Our Memphis fertility center recommends incorporating healthy foods into New Year’s resolutions for IVF patients
Memphis fertility specialist Dr. Amelia Bailey believes that overall wellness can help optimize your chances of having a successful IVF cycle. We asked Dr. Bailey for advice on eating a healthy diet and minimizing stress during fertility treatment.
Is there a fertility diet that you recommend?
Dr. Bailey: Eat unprocessed food and minimize the amount you eat out of a box or a can. Eat foods the way God meant for you to eat them. People used to think margarine was healthier for you than butter. Now studies show that butter is better. If you’re going to eat it, get it from grass-fed cows, because that’s even more natural. Stay away from red meat. Steer away from meats that come from animals that are stressed from overcrowding or poor living conditions.
She also stressed that patients going through IVF should not consume any alcohol. Studies show it decreases success.
Dr. Bailey: Go ahead and start cutting back on caffeine, too. You don’t want to quit cold turkey when you get pregnant.
How can I minimize stress during fertility treatment?
Seek support and talk to friends about your IVF journey, she says.
Dr. Bailey: I talk to my patients a lot about a social support system. The more they talk to people about IVF, the more they’ll be shocked by the number of people around them who come out to talk about it. I encourage people to talk about it because so many people are going through this. This is a very common problem, and you need someone who understands the unique challenges and unique fears you face as an IVF patient.
She recalls a time when she needed medication to get pregnant, and the wife of another doctor at our Memphis fertility center shared that she went through IVF.
You are not alone, she says. Our patients need to hear that.
Dr. Bailey is also Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Fertility Associates of Memphis. Read more in Dr. Bailey’s bio or in this interesting Q&A about her background and interests.
If you have struggled to get pregnant for more than a year, contact our Memphis fertility center. Just like Dr. Bailey, all of our physicians have a passion for helping patients conceive. Contact us for more information or to schedule a fertility evaluation.
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