{"id":388031,"date":"2026-04-20T01:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T01:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/388031\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T01:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T01:28:09","slug":"tanya-hennessy-ate-lucky-maccas-fries-and-shes-not-alone-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/388031\/","title":{"rendered":"Tanya Hennessy ate \u2018lucky Macca\u2019s fries\u2019 – and she\u2019s not alone. Here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a known IVF superstition, yet the lack of scientific evidence behind eating McDonald\u2019s fries immediately after an embryo transfer doesn\u2019t stop hopeful parents from doing it \u2013 just ask Tanya Hennessy. <\/p>\n

The Australian comedian, who rose to viral fame with her \u201crealistic make-up tutorial\u201d in 2017, endured a gruelling seven-year battle with infertility<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After undergoing six rounds of IVF, a painful and emotionally challenging fertility treatment that has no guarantee of success, the now 40-year-old finally welcomed her much-longed for daughter Scottie<\/a> in December last year. <\/p>\n

But before she and husband Tom Poole held their \u201cmiracle\u201d bub, there were agonising failed transfers, followed by moments of desperation and hope, emotions that can lead people to try things they\u2019d never have imagined before. <\/p>\n

\"We<\/p>\n

\u201cI was crazy about like, no fragrances, no candles, nothing in the microwave, I was on Clexane (a blood thinner), and supplements \u2026 I was on everything under the sun,\u201d she told news.com.au. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll try anything, even some of the more obscure methods to bring \u2018good luck\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I had a transfer, you\u2019d have Macca\u2019s fries. I did it every single time, without fail.\u201d <\/p>\n

But as Hennessy explained, she had \u201cno idea\u201d if it actually worked, before adding: \u201cIt\u2019s just a thing, 100 per cent a thing people do during IVF.\u201d<\/p>\n

In actual fact there is no research that shows McDonald\u2019s fries improve IVF success rates.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not worth doing.<\/p>\n

Pulling into the drive-through for a cheeky large portion of \u201clucky fries\u201d on your way home from what is often an intense weeks-long process of needles, surgery, and if you\u2019re fortunate \u2013 an embryo transfer \u2013 has become a ritual beloved by many stuck in the dark depths of infertility. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s believed the cult tradition began in one of the many fertility forums across the world, where it was suggested that salty fries could help prevent Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), a condition in which the ovaries swell and become painful.<\/p>\n

It can cause nausea, vomiting and extreme bloating and is commonly caused during the stimulation phase of an IVF cycle.<\/p>\n

The post-transfer act became so widely known, many doctors and experts have spoken out to warn hopeful parents of the lack of science behind it, but as Hennessy explained \u2013 for many IVF patients, the act is a form of escapism after a difficult journey. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I was just because during IVF you feel like you can\u2019t have anything,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d gone on the Keto diet to help with my fertility, so I was off everything, but after a transfer I was like, \u2018f**k it, I\u2019m eating these chips\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou know deep down it doesn\u2019t quote unquote, \u2018make it stick\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s a moment of normality on a path that is just awful, and so I see why so many women do it.\u201d <\/p>\n

She\u2019s not alone. While there is no exact statistic on how many women eat McDonald\u2019s fries after an IVF embryo transfer, it has become a highly popular, viral social media trend. <\/p>\n

On TikTok<\/a> and Instagram, there are hundreds of photos and videos showing the \u201cgood luck\u201d ritual, also known as \u201cfertility fries\u201d or \u201ctransfer fries\u201d.<\/p>\n

Even when Hennessy fell pregnant, the fragility of the her journey to motherhood made it difficult for her to enjoy the experience. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt just felt like, because of all these extra things, \u2018oh God, she\u2019s been held in there by an absolute miracle,\u201d she shared. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even have any pictures of the embryo or many of her ultrasound pictures because I just didn\u2019t want to get too attached. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could go back and give myself any information, I would be like, \u2018take photos take everything, don\u2019t protect yourself too much\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I feel like I missed out on a lot, and it sucks because I\u2019m looking back through all my photos and I\u2019m like I don\u2019t have any bloody videos of these ultrasounds because I was so scared she wouldn\u2019t come and I\u2019d have to delete them again.\u201d <\/p>\n

Once Scottie safely arrived on Christmas Day, Hennessy understandably still struggled to relax into motherhood. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think every person who\u2019s had a baby, and even if you haven\u2019t I reckon you can understand, but I was just you so paranoid about her breathing,\u201d the best selling author, dual ACRA award-winning radio announcer, TV presenter, podcast host and content creator told news.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I woke her up a lot tickling her ear just to get her to move because I was so paranoid she wasn\u2019t breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I was so unprepared, because I hadn\u2019t allowed myself to believe that the pregnancy was really happening, I hadn\u2019t bought a baby monitor, so I couldn\u2019t relax. Everything is so scary.\u201d <\/p>\n

Thankfully, the new mum has found a solution to Scottie\u2019s once terrifying sleep times, investing in a CuboAi Sleep Safety Bundle, which includes the Smart Baby Monitor 3 and the Sleep Sensor Pad, so she doesn\u2019t have to constantly peer into the bassinet to know she\u2019s OK. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s four months now, and if she goes down for a nap, I\u2019m not checking as much anymore because I choose a monitor,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut before I had the CuboAi, I was like checking on her constantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t help but worry about everything, \u2018is she full?\u2019, \u2018is she okay?\u2019, \u2018does she have hair between her toes?\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cSleep is the one time they\u2019re not with you, and to have a monitor that\u2019s on your phone that is crystal clear, so you can see quickly and know she\u2019s okay, it\u2019s one thing that alleviates that tight chest.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a known IVF superstition, yet the lack of scientific evidence behind eating McDonald\u2019s fries immediately after an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388032,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[200929,200943,200944,184118,200952,200601,430,200935,200941,156,200951,200942,200933,173539,200930,200939,111,139,69,200937,200953,200938,200932,200931,200950,200934,200936,200948,200954,200949,200947,200945,200946,198810,200940],"class_list":{"0":"post-388031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-absolute-miracle","9":"tag-australian-comedian","10":"tag-award-winning-radio-announcer","11":"tag-baby-monitor","12":"tag-blood-thinner","13":"tag-cancer-update","14":"tag-celebrities","15":"tag-cult-tradition","16":"tag-embryo-transfer","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-extreme-bloating","19":"tag-fertility-forums","20":"tag-fertility-fries","21":"tag-fertility-treatment","22":"tag-hopeful-parents","23":"tag-navigates-motherhood","24":"tag-new-zealand","25":"tag-newzealand","26":"tag-nz","27":"tag-obscure-methods","28":"tag-post-embryo-transfer","29":"tag-realistic-make-up-tutorial","30":"tag-regular-portion","31":"tag-selling-author","32":"tag-single-time","33":"tag-social-media-trend","34":"tag-stimulation-phase","35":"tag-success-rates","36":"tag-tanya-hennessy","37":"tag-terrifying-sleep-times","38":"tag-thing-people","39":"tag-tom-poole","40":"tag-transfer-fries","41":"tag-way-home","42":"tag-worth-doing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/388032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=388031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=388031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}