High-protein Liquid Diets & Conceiving A Baby

High protein liquid diets can play a role in weight loss, and weight can affect your chances of conceiving a baby and having a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy. Although high-protein diets might cause weight loss, there are also risks -- and all-liquid diets can be dangerous unless supervised by your doctor.

High-Protein Liquid Diets

High-protein liquid diets can be too low in calories and nutrients. Extreme diets of less than 1,100 calories a day can undermine health, and often result in weight gain when the dieter returns to normal eating -- and up to 30 percent of the lost weight might come from muscle, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center website. Pregnant women who diet excessively risk birth defects, the website warns. Using a protein shake as a meal replacement, instead of undertaking an all-liquid diet, might help you simplify calorie reduction for weight-loss, without compromising your nutrition.

Conceiving

There's an optimum weight range for fertility for women, according to Drs. Chavarro and Willett's book "The Fertility Diet." They based their work on results from the Nurses' Health Study. The researchers found that women with body mass index of 20 to 24 have the greatest success at conceiving. Diet and BMI can affect ovulation, and ovulation issues are a factor in at least 30 percent of cases of infertility, according to the Institute for Reproductive Health website. Extreme dieting can increase the risk of missing periods, and a normal-weight woman could have difficulty conceiving if she loses too much body mass with a high-protein liquid diet.

Dieting for Weight-Loss and Conception

Being very overweight, particularly if you also have polycystic ovarian syndrome, can make it more difficult to conceive, according to the BBC website. Losing as little as 7.5 percent of her body weight can improve an overweight woman's chances of conception, even if she doesn't reach the optimum BMI, according to "The Fertility Diet." Losing weight before trying to conceive -- instead of while you're trying to conceive -- may be the healthiest strategy, if being overweight is affecting ovulation. Dieting -- especially with a high-protein liquid diet -- while trying to become pregnant could put you at risk for becoming low on key nutrients for your and your baby's health.

Protein and Conceiving

Even in the case of women with PCOS, a high-protein diet doesn't seem to offer any advantage for fertility -- it's the weight loss, not the method that matters, according to "The Fertility Diet." If your weight is stable, cutting daily calories by 250 a day and increasing exercise can help you lose weight at a healthy rate. It isn't necessary to resort to a high-protein liquid diet. Eating a healthy diet with moderate calorie restriction and exercise can help you lose weight and maintain your health for pregnancy -- and moderate exercise might help you conceive, the doctors suggest. Consult your doctor before attempting a high-protein liquid diet.