Stim packets mention fluids in one line and then move on to the next injection. On forums, that line turns into a long thread: how much water, whether plain water is enough, when electrolytes start, and whether thirst means something is wrong. The clinic sheet is still the instruction. This article only names what people are commonly told so the note has a place to live.
This is not medical advice. Cove is not a medical device. Fluid amounts, electrolyte brands, and when to change either of those come from your clinic, not from an article or an app.
Why fluids come up during stim
Ovarian stimulation can leave people bloated, thirsty, or both. Some of that is ordinary swelling of the ovaries. Some of it is the body holding extra fluid. Clinics mention hydration because they want you drinking enough that you are not dry, without turning every glass into a guessing game.
ASRM patient education on ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is useful as a reference, not as a self-diagnosis checklist. For people who develop OHSS, that sheet recommends decreased activity and drinking electrolyte-rich fluids, and it tells patients to call the clinic for trouble keeping fluids down, less urination, abdominal swelling, or a weight gain of more than about three pounds in two days. Those signs belong on a clinic call, not in a tracker interpretation.
What clinic sheets usually say
Wording varies. The pattern is more stable than the number:
- Drink through the day instead of finishing a large bottle at once.
- Follow the amount on your sheet if they printed one. Do not copy a litre target from a stranger''s post.
- Electrolyte drinks often appear near retrieval or when the clinic flags OHSS risk. Some teams start that language mid-stim. Some wait until after the egg collection. Ask which version you are on.
- Protein and salty foods show up on the same handouts as fluids. Again, that is clinic diet language, not an app rule.
- Call if you cannot keep fluids down, you are barely urinating, breathing feels tight, or weight jumps quickly. Do not wait for a blog to define "quickly."
People on r/IVF trade brand names for electrolyte packets. That is peer chat, not a protocol. If your nurse named a product, use that. If they did not, ask before you replace water with something else.
What is worth writing down
A useful hydration note is boring:
- The clinic target, if they gave one, in their words.
- What you actually drank, in glasses or millilitres, so tomorrow is not a reconstruction.
- Whether the drink was water or an electrolyte mix they approved.
- Weight the same time each morning if they asked you to weigh.
- A timestamped line when thirst, bloating, or urination changed enough that you might call.
You do not need a medical interpretation of those rows. You need them in one place when the nurse asks what the last two days looked like.
If you want that log next to the rest of the cycle — meds, appointments, how you felt — Cove keeps a hydration tracker on the same day view as the protocol. Reminders stay off until you turn them on. The app does not decide how much you should drink.
What not to do from a post
Do not cut water because a thread said "no plain water" unless your clinic said that for you. Do not add extra electrolyte packets to chase a number you found online. Do not treat a good or bad retrieval as proof that a drink brand worked. Do not skip the call when breathing, vomiting, or a sudden weight jump shows up.
Stim days already have enough clocks. Fluids should not become another secret protocol.
Where this sits next to the rest of the cycle
Hydration is one row on a louder week. The injection list still needs a time. Monitoring visits still need a slot. If you are also trying to keep stim days in order, read Stim phase: what to expect day by day and IVF appointments and monitoring: what to log. Practical questions about the product itself live on the FAQ.
Download Cove on the App Store if you want the drink log on the same screen as today''s meds. iPhone only for now. Android is a waitlist.