What I learned at a wedding this week that applies to your IVF prep
I went to a wedding this week that was planned in four months.
Not four months of "let's get engaged and start thinking about it." Four months, full stop. No save the dates sent a year out. No twelve month venue waitlist. It was on a Sunday, because that was the date they could get everyone who mattered in the room. They made compromises everywhere. And it was one of the best weddings I've been to in years.
Standing there getting ready that morning, something struck me that I can't stop thinking about.
In my world, we talk a lot about preparation time. Six months before trying is optimal. Four months is the minimum I'd want to see. That's the advice I give, and I stand by it, because the body needs time to build follicles, top up depleted stores, and shift the internal environment that egg and sperm quality depend on.
But what happens when you don't have four months? What happens when you're staring at an IVF start date next month?
I know a lot of you reading this are in exactly that position. The clinic has given you a cycle start date, and it's weeks away, not months. And I think the quiet fear underneath that is: what if it doesn't work. There's nothing left to do now.
That wedding proved something to me. You don't need a year of planning to get a brilliant outcome. You need to know what actually matters, and put your energy there instead of everywhere.
So if IVF starts next month, here's where I'd put mine.
**Stop the things doing active harm first.** Alcohol, cigarettes if that applies, and any supplement that isn't evidence backed for this specific purpose. This alone can shift things in weeks, not months.
**Get your key blood markers checked now, not after you start.** Ferritin, TSH, and fasting insulin are the three I'd want in hand before day one of stimulation. If ferritin is under 70 or TSH is sitting above 2.0, that's fixable in four weeks with the right approach, and it's worth knowing before you're mid cycle, not after.
**Prioritise sleep and protein over everything else on the wellness list.** Not because the rest doesn't matter, but because these two move the needle fastest and they're free.
**Pick three supplements, not twelve.** A good active folate and a bioavailable form of the minerals your body actually absorbs will do more in four weeks than a cabinet full of things bought in a panic, and the right omega supplement will make sure you actually absorb them and support the pregnancy that follows.
None of this needs a year. It needs focus.
## While we're on the subject of quick wins: gut health
This is the one people are most surprised by.
Your gut responds faster than almost anything else in the body, and it's more tied to fertility than most people realise. An unhappy gut affects how you absorb the very nutrients I just listed above, it affects inflammation levels throughout the body, and it plays a direct role in hormone clearance and balance.
The good news is this is one of the fastest things to shift. You can see meaningful changes in gut markers within two to three weeks of the right changes; not a year, not even a full IVF prep window, just weeks.
If you're staring down an IVF start date and wondering what's left to do, your gut is one of the best places to spend your remaining time.
If you want to see exactly what we use in Fertility-Fit and why, take a look at the supplements page on the website.
Best wishes,
Claire
Claire Eyre RM MSc
Chief Midwifery Officer Silver Award Winner
