How Lifestyle Affects IVF Success: Diet, Exercise, and Stress Management
While IVF success largely depends on medical factors like age, ovarian reserve, and embryo quality, emerging research shows that lifestyle choices can influence outcomes by up to 30%. Strategic diet, exercise, and stress management may improve egg/sperm quality, implantation rates, and live birth success.
We know this isn’t what most people want to hear, but it is 100% the reality. We are not saying that you can’t have a successful IVF if your lifestyle choices are poor, but the success of your IVF could undoubtedly be higher if you did. Here’s what the evidence says.
Diet and Nutrition
Foods That Boost IVF Success
Foods to Avoid
Trans fats (linked to poorer egg quality)
High mercury fish (swordfish, tuna)
Excess caffeine (>3 cups/day may lower success)
Alcohol (even moderate intake reduces implantation)
Key Finding: A Mediterranean diet (plant-based fats, lean proteins, whole grains) is associated with 65% higher live birth rates in IVF.
Story time: We had a male patient who came in for collections with ZERO motile sperm. He was a young and healthy man, so it was a strange case. He informed us that he was smoking weed every day! We asked him to stop for a month and come back to collect again. The difference was NIGHT and DAY. There was such high-quality motile sperm that you’d never know he had issues to begin with. TLDR: DIET and LIFESTYLE habits MATTER.
Exercise
The IVF Exercise Sweet Spot
Moderate Activity (Best):
30 mins/day of brisk walking, yoga, swimming
20% higher success vs. sedentary women (Fertility & Sterility)
Excessive Exercise (Harmful):
4 hrs/week of intense workouts (running, HIIT)
Raises cortisol, may disrupt ovulation
For Men: Regular exercise improves sperm count and motility—but cycling >5 hrs/week can reduce fertility. Weird, but don’t overdo it!
Regular physical activity contributes to overall health and can positively impact fertility. Moderate exercise helps regulate hormones, improves insulin sensitivity, and aids in maintaining a healthy weight—all factors that can enhance reproductive function. However, it's important to balance activity levels, as excessive exercise may lead to energy imbalances and menstrual irregularities.
Stress Management
How Stress Impacts IVF
High cortisol → May interfere with egg maturation
Anxiety/depression → Linked to 19% lower pregnancy rates (Journal of Psychosomatic Research)
Proven Stress-Reduction Strategies
Note: While stress doesn’t cause IVF failure, managing it improves adherence to treatment and overall well-being.
Managing stress is vital during the IVF process. High stress levels can negatively affect fertility by disrupting hormonal balance. Incorporating stress-reducing practices such as yoga, meditation, or counseling can improve mental well-being and may enhance IVF outcomes. It’s crazy how many people dismiss the dangers of stress. Stress isn’t something you can feel until it is too late because your body has already adapted and made the necessary changes, which can negatively impact you in the long run.
Additional Lifestyle Considerations
Sleep Quality: Ensuring adequate and quality sleep supports overall health and hormonal regulation, which are important for fertility.
Avoiding Harmful Substances: Limiting or eliminating the intake of alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs is recommended, as these substances can negatively impact fertility and IVF success rates.
The Bottom Line
Lifestyle matters—but isn’t everything (age/biology still dominate).
Small changes add up: Even quitting smoking 3 months before IVF improves outcomes.
Personalized approaches work best: PCOS patients may need different diets than those with DOR.
Implementing positive lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, and stress management can create a conducive environment for IVF success. People think this type of advice is not helpful, or for some reason, they choose to ignore the one aspect of their IVF journey that they can control, which is mindboggling.
Now, at The IVF Kitchen, we certainly don’t condone gambling, but imagine this: if you had a 50% chance of winning at blackjack, and the casino told you that eating healthy and exercising could boost your odds to 55%, wouldn’t you start making healthier choices? Same concept, but consider it for your IVF success and future baby!
“You didn’t hear it from me, but she started Ozempic to ‘reset everything’ before IVF. Let’s just say… the embryos noticed.”
