How to improve the quality of eggs before IVF: from vitamins and nutrition to the lifestyle of a woman

Preparation for in vitro fertilization is quite long. While the couple collects all the necessary certificates and makes tests, the woman has time to improve the quality of her own eggs, because the success of an IVF attempt largely depends on this. How to do this, we will tell in this material.

Female eggs are a unique creation of nature. These are the largest cells of the human body, and their supply is strictly limited. To form in the ovaries of the girl, the precursor cells of the eggs begin even while the girl is in the womb of her own mother. A baby is born with a reserve of 400–500 oocytes of the first order in the ovaries, and this is its vital supply of eggs.

During puberty, these primary oocytes begin to mature in the girl, and every month one of the follicles bursts to release an ovum ready for fertilization into the fallopian tube. This process is regulated by hormones, the task of the body to prevent the release of a larger number of eggs, so that the ovarian reserve is not depleted.

This is how menstrual cycles occur. With each of them, a woman loses one (rarely two) eggs. Ovarian reserve during life is not replenished, besides the quality of the remaining oocytes becomes noticeably worse with age. Part of the oocytes in the ovaries is exposed to harmful effects, some comes out with menstrual cycles.

It is impossible to stop the process of egg degeneration with age - this is quite natural. The quality of oocytes is affected by the ecological situation in which a woman lives, her food, bad habits, alcohol, various chronic diseases and cases of flu and ARVI that have been suffered for years. Harmful factors can be significantly greater if the woman is often nervous, works at night, leads an irregular sex life, if she has had operations under general anesthesia.

The decline in the quality of oocytes becomes quite noticeable after 34 years. And this applies not only to women who smoke and do not neglect alcoholic beverages. Even a woman without bad habits is subject to this process - the aging process of oocytes: it is a matter of hormones. The monthly action aimed at suppressing the activity of nondominant follicles gradually makes them less active.

The female X chromosome is also aging. So, with age, women are more likely to produce a baby with genetic and chromosomal diseases and syndromes. This risk increases in proportion to age. It becomes the highest if the woman is already 40 years old.

Only newborn girls have 100% healthy eggs. Already by the age of ten, only 70% of first-order oocytes remain, which, under favorable conditions, can become healthy and mature eggs. A 20-year-old girl has about 37% of the eggs from the initial stock. A 30-year-old woman has no more than 12%. At 35 years old, a woman has only 7% of the eggs from the number with which she was born. At 45, they are no more than 1-2%.

At each stage of IVF, the quality of the oocyte plays a huge role. At the initial stage, the woman’s ovaries are stimulated with hormonal agents.This is necessary in order to get more eggs: the more eggs available to embryologists, the higher the likelihood that fertilization will succeed and after embedding in the uterus, the embryos will take root.

At the stage of hormonal stimulation, the ovaries should give an adequate response: several follicles should grow evenly and quickly. They are monitored with ultrasound, and a blood test for luteinizing hormone is done. It is important not only that the number of dominant follicles be impressive, but also the quality of the maturing inside oocytes is of great weight.

As soon as three or more follicles reach sizes from 16 to 22 mm, the HCG preparation is injected, which stimulates the rapid maturation of the oocytes. If you hurry, you can get immature eggs, which can not fertilize or cause the formation of severe pathologies in the embryo. After the injection of hCG, it takes about 36 hours to puncture the follicles.

Doctors spend it under anesthesia. A thin hollow instrument-needle pierces the follicles and draws out the liquid filling the oocytes using the aspiration method. Often, especially in age-related women, there is no egg cell at all in large and seemingly completely finished follicles, the follicle itself is transformed into a cyst by the action of hormonal stimulation.

The resulting oocytes meticulously evaluate embryologists. They place the cells in a nutrient medium for several hours, after which the thickness of the membranes, the shape of the egg, the correct location of all intracellular structures are evaluated. High-quality oocytes usually produce high-quality embryos. If the cell wall is denser than it is necessary for normal fertilization with a sperm of a spouse or donor in a Petri dish, the ICSI method can be used. With it, the sperm is chosen by micro-tools with the help of a manipulator directly in front of the egg shell.

A high-quality and healthy egg cell will become a good basis for a strong and viable embryo, which after a few days of cultivation will be transferred to the uterine cavity. It only remains to wait until the embryos are implanted in the endometrium of the uterus and a full-fledged pregnancy occurs.

If embryologists consider the quality of oocytes unsuitable and unsatisfactory, a woman can be recommended IVF using a donor egg. Only healthy, fully examined (including genetic disorders) young fertile women become oocyte donors. The question of a donor egg cell is usually given to a woman rather morally and emotionally.

