IVF supplement protocol: 90 days before retrieval

A useful IVF supplement plan in the UK is mostly a calendar. Follicles take about 90 days to mature. Sperm take something like 70–90. If you are going to use formulas at all, start roughly three months before retrieval — both of you. Clinic medicines win every argument. Nutrition sits around the cycle. It is not the cycle.

Folic acid still applies while you’re trying: 400 µg daily for anyone who could become pregnant, through the first 12 weeks if you then conceive, plus vitamin D. IVF does not cancel that.

The 90-day calendar (couples)

Count back from the planned egg collection, or from “we are starting this winter”, and give yourselves a quarter. If you have less time than that, start anyway and be honest that you have not covered a full follicle or sperm cycle. Do not delay a funded NHS cycle to wait for a supplement window. The cycle is the scarce resource.

When	Her	Him	Both / clinic
Days −90 to −30	Start a preconception formula if you are using one. Folic acid 400 µg unless prescribed otherwise. Sleep, protein, iodine, vitamin D.	Start at the same time — sperm are already being built. Zinc and selenium are the minerals with a named job on a men’s label.	Follow the work-up: AMH, semen analysis, infection screens, medication review. No leftover gym “test boosters”.
Days −30 to stimulation	Keep the same formula unless the unit gives you a shorter list. Flag every bottle at the nurse talk.	Keep going. Last-minute starts do little for this retrieval.	Written protocol beats blogs.
Stimulation to retrieval	Ask whether to continue CoQ10/NAC through stims. Some units do not care; some want a clean list.	Continue unless told to stop.	Tell them what you take. Retrieval is medicine.
Transfer and two-week wait	Usually simplify. Do exactly what the aftercare sheet says.	His stack is for the next cycle’s sperm, not for this blastocyst.	Aftercare sheet wins.
Positive test	Stop the fertility formula. Switch to a pregnancy vitamin with folic acid through 12 weeks.	Stop unless you are already planning another cycle and a clinician says otherwise.	Midwife / early-pregnancy unit pathway.

What people usually put in a 90-day stack

Women’s specialist formulas often print CoQ10 in the 200–300 mg band, NAC in the hundreds of milligrams, a named folate, vitamin D, choline, iodine, selenium and zinc. See how much CoQ10 for fertility and IVF.

Men’s specialist formulas often print CoQ10, acetyl L-carnitine, zinc, selenium, and sometimes ashwagandha. Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction. Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis. See the sperm health guide.

Usually left out on purpose: omega-3 (add a decent EPA/DHA), myo-inositol in grams unless a clinician asked, DHEA, melatonin unless a consultant named it, and extra vitamin A/retinol.

How Her Fertility, Him Fertility and the bundle fit

If you want one formula each for that calendar, Her Fertility (CoQ10 300 mg, NAC 400 mg, 5-MTHF 400 µg, zinc 20 mg, selenium 200 µg) and Him Fertility (zinc 15 mg, selenium 200 µg, CoQ10 300 mg, ALCAR 250 mg, KSM-66 ashwagandha) are the two tubs in this range. The Him & Her Fertility bundle is the same pair with one start date. Print the labels for the IVF nurse. Do not add a second CoQ10. Do not delay the cycle to finish a tub. After a positive test, stop the fertility formulas. Everyday energy afterwards is a different job — Him Revive if he wants a non-TTC formula.

How to start without a kitchen pharmacy

• One preconception formula each if you are using any — so the start date matches.
• One omega-3 you already trust if you do not eat oily fish.
• Print your full list for the IVF nurse. Include herbal teas and “myo from Amazon”.
• Do not add a second CoQ10 “just in case”.
• Do not pause prescribed folic acid 5 mg because a blog prefers methylfolate.

If money is tight, cheap folic acid plus vitamin D plus the clinic fees is a more rational spend than a premium stack you will take for eleven days.

FAQ

Should I delay IVF to finish 90 days of supplements?

No. If your clinic can start sooner, start. Begin nutrition in parallel.

Can I take these with stimulation injections?

Ask the unit. Never combine two high-dose CoQ10 products. Show them the label.