Preparing for an egg retrieval is more than just following your doctor’s medical instructions—it’s about optimizing your body, mind, and overall health to give yourself the best chance of success. Whether you’re going through IVF or preparing for a retrieval to freeze your eggs, a well-rounded approach can improve your outcomes. Here’s how to set yourself up for success.
1. Advocate for Yourself
You are your best advocate in this journey. Understanding your protocol, asking questions, and ensuring your treatment is personalized to your unique needs is key. Don't hesitate to request additional testing, adjust medication timing, or seek a second opinion if something doesn’t feel right. No one is going to know your body like you do so the more you are an active participant in your journey, the more likely you are to have a positive experience.
📌 Tip 1 : Connect with your community to ask questions about their experiences. Don’t know someone? Our Facebook group is a great resource of couples navigating fertility and they can share their IVF journeys with you!
📌 Tip 2 : Keep a journal of your symptoms, questions, and concerns so you can discuss them with your doctor.
2. Understand Your Protocol and Its Stages
Each retrieval cycle has distinct phases—stimulation, trigger, retrieval, and recovery. Knowing what to expect at each step can help reduce stress and keep you proactive.
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Stimulation Phase: Hormones help your follicles grow.
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Trigger Phase: The final step before retrieval, ensuring eggs mature properly.
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Retrieval Day: Eggs are collected via a minor procedure.
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Recovery: Healing your body and supporting optimal egg quality for future cycles (if needed).
📌 Tip: Ask your clinic to walk you through the process so you feel fully prepared. None of your questions are stupid questions. Remember, your doctor and nurses do this all the time and are far more familiar with the medications and procedures. Keep asking your questions until you feel like an expert.
3. Acupuncture & Chiropractic Care
Acupuncture and chiropractic care can improve blood flow, reduce stress, and support reproductive function. Studies suggest acupuncture before and after retrieval may improve outcomes.
📌 Tip: Schedule acupuncture sessions leading up to retrieval and consider a session right before and after for optimal results. Communicate with them your timeline and medications so they can best serve you as a full member of your care team!
4. Follow an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Reducing inflammation supports egg quality and overall reproductive health. An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods that promote hormonal balance.
✔️ Load up on:
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Leafy greens, berries, and colorful vegetables
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Healthy fats (avocados, nuts, olive oil)
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Clean protein sources (wild-caught fish, organic poultry)
❌ Avoid:
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Processed foods, refined sugar, and trans fats
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Excess caffeine and alcohol
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Dairy and gluten (for many, these can be extremely inflammatory)
📌 Tip 1: Hydration matters! Aim for half your body weight in ounces of filtered water daily.
📌 Tip 2: Getting functional tests like an IgG test and a gut microbiome test can help you learn more about which foods are serving your body and which aren’t so you aren’t just guessing your way through a “clean” diet. What serves one person may cause inflammation in another.
5. Basic Supplements for Egg Quality
Supplements help fill nutritional gaps and support optimal ovarian function. Consider these essentials:
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CoQ10 (Ubiquinol) – Supports mitochondrial health in eggs
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Omega-3s – Reduces inflammation and supports cell function
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Vitamin D3/K2 – Critical for hormone balance
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Magnesium – Helps with stress and muscle relaxation
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Prenatal with Methylfolate – Supports DNA synthesis and egg health
📌 Tip: Work with a practitioner to tailor supplements to your unique needs. Always test, don’t guess so you know that your body is not only absorbing your supplements but getting enough of the ones your body needs support with.
6. Lab Testing: Know Your Numbers
A personalized approach is key to a successful retrieval. Functional lab testing helps identify hidden imbalances that could affect egg quality and response to stimulation. Consider:
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Comprehensive Bloodwork – Checking hormone levels, vitamin/mineral status, and inflammation markers
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Food Sensitivity Testing – Identifies foods that may trigger inflammation
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Stool Testing – Assesses gut health and potential infections
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Genetic Testing – Helps tailor a fertility plan based on your unique genes
📌 Tip: Start testing at least 3 months before retrieval to allow time for interventions.
7. Mindset Matters: Reduce Stress & Build Resilience
The mental and emotional toll of fertility treatments is heavy. There is really no way around that. Finding ways to stay grounded is just as important as the physical prep. We are not talking about toxic positivity or naive optimism, but instead doing everything you can to regulate your nervous system through this taxing experience.
✔️ Try:
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Meditation or deep breathing exercises
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Journaling your thoughts and wins (big and small!)
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Therapy or support groups
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Setting boundaries around stressors
📌 Tip 1: Focus on what you can control—your health, lifestyle, and mindset. Remind yourself of the things you are not in control of and do your best to practice letting them go.
📌 Tip 2: Don’t do it alone. If it is a partner, a friend, your sister or your mom, we highly recommend keeping your community informed so they can be a part of the journey with you. They do not need to solve anything and boundaries of what you need from them are very helpful, but their presence just to hold space for you can make all the difference.
8. Optimal Health BEFORE Retrieval
The best time to start preparing is yesterday—but today works too! Ideally, give yourself at least 3 months to optimize egg health before retrieval. We see the best results with people that give themselves 6 months to a year.
Why? The egg maturation process takes about 90 days, meaning what you do now impacts your eggs in your next cycle. Also - if your functional tests come back with missed healing opportunities, you want to give yourself space to address them.
If you are feeling like you are fighting against a ticking clock, remember this prep work is helping you pause or go back in time. If you skip these steps and don’t get the results you were hoping for, you have robbed yourself of far more time than if you took the time to best prepare your body and your mind.
📌 Tip: The earlier you start, the better—but all positive changes will help!
9. Impatience vs. Preparation: Trust the Process
It’s easy to want quick results, but rushing into retrieval without preparation may impact egg quality. Instead of seeing delays as roadblocks, view them as opportunities to strengthen your body and improve your chances.
📌 Tip: Ask yourself, “Am I helping my body prepare, or am I rushing out of impatience?” If you are rushing, having a dialogue with yourself or someone you trust could make all the difference.
10. After Retrieval: Recoup, Heal, and Recalibrate
The retrieval process takes energy, and your body needs time to recover. Post-retrieval healing supports hormone balance and prepares your body for the next step.
✔️ Post-Retrieval Tips:
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Rest and hydrate—your body needs to flush out excess hormones
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Support your liver with cruciferous veggies (broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts)
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Gentle movement like walking or yoga to boost circulation
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Continue anti-inflammatory eating to reduce bloating and discomfort
📌 Tip 1: If you feel off post-retrieval, consider working with a functional practitioner to rebalance your body. Be patient with the adjustment period. Your body just went through a lot.
📌 Tip 2: The mental toll waiting to learn how many eggs were mature, how many fertilized, how many are genetically normal and so on can be extremely taxing. Ask your clinic the expected timelines for each of these phases and how they will contact you. Also, keep that community with you during this time. Each update can take you on a roller coaster.
Final Thoughts
A successful egg retrieval isn’t just about showing up on the day of the procedure—it’s about the months leading up to it. By advocating for yourself, focusing on personalized nutrition and a balanced lifestyle, and taking care of your mind and body, you’re giving yourself the best chance for success.
Looking for personalized guidance? Our Fab Fertile Method helps you optimize your fertility with a functional approach, so you can move forward with confidence. Book a call today and let’s create a plan tailored to YOU!
