I belong to a couple of forums that are dedicated to IVF. Many times I see women ask questions whether them being a vegetarian or not eating enough meat negatively effects their cycle.
Again, I am not a doctor, but if your do the research, you will see, that it does not. To my opinion being a vegetarian can actually help.
I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons. I guess not a complete vegetarian because I do eat fish and eggs that are organic and were harvested from free-run (cage free) chickens. I constantly hear that vegans and vegetarians also do not usually get adequate amounts of vitamin B12, zinc, iron and folic acid. But, hello!, who does not take vitamins or supplements these days?! If you take multivitamin, this problem disappears.
Contrary to popular opinion, protein intake in vegetarian and vegan diets is sometimes only slightly lower than in meat diets. For example, an average portion of roast chicken breast contains 24g protein. On average one vegetarian sausage/burger contains 27g of protein. Since becoming vegetarian I get more protein than ever. My suggestion - read labels.
If anything you are probably doing your eggs good by following vegetarian diet. There are over 20,000 different drugs, including steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that are given to livestock animals. These drugs are consumed when animal foods are consumed. The dangers herein, in secondary consumption of antibiotics, are well documented.
Vegetarians eat a lot of soy and that actually may help with IVF success!
High doses of soy estrogens can improve pregnancy rates in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, Italian researchers have found.
Women who took 1,500 milligrams of soy isoflavones per day, along with progesterone injections, had significantly greater rates of implantation, ongoing pregnancy and delivery than women given progesterone injections with placebo, Dr. Vittorio Unfer of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Center in Rome and colleagues report.
Also, many RE’s would agree that there is no conclusive proof that your specific diet would affect the number of recruitable follicles in your ovaries (which is really what ovarian reserve means) if you are cycling, and of normal weight.
You should meet with a nutritionist to make sure that you are eating a balanced diet and getting adequate calories, fats, proteins and other nutrients as are important for any pregnancy to proceed well.
You know, many countries where overpopulation is an issue (India for example) have populations that eat a mainly if not exclusively vegetarian diet!
Hope this information will help you to start out on your own quest to better nutrition.
Wishing you good luck, as always!
About Me
2 years to conceive a baby is the last thing I thought could happen to us...
Let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm 25 and my husband is 27. We have been together since Oct 13, 2000 - I was 16 & he was 18. We've got married Dec 24, 2006. We started trying to conceive in February 2007 with no success.
In September 2007 we were referred to our current doctor (RE) and she specializes in Gynecologic Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility MSc, MD, FRCSC at fertility clinic in Toronto. Me and my husband did many test which all came back with great results. We were tested through Sonohysterogram, Laporoscopy, Hysteroscopy, Hysterosalpingogram (HSG), Semen DNA Fragmentation to name a few...
Let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm 25 and my husband is 27. We have been together since Oct 13, 2000 - I was 16 & he was 18. We've got married Dec 24, 2006. We started trying to conceive in February 2007 with no success.
In September 2007 we were referred to our current doctor (RE) and she specializes in Gynecologic Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility MSc, MD, FRCSC at fertility clinic in Toronto. Me and my husband did many test which all came back with great results. We were tested through Sonohysterogram, Laporoscopy, Hysteroscopy, Hysterosalpingogram (HSG), Semen DNA Fragmentation to name a few...
We did 3 IUI's; Then we decided to start doing IVF to increase our chances. Unfortunately, we found out that I have unexplained poor response to medications. We spent over $36,000 out of the pocket just in 2007 & 2008 for all our procedures. We had 4 failed IVF attempts, some canceled after weeks of expensive injections. Every cycle was a heartbreak and the pain never goes away.
Our diagnosis is UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY
Unexplained poor responder
Unexplained elevated prolactin
- Natural - Feb.’07-Oct. ’07;
- IUI#1 - Nov '07- Clomid 50mg (cd5-9); HCG; Progesterone 400g;
- IUI#2 - Jan '08- Clomid 50mg (cd5-9); HCG; Progesterone 400mg;
- IVF#1 - Long Agonist Protocol; Feb '08 - BCP; Mar '08 - Suprefact / Puregon 175IU; Canceled after 9 weeks of injections due to 3.2cm cyst on the right ovary
- IVF#2 - Long Agonist Protocol; April '08 BCP; May '08 - Puregon 200 IU/Orgalutran 250 mg; ER May 14 - ET May 17; 5 eggs-3 mature-2 fertilized; Day 3 transfer; transferred two 8-cell & 7-cell grade 1 embies; Progesterone 600mg;
- Natural - June ’08; Aspirin 81mg/Pre-Seed;
- IVF#3 - Short Antagonist Protocol; July '08 - Canceled after 10 days of injections due to elevated prolactin 36.6 & poor response; only 8 follicles and not developing
- IVF#4 - Short Antagonist Protocol; Aug/Sept' 08 -Gonal-f (225iu)/Menopur (150iu); Cetrotide (250mg);Ovidrel 10,000 IU; Progesterone in oil injections (50mg), Aspirin (81mg) Cancelled after 12 days of injections (less than 7 follicles); Later converted to IUI#3
- IVF#5 - Estrogen Priming with MicroFlare Protocol; Oct '08 - Start Estrace Oct5 (7DPO); Stop next CD2 after AF (Oct11) start stim with Gonal-F (450iu) & microdose of Lupron/Suprefact (0.05iu); Took Aspirin 81 mg; Almost canceled due to poor response after 13 days of injections (only 6 follicles developing) + ovarian cysts; ER on cycle day 21 (!!!) after 18 days of stims; Got 10 eggs; 7 mature; 5 fertilized with ICSI; Day 5 transfer of 2 blastocysts (2AB both); one was hatching; None to freeze, all arrested; Crinone 8% & Estrace 6mg after ET
- Greater than 50% of patients achieve pregnancy on their first IVF cycle.
- Close to 50% of patients who had a second cycle also achieved pregnancy.
- Finally, 40% of patients who did a third cycle achieved a clinical pregnancy.
Statistically, most people have become pregnant by their third cycle.
