Sunny Days Increase IVF Success
IVF Treatment Success Rates Take a Sunny Turn: Where Science Meets Summertime Magic!
Get your shades and bikini on - suns up and so are IVF rates!
According to a new study, women undergoing IVF have a higher chance of success if they have their eggs harvested and frozen during the summer or on sunny days.
Picture this: you, enjoying a sunny day at the beach, getting your Vitamin D and maybe some Vitamin + too giving your eggs a little boost in the fertility department. Well, guess what - sunny vacations may be prescribed in the future by your reproductive specialist. (So there MAY be some truth in that bloody irritating advice to take a vacation when TTCing is proving difficult). A clinic in Perth, Australia, analyzed over 3,600 cycles of IVF and discovered that women who had their eggs collected and frozen during the summer months were nearly a third more likely to have a successful pregnancy and live birth. Sun-soaked eggs for the win!
But here's the surprise—while the study found a connection between egg collection timing and the likelihood of success, there was no association between the time of year for implantation and achieving your dream of having a child. So, it's all about those sunny harvesting days and not the season of baby-making itself.
Dr. Sebastian Leathersich, the study author from Fertility Specialists of Western Australia, shared some intriguing results. According to Leathersich the odds of having a live birth were 30 percent greater for women who had their eggs collected during the summer. That's like having a secret summer ally on your side, cheering you on!
Now, let's talk about sunshine! Those glorious sunny days also seemed to have a 28 percent increased chance of success. So, whether you're collecting your eggs or planning an IVF cycle, it might be worth throwing on some shades and hitting the pool. (Usually I’d suggest slapping on some sunscreen but that blocks Vitamin D absorption which may play a factor…so you do you). When women have enough vitamin D, they can produce more progesterone and estrogen supporting the regulation of your menstrual cycle as well as ovulation.
This study adds another layer to the fascinating world of fertility. It suggests that environmental factors, as well as biology, play a significant role in your journey to conceive. It's like nature and science teaming up to give you an extra boost of baby-making power.
While the exact mechanism behind this link is still a bit of a mystery, the researchers have speculated that melatonin, the hormone involved in our sleep-wake cycle, could be a key player. (Other research in this area suggests melatonin supplements may be prescribed in the future as a way to reduce follicular oxidative stress).
Yes yes I know - as if there’s not enough pressure on you to do ‘all the things’ - now you need to control the weather too. If you live in areas with high rainfall and rarely get to see the sun you may want to consider doing your IVF in Europe (it’s a WHOLE lot more affordable than the USA) and you’ll get to bake those eggs, enjoy some incredible food and bump up your odds of getting that BFP sooner)!
Note: The study didn’t show a correlation between the temperature of the day and increased pregnancies - but the amount of sunshine.
What if It’s Raining on the Day of My Collection?
You wake up anxious but optimistic and as you pull the shades the sun is MIA and your heart drops. This is definitely one of those scenarios that you have no control over and remember this study doesn’t say “cloudy days = IVF failure.” But I get it - if you’re living in Alaska or other states/countries that don’t get much sun you might be feeling a little deflated but there’s still things you can do to stack those odds. The brain affects the body and the body affects the brain - it’s a 2 way system. But what you might not know about the brain is that when it comes to mental imagery, the brain can’t tell the difference between something you’re vividly imagining and something you’re experiencing…belief alone has a powerful effect on our physiology. One study asked participants to imagine looking at a bright light or being in a dark room and scientists were able to register changes to their pupil dilation. So if your collection happens on a dreary day spend some time imagining yourself basking in that glorious sunshine on the big day. Imagine as many details as you can…feel the heat of the sun, breathe in that salty air, imagine that sunshine penetrating right into your body, nurturing and nourishing every cell. If nothing else you’ll feel more relaxed for your collection and that alone can improve your chances by downregulating the stress response and moving your brain/body into a parasympathetic response (relaxation) - the optimal state for conceiving.
Here’s some more ways to increase IVF success (based in science) that you may not have heard of.
Learn more about destination IVF packages in sunnier climates with our partner The International Fertility Company.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7067698/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797613503556
