Macca’s fries after embryo transfer – does it work?

By Pip Jarvis – Body + Soul

Would you like a baby with that? 

Can salty fries really make an embryo ‘stickier’? Here’s what experts want women to know about the post-transfer McDonald’s trend that’s gone viral.

If you’re a female of a certain age, you’ll have clocked them on Instagram or TikTok – the women joyfully scoffing Maccas French fries on the way home from an embryo transfer.

After weeks of hormone injections and healthy living, a salty treat is undoubtedly well deserved.

But the transfer day drive-through run is more about superstition – and it’s become one of the most celebrated rituals during IVF (in vitro fertilisation).

The idea is that McDonald’s fries give your embryo special sticking powers, boosting your chances of a successful pregnancy.

But is it a load of junk? We asked the experts.

Where did the fertility fries trend start?

The origins of this good luck ritual are as murky as the bottom of the deep fryer.

“It seems to have started years ago on fertility chat rooms and Facebook posts,” Sydney fertility specialist Dr Devora Lieberman says.

Initially, fries were eaten after egg retrieval in the hope that salt could help maintain the body’s fluid balance and reduce the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

(Note, Dr Lieberman suggests patients stick with electrolyte solutions and plenty of water.)

Over time, the practice also gained popularity post-transfer – but what does the science say?

A comforting ritual, not a clinical recommendation

Sorry, salt fiends, but you’re clutching at straws.

“There is absolutely no evidence or biological plausibility that having a serving of potatoes fried in trans-fat will improve the chance of implantation,” Dr Lieberman says.

However, that doesn’t mean a post-transfer treat is off the menu.

“There is some evidence that reducing stress and cortisol levels can improve pregnancy rates,” Dr Leiberman explains.

“So, if indulging in food you enjoy helps, I say go for it.”

According to reproductive psychologist Lisa Ransome, in the fraught world of fertility, rituals that give “the perception of control over the uncontrollable” can provide some peace.

And, if eating fries or wearing lucky socks feels comforting for you, she sees little harm.

Dr Lieberman agrees: “I think that anything that can make a person feel good when going through treatment, that isn’t harmful, can only be beneficial.”

When superstitions become more sinister

IVF outcomes are unpredictable, so it’s natural to be drawn to actions that you can control.

However, things can take a darker turn if you cling to superstitions with blind faith.

Ransome explains that problems arise when people believe specific actions have more power to influence outcomes than they do.

“We’re stepping into more harmful spaces when people are pulling in every single possible change, and it’s starting to cause stress,” she says.

“So, if we look at things like, ‘I’ve heard that in order to have a better outcome, I must eat an entire core of a pineapple’, or ‘I have to discard every single piece of plastic in my household’… If we get into this rigidity of thinking, then we can have problems. We start to lose the fun in life.”

1 in 6 couples struggle to conceive, and Fertility Specialist Dr Devini Ameratunga joined us to explain when to seek help:⁠ ⁠ – Under 35: see your GP after 12 months of trying.⁠ – 35+: check in after 6 months⁠ ⁠ A specialist can then review your history, run tests and guide you through options. Remember that fertility challenges can come from either partner, and support is available.

So, what should you do after an embryo transfer?

If you feel like spending the day in bed bingeing your favourite comfort shows, go ahead. But there’s no medical reason to be immobile.

“There’s nothing you can do to make an embryo ‘fall out,’” Dr Lieberman stresses.

In fact, she says, there is some evidence that walking around immediately after transfer results in higher birth rates than bed rest.

Her recommendation is to resume normal activity – within reason – on the day of your embryo transfer.

That means “eating normally, taking medications as advised, taking a gentle walk and getting an early night”.

As for acupuncture, Dr Lieberman says there is insufficient evidence that it improves success rates; however, she supports activities that help with stress reduction.

“If acupuncture helps one feel better, then that’s a good thing,” she says.

Ransome agrees that anything that improves self-regulation will be beneficial.

She likes mini-mindfulness practices that take just a few minutes, while cautioning against adding any extra layers of burden.

As for those fries? “These things aren’t magical talismans,” Dr Lieberman says.

So, by all means, dig in – but take the Maccas mythology with a pinch of salt.