Wellness and Fertility

Smoking can have a huge impact on your ability to become pregnant and carry your baby to term. If either partner smokes, you decrease your chance of getting pregnant by 50%, and increase your chances of having a miscarriage. Second-hand smoke causes a similar reduction in the chance of pregnancy and decreases ovarian reserve. It is recommended that both partners stop smoking before starting fertility treatments.

During an IVF cycle, you and your partner should avoid alcohol, which has been shown to decrease the pregnancy rate (Hakim, 1998, Rossi, 2009) and possibly increase the rate of miscarriage (Klonoff-Cohen, 2003).

Limiting your caffeine intake is another important step to take before trying to become pregnant. Before or during an IVF cycle, you should not have more than one cup of decaf coffee or tea (5 mg or less). Chocolate (approximately 20 mg of caffeine per serving) and sodas (about 80 mg) should also be avoided. Since caffeine has been associated with miscarriage, you should continue to avoid it throughout your pregnancy.

Moderate exercise (e.g. a brisk walk) for 30 minutes most days has been shown to increase both male (Vaamonte, 2012) and female fertility (Wise, 2012). While moderate exercise is recommended, two studies suggest that women who exercise vigorously more than 3-5 times per week may experience reduced fertility (Morris, 2006, Wise, 2012). It is possible that the stress on the body of the vigorous exercise combined with the stress of infertility may produce an adverse effect.