When couples imagine IVF, they imagine hormone shots, egg extraction, and embryo formation. They hardly imagine what is sitting on their plate. Nutrition tends to be a footnote in the process of fertility – vague recommendations to eat well and pop folic acid. But mounting evidence indicates that nutrition is not an afterthought; it is a fundamental, quantifiable variable that can affect how the body reacts to IVF, and whether treatment works.

The overlooked variable in IVF protocols

While hormone levels, follicle growth, and embryo quality is under great focus, metabolic and nutritional environment often takes a backseat. But egg quality, sperm integrity, and even endometrial receptivity are all influenced by micronutrient status, oxidative stress, and metabolic health. To ignore these inputs is to miss a variable that may be as decisive as the most sophisticated lab intervention.

Forward-thinking specialists argue that the era of ‘one-size-fits-all’ dietary advice – avoid caffeine, take folic acid, eat more greens – has passed. What is needed is precision: identifying deficiencies, tailoring interventions, and tracking how nutrition shapes the body’s response to IVF. This is not lifestyle coaching. It is medicine.

Before IVF: Creating the right environment

The months leading up to a cycle should be treated as an opportunity to prime the body. Not just by prescribing supplements, but by evaluating actual nutritional baselines – vitamin D, B12, iron, antioxidant levels – and correcting them systematically. For men, the same holds true: sperm DNA fragmentation and motility are closely linked to oxidative stress and micronutrient availability. Addressing these factors proactively is not optional preparation; it is part of the science of conception.

During IVF: Nutrition as dynamic support

Once stimulation begins, nutrition should not fade into the background. Hormonal shifts alter metabolism, appetite, and energy balance. Patients who stabilise blood sugar through balanced meals often tolerate stimulation better, with fewer fluctuations in mood and fatigue. Protein and antioxidants aid in cellular repair, while hydration supports metabolic processing.

Here lies the opportunity for real innovation: nutrition protocols that are responsive to treatment stage. Just as drug doses are adjusted based on response, diet could be adapted in real time, monitored by biomarkers rather than guesswork. This is not widely practised today, but it represents a future where nutrition is integrated into IVF as actively as medication.

After IVF: Recovery and resilience

Whether a cycle results in pregnancy or not, the post-IVF phase demands recovery. Hormones must recalibrate, energy must be restored, and in early pregnancy the nutritional burden only intensifies. For women who do not conceive, good nutrition also prepares the body for subsequent attempts. For men, consistency in diet ensures sperm health remains optimal.

Some clinics are now formalising post-cycle nutrition reviews, recognising that recovery is not only emotional but biological. This reflects a shift from treating IVF as an isolated procedure to viewing it as part of a continuum of reproductive health.

The Future: Prescribing food with the same seriousness as medicine

If IVF is to keep advancing, nutrition cannot remain an afterthought. It should be measured, tracked, and prescribed with the same seriousness as hormones or follicle counts. Imagine protocols where blood work includes not just oestrogen levels but micronutrient panels; where dietary interventions are personalised, monitored, and adjusted like drug regimens.

Such integration is not simply about raising success rates. It is about empowering patients with something tangible they can influence. It is about giving clinics another tool in an arena where every percentage point matters. Most of all, it is about recognising that conception is not purely a laboratory achievement – it is the outcome of a living body, shaped as much by food and environment as by science.

(Dr Sukriti Sharma, Fertility Specialist, Birla Fertility & IVF, Jalandhar)