Wednesday, June 26, 2013

How To Improve Egg Quality For Ivf - Simple Tips To Help

If you are wondering how to improve egg quality for IVF, then there is much you can do to get ready for the forthcoming procedure and ensure that your eggs are in the best possible condition for collection. You may already be aware that the health of your ovaries and therefore your eggs is partly determined by maternal age, but the good news is that there are many other influential factors, most of which we have control over. Amongst other factors, the quality of our eggs is influenced by what we eat and drink, the environment around us, hormonal levels and stress. The lifecycle of our eggs begins around 90 days before ovulation and during that time, their quality can be affected both positively and negatively. What you have on the day of egg retrieval for IVF is the result of around 3 months of production within your body. It is very easy to feel a sense of detachment from the whole IVF process, with many couples feeling that the medical intervention prevents them from doing much to contribute. As far as egg quality is concerned, there is a great deal which can be done and the earlier you start the better! Stress By its very nature, going through any fertility treatment can be a very stressful process for a couple or individual woman and high stress levels can adversely affect the quality of your eggs. One technique for women wanting to learn how to improve egg quality for IVF is to spend time relaxing and finding proactive ways to manage high stress levels. Even simple techniques can help. Take yourself out for regular, gentle walks. Read books and practice relaxation techniques such as visualisation and yoga. The key is to know your own body and recognise stress and take steps to manage it before it becomes an ongoing problem. Hormones Imbalanced hormones can result in ovulation becoming irregular and egg quality can suffer. This can happen due to an improper diet, high stress levels or a build up of toxins. Ensure that you eat the appropriate foods and if you feel that you have had a poor diet in the past, a detox could be appropriate, but this should be done well in advance of the start of your cycle. Diet As well as eating a healthy, organic diet, you should try to specifically include foods which are known to improve egg quality for IVF. Certain foods are known to boost fertility and these include blueberries, raspberries and bilberries, fish oils, milk, cheese and yogurt, certains seeds, royal jelly, broccoli, kale and cabbage. It is also common sense to avoid certain foodstuffs and harmful substances, the well-documented ones being those with artifical additives, high sugar foods, refined and over processed products, smoking, alcoholic drinks, certain prescription and over the counter drugs.