Decreasing the main maternal and fetal complications in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) trained by nutrition and healthy eating practices during pregnancy

Abstract

Purpose In vitro fertilization (IVF) can lead to undesirable consequences for pregnant women and their newborns. Reducing the adverse maternal (mainly, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and preeclampsia (PE)), and fetal outcomes in IVF-pregnant women (IVF-PW) was aimed with the correct training of nutrition principles during pregnancy. Materials and methods A quasi-experimental clinical trial with 170 IVF-PW in intervention and control groups was conducted. The subjects before the dietary intervention completed questionnaires of nutritional and lifestyle and 24-h food recall. The intervention group was trained with the diet modification programs from early (12–16 weeks) to late (week 34) pregnancy in six weekly, 15–20-min sessions. The GDM diagnosis was based on 75-g OGTT and FBS tests, respectively, in 24–28 weeks’ gestation. Other adverse maternal (e.g. PE, cesarean delivery, and preterm delivery (<37 weeks)), and fetal (e.g. intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), birth weight, and fetal viability) outcomes were also monitored. The dataset was assessed using both inferential and descriptive statistics. Results A diet modification program with an increased intake of lactose, fiber, and some minerals (e.g. magnesium and zinc) and vitamins (e.g. B3 and B5) in conjunction with a lower intake rate of glucose and lipid could control the prevalence of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in IVF-PW. Although the GDM reduction in the two intervention (8.2%) and control (20.0%) groups was statistically insignificant, there was a significant difference in PE prevalence at a lower rate (39.0%) in the intervention group than the control. No significant difference in cesarean delivery (94.1–95.2%), and preterm delivery (45.9%) between the two groups was found. The IUGR (24.7–25.9%), birth weight (2.791–2.820 kg), and fetal viability (95.3–97.6%) also did not change significantly after the healthy eating practices during pregnancy. Conclusions Diet-based interventions in IVF-PW during pregnancy were efficient in improving the outcomes for both mother and baby.