There is no universal medicine or advice in this matter. The process of improving the quality of biomaterial is gradual and consistent. It requires a serious, systematic and comprehensive approach. Individual recommendations to a woman, taking into account her age and the reasons for infertility of a couple, can be given only by the attending physician. We give the general rules that a woman must follow before the IVF procedure.

Nicotine and alcohol destroy the structures of female germ cell organoids. If even before making a decision to make an IVF woman smoked, bad habits should be completely excluded to improve the quality of oocytes. Usually, 3-4 months is enough for many body systems of a woman who quit smoking to begin to return to normal. Reproductive system is no exception.

The second question that a woman should ask herself and herself honestly answer it: “Is the weight okay?”. Excess body weight, as well as the lack of body weight, has a negative effect on the hormonal background.It is not only the quality of the eggs that suffers, but also the function of the ovaries; complications at the stimulation stage are not excluded. After transferring an overweight woman reduces the likelihood of successful implantation. And even if this stage is successful, weight problems can have negative effects during pregnancy and childbirth.

At the very beginning of preparation for IVF, you should revise your work schedule. A woman who firmly decided to become a mother and for this purpose decided to resort to assisted reproductive techniques, be sure to sleep at night - this normalizes the production of many hormones, including sex. Working on the night shift is an unaffordable luxury for women who are perplexed by preparations for artificial insemination. It is also necessary to refrain from working in hazardous industries. Contacts with bleaches, solvents, a large number of aggressive household chemicals, paints and varnishes, lead, mercury, and work in conditions of increased background radiation are especially dangerous for the health of oocytes.

Stress, especially chronic, permanent, rapidly "ages" female sex cells. Once again, figuring out relationships with neighbors or a husband, do not forget about it. Surround yourself on the eve of an important stage in your life only pleasant people, positive-minded. If the level of stress is already overwhelming, feel free to contact a psychologist or psychotherapist. These specialists have interesting techniques and ways to help you relax and tune in to a successful pregnancy in the future.

All treatments with antibiotics, hormones (not prescribed by reproduction specialist), anticonvulsant and psychoactive drugs should be completed several months before entering the IVF protocol. The body must be given time to recover - this will improve the quality of the eggs.

Keep a mobile lifestyle, every day, walk in the fresh air, but avoid serious physical exertion. Swimming will benefit, but bodybuilding will not. Moderate exercise can improve metabolic processes - this is a very good effect on the qualitative characteristics of female germ cells.

To improve the menstrual cycle and the quality of germ cells, a woman will be helped by dietary supplements, such as Ovariamin, Inositol. Before use, be sure to consult with your doctor. Typically, these drugs are designed for a fairly long reception, so you should not expect a quick result.

A woman must take vitamins. Vitamin E will take care of the normalization of thickness and other characteristics of the cell membrane. Folic acid is important for the health of the X chromosome and significantly reduces the risk of congenital developmental abnormalities of the fetus. In addition, a woman should take daily in daily dosages of calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, vitamins of group B, vitamins A, D and vitamin C.

Before using vitamins, be sure to ask your doctor for advice. According to the clinical blood analysis, the specialist perfectly sees which vitamins or minerals are missing for you, and therefore will help you choose a drug in which the substance will prevail while it is deficient.Normalization of mineral metabolism and a sufficient amount of vitamins improve the menstrual cycle and, as a result, the quality of oocytes produced by the ovaries.

Do not ignore the time-tested folk remedies. The quality of female germ cells is well affected by the reception of sage, boron uterus. Before use, as in the case of dietary supplements and vitamins, it is necessary to ask the opinion of the attending doctor, since medicinal plants also have their indications and contraindications.

Mono-diet negatively affect the state of the reproductive system. Even if a woman considers herself to be vegan, before IVF she should include meat, fish and eggs in her diet. Protein diet will help more productive work of the ovaries in the process of stimulation.

Proper nutrition to improve the quality of oocytes should be based on the principles of balance. It should contain fruits, vegetables, fresh greens, and berries, but meat and other animal proteins should prevail over vegetable food.

For ripening and ripening of full eggs, a woman should abandon fast food, since preservatives and dyes, which are used in large quantities in preparing hamburgers, lead to disruption of the genetic set of germ cells in both women and men. No less dangerous store juices in the boxes, "chemical" (bright) candy and chewing candy.

To improve the quality of oocytes before IVF, many women use fish oil, and it does not matter in which form: in capsules or in liquid form. In addition, fatty fish and seafood are introduced into the diet.

Lots of good reviews about cinnamon. Before in vitro fertilization, it is taken in capsules. Often, cinnamon capsules are recommended by fertility specialists to those who need IVF, since this vegetable substance causes a fairly rapid and noticeable improvement in the quality characteristics of the eggs.

How to prepare for IVF, see the next video.