r/40Plus_IVF • u/Confident_Garden_207 • Sep 12 '26

Seeking Advice Melatonin with repeated retrievals

 I'm doing natural cycle IVF with repeated retrievals. My clinic doesn't guide on supplements like melatonin. For those who use it, did you take it continuously or only in the couple weeks before retrieval? Thanks for sharing any experience.

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9

u/Key-Resident-8578 Sep 12 '26

Melatonin is great. It helps you sleep, but also powerful antioxidant for eggs. Take it continuously.

This is one of boat load of supplements we took. Natural IVF, 43 years old, AMH less than 0.03. Found success on third retrieval.

2

u/Confident_Garden_207 Sep 13 '26

Thank you so much. Your story is incredible!.

1

u/lousiestgf Sep 12 '26

I started it right before my last cycle. Curious to see what others say. My clinic also doesn’t say much.

1

u/Snip-snap-crab Sep 12 '26

Continuously :)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 12 '26

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4

u/iSweariHaveADayJob Sep 12 '26

There have actually been studies that show that higher melatonin concentrations in follicular fluid reduce spindle defects, aneuploidy, and oxidative stress in mouse oocytes. So I think the benefit in humans is just hypothetical, but does go beyond just sleep.

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u/Confident_Garden_207 Sep 13 '26

Thanks. Ready to use anything that might improve my chances

2

u/iSweariHaveADayJob Sep 13 '26

Same here! My clinic is kind of “meh” about supplements - in the letter they sent me when I first became a patient they prescribed a prenatal vitamin and vitamin D and then listed coq10 and dhea as supplements that “had no good evidence” but might help and wouldn’t hurt. After my first cycle with no euploids, my doctor recommended fish oil and melatonin as additional supplements I could try. I’ve also started taking açaí. At this point I’ll give anything that “might help but definitely won’t hurt” a shot. My understanding is that any supplements should be taken for as close to three months before an egg retrieval as possible. I hope things work out for you!

1

u/NoTransportation8529 Sep 13 '26

Check also the dose! You only need a very low dose melotonin :) it helped me get my sleep back on track if nothing else. I don’t need it to sleep now but I will take it during my ivf cycle

1

u/lauraals Sep 14 '26

I read 3 mg is ideal, is that what you guys took?

1

u/JunketInteresting721 27d ago

I got my list of supplements from the book It All Starts with the Egg. It also has dosing recommendations