Hi, I’m Michelle. I took over the Foods for Fertility blog from Lindy in 2024 and Foods for Fertility is now part of Super Foods Base. I hope to continue providing helpful resources from research and tips based on what has worked for others to support you on your IVF, pregnancy and motherhood journey. Please let me know here if you have any questions or suggestions on resources you would find helpful.
Foods for Fertility was founded and used to be managed by Lindy, please see Lindy’s story below.
Lindy’s Story
Hi, I’m Lindy! I’m the proud Mama to one four year old little girl, and an almost 2 year old little boy. My fertility journey began in 2015 when I found out I am a carrier of Fragile X. I went in for a routine OBGYN appointment, and mentioned I was going to start trying to get pregnant soon. The doctor asked if I would like to get genetic screening done. I agreed, figuring we have never had ANYTHING in my family history that could possibly come back in the results. However, a few weeks later the doctor called me and informed me that I am indeed a carrier of Fragile X, and that it could not only affect my future children, but also my fertility.
Things get very complicated as a Fragile X Carrier. There are multiple levels of being a carrier, and the level I am in is just above the grey zone which increases my chances for fertility issues. As a Fragile X Carrier, I found out that I have a 50% chance of each of my children also being carriers, I could have possible health risks later in life, and I have a chance of going through menopause at a very early age. Let’s just say I was devastated about the news. (For more information about Fragile X, please visit http://www.fragilexcarrier.com/patients/fragile-x-syndrome/. Please Contact Foods for Fertility with any questions you might have about the syndrome or what your options are as a carrier. I strongly recommend getting an AGG Interruptor test to determine how stable your gene mutation is. Many doctors aren’t even aware that this test exists, so please be your own advocate and ask them to order this test for you. For more info on the AGG Interuptor test, visit http://www.fragilexcarrier.com/patients/fragile-x-carriers/.)
So, knowing I could have fertility issues, my husband and I decided we needed to start trying to have children as soon as possible. After 6 months of trying without success, and discovery of a luteal phase defect, I switched doctors and my new doctor said based on my history I should get on Baby Aspirin, Clomid and Prednisone immediately. I was pregnant within a week of starting Prednisone with my daughter. We lucked out.
With our second pregnancy we opted to do IVF with PGS and PGD testing. I couldn’t bare the thought of my child having to go through what I have been through since finding out I am a carrier. I chose to do IVF to ensure my child would not be a carrier.
As I began my IVF journey, I discovered that my egg quality was very good, however my reserve was on the low side due to being a carrier. I had very few follicles, and we ended up with 7 embryos total, and 4 made it to genetic testing. We were left with 2 embryos without the Fragile X gene, both of which were boys. So, we were blessed with two attempts at having another child.
During the first attempt at a frozen embryo transfer, I didn’t change a thing in my diet or workout routine. I ate fairly well, still drank wine until a week before the transfer, and did Pilates or Barre 3-4 times a week and walked daily. I’d like to also mention that I was a total stress case. But, I still went in over-confident. I figured I had already had one successful pregnancy, and my body would easily get pregnant again.
I was wrong. The first transfer failed. So, I was left with one shot. One shot at having another child, and one shot at my daughter having a sibling. I wanted to make sure that I did everything possible to prepare myself and my body for the second and final frozen embryo transfer. I wanted to do it all, so I wouldn’t have any regrets if it failed again.
Starting almost 3 months before the second transfer I began researching and implementing the best possible IVF diet I could come up with. I began watching what I ate and taking it easy when it came to working out. I tried to rest more, stress less, eat better and mentally get to a place where I was ready to have a healthy pregnancy.
Guess what? It worked. I could tell the night after the transfer that something was different this time around, and I knew it had worked. So, I wanted to share my experience, and what I did to help make my IVF successful. I truly believe my IVF meal plan combined with acupuncture and a few other tips and tricks are why I am pregnant right now. IVF, and trying to get pregnant, is such a crazy, stressful, challenging journey, and I wanted to create a place where others going through infertility, IVF and trying to conceive could come for support, help and advice.
I hope my research and tips help you in your journey. Good luck during this challenging, exciting and emotional time!