Low Carb Diet For Fertility

When their focus is on getting pregnant, many women will try all kinds of advice. Some of it is unproven folk wisdom, but what someone eats can impact how fertile they are -- and not just women. Far from the hand-me-down tales of magical roots and special potions, nutrition research really is zeroing in on what are sometimes called "fertility diets" for people who want to conceive. Low-carbohydrate diets may improve some types of fertility issues, but such diets are not recommended for everyone trying to get pregnant.

Low-carb Trend

Starting in the 1960s with the Stillman Diet and, later with the publication of "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution," diets instructing people to eat very few carbohydrates -- low-carb -- became popular. Related nutrition and medical research has been controversial at best. Studies have vacillated between concluding that high-carb foods such as pasta and potatoes should be avoided or that such reductions in carbs are unhealthy. In September 2010, the "Annals of Internal Medicine" published the results of two large cohort studies that followed men and women for more than 20 years, looking at the impact of low-carbohydrate diets on mortality. For those with animal-based diets, low carbs were associated with higher mortality for both men and women. But a vegetable-based low-carb diet was associated with lower mortality rates.

Concerns About Diets

A person's weight -- whether man or woman -- can definitely impact fertility, as described by Shady Grove Fertility, but dieting can result in even worse health. Some low-carb diets can result in a condition known as ketosis, a potentially life-threatening state that can destroy the liver and muscle tissue. Virtually any diet can be the wrong one for some individuals. So if you're hoping to become pregnant, consult nutrition and medical professionals for advice that's right for your situation.

Fertility Diet

In 2007, a trio of Harvard physicians published a book called "The Fertility Diet," which was based on data from the Nurses' Health Study, a longitudinal study that includes thousands of participating subjects. The book proposed some new ideas for enhancing ovulation. Specifically, fertility nutrition expert Beth Heller says that it's quality, not quantity, of carbohydrate that matters to ovulation health. "What we call 'fast' carbs -- white bread, potatoes and sugary foods -- are the type that are linked to ovulatory infertility. 'Slow' carbs, like whole grains, vegetables and fruits, are ovulation health promoters."

Infertility and Diets

Infertility can be caused by numerous health conditions. Ovulation disorders are believed to make up a quarter of all infertility cases. One type of ovulation disorder can be caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome, also called PCOS. Physicians have found that PCOS cases respond well to lower carbohydrate diets. But for other kinds of infertility, a nutritious, balanced diet -- the same that's recommended for average adults -- is usually optimal.