Woman tries McDonald’s IVF hack—what her family does next breaks hearts
A Georgia woman going through her first round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) got the surprise of her life when she received shows of support from family, friends and even strangers.
Heather Demers tried the popular good luck McDonald’s French fries hack—which is meant to improve IVF success rates, though with no scientific backing—and was stunned when over 300 family members, friends and even strangers joined in to show their support. Demers, 36, shared a heartwarming compilation of the clips on TikTok after their first embryo transfer.
The video showed dozens of videos and pictures sent to her, all featuring people eating McDonald’s fries as a show of solidarity. Demers spoke to Newsweek about her surprise at the volume of support from people near and far.
The Salt and Sodium Hack
Demers said she and her husband have been navigating infertility for about 3.5 years, going through several tests, procedures and four rounds of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) before starting IVF. They recently completed their first round of IVF, which resulted in five embryos.
Demers first learned about the McDonald’s tradition from friends who had gone through IVF.
“I heard that it’s something that you do right after you transfer,” she said. “You go and get McDonald’s fries, and it’s supposed to help the baby ‘stick,'” she added. The hack is considered a “cute good luck gesture” in the IVF community, but people also tie it to the medical recommendation to have increased salt and sodium intake after the procedure.
While the fresh transfer from their first round unfortunately didn’t “stick,” Demers said she is hopeful as they are already scheduled for their next appointment in December.
A Community of Support
When Demers shared her plan for the fries hack, she was not prepared for the massive response.
“It’s crazy, because when I first started sharing about it, people were messaging me saying, ‘Oh, that’s something I would love to do. I’m going to be a part of that. I’m going to get fries also,” she said.
The wave of support was immediate and overwhelming: “I truly was not prepared for just how many people participated … I would say there were over 300 people that participated and either tagged me or sent me photos of their fries,” Demers added. “I just don’t know what I did to deserve so many people on social media rooting for us and caring for us.”
The community support has been essential in a difficult time. Demers said that this kind of visible support should be universal for anyone going through infertility.
“I always say it’s not fair [that] just because I have this platform, I get this kind of love and support,” she added. “I know that there are women out there who are going through similar situations and aren’t given the love and support that they need and deserve.” She urged others to check in on friends going through similar struggles: “Even if you don’t know what to say, they need you.”
Now, with a new transfer date set, the support is gearing up again. “I am already seeing people saying that they’re ready to eat their French fries again,” Demers said.
The Power of Sharing
Demers said she feels the viral moment redeemed social media for her, noting, “I think it’s just so cool. Social media gets a bad reputation, but then you see something like this and see people coming together—and it just makes me so happy.”
Sharing her personal story has helped others, which is why she continues to be open about her journey.
“I get a message from someone saying that, because of us sharing our journey with IVF, they don’t feel so alone with it,” Demers said. “That just makes me want to continue sharing it forever.”
