IVF Nutrition: What to Eat Before and During Treatment

Starting IVF can feel overwhelming, and nutrition is one area where many people are unsure what they should be doing, and when. The good news is that what you eat can genuinely influence IVF outcomes. Here's a phase-by-phase breakdown of how nutrition advice changes throughout the process.

Start Before You Start

Ideally, nutrition intervention by a fertility dietitian would begin before commencing assisted reproductive treatment. Optimising nutrition at this stage may mean that some couples do not require IVF at all, potentially saving thousands of dollars and minimising the physical and emotional demands of treatment.

For those who have already begun the IVF process, nutrition intervention is considered a conjunctive treatment, working alongside your medical team to optimise egg health, sperm health, and implantation success rates.

Phase 1: Before Egg Retrieval

During the stimulation phase leading up to egg retrieval, the focus of nutrition is on optimising egg quality (for the woman) and sperm quality (for the man).

Key priorities during this phase:

• Following a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and whole foods
• Adequate omega-3 fatty acid intake (oily fish, walnuts, chia seeds)
• Limiting trans and saturated fats
• Avoiding alcohol for both partners
• Ensuring adequate folate intake
• Individually assessed supplements based on dietary intake and any deficiencies

Phase 2: Transfer and Implantation

Following egg retrieval, the nutrition focus shifts to optimising embryo implantation and supporting early foetal development if conception occurs.

In the setting of recurrent implantation failure, evidence-based dietary recommendations include:

• Increasing antioxidant intake, through colourful vegetables, berries, nuts, and olive oil
• Ensuring adequate dairy intake, dairy has been associated with improved implantation rates in the research
• Minimising caffeine intake, high caffeine intake has been linked to reduced implantation rates
• Continuing to avoid alcohol, particularly important in the lead-up to transfer and beyond

Supplements During IVF

Supplements can play a meaningful role in supporting IVF outcomes, but recommendations are highly individualised. What works for one person may not be appropriate for another, and some supplements can actually be harmful if taken at the wrong dose or at the wrong time (see our note on turmeric in our fertility diet article).

Supplement recommendations should be guided by:

• Current dietary intake and identified nutritional gaps
• Any confirmed vitamin or mineral deficiencies (via blood tests)
• Co-morbidities (e.g. PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid conditions)
• The identified cause of infertility
• Which phase of treatment you are in

A general prenatal multivitamin is a reasonable starting point. From there, individual vitamins and minerals may be added or adjusted, first to support egg and sperm health prior to collection, and later to support implantation success.