chemicals in plastics can impact fertility, so making this change is a proactive step for your health. Additionally, limit alcohol intake and steer clear of tobacco products, marijuana, and other recreational drugs.
By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you’ll be supporting your mitochondria and improving your overall fertility health.
The Journey to Better Health and Fertility
By making changes to your lifestyle and social habits, you're not just enhancing your chances of IVF success—you're also setting the stage for a healthier future for yourself and your growing family. Addressing factors like chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and stress offers a comprehensive approach to boosting fertility.
Rather than seeing these adjustments as temporary fixes, embrace them as a new lifestyle—one that supports your overall health, your fertility, and the well-being of your future family.
Meet Jessica Boone, the visionary infertility Physician Assistant turned CEO of Fortitude Fertility Consulting, who is redefining the journey to parenthood with her unique blend of expertise, empathy, and empowerment. With a rich educational foundation from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Loma Linda University, Jessica brings over a decade of specialized experience in both male and female infertility to her mission of transforming fertility struggles into empowered success stories.
At the core of Jessica's practice is a revolutionary couple-focused approach, offering a personalized concierge experience that combines one-on-one fertility consulting with transformative online fertility courses. Her methods are a seamless integration of evidence-based strategies and holistic practices, designed to restore hope, promote healing, and ensure that every step taken is a step closer to achieving the dream of parenthood. Her vision is clear: to redefine fertility care, ensuring that no matter where you are on your journey, you feel supported, empowered, and confident that you're taking every possible step toward making your dreams of parenthood a reality.
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References:
Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. (2017). The impact of lifestyle on fertility treatment outcomes. Fertility and Sterility, 107(3), 534-539.
Diaz-Gimeno, P., et al. (2020). Chronic inflammation in reproductive disorders: The link to environmental exposures and gut microbiota. Human Reproduction Update, 26(5), 699-724.
Levine, H., et al. (2017). Temporal trends in sperm count: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Human Reproduction Update, 23(6), 646-659.
Irani, M., & Merhi, Z. (2014). Role of vitamin D in ovarian physiology and its implication in reproduction: A systematic review. Fertility and Sterility, 102(2), 460-468.
Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider or qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.