Delay IVF or Start Now? The Truth About Egg Quality, Timing & Outcomes

Should you delay IVF or egg freezing to improve egg quality—or could waiting actually hurt your chances? In this episode of Trying to Conceive, Dr. Sasha Hakman is joined by renowned reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Philip Romanski to break down what the science really says about timing fertility treatment. They explore ovarian reserve testing, egg quality myths, lifestyle and supplement considerations, and groundbreaking research showing that short delays in IVF—even for women with diminished ovarian reserve—do not negatively impact pregnancy outcomes. This episode offers practical, evidence-based guidance to help patients make confident, informed decisions about when to start treatment and how to optimize results. Follow me! TikTok: @sashahakmanmd Instagram: @sashahakmanmd @tryingtoconceivepod YouTube: @tryingtoconceivepod Want to receive my weekly newsletter? Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠sashahakmanmd.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive updates, answers to Q&A and more! If you haven’t already, please rate, review, and follow the podcast to be notified of new episodes every 2 weeks. If you’re interested in becoming a patient go to sashahakmanmd.com to learn more! ------------------------------ Dr Sasha Hakman is a double board certified OBGYN and REI, practicing in Beverly Hills CA at HRC Fertility. She is passionate about providing an outstanding patient experience, focusing on the patient’s goals and values with a strong focus on lifestyle and optimizing your natural fertility. To become a patient: email teamhakman@havingbabies.com Listen to Trying to Conceive with Dr Sasha Hakman here: ITUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KbKJpO... 00:00 Introduction 03:54 Understanding AMH and Antral Follicle Count for Fertility 07:07 Counselingg Patients on Diminished Ovarian Reserve and Egg Freezing 13:43 Should you delay IVF if you want to improve lifestyle and egg quality 22:52 Supplements to improve egg quality before IVF 31:13 Synchronizing Follicle Development for better IVF outcomes 37:32 How to balance delaying treatments to risk of not optimizing before starting a cycle