Egg quality and quantity are among the key factors that influence IVF success. To help keep your eggs healthy and stable, it is essential to maintain a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle habits before egg retrieval, and to pay careful attention to the timing of intercourse.
"Can we have sex before egg retrieval?" is a common question among many couples. This article provides a comprehensive guide to preparing your eggs for retrieval, covering everything from dietary planning to daily routines, and highlights important precautions and risk considerations for sexual activity before egg retrieval.
Can You Have Sex Before Egg Retrieval? Risks and Recommendations
Many couples ask: "Can we have sex before egg retrieval?" To retrieve eggs successfully, patients are usually prescribed ovarian stimulation injections or medications. During this process, the ovaries become swollen, so strenuous activity is not recommended. Sexual activity can cause jostling in the abdomen, which may increase the risk of ovarian torsion and significantly raise a woman's risk of infection. Therefore, it is generally recommended to avoid sexual intercourse from five days before egg retrieval until one week after the procedure.
Egg-Nurturing Diet Revealed: What to Eat to Support Egg Health
To support egg health, start with a dietary plan. Get enough calories each day, eat a balanced mix of the three macronutrients and vitamins, prioritize whole foods, and cook with minimal oil and salt. Minimize refined, fried, and processed foods, and avoid raw foods and cold drinks. Here are five nutrients that may help support egg health, along with example foods:
- CoQ10: An antioxidant that helps reduce free radicals and may support egg maturation, egg quantity, egg quality, and ovarian metabolism. Found in legumes and soy products, fish, eggs, meat, dark leafy vegetables, and nuts and seeds. Common examples include spinach, chicken, and nuts.
- Vitamin D3: May help improve egg quality and ovarian function. Common sources include dairy products, egg yolks, mushrooms, and fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel.
- DHEA: May help improve egg quality and reduce the risk of miscarriage in women of advanced maternal age. Chinese yam and wild taro are rich sources of DHEA.
- Myo-inositol: May support egg maturation and help improve fertilization and pregnancy rates. Common sources include whole grains and cereals, such as wheat germ, corn, brown rice, and oats.
- Folic acid: May help improve irregular ovulation and supports normal early embryo development. Common sources include nuts and seeds, whole grains, dried beans, eggs, and animal liver.
Egg Nurturing Beyond Diet: Supporting Egg Health with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
For women with a weaker constitution, poor egg quality, or low egg quantity, TCM therapies can be used alongside a balanced diet to support egg health. Common TCM approaches include acupuncture, umbilical moxibustion, and thread embedding.
By regulating the flow of qi and blood through the meridians, these therapies may help promote blood circulation, improve overall constitution, support egg quality, and optimize the uterine lining and pelvic environment, creating better conditions for embryo implantation and potentially improving implantation success rates.
Other Precautions Before Egg Retrieval You Shouldn't Overlook
- Keep a regular schedule: A stable biological clock helps support metabolism and allows your body to get adequate rest and energy.
- Stay active consistently: Maintaining a steady level of physical activity helps improve circulation and can also help you relax.
- Drink plenty of water: Aim for 1,500-2,000 mL of water daily to support metabolism and circulation.
- Get enough nutrients: Eat plenty of high-quality protein and vitamins to give your body a good source of nutrients.
Egg retrieval typically takes about 15 to 30 minutes. You must not eat or drink anything for 8 hours before the procedure. If you have a chronic condition, inform your doctor before the procedure to confirm whether you need to take any medications and the correct timing.
Nutrition Clinic at Taipei Fertility Center (TFC): Personalized Dietary Plans
Taipei Fertility Center (TFC), an IVF-specialized flagship fertility center in Asia, offers comprehensive Nutrition and TCM clinic services to create personalized preconception plans for every patient.
Nutrition Clinic: Registered dietitians provide one-on-one consultations, evaluate your overall health and dietary habits, and create a customized egg-nurturing diet plan tailored to you.
TCM Clinic: Based on each patient's individual differences, our physicians design a personalized treatment plan that integrates Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine. From foundational constitution adjustments to tonifying the kidney, nourishing the blood, soothing the liver, and regulating qi, these programs aim to improve overall health, support egg quality, and improve the uterine lining environment, supporting you with confidence on your journey to pregnancy.