Name has been changed to protect patient privacy. Clinical details and images are shared with the patient’s consent.
Sometimes the bravest thing a woman can do on a fertility journey is pause.
When you have been trying for a while, every month can feel like a test you are either passing or failing. Investigations, procedures, a treatment cycle, and then the long wait for a result. In the middle of all of it, the one thing that quietly gets pushed aside is your own everyday health. That is exactly where Hema was when she reached out to us, consulting online from her home in the United States.
A Careful Fertility Workup, and a First Setback
Hema is 33. She and her husband married in 2022 and began trying to conceive around 2024. When it took longer than they hoped, she did everything right and went for a thorough evaluation.
Her workup was detailed:
- An HSG (hysterosalpingography) to check her fallopian tubes
- A laparoscopy with chromopertubation
- A hysteroscopy
- Endometrial sampling, which showed no evidence of anything worrying
Those tests found a right fallopian tube blockage, while her left tube remained open. She was also managing PCOS and hypothyroidism. Like so many real journeys, hers was a picture with more than one factor in it.
She then went through ovulation induction and her first IUI cycle. That cycle did not result in a pregnancy.
It would have been completely understandable to feel disheartened at that point. Instead, Hema made a thoughtful decision. Rather than rushing straight into another cycle, she chose to step back and give her body the best possible foundation first. That is when she joined Fertilia.
A quick, reassuring note on the tubes, because this worries many women: having one open tube matters. A patent tube means natural conception is still biologically possible, and it also means a future treatment cycle is starting from a stronger place. We have written more about that in can I conceive naturally with one blocked tube and about what a tube blockage actually means in blocked fallopian tubes, causes and fertility impact.
Why We Chose to Focus on Health First
When Hema and I spoke, we made a deliberate decision to slow down. After a workup and a treatment cycle, what her body needed most was not another attempt right away. It was a foundation.
So we set the goals in a clear order:
- Gradual, sustainable weight loss through everyday lifestyle change, not crash dieting
- Building healthier eating and daily habits she could actually keep up with in her routine
- Adding regular, low-impact physical activity, with steady walking rather than strenuous workouts
- Improving her sleep quality and settling into a consistent daily rhythm
- Optimising her overall health so she felt genuinely ready before continuing her fertility journey
The logic is simple. A body that is better nourished, better rested, and more metabolically balanced is a far stronger place to begin the next chapter from, whether that next step is a natural attempt or another treatment cycle.
The Plan: Balanced Plates, Not Restriction
Before Fertilia, Hema had genuinely tried to lose weight. She had followed different diets and methods, put in real effort, and still found that the results were hard to hold on to. This is one of the most common and most unfair experiences women with PCOS describe, and it is rarely about willpower. If you want the mechanism behind it, our insulin resistance guide explains why weight can feel so stubborn.
So the plan our team built for her was not about eating less. It was about eating in a structured, balanced way, using the food she already had in her own kitchen.
Because she is cooking in the US, her plates were a warm mix of familiar home dishes and what she could find locally: egg whites and dals for protein, plenty of vegetables and greens, a beetroot salad, and a measured portion of grains. The point was never a special ingredient. It was structure, protein, vegetables, and a sensible portion, on a plate she could recreate any day.
Just as importantly, we fixed the timing. She stopped skipping breakfast, brought her meals to more regular times, kept her portions right, and became more mindful of her choices. Rather than chasing quick results, she made small changes that could become permanent.
If you have been on a fertility road and feel your own health has slipped down the list, Dr. Suganya can help you rebuild it step by step, wherever you are. Talk to Dr. Suganya on WhatsApp →
Movement That Fit Her Life
Alongside the nutrition plan, Hema stayed committed to gentle, regular activity. We kept it low-impact on purpose: steady daily walking and simple movement, without pushing into strenuous workouts. The aim was consistency and sustainability, not intensity.
Steady walking most days, movement she could keep up with, and a routine that worked with her life rather than against it. That is what turns effort into a habit.
What Changed
From the start, Hema followed the plan sincerely. She corrected her meal timings, stopped skipping breakfast, kept her portions balanced, and stayed regular with her walking.
