I've done IVF 4 times, and was doing low carb for 3 of them.

I think the most important thing for embryo creation is managing your own stress level. I also think that probably our bodies create the best embryos with a more balanced diet, so even though I'm a believer in low carb for my personal health, I'm not convinced it's what makes the best reproductive sense (women don't ovulate when the body senses starvation, and I don't think enough is known about where ketosis falls on that spectrum for reproductive purposes).

Given the emotional and financial investment we put into such treatments, it always seemed more logical to loosen my diet a bit during those 10 days or so, and make sure my body was responding to the hormones the way my doctors expected it to (I don't think many REs have a lot of experience controlling IVF cycles on ketosis!).

Most of all, I think you need to try to do whatever you can to reduce your stress in all ways and in all dimensions of your life while you go through this, Jacki. I usually took at least a week off all social media and forums to keep myself from getting too obsessive - at a certain point you need to say 'my body will do what it will do, it will work the best it can work and I trust my medical team' and let go of the parts that you're not in control of (most of it!).

Sending you tons and tons of baby dust, I know you've been working at this for a while!

Just another anecdote, but my sister's in her sixth low-carb (maybe 50 grams) pregnancy. And all the childen she bore on a low carb diet, she also breast fed on the same diet.

This reminds me of the idea that women shouldn't do intermittent fasting. It's true of some women, others get obvious benefit.

This is funny because Jimmy really isn't a huge Sarah Ballantyne fan, which he has made clear on a variety of his Facebook updates in the past few weeks. He does like having a variety of "experts" on his show, and I think from his interactions with Sarah he does not agree with her. She is doing a talk soon (maybe at Paleo f(x)?) about ketosis and the dangers (lol...) of it. Jimmy is pretty not happy with her but is going to at least hear it out to see what kind of "evidence" she has regarding the "dangers" of ketosis.

I have nothing against ketosis and generally try to live in a ketogenic fashion, though I have never done any blood or urine testing to know if I'm really in ketosis or not. I have had much more regular cycles since being on LC - my cycles are LONG, almost oddly long, but they generally are the same amount of days every month (well, a little longer than a month lol). Just in an anecdotal sense, going towards a ketogenic lifestyle has kept me much more regulated. Cramps and other negative side effects of hormonal fluctuations are pretty much gone too.

This is a FB post, but here's one of the updates Jimmy posted that has to do with Sarah's upcoming talk at Paleo f(x):

Jimmy's concern over Sarah Ballantyne's views on ketosis

I am finally back into ketosis and have the binging under control for now. I started the shots last night and I think I will stay in ketosis to help keep me from binging. I don't think binging durring this time is going to help me or my stress levels. I do think I am going to attempt to eat a little berries with supper every night to get me a few more carbs and I'm eating dark green veggies, plenty of protien and lots of fat. What could be better?

Do to my drive to binge I think its best for me to stay in ketosis durring pregnancy if possible, I'm not all that good at staying in ketosis.

I am not striving to loose weight and I eat as much as I want when I wnat. I am not doing major work outs, I just find myself busy now that the weather is better.

The Drs are doing a more aggresive treatment due to the lack of eggs the last 2 rounds. This is our final attempt, I will not be popping out any little ones when I'm 40. He knows that I'm just not scertain how much he is going to listen to that.

Between lowcarbing for a dozen years now and wrestling with a serious illness the last few, I think the "good carb" people are on the right track, but for the wrong reasons.

If we have trouble with ketogenesis, and improve with carbs, the answer might not be "add carbs." The answer is to improve our ketogenic abilities.

I was cruising along, eager to shed my last, stubborn, fifteen pounds, and ran into roadblocks with IF and VLC. Yes, when I added more carbs I felt better. But it was because I was sick.

It turned out, I was very sick, and now I'm getting better. Once I'm better, I'll get rid of this torso fat which is entirely a product of hormonal resistance. First, I have to reclaim my ability to not lie in bed most of the day.

