Food, Water and Health During Your IVF Trip to India

Staying well during an IVF trip to India mostly comes down to a few habits: drink sealed bottled or properly filtered water, eat freshly cooked hot food, keep cool and hydrated, and rest more than you think you need to. A stomach upset or a fever during stimulation is more than an inconvenience — it can mean missed scans, a disrupted schedule, or a clinic deciding to postpone a procedure. The aim is not to be anxious about every meal, but to reduce the chance of an avoidable illness disrupting treatment.

Key points

• Drink only sealed bottled or reliably purified water, and use it for brushing your teeth.
• Choose freshly cooked, hot food; avoid raw salads, pre-cut fruit and street food during treatment.
• See a travel health clinic several weeks before departure and tell them you are having IVF.
• Plan for heat, monsoon mosquitoes and, in some northern cities in winter, poor air quality.
• Report any stomach upset, fever or unusual symptom to your clinic promptly, and ask before taking any new medicine.

Before you travel: see a travel health clinic

Book an appointment with a travel clinic or your own doctor ideally several weeks before you fly, and tell them clearly that you are about to have IVF and hope to become pregnant. That matters because:

• Some vaccines are timed or avoided around pregnancy. Certain vaccines are generally not given just before or during pregnancy, so the timing relative to your cycle matters. Let the travel clinic and your IVF clinic agree the plan.
• They can advise on mosquito-borne illness in the areas and season you'll be in, and on which insect repellents are suitable for you.
• They can suggest a small medical kit — for example oral rehydration salts — but ask your IVF clinic before taking any new medicine, including over-the-counter painkillers, during treatment.

If you'll be starting injections at home before you fly, also read starting IVF medication at home before travelling.

Drinking water

Tap water in Indian cities is generally not recommended for visitors to drink. Most households, hotels and serviced apartments use filtered or purified water, and sealed bottled water is easy to buy.

• Drink sealed bottled water, or water from a well-maintained purifier where you are staying. Check that bottle seals are intact.
• Use the same water to brush your teeth.
• Be cautious with ice unless you know it was made with purified water.
• Fresh juices from roadside stalls and drinks topped up with water are a common source of trouble; packaged drinks, hot tea and coffee are safer.
• Carry a bottle with you to scan appointments — waiting rooms can be long and warm.

Food choices

Freshly cooked vegetarian dishes, dal, rice, rotis and curries are generally a good, gentle choice. The following guidelines reduce the risk of illness:

• Hot and freshly cooked beats anything left standing, especially buffets that have been out for hours.
• Fruit you peel yourself (bananas, oranges) is safer than pre-cut fruit.
• Raw salads and chutneys can be washed in untreated water — skip them unless you trust the kitchen.
• Street food is best avoided during stimulation and the days around retrieval and transfer.
• Dairy: packaged, pasteurised milk and yoghurt from a sealed container are fine for most people; avoid unpasteurised dairy.
• Meat, fish and eggs should be thoroughly cooked. Many IVF clinics also advise avoiding raw or undercooked food, as you would in early pregnancy.
• Spice: if your stomach isn't used to it, ask for dishes to be made mild. Bloating during stimulation can make rich or heavy food uncomfortable.

Staying with family, or in a serviced apartment with a kitchen, makes all of this easier. See where to stay in India during IVF.

Special diets and existing conditions

Vegetarian food is widely available throughout India, and many restaurants can adapt dishes on request. Other dietary needs may take more planning:

• Religious dietary requirements: availability varies by city and neighbourhood; ask your accommodation or clinic coordinator for nearby options.
• Allergies and coeliac disease: ingredients such as nuts, wheat and dairy are common in Indian cooking. Carry a written description of your allergy and check each dish.
• Diabetes and thyroid conditions: keep to your usual treatment plan and tell the IVF clinic about every medicine you take. Changes in routine, heat and diet can affect blood sugar.
• Supplements: continue only those your clinic has approved, such as folic acid, and bring enough for the whole stay.

Eating out: a practical guide

Eating around retrieval and transfer

The days around egg retrieval and embryo transfer are when you most want to avoid a stomach upset, and also when your appetite may be low. Your clinic will give instructions on fasting before retrieval, as it is done under anaesthesia — follow them exactly, including the time of your last drink. After retrieval:

• Start with light, easily digested food: khichdi, curd rice, soups, toast, bananas.
• Bloating is common for a few days. Smaller, more frequent meals are often more comfortable than big ones.
• Keep drinking fluids through the day unless your clinic has told you otherwise.
• Tell the clinic promptly if the bloating gets worse rather than better, you feel very full after little food, or you are passing much less urine — these can be early signs of ovarian hyperstimulation.

Well-meaning relatives may press traditional foods on you “for implantation”. Most are harmless, but no particular food is known to change the outcome of a transfer. Eat what agrees with you and check anything unusual, such as herbal remedies or supplements, with your clinic before taking it.

