Does a low-carb diet improve IVF success?

I used to think IVF success was mostly about hormones and embryo quality… but diet keeps coming up more than I expected.

I read about a doctor who noticed women eating lower-carb, higher-protein diets seemed to have better IVF outcomes, especially women with PCOS or insulin resistance. Not “zero carb” or extreme keto stuff… more like reducing processed carbs and stabilizing blood sugar.

The interesting part was that it wasn’t really framed as a weight-loss thing. More about inflammation, insulin levels, and egg quality.

Honestly, fertility nutrition feels like one of those areas where people go way too extreme online. But I do think there’s probably a difference between living on sugar + processed food during IVF… versus eating in a way that supports hormone balance.

Yes, an American IVF specialist noted a pattern in his patients—the ones on a high protein, low-carb diet got pregnant a lot easier than those who were consuming too many carbs.

A study presented by Dr. Jeffrey Russell, MD, from the Delaware Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Newark, found that reducing carbs and boosting protein intake significantly improved the chances of conception in women.

The effect is “at the egg level,” said Dr. Russell.

Diets that are high in carbs create a hostile environment for the egg, even before conception is achieved.

“Eggs and embryos are not going to do well in a high-glucose environment,” he said. By increasing your healthy protein intake, “you’re bathing your egg in good, healthy, nutritious supplements.”

In a study of 120 women 36-37 years of age, Dr. Russell noted that the clinical pregnancy rate was up by 80% in women whose diet had more than 25% protein and less than 40% carbs.

It's not about weight-loss, it's about nutrition, he said.