I want to be direct with you about something that does not get discussed enough in fertility medicine: IVF is a powerful tool, but it is not magic. Its success still depends on something far more fundamental — the quality of the egg, the sperm, the embryo, and the uterine environment.
In my years of practice, I have seen couples go through multiple IVF cycles without understanding why things are not working. The answer is rarely the procedure itself. More often, it is what is happening at the cellular level — poor egg quality, sperm DNA fragmentation, chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, endometriosis, implantation problems, or mitochondrial decline. These are the silent factors that can quietly undermine even the best IVF protocols.
That is why I always tell my patients: the months leading up to IVF matter more than most people realize.
The Window That Changes Everything
Here is the biology that guides so much of what I recommend. Eggs take approximately 90 to 100 days to develop. Sperm take about 70 to 90 days to mature. That means the three months before your retrieval or transfer are one of the most critical windows you have to influence your outcome.
What you do during those months — how you nourish your body, reduce oxidative stress, and support cellular repair — can genuinely affect what happens in the lab and beyond.
Why IVF Cycles Fail and What Lies Beneath the Surface
When IVF cycles are unsuccessful, there is almost always more going on beneath the surface. I have seen it again and again. The cycle looks fine on paper, but the result does not match expectations. In those situations, I start asking deeper questions.
Common issues that may be contributing include poor embryo quality, low fertilization rates, implantation failure, miscarriage, low ovarian response, systemic inflammation, endometriosis, thyroid dysfunction, and elevated sperm DNA fragmentation.
None of these are hopeless. But they do require a more thoughtful approach.
Nutrients That Support Women Going Through IVF
For women, targeted nutritional support can make a meaningful difference in egg quality and overall reproductive health. The nutrients I look at most closely include CoQ10, PQQ, NAC, NMN, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, methylated folate, selenium, zinc, and choline.
Each of these plays a specific role — whether that is supporting mitochondrial energy production in the egg, reducing oxidative damage, supporting hormone balance, or preparing the uterine lining for implantation.
Sperm Quality Matters Just as Much
I cannot emphasize this enough: sperm quality is just as important as egg quality during IVF, and it is too often overlooked.
For men, the nutrients I recommend most often include CoQ10, L-carnitine, NAC, zinc, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and methylated folate. These work together to reduce DNA fragmentation, improve motility, and protect sperm from oxidative damage during development.
If a couple has been through failed cycles and sperm was never really evaluated beyond a basic semen analysis, that is a conversation worth having.
Broader Support for Complex Cases
For women dealing with endometriosis, recurrent miscarriage, chronic inflammation, autoimmune conditions, or implantation issues, I believe broader antioxidant and cellular repair support is essential. These are not simple problems, and they respond best to a comprehensive approach.
That is exactly why I helped develop Rejoova Eggs, Rejoova Sperm, and Rejoova Repair. These formulas were designed with the specific demands of IVF preparation in mind, supporting egg quality, sperm quality, mitochondrial health, inflammation reduction, hormone balance, and cellular repair during those critical months leading up to treatment.
I designed them because I kept seeing patients who were doing everything right medically but still missing this foundational piece. Supplements are not a replacement for proper fertility care, but when chosen thoughtfully and timed correctly, they can be a powerful complement to it.
If you are preparing for IVF and wondering whether nutritional support might help your specific situation, I encourage you to have that conversation with your provider and not leave it as an afterthought.
Dr. Zaher Merhi is a Co-Founder of Rejoova and the founder of Rejuvenating Fertility Center, with locations in Manhattan, Connecticut, Long Island, Westchester, and Brooklyn. He specializes in less-invasive IVF, ovarian rejuvenation, and personalized fertility care for women of all ages.