Optimizing IVF Success

IVF success depends on more than egg numbers or embryo grading. Here we explain the normal drop-offs between follicles, eggs and blastocysts — and how supporting your internal environment can strengthen the cycle you’re already in.

A calm, embodied preparation for your most important cycle

IVF today

According to the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the average IVF success rate is 36%, falling to approximately 5% after age 40. These percentages reflect a clinical pathway that focuses mainly on medical protocols – stimulation, retrieval, fertilisation, transfer – but rarely on the environment that eggs, sperm, and implantation actually depend on.

IVF may be recommended because of PCOS, morphology concerns, diminished ovarian response, recurrent pregnancy loss, unexplained infertility (around 25% of cases), or for structural reasons including same-sex couples and those missing reproductive organs. No matter how you arrived here – GP referral, fertility hub, or self-referral – your clinic will guide the medical steps. What they cannot offer is the holistic metabolic preparation that significantly influences success.

Why preparation matters

In nature, an egg takes ~90 days to mature. In IVF, the ovaries are hyper-stimulated and multiple follicles are collected after less than one month. Some of these follicles were never given the metabolic time or environment they needed to develop healthily.

The same is true for sperm. Although production happens daily, sperm only reach fertilising maturity after ~74 days. Every semen analysis reflects a single snapshot — not the true potential of the next 74‑day cohort.

We also know:

• A Mediterranean-style diet has been shown to increase IVF success by 40%
• Endocrine-disrupting chemicals alter egg competence and sperm DNA integrity
• Smoking and high-intensity stress impair mitochondrial function
• Obesity, blood sugar, and inflammation directly affect stimulation response and implantation

Your clinic manages the protocol.

You influence the biology the protocol depends on.

IVF is an event you can prepare for

If you had an event that would affect the rest of your life and cost thousands, you would prepare for it. IVF works in the same way: preparing your internal environment supports the cycle you are about to undergo.

Preparation does not replace IVF — it strengthens egg quality, sperm health, hormones, and implantation conditions so the medical protocol can do its job. This applies equally to IVF, ICSI, IUI, and FET.

Many couples I work with were never told that these physiological foundations matter, or that meaningful improvements are possible within a short window.

What I see every day

Many couples arrive in IVF clinics because that is the medical model:

GP → Specialist → Medical solution.

Most doctors receive minimal training in nutrition and metabolic health, and are rarely in a position to guide the shifts that optimise success. As a result, people often move into IVF earlier than necessary — or repeat cycles without ever supporting the underlying biology.

I have supported people through:

• IVF cycles that previously did not progress in other clinics
• FET cycles following recurrent loss
• Donor egg journeys where couples wanted the strongest possible implantation environment
• HSE-supported IVF, NHS cycles, and private clinic protocols
• Natural conceptions after previously needing IVF — only when appropriate and aligned with physiology

The common thread is this:

When the body is supported, the whole pathway changes.

Your next step: The IVF Preparation Programme

A 30-day, deeply supportive protocol designed to elevate your IVF readiness — physiologically and emotionally.

Includes:

• 90-minute online joint consultation via video call
• Four-week IVF-specific nutrition and lifestyle plan
• Four-week batch-friendly meal plan tailored for stimulation
• 2-week wait meal plan
• A grounded, embodied rhythm to support calmness, clarity, and resilience throughout the process

A container of preparation so you enter your cycle feeling supported, nourished, and ready.

If you are preparing for IVF — or repeating a cycle — this programme is for you.

Whether this is your first cycle, a frozen embryo transfer, or a repeat round after heartbreak… you do not need to walk into it unprepared.

→ Learn more about the IVF Preparation Programme

The IVF Attrition Funnel

Why the numbers fall at every step — and why it’s not your fault

One of the biggest shocks in IVF is how many eggs and embryos are lost along the way. Patients rarely see the normal, expected attrition that happens between each stage.

This is what the science shows across ESHRE, ASRM and HFEA‑aligned data.

1. Follicles → Retrieved Eggs

During stimulation, your scan might show a good number of follicles — but not every follicle contains a retrievable egg.

Clinically typical:

• 60–80% of follicles yield an egg

If 12 follicles are visible, you might reasonably expect 7–10 eggs.

2. Retrieved Eggs → Mature Eggs (MII)

Not every retrieved egg is mature enough to be fertilised.

Clinically typical:

• 70–85% of retrieved eggs are mature (MII)

This is influenced by trigger timing, hormonal response, inflammation and metabolic environment.

3. Mature Eggs → Fertilised Embryos (2PN)

Even when eggs are mature, fertilisation is not guaranteed.

Clinically typical:

• 60–75% of mature eggs fertilise normally

This depends on sperm DNA integrity, egg competence, fertilisation method, and lab conditions.

4. Fertilised Embryos → Blastocysts (Day 5/6)

The biggest drop-off — and the most shocking for patients.

Clinically typical:

• 30–50% of fertilised embryos reach the blastocyst stage

Age has a strong influence.

Why this attrition happens

At each stage, the embryo must meet specific developmental milestones:

• competent egg development
• complete and timely maturation
• healthy sperm DNA and motility
• correct fertilisation
• sufficient mitochondrial energy
• chromosomal normality
• supportive culture conditions
• receptive uterine environment

These are biological processes — not indicators of personal failure.

What this means for IVF preparation

Because numbers drop at every stage, improving your starting point can influence the entire cycle:

• Better egg quality = higher proportion of mature eggs
• Better sperm quality = higher fertilisation rates
• Optimised metabolic environment = improved embryo development
• Lower inflammation & steadier hormones = better stimulation response
• Improved mitochondrial function = stronger blastocyst development

Your clinic manages the protocol.

You influence the biology the protocol depends on.

The IVF Preparation Programme strengthens the foundations your clinic cannot see — the internal environment eggs, sperm, embryos and implantation rely on.