If you’re going through IVF right now, first of all: I’m rooting for you.
I’ve been there – the injections in the fridge, the hormone roller coaster, the calendar that suddenly rules your entire life. It’s emotional, hopeful, expensive, and sometimes brutally unfair.
My own IVF journey started over 20 years ago in Saudi Arabia. Back then, fertility treatment there felt very different to what we see in the region today: fewer options, less information, and almost no conversation about lifestyle or the environment you live in. You basically followed instructions, crossed your fingers, and hoped.
Fast-forward to now, living in Dubai and watching how IVF has evolved in the UAE, it honestly feels like another world – in a good way. But there’s still one really important piece missing from most clinic conversations, and that’s what I want to shine a light on.
IVF 20 Years Ago in Saudi: Brave… but Very Basic
When I started IVF in Saudi, it looked something like this:
- Limited choice of clinics — There were only a few places you could go. You didn’t compare protocols or success rates – you just went where your doctor sent you.
- Very little transparency — No one was showing you age-specific success data or clear statistics. You rarely heard phrases like “live birth rate per cycle” – it was more, “We’ll try and see.”
- No real lifestyle guidance — There was almost zero conversation about nutrition, toxins, environmental exposures or cleaning products. You took the meds, did the scans, and that was it.
- Emotions left to you to manage — Mental health and support groups? Basically non-existent in the discussion.
- Everyone going through IVF back then was incredibly brave. But we were also very much in the dark.
The UAE Today: A Completely Different IVF Landscape
Now, if we look at the UAE today – especially Abu Dhabi and Dubai – it’s a very very different picture. The UAE as a fertility hub — Abu Dhabi’s health authorities have reported IVF success rates above 51%, placing them among the highest globally. Dubai’s top clinics show similarly strong numbers.
Top clinics publishing their numbers:
Orchid Fertility reports around 70% pregnancy rates for frozen embryo transfers;
ART Fertility Clinics list success rates around 70–71%;
Fakih IVF confirms around 65% success for women under 40.
These are their publicly shared figures and depend heavily on age and diagnosis, but just seeing this transparency shows how far things have come.
More personalized, science-based care — Time-lapse embryo monitoring, PGT-A, advanced freezing, tailored protocols… these weren’t even options back then.
Support beyond the injections — Clinics now talk about nutrition, supplements, weight, sleep, mental health, stress, even light exercise. This simply didn’t exist in the past.
What Clinics Do Talk About Now (That They Never Used To)
When you walk into a good clinic in Dubai today, you’ll hear more about:
- Nutrition and whole foods
- Light, regular movement
- Healthy weight ranges
- Supplements like folic acid and vitamin D
- Mental health, therapy, meditation
- Reducing alcohol and quitting smoking
It’s a huge step forward from where things were 20+ years ago.
BUT… there’s still one huge missing piece. The Big Blind Spot: Chemicals at Home
I’m going to be very honest here — because this is one of my biggest frustrations.
For a process that is entirely dependent on hormone balance, it shocks me that most clinics still don’t have any real conversation about the everyday chemicals people are exposed to at home.
We now know that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) — found in some cleaning sprays, fragrances, detergents, plastics and solvents — can impact hormones and reproductive health.
Yet clinics rarely ask:
“What are you cleaning your house with?”
“What’s in your laundry detergent?”
“What are you spraying on counters, floors, bathrooms, and the air you breathe every day?”
Instead, they focus on diet, weight, vitamins and stress — all important, but incomplete.
The “Nesting Stage” No One Talks About
Let me take you back to when I finally did get pregnant. Like so many mums-to-be, I went straight into “nesting mode.” I scrubbed my entire home from top to bottom because I wanted my baby to come into a clean environment. Totally normal.
But here’s the part I didn’t fully understand back then:
I cleaned everything using harsh chemical cleaners.
My baby’s clothes? Yes — I washed them with gentle baby detergent.
My own clothes? Normal detergent loaded with fragrances and synthetics.
And here’s what we forget:
- Your baby rests against you constantly.
- Your baby nurses against your skin.
- Your clothes touch their skin every hour of the day.
So even if we wash the baby’s clothing in delicate detergent, if our own clothes are washed in strong chemicals, the baby is still exposed — through our chest, arms, and whatever we’re wearing when we hold them.
Your skin is your largest organ.
It absorbs what’s on it.
And newborns breathe right up against you.
This is why changing out our household cleaners and laundry products BEFORE baby arrives is just as important as choosing the right baby bottle or pram.
And honestly? This is something I wish clinics would emphasize far more when preparing couples for IVF and pregnancy.
If I Were Starting IVF in Dubai Today, These Are the Questions I’d Ask
On success and transparency:
– What are your success rates for my exact age group?
– What do you count as “success” — positive test, clinical pregnancy, or live birth?
On treatment approach:
– How personalized is the protocol?
– Do you use time-lapse embryos, PGT-A, and advanced freezing?
On lifestyle:
– Do you offer nutrition, supplement and mental health support?
On environment:
– Do you advise on reducing chemical exposure at home?
– Do you talk about laundry products, home cleaners, fragrances or EDCs?
If a clinic engages with these questions, you’re in the right place.
A final note for anyone going through IVF today:
You’re stronger than you think. You’re not asking for too much when you ask for clarity.
You’re absolutely allowed to set boundaries along the way.
And you deserve a home that feels safe, calm and supportive for your hormones and your future family.
And just remember — you don’t have to overhaul your whole life overnight.
Small shifts matter. Reducing daily chemicals, choosing kinder products, and creating a cleaner space isn’t about perfection… it’s about giving yourself every little advantage while you walk this incredibly emotional road.
You’re not alone, and you’re doing better than you realize.
IVF in the UAE today is worlds apart from when I started in Saudi. Technology, labs, specialists and support systems are incredible.
My hope is that the next evolution is this: Clinics openly addressing home chemicals as part of IVF preparation — because it matters more than most people realize.
ABOUT HALO MIDDLE EAST & ENJO
I co-founded HALO Middle East because I learned — through IVF, pregnancy and motherhood — how much everyday chemicals affect our bodies and our homes. We are the exclusive distributors of ENJO, the chemical-free cleaning system from Austria that cleans using just fibres and water.
For IVF families, expecting parents, and anyone building a healthier home, ENJO offers a simple way to reduce chemical exposure while keeping your house truly clean.
With nesting, babies, skin contact, and hormone health being such a big part of my story, ENJO isn’t just a business to me — it’s personal.
Co-Founder HALO Middle East
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