The IVF Project

The IVF Project Improve your chance of conception with Clinical Exercise Physiology, Dietetics and Psychology- scientifically proven strategies that work! Dr Kitic

With the incredible benefits of exercise and eating well, and the desire to get your body baby ready for a healthy pregnancy, there has never been a better time to undertake the right exercise and nutrition program. With personal experience of multiple IVF cycles I understand how stressful and challenging this time can be. Improve your chance of conception (saving expensive cycles of treatment), b

uild your resilience through the roller coaster of assisted reproductive treatments, and get yourself ready for growing a tiny human!

25/05/2026

Your gut microbiome and reproductive system are deeply connected - influencing inflammation, hormone signalling, ovulation, metabolic health, uterine receptivity, and even how the ovaries respond during IVF.

And the exciting part?
The microbiome is dynamic.

It responds to your daily inputs:
✔️ fibre diversity
✔️ nutrition
✔️ movement
✔️ sleep
✔️ stress management
✔️ metabolic health

Fertility isn’t isolated to the ovaries.
It’s connected to the environment surrounding every system in the body.

Supporting your microbiome before fertility treatment may help create a healthier foundation for conception, implantation, and pregnancy.

Your biology is not fixed. 🌱

If you are wanting to support your reproductive health we provide the evidenced based strategies to optimise your chance of pregnancy success.

Access our nutrition guidance online now (course link in bio) or book your initial consultation to begin working with us 🌱.

19/05/2026

Fertility is influenced by far more than reproductive organs alone.

Exercise physiology, nutrition, gut microbiome health, metabolic function, sleep, stress, and psychological wellbeing all interact to help shape the environment that supports egg quality, s***m quality, hormone health, and implantation.

At The IVF Project, we take an evidence-based, whole-body approach to fertility support through Exercise Physiology, Clinical Dietetics, and Psychology.

Because your body systems do not work in isolation, and fertility care shouldn’t either.

PCOS is now PMOS.The condition formerly known as Polycystic O***y Syndrome has officially been renamed Polyendocrine Met...
12/05/2026

PCOS is now PMOS.

The condition formerly known as Polycystic O***y Syndrome has officially been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) following a global consensus process published in The Lancet.

And this change is more than semantics.

For years, the term “PCOS” has been criticised for being misleading. Many women with the condition do not actually have ovarian cysts, while the name itself failed to reflect the complex endocrine and metabolic features that underpin the condition.

PMOS better acknowledges what the research has shown for decades: this is a multisystem condition involving insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, hormone signalling, ovarian function, inflammation, and reproductive health.

Language matters.
Because names shape awareness, diagnosis, research, and care.

Reference:
Teede HJ, Bahri Khomami M, Morman R, et al. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic o***y syndrome: a multistep global consensus process. The Lancet. Published online May 12, 2026.

A “normal” semen analysis does not necessarily mean s***m health is optimal.Because male fertility is influenced by far ...
11/05/2026

A “normal” semen analysis does not necessarily mean s***m health is optimal.

Because male fertility is influenced by far more than s***m count, concentration, or motility alone. Lifestyle and physiological factors can significantly influence s***m quality and function - even when a semen analysis falls within the “normal” range.

Your body produces new s***m approximately every 72 days, meaning s***m are constantly responding to the environment they develop in.

Supporting the gut microbiome through diverse wholefoods, fibre-rich plants, movement, recovery, and overall metabolic health may help create a healthier environment for s***m production and function.

And this matters even more when female fertility factors such as diminished ovarian reserve, endometriosis, or PCOS are also present - because healthier s***m may reduce the amount of repair the egg needs to do after fertilisation.

Male fertility is not fixed.
The environment matters.
And there is often more that can be done to support it.

Your muscles do far more than generate movement.During exercise, skeletal muscle releases signalling molecules and metab...
06/05/2026

Your muscles do far more than generate movement.

During exercise, skeletal muscle releases signalling molecules and metabolites capable of influencing inflammation, mitochondrial function, insulin sensitivity, and the ovarian environment.

These muscle-derived signals play an important role in supporting oocyte health and reproductive function.

