When my husband and I embarked on our unexpected IVF journey, we would have never imagined how much lifestyle reflection & research we would end up undertaking in an effort to improve egg, sperm & embryo quality. When our first egg retrieval failed to result in any viable embryos and being diagnosed with a diminished ovarian reserve, my Reproductive Endocrinologist highly recommended that I consult with a specialized nutritionist to help analyze my current deficiencies and any possible toxicities in my system that could be improved upon. I eagerly made an appointment with a very highly respected nutritional scientist in LA, who ran a series of intensive blood and urine panels that assessed my nutritional levels for the past 3 months. The results were so eye-opening! Obviously, each person’s results and subsequent recommendations will be completely different and this needs to be considered alongside any doctor’s orders. For me personally, there were quite a few specific supplements I was able to add to help boost deficient elements in addition to some supplements that helped cleanse some toxic heavy metals. I was, however, able to extract some general rules of thumb for all from that nutritional consultation. After my consultation and to this day, here is what my (& my husband’s) diet centered around and what I was told to avoid during our journey to and through pregnancy and beyond: