IVF Essentials

I have rounded up my tried and true IVF essentials. As an IVF warrior who has been through the process multiple times, I know first hand the products that have been worth the investment and those that have not.

These are products that I have been taking and using religiously and which I genuinely believe really make a difference to the IVF experience. I have divided this post into different sections with every single thing I use and like.

Table of Contents

• Pre-IVF Essentials
• Starting IVF and IVF journey essentials
• Egg retrieval essentials
• Embryo transfer essentials
  
  

Let’s be honest - IVF is NOT cheap. If like me you’re having to pay privately for treatment and do multiple cycles then the spending does quickly rack up. Obviously the stress of finances is not something you need to worry about on top of everything else. For that reason, I have researched (heavily) some cheaper versions of the more expensive things if money is a concern.

Pre-IVF Essentials

Supplements - Pre-natal

First and foremost you gotta get your body ready for the task ahead. It is SO important that you are not nutrient deficient (more generally for your health) but especially when trying to get pregnant via iVF. Taking a daily prenatal that includes folic acid as soon as possible is a non-negotiable. It is recommended to start taking the supplement 3 months prior to egg retrieval but don’t worry, taking them even one month before is better than nothing!

Outside of IVF treatment, supplements are what I have spent the most money on. Unfortunately not all supplements are created equal. I found this out the hard way when, after taking a cheap prenatal for 6 months, my blood results showed no difference in certain vitamin levels. Once I realised this, I knew I had to do some serious research and trial and error with supplements.

It turns out 95% of supplements are artificially derived meaning our bodies don’t necessarily recognise them as food and therefore may not absorb them the same way. The two that I am recommending are food grown supplements/contain real food.

By far, the best prenatal I have found and the one I swear by is Wild Nutrition Fertility Support.

For a CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE that is still VERY EFFECTIVE, I recommend Megafood Baby & Me2. Like I said, if I was to put my money into only one essential it would be QUALITY supplements.

Shop Megafood Baby & Me2 here

Supplements - CoQ10

I learned about CoQ10 in the early days of my IVF journey. Basically eggs require huge amounts of energy to develop and research has shown that CoQ10 helps with this. I take ubiquinol which is the active form of CoQ10 and honestly when I first started taking this the difference in my energy levels was stark!

I have tried so many supplements over the years and spent $1000s (eek) but I keep coming back to my trusted pre-natal and CoQ10 below.

Shop CoQ10 here

Acupuncture

Research has shown that acupuncture has a positive effect on regulating hormones. Always keen to try anything that may increase the chances of holding a healthy baby in my arms, I have undergone multiple courses of acupuncture. Without a doubt, after a session I feel less stressed and that can only be a good thing. It is quite expensive though so what I have been doing recently is self-accupressure.

I bought the below book and very honestly, not to take anything away from the trained acupuncturists (who are FAB), I’ve found this to be effective in helping me relax in between sessions with the pro. My acupuncturist kindly showed me some points and recommended this book as a guide.

Starting IVF and IVF journey essentials

Planner/journal

THIS! This is possibly the most underrated tool in your IVF essentials kit - a journal!

I didn’t keep one the first few cycles because I just didn’t understand the benefits of letting ALL the things in your mind flow onto a page. Then on the third cycle I bought one…and what a game changer.

Getting my thoughts out on paper, writing down my medication schedule, taking notes during my medical appointments - all of this helped lower anxiety massively. I was able to tap into my emotions, it became my constant in a period of uncertainty. If you only buy one thing (outside of supplements) buy yourself a journal, you won’t regret it, I promise.

Electrolytes

There were some instances were my veins would just not co-operate for my blood work. Once my consultant saw this, she recommended electrolytes not only to ensure juicy veins but also juicy eggs. I use the Liquid IV ones

Shop Liquid IV here

Probiotics

I felt all sorts of ways about putting synthetic hormones into my body in the beginning. After the first cycle, my hormones became dysregulated and I understood instinctively that my body was not dispelling all the extra hormones at the rate the consultants advised that it should. I started to take a pro-biotic everyday and this not only helped with hormonal bloating but put my mind at ease that at least I was increasing the good bacteria in my gut. The one I’ve been using is the Garden of Life one below.

Shop Garden of Life probiotics here

Egg retrieval essentials

Cosy pjs/ loungewear

Staying super cosy and comfy is paramount at this stage of the IVF journey. This is the stage where you FEEL the impact of the hormones, you don’t look your best with all the hormonal bloat. It’s the time for allowing yourself really forget the world and focus on the relaxing. I purposely picked up these new cosy pjs and loungewear sets and as frivolous as it sounds, they helped me feel good!

Shop loungewear here

Shop cosy pjs here


Frankincense oil

Okay side note - I am a trained masseuse and when I ran a natural therapies business (what feels like a life-time ago), I used essential oils every day with my clients. I have seen amazing results from using good quality oils. Frankincense has been my go to through IVF. There is research to support the benefits for balancing hormones and it is one of the safe oils to use when trying to conceive. I mix mine with a water based carrier oil, 3-4 drops in approximately 200ml of oil and massage your stomach and feet.

Tip: massage the soles of your feet, this is the quickest way for the oil to enter the bloodstream. Just make sure the massage is not too deep. Think Swedish massage rather than sports massage!

Shop Cliganic USDA Organic Frankincense Essential Oil here


Weighted blanket

Ah my trusted companion ;) Truth be told I bought this for my partner long before our IVF journey started to help him get better quality sleep. I started using it during my first cycle and I can honestly say my sleep has improved. I don’t need to tell you how important good quality sleep is for supporting fertility! Here’s the one we have:

Shop weighted blanket here

Embryo transfer essentials

Time to rest

Still on the sleep theme, I indulged in a silk sleep mask, just because! OK so it’s not an IVF essential but it sure does make me feel like I’ve got my sh** together…on the hard nights when it really doesn’t feel like anything is together.

Shop Mulberry 22 Momme sleep mask here

Meditation

A good meditation to help clear and focus the mind on the present moment is a really valuable tool to have in your IVF essentials toolkit. I’ve mentioned before that I use the silva method - “every day in every way, I’m getting better and better and better” has literally been hard wired into my neural pathways now.

Another good mantra I like is “I’m going to be a parent one way or another."

There you have it, my complete IVF essentials checklist! I do believe it’s the cumulative effect of every little thing we do for ourselves that makes a positive impact.

Let me know if you’ve felt inspired to buy any of these items or indeed if you have discovered a product that has been an essential for you during your IVF journey. Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.