Wynn0404, and ladies, just want to add on as I just read some previous posts re
qns on red dates and pre-IVF prep.
The ginger and longan drink guideline i mentioned previously is for
after egg retrieval. If you are looking to condition your uterus and prepare for IVF cycle, best start at least 3 months before the IVF start.
You need to confirm the starting condition of your uterus and ovaries first and along the preparation period, monitor the overall health condition (whether heaty, damp, cold or any sickness) as there are different foods appropriate for specific condition. E.g. before IVF cycle, if my body not heaty, I will drink longan, red dates + wolf berries (without ginger as boiled ginger should not be taken daily for long term while it is ok to have a bit daily but fried as in a chinese dish) moderately but I stop when starting stims. I also always have 八珍 once a month but stop during IVF cycle. Now after embryo transfer, when I don't feel too heaty or badly constipated, I resume drinking the longan, red dates + wolf berries mix but very moderately. No chinese medicine food at all, only acupuncture. During stims, I have double boiled black beans soup (with pork bone & ribs, black fungus, garlic, ginger and a honey date/ 蜜枣) but note this is not suitable for women with cyst/fibroids/PCOS/endo condition.
I have started TCM consultation with acupuncture after my first failed ICSI and have since continued till now. I learned a lot from my TCM doc and also confirm based on research. If you have sickness, TCM seek to treat before conditioning or conditioning to complement western treatment. When you have treated any sickness, you should have a balanced baseline (regular cycle, ovulating cycle, healthy womb plus overall good health, without over heaty or damp or cold). Thereafter I would advocate that the objective of lifestyle and diet is to maintain balance plus actions/ foods that complement IVF treatments. After that, they are foods to complement IVF cycle to help body cope with the strong stims medication and rough procedures, then to support luteal phase bearing in mind that estrogen and progesterone medication will already be taken.
TCM consultation & treatment is expensive but it has given me a lot of assurance that I am doing things right and weekly checking that my body and reproductive system is in apt condition. Even for DH, while there is no specific medication or treatment that guarantees that his sperm quality can recover, TCM has indeed helped in his overall health. His health has deterioted since starting high BP medication which he cannot stop and used to fall sick every other month. He took longer to recover whenever taken ill even with antibiotics. Since starting TCM to complement a conscious healthy lifestyle, he has only caught throat inflammation once and recovered speedily without antibiotics.
For my prep, I found info from 2 books assuring and reliable:
I wish I have know more and have started doing much more even before I started my first ICSI. But I really didn't know what i was getting into until this journey started. Once you get into IVF, egg quality is really important as it is the only factor that determines the ability to repair any DNA damage and any hope for compensating issues with the sperm, and also up chances for implantation.
it is hard when people assume that if you are dealing only with male factor, sure more easily succeed with IVF. Actually it's tough either way. Even my parents cannot understand why need to go through ICSI since only sperm issue. They insist that just try naturally sure can conceive anyway. As they are not supportive, while I know they are worried of the side effects on me, I refrained from sharing with them too much as it is hard to see their disapproving look. As time goes by, the isolation increases as you start to only find out indirectly your friends' pregnancies or deliveries, and fewer and fewer friends connect with you... Fortunately there is this forum where I found strength from ladies who get us.
Sorry long post and I'm getting emo. Anyway, I am still waiting for the stars and moon to align to get my BFP. While not yet there, I have seen positive improvement in my egg quantity and quality (fingers cross for embies to stick). As I have benefitted from your advice in this forum, I do hope I can contribute to help in anyway.
Jia you everyone!!