10 ways a fertility dietitian can help you prepare for IVF

This Post was written by Sarah O'Keefe, Dietetic Student and updated by Jemma Henry CORU Registered Dietitian.

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  Sperm meets egg

If you are preparing for IVF, you may be wondering whether you should change your diet, take supplements or start doing something differently.

When looking for nutrition support, you might come across terms such as fertility nutritionist, fertility dietitian or fertility nutrition expert. It is not always obvious what the difference is or what type of support you would actually receive.

I am a CORU registered dietitian specialising in fertility and IVF nutrition. When I work with someone preparing for IVF, I look at their diet, supplements, medical history, fertility background and planned IVF cycle. I then help them focus on the areas that are most relevant to them.

It is not about following a perfect fertility diet or trying to change everything at once. It is about knowing what matters, what may need attention and what you can stop worrying about.

What does a fertility dietitian do?

A fertility dietitian is a regulated health professional who provides personalised nutrition advice for women, men and couples who are trying to conceive or preparing for IVF.

This is different from following general fertility advice online. Your nutrition plan should reflect your health, usual diet, blood results, medication, supplements and the stage you are at in your IVF preparation.

I often see clients who have been trying to piece everything together themselves. They may be taking advice from social media, online forums or different fertility accounts. This advice does not always agree, and it is rarely based on the individual.

My role is to look at the full picture and help you work out what is actually relevant to you.

1. Supporting egg quality

Egg quality is one of the main reasons women come to see me before IVF.

It is also an area where there is a lot of misinformation. You may have seen lists of foods that claim to improve egg quality or been advised to take a long list of antioxidants and other supplements.

Nutrition cannot change your age, increase your egg reserve or guarantee the outcome of an IVF cycle. However, your diet can provide the nutrients needed to support your health while your eggs are developing.

The three months before egg collection or conception are an important time to focus on nutrition because this is when the egg is going through its final stages of development and maturation. Although egg development begins much earlier, these final months are an opportunity to make sure your diet is providing the nutrients needed to support the environment in which the egg is maturing.

When I work with someone preparing for egg collection, I look at their overall diet rather than focusing on one fertility food. This may include protein, fats, fibre, fruit, vegetables and nutrients that are important during preconception.

That does not mean there is no point in getting advice if your IVF cycle is starting sooner. It simply means that starting earlier gives us more time to make changes gradually.

2. Supporting sperm quality

Sperm contributes half of the genetic material needed to create an embryo. Sperm count, movement, shape and DNA integrity can all be relevant.

Sperm take around three months to develop and mature. This makes the months before IVF an important time to review your partner’s diet, supplements and lifestyle.

I also work with men who have raised sperm DNA fragmentation. In these cases, I consider their overall diet, lifestyle and supplements, alongside any advice or investigations recommended by their fertility clinic or urologist.

When I work with couples, I assess both partners rather than automatically giving them the same advice. Their diets, health, blood results and supplement needs may be different.

I look at the foods and lifestyle factors that can influence sperm quality. I also review any supplements being taken to check whether the ingredients and doses are appropriate.

3. Creating a personalised fertility supplement plan

Supplements are one of the areas where I see the most confusion.

You may be wondering whether you need a prenatal supplement, CoQ10, omega 3, vitamin D or one of the many other products promoted for egg and sperm quality.

It is common for someone to arrive at their first appointment taking several supplements. Sometimes the products overlap. Sometimes the doses are much higher than needed. In other cases, an important nutrient may still be missing.

More is not automatically better. Appropriate is better.

I review each supplement, including the ingredients, dose and how it fits with the rest of your plan. I then explain:

• what to keep

• what to change

• what to stop

• how much to take

• when to take it

• why it has been recommended

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This gives you a supplement plan based on your needs rather than a generic list from social media.

4. Providing an IVF nutrition plan that reflects you

There is no single IVF diet that everyone needs to follow.

For one person, the priority might be making dietary changes to help reduce inflammation. For another, it might be improving blood sugar control. For some people, it may be both.

Your nutrition plan should reflect what you currently eat, your health, fertility history, blood results, food preferences and planned IVF cycle. Your work and family life matter too.

I look at your meals, snacks, drinks and eating patterns across the week. This helps me identify what is already working well and where changes may be useful. This might include increasing protein or fibre, improving the balance of your meals or finding practical alternatives to foods you currently avoid.

