I Tried To DIY My Fertility Supplements. It Was A Disaster. Here’s What I'd Recommend
I wasted time and money trying to create my supplement regime. Nutrition is a huge area and not one I'm qualified in. Nor are most fertility doctors.
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If you're spending your evenings scanning online forums and social media trying to figure out what to take based on other women's protocols - stop!
Ask my skin, my bank account, and my voice that got close to sounding like Barry White.
I get it. It’s an expensive journey so why not DIY whatever you can, especially when it’s only one salary funding treatment. Like many over-40 solo IVFers, I tried to “research” my way to the perfect supplement stack. I'm resourceful and figured I could nail it myself.
So I asked women on the fertility socials what they were taking, assumed they knew what they were doing, and then copied them.
It was an expensive, acne-filled disaster (thanks DHEA).
Even my first clinic was no help. I asked about DHEA. The doctor recommended taking 75mg daily, without running bloods and checking whether I actually needed it.
(DHEA has been popularised by the book It Starts With The Egg - but some medical experts like Dr Sher advise against it.)
Within 2.5 months, I had skin that looked like it was greasing frying pans in a dodgy cafe, and a voice with a deep twang. I quickly binned the DHEA and realised I needed professional help. The kind that comes with credentials.
I found the Fertility Nutrition Centre online and booked in with Milena, of Root and Leaf Nutrition.
Yes, it was more money - a grimly familiar theme in this journey - but at that point, I had paid 8500 euros to achieve three aneuploid embryos (according to PGT-A, a genetic test). I was rushed into that first IVF cycle and was determined to feel better prepared for the next.
Note: I don’t receive any commission from any fertility providers. Those I mention are purely based on my own positive experiences.
Here’s what changed:
1. Real data.
Milena requested blood tests from my GP that I’d never have been able to get for myself. No guessing. No Instagram polls. Just a tailored analysis based on my real-life blood and biochemistry.
2. Goodbye DHEA.
Forever.
3. NMN changed the game.
This supplement brought the most profound difference, physically and mentally. NMN boosts mitochondria at a cellular level, which can be very helpful to improve egg quality among older women. I felt the difference after just 4-5 days.
4. Tapping into research and intuition.
Based on my own research (not prescribed by Milena) I added Low Dose Naltrexone. The risk profile seemed low and addressing inflammation felt intuitively like a good thing. I never experienced any negative side effects. I bought mine in Greece during my second IVF cycle.
In hindsight? I wish I’d hired a nutritionist at the outset.
Instead, I spent months (and wasted money) on glossy, “high potency” high street supplements that were ineffective and irrelevant for my needs.
Here's 3 top tips from Milena.
Advice for selecting supplements and meal plans.
Don’t DIY it, especially when it comes to supplements. And more doesn’t equal better.
Many women are piecing together the most important biological protocol of their lives from Google results and wellness influencers. And most fertility supplements are marketed better than they’re made.
Tips from Milena:
Don’t DIY your supplements.
More doesn’t mean better.
“What worked for my friend” isn’t a strategy.
When you pile on generic formulations without knowing what your body actually needs, you risk making things worse. Anxiety, hormone disruption, and missed root issues are common side effects of throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks.
Start with bloodwork to give you real insight. Because “normal” ranges don’t mean “optimal”, especially for fertility.
“Normal” Isn’t Enough
Have you been told “your results are normal”?
Translation: nothing’s broken.
But better to hear would be: everything’s functioning at its best.
“Normal” iron could be tanking your energy.
Borderline TSH might be screwing with your ovulation or pregnancy resilience.
That “in range” B12 is perhaps not even close to optimal for cellular health or egg quality.
Fertility isn’t about being not-sick. It’s about being at your biological best.
Having someone who knows what optimal actually looks like can mean the difference between another failed cycle - and understanding what your body is trying to tell you.
The 90-Day Window: Why It Matters
It takes around 90 days for an egg to mature before ovulation. That means the follicle released next cycle is already in progress today.
Inflammation, hormones, nutrient levels all shape the quality of that egg. And more broadly, that 90-day window is your chance to reset, recover, and rewire your system. Especially after failed cycles or miscarriages.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about being intentional.
When you give your body time to prepare, you don’t just improve your odds. You regain some sense of control. And in this brutal, expensive, often thankless process, that sense of agency is gold dust.
Final thought.
If you’re over 40 and going solo, you already have enough variables working against you. Don’t let random internet advice be one of them.
Start with data. Get help that’s grounded in evidence, not algorithms or Facebook sales groups where unqualified admins dish out supplements advice.
If you’re just starting to explore your supplement and diet regime, a good place to start is Milena’s free resources.
The downloads are designed to give you an introduction to Milena’s work and a practical look at how powerful personalised nutrition can be, especially when you’re preparing for IVF or you need to manage a women’s health complaint.
Related read: Methylation Matters: Going Beyond Folic Acid, To Maximise Your Egg Health
Related read: Misleading Fertility Messaging - And What Solo Women Over 40 Deserve To Hear Instead
Peer reviewed studies:
Preconception Diet Meta-analysis
Antioxidants and Fertility (not open access)
Embryo versus endometrial receptivity: untangling a complex debate
FREE: Resources page on Solo Fertility 40s with my favourite webinars, articles, forums and podcasts.
FREE: 10 Important Questions for Your Fertility Consultation (download)
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I also spoke to practitioner in Traditional Chinese Medicine who was able to profile my type and advised me to avoid cold and raw foods. Another thing that might help people.