Exercise is not just physical activity.
It is biochemical communication.

Wondering whether your current exercise routine is actually supporting fertility? Not sure where to start, whether you’re doing too much, or what type of training is most appropriate during IVF or preconception?

Come and see us at The IVf Project (the fertility specialist arm of the Gut & Hormone Health Clinic).

Exercise is a physiological regulator of reproductive health, not just a lifestyle choice.Regular movement influences mi...
26/04/2026

Exercise is a physiological regulator of reproductive health, not just a lifestyle choice.

Regular movement influences mitochondrial efficiency, oxidative stress balance, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory signalling - key mechanisms underpinning both oocyte competence and s***m function. At the same time, exercise shapes the gut microbiome, increasing microbial diversity and short-chain fatty acid production, which play a role in immune regulation, hormone metabolism, and the reproductive environment.

This interconnected system - the gut–metabolic–reproductive axis - means that how you move your body can directly influence fertility outcomes at a cellular level.

If you are preparing for conception or IVF, these foundations matter.

At The IVF Project, we take an evidence-led approach to exercise, nutrition, and physiology to support egg and s***m quality, and optimise reproductive outcomes.

If you are ready to take a more strategic approach to your fertility, we are here to support you.

👉Pregnany rate in 150 women group 1: 55%👉Pregnancy rate in 38 women group 2: 27%So you might be wondering, “What was the...
12/04/2026

👉Pregnany rate in 150 women group 1: 55%
👉Pregnancy rate in 38 women group 2: 27%

So you might be wondering, “What was the difference between these two groups?!?”

The answer is: Allostatic load.

Allostatic load is the cummulative load we experience from chronic stressors and life events.

Allostasis is the ability to adapt to different stressors to maintain physiological balance or homeostasis.

When our stressors outweigh our coping reserves we can experience impacts on our physical and psychological wellbeing.

Allostatic load represents the functions of the neuroendocrine, immune, metabolic and cardiovascular systems, and how our every day life impacts our mental and physical health.

A high allostatic load is a risk for negative impacts upon our health and wellbeing, and fertility.

In a recent study allostatic load was quantified by investigating markers of health including blood pressure, inflammatory proteins, body mass index, cortisol and noradrenaline.

In women with a lower allostatic load, pregnancy rate after 12 months was 57%. This was almost double that of women who had high allostatic loads where pregnancy rate was 27%.

There could be so many take home messages here. It could be to:

🌱nourish your body to support antioxidant defences

👐create a village to lighten your load

💼better integrate your work and home life to reduce stress

⛹add movement into your day to realise all the mental and physiological benefits of physical activity

🎼find activities that work for you to calm your sympathetic nervous system (slow down and smell the roses, read a book, meditate...)

🧬create a fertile gut to support your immune system, metabolic health and neuroendocrine function.

If you want to reduce your allostatic load join us in our online course and implement the strategies to support pregnancy success.
[link in bio]

Hong et al, Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2022 Nov; 101(11): 1300–1307

The microbes in our va**na, cervix and endometrium make up about 9% of the female microbial network🤯.These microbes impa...
04/04/2026

The microbes in our va**na, cervix and endometrium make up about 9% of the female microbial network🤯.

These microbes impact our fertility, reproductive potential and gynaecological health, and your partners microbiome may just be having an impact on the composition of your reproductive microbiome.

A healthy reproductive tract microbiome is associated with an increase in species that promote the secretion of antimicrobial peptides to keep pathogenic bacteria at bay.

In conditions such as bacterial vaginosis or trouble conceiving, levels of these protective antimicrobial peptides are significantly lower.

There is also a two way street between male and female reproductive tracts with microbiome mingling that takes place!

For instance, men with leukocytos***mia (high white blood cell count in semen) may have partners with a higher prevalence of Gardnerella va**nalis. This bacteria is associated with bacterial vaginosis and reduced IVF success.

Seminal microbes entering the va**na may influence resident microbial composition by altering the va**nal pH.

Our reproductive tract community helps shape our immune system and inflammatory response so it’s no surprise that alterations in this microbiome are associated with pelvic inflammatory disease, implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage, and gynaecological cancers.

