I Used AI to Help Me Navigate IVF. Here's What Experts Think About Using It

IVF is akin to being a bride. Much like brides become obsessed with the world of weddings, I've become obsessed with the world of infertility. 

It's like a secret club, with acronyms -- 2ww, BFP, Beta, DPO, FET, ICSI, PIO -- and a shared camaraderie of war stories and miracles. 

It takes over your mind, body, confidence, finances and schedule, all in the hope of becoming a parent. There are no guarantees and, in the end, even the best physicians can't overwrite biology or the universe's plan. Modern science is great, but a lot of it feels like the work of a higher power. It's not easy to explain. 

I've become a full-time resident of the IVF subreddit, which has been helpful for the most part. Kind strangers have responded to my posts, helped me choose a clinic and even turned into real-life friends. I now have a new category of cohorts I call my "IVF friends."

While perusing some posts, I came across a woman who was using ChatGPT as a helpful tool during IVF. The comments were in two camps -- either totally for it or warning women to stay out of AI chatbots. Any woman facing fertility issues knows how damaging a false positive is, or, in this case, outright false information. 

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Medical records do not belong in AI chatbots

I'd much rather trust the medical experts over the tech giants, but I know how seductive these AI chatbots can be, especially during the notorious two-week wait where you're looking up every symptom you have and whether it might be hinting at pregnancy. IVF is full of data points that you're not familiar with and don't know how to explain to friends and family. 

While I used AI to help plan the best diet in the lead-up to IVF and for fun projects like generating a baby book or even seeing what our future baby might look like, medical records do not belong in LLMs. 

And not only because of data breaches -- I've also seen some horror stories of people accidentally finding out the sex of their baby from uploading medical records into ChatGPT. 

"The fact that AI systems give you such erudite, well-organized answers back, there's a temptation to think it is authoritative, but in reality, it's not," says David Sable, an investor in IVF technology and previously a reproductive endocrinologist and IVF director.

Sable compares AI to a service dog: how good it is comes down to its training. He's not surprised patients are turning to AI for answers, "as it's like the 2025 version of Google search."

Alease Daniel Barnes, a per diem embryologist, has turned to TikTok to educate and empower people going through the IVF process. She's built an audience of over 150,000 on TikTok after noticing her patients were seeking more information online -- such as her viral video on how she injects sperm into an egg. 

She tells CNET that it makes sense that patients are turning to ChatGPT for information, but she'd prefer it if they learn from specialists online. 

"You have to meet your patients where they are," she says. "They're finding their information on TikTok and Instagram, and will find it whether you're there or not." 

Barnes' goal is to get more information out there as an embryologist, rather than have patients learn from some random person on the internet (or AI model) who could be spreading misinformation. 

I know I'd rather learn from my doctor, not DoctorGPT. 

For the most part, I emailed my reproductive endocrinologist rather than chatting with ChatGPT whenever I had a question. But morale isn't always the strongest during IVF, and I found myself leaning on Dr. Google and Dr. ChatGPT when I didn't want to come across as a crazy, obsessed person to my care team. 

But I set limits -- no medical record uploads, and only general information gathering. It's important to fact-check any information you do receive from ChatGPT with your doctor, especially given reproductive health differs from person-to-person. 

I also kept reminding myself that numbers and data points are only one side of the story. There are plenty of success stories that defy odds, stats and science. As the old adage goes (that I still can't figure out if I love or despise), "it just takes one egg."

AI helped me with the IVF math and science

I had a lot of questions about IVF. For example, to explain the medical protocol that was recommended at the clinic I chose; what I can expect based on my age and AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone, which is indicative of my egg reserve); the number of eggs to expect based on how many follicles I grew; and all the percentages based on my progression. I even uploaded a photo of my spotting to ask if it was my period coming or  implantation bleeding. 

I learned about the term attrition and the IVF funnel, which describes the natural drop-off that occurs at every stage of the IVF process. I also learned how inefficient reproduction really is: 10 eggs do not equal 10 embryos, and two embryos do not equal two euploids (genetically normal embryos). 

For someone who is creative and has avoided math, ChatGPT helped me make sense of all the numbers and scientific terms.

For example, I put my IVF protocol into ChatGPT and asked it to explain the strategy, science and success. Here's what it outlined, all of which was correct and lined up with my experience.