Heat and hydration

Much of India is hot for much of the year, and the pre-monsoon months can be extremely hot in many cities. Humidity in coastal cities adds to it. During stimulation, your ovaries are enlarged and you may already feel bloated and tired, and heat can be more draining than usual.

• Choose accommodation with reliable air-conditioning and, ideally, power backup.
• Plan outings for early morning or evening; avoid the midday sun.
• Drink regularly through the day. Your clinic may also give specific fluid advice after egg retrieval — follow it.
• Wear loose, light clothing, especially over your abdomen after retrieval.
• Keep medication that needs refrigeration in the fridge, not in a hot bag or car. See flying with IVF medications.

If the heat is a real concern, the season you travel in makes a big difference; see timing your IVF trip to India and choosing a city in India for IVF.

Air quality in winter

In winter, roughly from late October into January, some northern cities — Delhi NCR in particular — often see periods of poor air quality. Levels vary day to day and between years. If you have asthma or another breathing condition, or simply want to minimise exposure:

• Check the daily air quality index (AQI) for your area and plan outdoor time around it.
• Ask whether your accommodation has an air purifier, or consider one for your room.
• A well-fitted mask designed for pollution may help outdoors; ask your doctor whether it suits you.
• Bring any inhalers you use, and talk to your doctor before travel if your condition flares with pollution.
• If you are flexible, consider a southern or western city, or a different season.

Mosquitoes and the monsoon

Mosquito-borne infections such as dengue are more common during and after the monsoon, roughly June to October in much of the country. A fever from any cause can disrupt treatment. Use screens and repellent (ask which is suitable for you), cover arms and legs at dawn and dusk, and see a doctor promptly if you develop a fever. Monsoon flooding can also make traffic unpredictable, so leave extra time for early-morning scan appointments.

Rest, movement and pacing yourself

An IVF trip is best planned as a medical stay rather than a holiday. Stimulation can be tiring, and egg retrieval is a procedure under anaesthesia.

• During stimulation: gentle walking is usually fine; skip long sightseeing days, strenuous exercise and anything jarring. Your ovaries are larger than usual.
• Around retrieval: plan one or two quiet days afterwards. Have someone with you on the day. See what to pack for egg retrieval day.
• After transfer: normal gentle activity is fine; avoid heavy lifting, hot baths and saunas.
• Visiting family: lots of visits, travel between relatives and late nights add up. It's fine to say no.

Jet lag and sleep

Long-haul travel from the Americas or Australia can disrupt sleep for several days, which coincides with the first scans or injections. Arriving a few days early, if your schedule allows, gives time to adjust. Expose yourself to daylight in the morning, keep naps short, and set alarms for medication in local time once your clinic has confirmed how to shift dose times. Ask the clinic before using any sleep aid, including over-the-counter products.

A basic health kit

Pack a small kit, and agree its contents with your IVF clinic before travel, because some common medicines are not suitable during treatment or early pregnancy.

An illustrative stimulation week

This outline is illustrative only; your schedule will depend on your clinic. It shows how the advice above fits into a typical week of stimulation in a hot city.

• Scan mornings: leave early to avoid heat and traffic; carry sealed water and a light snack; eat breakfast where you are staying if the clinic does not require fasting.
• Afternoons: rest indoors during the hottest hours; keep injections refrigerated and note dose times.
• Evenings: a short walk if the air quality and weather allow; a freshly cooked, moderate meal.
• Every day: fluids through the day; a quick check for fever, abdominal pain or unusual swelling, reported to the clinic if present.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Relaxing after the first few days. Most stomach upsets happen when people stop being careful. Keep the same habits until after transfer.
• Brushing teeth with tap water. Keep a bottle by the basin.
• Taking over-the-counter medicines without checking. Ask the clinic first, even for common remedies.
• Leaving vaccinations too late. Some need weeks to take effect or must be timed around pregnancy.
• Over-scheduling family visits and outings. Fatigue makes illness more likely and recovery slower.

Know where to go if you feel unwell

On arrival, save these in your phone: your clinic's out-of-hours number, the nearest hospital with an emergency department, and your travel insurance helpline. Keep a copy of your treatment summary and medication list with you. Contact your clinic or seek emergency care promptly for severe abdominal pain or swelling, shortness of breath, vomiting, heavy bleeding or a high fever. Check what your insurance covers before you go; see travel and medical insurance for IVF in India.

A short checklist

• Travel clinic appointment booked, and told you're having IVF
• Plan for bottled or purified water, including for brushing teeth
• Accommodation with air-conditioning, a fridge and ideally a kitchen
• Oral rehydration salts, and a list of clinic-approved medicines
• Insect repellent that your doctor has okayed
• Air quality app or website bookmarked if visiting northern cities in winter
• Emergency numbers saved on arrival

Next steps

Pick a clinic that is used to overseas patients and can advise on local practicalities — start with clinics for international patients. Then read can you travel during IVF? and emotional support during IVF abroad — looking after your mood matters as much as looking after your stomach.