You do not need to completely change how you eat simply because you are preparing for IVF. The plan should focus on the changes that are most relevant to you.

5. Adapting your plan for PMOS, endometriosis and other conditions

Your IVF nutrition plan should take account of any medical or reproductive health conditions you have.

These may include:

• PMOS, previously known as PCOS

• endometriosis

• adenomyosis

• coeliac disease

• diabetes

• insulin resistance

• thyroid conditions

• digestive conditions

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Two women can have the same diagnosis but very different symptoms, blood results and nutrition needs.

For example, one woman with PMOS may have insulin resistance and irregular periods. Another may have regular periods and no problems with her blood sugar control. It would not make sense to give both women exactly the same advice.

For someone with endometriosis, we may look at dietary changes that could help reduce inflammation while also considering any digestive symptoms or foods they currently avoid.

Your diagnosis matters, but it is only one part of the assessment. The advice still needs to reflect you.

6. Helping if you have been given a BMI requirement for IVF

You may have been told that you need to lose weight or reach a particular BMI before you can start IVF.

This can be frustrating, particularly if you have been given a target without any practical advice about how to reach it.

I can help you work towards the requirement set by your clinic without relying on extremely restrictive diets.

This may include looking at your meals, snacks, portions and eating patterns. I also consider whether medication, symptoms or health conditions are making weight loss more difficult.

The plan should help you make realistic changes while continuing to get the nutrients you need before IVF

7. Checking your diet if you avoid certain foods

You may follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, have coeliac disease, live with food allergies or avoid several foods because they cause symptoms.

Avoiding particular foods does not automatically mean your diet is lacking. However, it is important to check that you are replacing the nutrients those foods would normally provide.

I look at the foods you avoid, what you eat instead and whether there may be any gaps in your diet. I can then help you find suitable alternatives and decide whether any additional supplements are needed.

This is particularly important before IVF and a potential pregnancy, when your requirements for some nutrients may change.

8. Preparing for a frozen embryo transfer

There is a lot of misinformation about what to eat before a frozen embryo transfer and during the two week wait.

Pineapple core, pomegranate juice and Brazil nuts are often mentioned as if individual foods can help an embryo implant. There is no single food that can make implantation happen.

Instead, I focus on your overall diet, supplement plan, blood results and preparation for a potential pregnancy.

We may also discuss the vaginal and uterine microbiome. Research suggests that the balance of bacteria in the reproductive tract may be relevant to implantation, but the evidence is still developing. I can help you understand what the research actually shows and whether any testing should be discussed with your fertility team, rather than recommending probiotics or other products without a clear reason.

If you have experienced repeated implantation failure, nutrition should be considered as part of a wider assessment with your fertility team. Diet cannot identify or address every possible reason why an embryo has not implanted.

My role is to review the areas that fall within nutrition and help you focus on what is relevant to you.

Starting six to eight weeks before a planned transfer gives us time to review your diet and supplements.

9. Preparing to try again after miscarriage

After a miscarriage, it is understandable to wonder whether changing your diet could reduce the chance of it happening again.

Miscarriage can happen for many different reasons, many of which are unrelated to diet.

What I can do is review your diet, supplements and recent blood results to identify whether anything needs attention before you try again. The aim is to support your health and help you prepare nutritionally for a future pregnancy.

This should sit alongside any tests or medical care recommended by your GP, fertility consultant or recurrent miscarriage team.

Supporting the lifelong health of your future child

The nutrition and lifestyle changes we have already discussed are not only relevant to preparing for IVF. They may also be important for your future child’s health.

Evidence shows that the first 1,000 days, from conception to a child’s second birthday, are an important period for nutrition, growth and long term health.

Research also suggests that nutrition, lifestyle and other environmental factors before conception and during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of developing conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and allergies later in life.

This does not mean that you need a perfect diet or that what you eat will determine your child’s future health. It means that this period gives us an opportunity to make changes that support both your health and your future child’s development.

When should you see a fertility dietitian before IVF?

Ideally, I recommend starting approximately three months before your IVF cycle. This gives us time to work through your diet, supplements and any areas that need further attention.

However, not everyone has three months.

If your IVF cycle is starting sooner, we can still focus on the most useful changes for the time you have. I would rather help you prioritise a few relevant steps than give you a long list that adds more pressure.

You can use my IVF Preparation Checklist to see some of the areas worth considering before your cycle.

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