A healthy diet, reducing alcohol intake, quitting the smokes – we know that during pregnancy, good lifestyle choices greatly increase the chances of a healthy baby. Now, a new study has revealed that those same lifestyle choices made during fertility treatment could greatly assist with IVF treatment. 

New study finds lifestyle choices affect IVF treatment

The study was undertaken by Western Australia’s Curtin University, where researchers analysed data gathered from couples attending the Pivet Medical Centre in West Leederville.

Results reveal that couples wanting to increase their chances of IVF success should consider quitting smoking, drink alcohol moderately and have a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.

The data indicated that smoking, particularly for a number of years, has a detrimental effect on fertility.

The longer a female smokes results in a more rapid loss of eggs. It also affects fertilisation rates, with the chance of a successful fertilisation rate decreasing by 4.7 per cent for every year they smoked.

In males, a correlation was made between first trimester pregnancy miscarriage and male nicotine intake.

It was found that a couple’s fruit and vegetable consumption had a favourable impact on fertilisation rates, with reseaches recommending people eat more fruit and vegetable between six and three months before starting IVF.

However, while lifestyle choices certainly impact the IVF process, the study did conclude that the most important influencing factor for IVF success is age.