Over the program, the changes added up:
- Steady, sustainable weight loss, from 91.3 kg down to about 82 kg, a loss of nearly 9 kg
- Her midnight cravings reduced significantly, including her sugar cravings around her period
- Her PMS symptoms became noticeably more manageable
- More energy through the day and a steadier daily routine
- And a real lift in her confidence and her relationship with food
Her weight coming down mattered, but it was really a sign of something bigger: a metabolism finding its rhythm and a routine that finally worked. (If you want to understand why weight loss is never only about the number on the scale, we have written about that here, and about what actually works for PCOS weight loss.)
In Her Own Words
Towards the end, Hema sent the team this message:
“Thank you everyone for all of your efforts, I really appreciate your support in this journey. I have lost 9 kg since it started, I lost sugar cravings during PMS, I don’t crave cake anymore. My HbA1c was 5.2% for the past 3 years and it’s gone down to 5.1%. I know it’s not a lot, but this marks the difference in the lifestyle changes. Definitely lost inches in hips and waist. My journey still continues to search for the miracle, but this guidance definitely helped a lot.”
That honesty is exactly why we love sharing stories like hers. She is clear-eyed about the small numbers and generous about the real ones. A 0.1% shift in HbA1c is modest on its own, and she says so. The point she is making is bigger: her cravings, her energy, her waistline, and her habits all moved together, and that is what a genuine lifestyle change looks like.
Dr. Suganya’s Note
“Hema came to us after a careful workup and a first IUI that did not work, and my instinct was not to hurry her into the next thing, but to help her rebuild. She had tried hard to lose weight before and it had never held, so we made the plan realistic and built it around her own kitchen and simple walking. She was consistent, and her weight, her cravings, her energy, and her routine all improved together. That is exactly the kind of foundation that makes the next step, whatever she chooses, a stronger one. I am proud of the way she showed up for herself.” (Hema was supported through the program by our nutrition and wellness team.)
Preparation Is Never Wasted
Hema’s story is a reminder that after a setback, the most useful next move is not always another cycle. Sometimes it is stepping back to rebuild the basics: balanced food, real breakfasts, steady movement, better sleep, and a body that is cared for rather than pushed.
That is true whether the next step is a natural attempt or another treatment cycle. A healthier, better-rested, metabolically steadier body is a better place to begin from, and none of that work is ever wasted. Her journey is still going, and she is walking into the next part of it stronger than she started.
You can read more journeys like hers on our stories page. If you are an Indian woman living abroad, you may also like our page for women in the US and our guide on consulting an Indian gynaecologist from abroad.
Every woman deserves a plan built for her body and her life, not a generic diet chart. Dr. Suganya and the Fertilia team work with you one-on-one, fully online, wherever you are in the world. Start a conversation with Dr. Suganya on WhatsApp →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you conceive with one blocked fallopian tube?
Often, yes. If one tube is open and healthy and ovulation is happening, natural conception remains biologically possible, and a treatment cycle also begins from a stronger position. A blocked tube on one side is not the end of the road. What matters is the overall picture: ovulation, the health of the open tube, hormones, and general wellbeing. We explain this in more detail in our guide on conceiving naturally with one blocked tube.
Does losing weight help fertility when you have PCOS?
For many women carrying excess weight, it can. Excess weight, especially around the abdomen, worsens insulin resistance, which can disturb ovulation and cycle regularity. Evidence-based guidance, including the 2023 International Evidence-Based PCOS Guideline (Teede et al., 2023), notes that even a modest 5 to 10 percent reduction in body weight can meaningfully improve insulin sensitivity and cycle regularity. Hema’s nearly 9 kg is close to a 10 percent reduction.
Should I lose weight before an IUI or IVF cycle?
It depends on your individual picture, and it is a decision to make with your doctor. For many women, spending a focused period rebuilding metabolic health, nutrition, sleep, and weight before the next cycle gives the body a stronger starting point. The goal is never to delay endlessly. It is to make the next attempt count from a healthier baseline.
Do you work with Indian women living abroad?
Yes, often. All of our consultations happen online via video call, so we work with women across India and with the Indian diaspora in the US, the UK, the Gulf, Canada, and beyond. Hema consulted with us from the US throughout her program. You can read more on our page for women in the US.
Is it common for a first IUI to not work?
Yes. A single IUI cycle not working is common and does not mean something is wrong or that pregnancy will not happen. Success often takes more than one cycle, and using the time in between to strengthen your health, as Hema did, is a constructive way to move forward rather than simply waiting.
Every story we share is real, verified, and published with the patient’s consent. Names and identifying details are changed to protect privacy.