I think this is what the keto skeptics are stumbling over. They think the body needs carbs when, perhaps, the body just needs carbs when it's sick. The thing to do, always, is not be sick.

sexym2, I wish you good luck with whatever comes your way! We can't always control these things, but we can control how we react. You've come a long way through a lot of tough stuff. I admire you.

I appreciate everyones thoughts and kind words, I'm at a cross roads though.

This morning I am dealing with a nasty headache, inuced probably from the hormone shots So I don't know if I am thinking clearly.

I have completed 1 feel wee of low carb and grain free. the last 2 evenings were rough and I'd like for them to get better.

I worry that I'm going to harm my child but some part of me says me eating low carb is going to do it better than eating the way I did with my last 3 children. I don't know if I will be able to up my carbs to 40 and keep from binging but I will eat the leafy veggies and a few berries here and there.

My IFV Dr doesn't know about my food choices and she has never asked. We did go over my medications though and she said there are very few medications that will harm a fetus and its better to have the mother healthy than the mother sick through her pregnancy and we can deal with just about anything after the fetus is born as long as they know what medications I have been taking. Well, I weaned myself off the sleeping pills and the antidepressants, I didn't want them giving anyone troubles now or later, its just not worh it. So do I consider Low carb the same way? The fetus is healther if I'm healthier and better off? I would scertainly think so and no Dr can answer that without spouting crap they were forced to listen to in medical school.

The egg retrieval is schedualed till April 2nd anc could go a few days early (it always has for me) so I do have over a week to ponder on this and I probably will the entire pregnancy (if I get that far). I like the idea of not binging and eating low carb throught the pregnancy but anyone that knows me, knows I have a hard time staying with low carb for that long without falling to sugar. Emagine a full pregnancy without sugar? hell if I did that the rest of my life would be easy

Have you thought about doing CALP during your pregnancy? CALP will give you controlled carbs, keep you from binging (usually), control your blood sugar, is lower carb,and is healthy for the baby.

Id have to look it up but I was thinking CALP was low fat and you could eat what you wanted at 1 meal?

I piddled around with MyPLAN and came up with a meal plan that would include, meats and fats, veggies, nuts and a little fruit. It will change daily of course but its a basid idea. If anyone wants to see my meal plan and its in my journal.

Just my 10 pence - My sex hormones were screwed up from having a BMI of 20 plus. Ketogenic is what is getting them back under control and hopefully in a better place. My body simply doesn't function like the majority of the population and its only under low carb metformin controlled ketosis conditions I've managed to have my children. I'm with paris mama. Stress is the worst thing.

My advice, if its welcome, is to find the conditions where you are healthy and stick with that and trust in it. & if need be ignore the medical mainstream if you don't feel they are listening to you - You are the expert on your body.
I hope you don't have to go it alone - I feel pre natal services ruined my first pregnancy making it severely stressful, & it was a choice i felt had to make with my second pregnancy, the stress from being judged on how fat i was / the diabetic testing / the constant criticism's of everything in my life, the low calorie high exercise push - produced more stress than actually being overweight. I have PCOS, i was infertile, i was in shock about being pregnant. I accessed the services which i felt were essential and valuable and ignored the rest, I argued / ignored the midwives over their healthy eating mantra's , and I took control and i felt i had a better second pregnancy as a result.
Everyone will have an opinion - you need to find the path that keeps you healthy and calm and have faith in that. Personally i think stress is the worst thing and we live in a world where pregnancy and childbirth are over- medicalised. I really really wish you well - just remember you know what you healthy feels like - if you are in that state don't let a stranger tell you you are wrong on the basis of a 10 minute chat - because they are an "expert" in pregnancy, - you are actually the expert on your body - you live in it. If ketosis is right for you - go for it. I dare you to get past the pregnancy cravings though! You might need ketosis to conceive and then go with your changing body's needs from there. We are all different.