Women who are trying to conceive can take steps to enhance their overall fertility by watching what and how much they eat. Avoiding fad diets and extreme weight gain or loss also supports fertility. A healthy diet can support the normal function of the ovary and thus enhance fertility.
Expert Insight
Three researchers from the Harvard School of Medicine, Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Walter C. Willett, M.D., and Patrick J. Skerrett, analyzed data from the Nurses' Study, a national research survey of the dietary habits of over 18,000 nurses over eight years. A pattern of healthy eating was associated with fewer infertility problems due to ovulatory dysfunction. Specific recommendations for a healthy diet included avoidance of trans fats, eating whole grains and other slow carbohydrates, choosing vegetable protein over animal protein and incorporating some whole milk into your diet.
Misconceptions
According to the Nurses' Study, following an overall healthy diet is more effective than eating unusual foods often touted to boost infertility like oysters, garlic, ginseng, kelp or yams. Another misconception is that there is no such thing as too much exercise. In fact, extreme athleticism resulting in abnormally low weight is not good for fertility. Weight extremes in either direction can cause hormonal dysfunction. According to the Nurses' Study, a body mass index or BMI that is most supportive of fertility is between 20 and 24.
Benefits
A healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals helps support the nutritional needs of the female reproductive system, enhancing fertility. The benefits of vitamins and minerals don't end with conception. A diet rich in folic acid during the early days of embryo development is highly effective in preventing neural tube birth defects like spina bifida or anencephaly. Physicians recommend that women who are trying to conceive take a daily multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin that contains between 400 micrograms and 800 micrograms of folic acid to prevent neural tube birth defects.
Time Frame
A menstrual cycle lasts approximately 28 days and is divided into the pre-ovulatory or follicular phase and the post-ovulatory or luteal phase. The egg that ovulates has been slowly developing over the last three menstrual cycles, with only the final dramatic development occurring in the follicular phase just before ovulation. Sustaining good eating habits over months, not days, is likely to be most effective in ensuring that follicular development and egg maturation is well supported.
Considerations
A healthy diet is associated with a reduced risk of fertility problems due to ovulatory dysfunction. However, infertility can also be due to structural problems such as blocked, scarred or missing Fallopian tubes or benign growths in the uterus called fibroids. Previous abdominal surgery can produce scar tissue that can cause reproductive organs to adhere together, blocking their normal function. Unfortunately, a healthy diet can not prevent infertility due to structural damage.