Where gut dysbiosis exists, reproductive tract imbalances are present.

The gut and female reproductive tract are in constant communication 📞with each other via microbial metabolites, your immune system and your circulatory system.

How are you nurturing your gut today to support your reproductive health🌱?

Don’t know where to start? Access our “Gut health for IVF & Pregnancy Success” resources now and being to nurture your microbiome for conception.
[in bio]

Valore et al, Infect Immun. 2006
Ata et al, Sci Rep 2019

gynaecological gynaecologicalhealth infertility fertility fertilitydiet gutfertilityconnection endometriosis PCOS prebiotic ivf unexplainedinfertility irregularperiods PMS

Conception is influenced long before fertilisation.From insulin signalling and methylation to vitamin D status and the g...
29/03/2026

Conception is influenced long before fertilisation.

From insulin signalling and methylation to vitamin D status and the gut microbiome - these systems shape egg quality, ovulation, and implantation outcomes.

This is where we focus: supporting the environment that fertility depends on.

🧬 Gut health & IVF success are more connected than you think. A recent study found that women with higher levels of bene...
23/03/2026

🧬 Gut health & IVF success are more connected than you think.

A recent study found that women with higher levels of beneficial gut bacteria like Bifidobacterium longum had stronger ovarian responses to stimulation - more oocytes, healthier hormone levels, and better outcomes.

Poor gut health, on the other hand, was linked to inflammation and poor egg retrieval outcomes.

This is why we created the Gut Microbiome for IVF Success course. ✨ Boost your fertility from the inside out!

Here’s what you’ll learn:  
🌱 Ignite Your Fertility – Nurture a microbiome that supports conception
🍽 Fuel Your Journey – Discover rhythmic eating & gut-loving recipes
🧠 Master Mindful Eating – Build a joyful, intuitive relationship with food
🥦 Optimise with Nutrition – Balance carbs, protein, fats & gut nutrients
🍲 Craft Fertility on a Plate – Build meals that feed your microbiome + fertility
💛 Embrace Body Trust – Navigate the IVF rollercoaster with compassion
💊 Get Supplement Savvy – Choose evidence-based tools to support gut & fertility

Unlock the Power of Your Gut Microbiome for a Faster Path to Pregnancy. Learn how to nurture a fertile microbiome with proven nutrition foundations. Optimise egg and s***m health, improve uterine receptivity, and increase your chance of pregnancy, sooner. 💻

Ready to prepare your body for IVF? Join now via the link in bio.

Fo et al 2024 sci rep

19/03/2026

Could your gut microbiome influence placental health? Science suggests it might—here’s what we know so far.

📖 The Placenta’s Critical Role :

The placenta is the lifeline between mother and baby, responsible for:

✔️ Delivering essential nutrients & oxygen
✔️ Producing hormones & immune regulators to support foetal development
✔️ Managing the exchange of gases and waste

Its growth and function are shaped by environmental factors, genetics and our physiology before and during pregnancy - including nutrition, exercise, and gut health.

🔬 New Research on the Gut & Placenta:

A University of California study in a preclinical model explored this gut-placenta connection. Here’s what they found:

🦠 A healthy maternal gut microbiome supported normal placental vascular development, essential for fetal growth.

🚨 A disrupted gut microbiome (following broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure) led to:
🔻 Reduced placental vascular volume & surface area
🔻 Fewer vascular branches, which could impair nutrient exchange
🔻Reduced foetal weight

These findings align with existing research showing that autoimmune conditions - which are often linked to gut dysbiosis - can also contribute to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm birth, and placental insufficiency.

There are many intricate factors at play to support healthy placenta function and pregnancy progression.

A healthy microbiome enhances production of compounds that support fertility, conception and pregnancy progression.

✨ Unlock the Power of Your Gut Microbiome for a Faster Path to Pregnancy.
Join our Gut Health for Pregnancy Success platfrom now via the link in bio.

Ramya T et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2017

Pronovost et al Sci Adv. 2023

endometriosis gutmicrobiome malefactorinfertility guthealth ivfsuccess

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