I wish it were simple – instructions for building the perfect lining. But not so. Ask 20 people for their recommendations, and you’ll likely get 20 different answers.
I am amazed that this one element is so critical to a successful IVF cycle and yet for every “must do” there is an opposing “never do”. Not even the doctors can agree on what kind of estrogen. Some swear by Delestrogen and others by Estrace, some do both. One nurse told me never take generic Estrace, and another doctor in the same clinic told me he had no idea why someone would have told me that.
One thing is clear–estrogen is key. And gosh, what an unappreciated hormone it is…..until you take the Lupron that completely depletes it from your system that is. Hello hot flashes, night sweats, and dry skin that makes myriad wrinkles appear overnight. Makes you relish the day that you add back the estrogen.
Now, back to building the perfect lining. Here’s the “to do” list I have so far.
- Prenatal vitamins with lots of folic acid, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin E, Raspberry tea
- Flax oil, or someone else says fish oil because the body metabolizes it better. Make sure to pick a good quality one, or you’ll have fish burps all day. Yuck! Bad enough under normal circumstances, completely nauseating when the progesterone (or hopefully pregnancy) is making you queasy anyway.
- The acupuncturists say “no cold foods or drinks”, so drink gallons of lukewarm water and no raw vegetables – skip the salads and instead cook the greens.
- Nuts & seeds – the list includes pumpkin seeds, almonds and brazil nuts
- Pineapple – especially around the time of implantation (for the enzyme bromelain, found in greatest concentration in the core of the pineapple, which augments the endometrial adherent molecules necessary for implantation)
- Eggs – hey, after all this is all about good eggs, right?
- Beans – black beans, kidney beans, red beans, string beans, mung beans, peas, chickpeas, bean sprouts
- Green vegetables (preferrably cooked) – spinach, more spinach, broccoli, asparagus, turnip greens, watercress, seaweed, chlorella, spirulina
- Organ meats such as liver, kidneys, brains, hearts. bone marrow (all from organic, non-hormonally treated sources)
- Shellfish – clams, oysters, mussels
- Fruits – Apricots, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, mulberries, pineapple (see above), apples, bananas, lemons, mangoes, melons, tomatos
- Grains – wheat, wheat germ, bulgar, tofu, millet, barley, brown rice, amaranth
- Lots and lots of water – at least 96 oz – especially after transfer
- Cut out artificial sweeteners
- In general, eat fresh whole foods, limit carbs, sugars & processed foods.
- Only gentle exercise, don’t raise your body temperature too much, no saunas or hot yoga
- Warm baths, heating pad or hot water bottle on your stomach – only prior to transfer
- Femoral Massage – I won’t even attempt to describe it, for more info read here: http://www.liholistic.com/articles/Femoral+Massage
- Lots of sleep, and for some reason, someone said rest between 5p – 7pm, but I have no idea what that is about.
- Last, but not least, one doctor (and a friend of mine with twins who followed his orders) swears by the glass of wine post-transfer to relax you. So far, it’s my favorite item on the list and the one I really look forward to.
Surely I’ve missed 20 or 30 things that could be added to the list. So, if you happen to know of something that didn’t make my list and you think it should have – drop me a comment and I’ll keep updating the list.