New Delhi: If you’re scrolling reels late at night, you’ve probably seen confident-sounding fertility “advice”: “Dump sugar,” “Try acupuncture—it’ll guarantee a baby,” or “Freeze your eggs at 35 and you’re fine.” None of that is as neat as it sounds. Social media packages hope and clicks into simple rules, but fertility and IVF are messy, medical, and deeply personal. Here’s what the evidence actually says.
In an interaction with News9Live, Dr. Apurva Satish Amarnath, Fertility Specialist, Nova IVF Fertility, Kammanahalli. Bengaluru spoke about how social media may not be the best source of information on IVF or even fertility. Read on to know what you might get wrong about IVF and fertility by spending more time on social.
First, IVF is not a sure thing. Clinics and influencers who promise one-cycle miracles are selling hope, not facts. IVF use and outcomes vary by age, clinic, and reason for infertility; population data show usage rising, but success still depends heavily on age and biology. Millions of people use IVF successfully, but it’s not guaranteed on the first try. National registries make this clear: more cycles are happening, and outcomes improve with technology—but age remains the biggest single factor.
Sugar and “feeding cancer-style” fertility claims get a lot of airtime. Yes, a high-sugar, high-GI diet isn’t great for metabolic health, and poor metabolic health can affect ovulation—so thinking about diet sensibly matters. But eating one cookie won’t “ruin your eggs,” and sugar alone isn’t the villain. The smart move is balanced eating and weight management, not panic or extreme restriction.
Stress is another favourite scapegoat. You’ll see posts claiming anxiety will tank your IVF outcome. The truth is nuanced: chronic stress probably isn’t a one-way ticket to failure, but it matters for well-being, decision-making, sleep, and treatment tolerance. Some studies suggest stress can influence certain stages of IVF; most experts agree stress reduction is worth doing—for your head and for your overall resilience—even if it’s not a guaranteed fertility booster.
Acupuncture and other alternative healing rituals are a huge social media trend. The evidence is contradictory. Some meta-analyses have found minor benefits; others haven’t revealed a clear effect on live birth rates. If acupuncture helps you to calm down and makes the IVF process feel less stressful, then you should go for it; however, don’t be deceived by the acupuncture providers who claim that acupuncture alone will repair the biological problems. Consider it as a supplementary treatment rather than the main medical care.
Supplements? People are crazy about the pill that guarantees a miracle. Some nutrients (folic acid, vitamin D, and omega-3s) are of importance for reproductive health and pregnancy in general; however, the proof that any supplement substantially increases the IVF success rate is very scarce, and often the results of studies are contradictory. Running around popping pills without getting medical advice can be a waste of money, or, what’s even worse, you may have side effects. Consult your clinic or a reproductive nutritionist if you want to start taking something.
Besides, there is egg freezing, which is aggressively marketed as insurance. Planned oocyte cryopreservation is a method by which those who will eventually be faced with infertility over time can be helped. Nevertheless, the method becomes less effective with advancing age at freezing. In no way is it a sure baby; it is nature’s insurance policy. Both ASRM and other organizations stress that the patient must be fully informed and give consent: understand the limitations, costs, and realistic chances as per age.
Lastly, beware of the most wrong and noisy things. A recent review has found that the information about reproductive health is purposely misleading, and hence, very prevalent online stories are framed emotionally, without evidence, and these are the ones that get spread the fastest. If you are dealing with infertility, treat social media tips as if they are just headlines: something that attracts clicks but is usually very shallow. Find a doctor, review resources, consult your fertility clinic, and request clear data about your personal prognosis.
Bottom line? IVF is a medical procedure rather than a lifestyle gimmick. Eating nutritious food, sleeping well, handling stress, consulting with good doctors, and doubting the trendy quick fixes that you see on your feed are all good habits. Hope is essential, but wise choices are based on evidence and a trusted team, not a 60-second video.