Ideally around three months before a cycle, because eggs and sperm both take roughly that long to develop, so that's the window where nutritional status can realistically make a difference. Starting later is still worth doing; it's just a smaller window.

Does my partner need to come?

Where there's a male partner, yes, ideally. Sperm quality contributes to around half of fertility presentations and responds to the same three-month window. There's a couples appointment for exactly this.

IVF Support Naturopath Melbourne | Alongside Your Clinic

IVF is medical treatment, run by your fertility clinic. Naturopathic support sits alongside it — never in place of it, and never quietly.

What it’s for is the ground the cycle stands on: nutritional status, sleep, blood sugar, stress load and the things known to affect egg and sperm quality in the three months before collection.

Why three months

Eggs and sperm both take roughly ninety days to develop. That’s the window in which nutritional status, alcohol, smoking, heat, sleep and blood sugar can realistically influence what’s collected.

Starting later is still worth doing. It’s a smaller window, not a closed one.

What your naturopath works on

Nutritional status, tested where appropriate — iron, vitamin D, B12, folate and thyroid function all matter here and all are measurable.

Egg and sperm quality, and the specific things with evidence behind them: alcohol, smoking, heat exposure for sperm, and antioxidant status.

Blood sugar and weight, where they’re relevant to your picture.

Sleep and stress load, which are not a fringe consideration in a process this demanding.

Your partner, where there is one. Sperm quality contributes to about half of fertility presentations and responds to the same window.

The emotional load of the process, which is real and rarely resourced.

⚠ What must be shared in both directions

Tell your naturopath your protocol, and tell your clinic what you’re taking. Several herbs affect hormone pathways, and some are stopped before stimulation or before transfer. A prescription written without knowing the protocol is a risk to the cycle, and a clinic that doesn’t know what you’re on can’t interpret what it sees.

Anything prescribed here is chosen with the cycle in mind and reviewed as you move through it.

Who you’d see

Carmen Farrugia works across preconception, IVF support, pregnancy and postnatal care. She holds an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy plus current AHPRA registration as a midwife and a Division 1 nurse, which is an unusual combination for this particular work.

IVF support

Why three months

What your naturopath works on

⚠ What must be shared in both directions

Who you’d see

Frequently asked questions

Will herbs interfere with my IVF cycle?

When should I start?

Does my partner need to come?