21/04/2026
Lifestyle support in IVF care - A growing role for digital and structured interventions 🌱
Approximately 1 in 10 heterosexual couples experience infertility, which creates significant emotional and economic burdens for both individuals and society. Despite this, most fertility clinics still do not routinely offer structured lifestyle programmes for couples undergoing IVF. As a result, many patients seek complementary lifestyle and psychosocial support outside of standard clinical care.
Mobile applications and other digital lifestyle programmes are emerging as a promising and time-efficient approach in fertility care. Evidence from other patient groups suggests that such interventions can effectively support behaviour change through monitoring, feedback, and structured guidance.
An example is the programme described by Boedt et al. (2021), which is currently under development for IVF couples. It is based on clinical expertise, patient needs, existing evidence on lifestyle and fertility outcomes, and established behaviour change techniques. The intervention targets key lifestyle factors such as physical activity, diet, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.
In addition, users receive regular motivational interviewing to support engagement and adherence. By addressing both partners and integrating structured behaviour change strategies, these interventions may strengthen psychosocial support and improve lifestyle maintenance. For healthcare providers, such digital and structured lifestyle programmes may offer a scalable way to integrate behavioural support into fertility care pathways.