Get Healthy, Get Pregnant: The Fertility Diet

Hopeful news for some of the women all around the world who suffer from infertility: A recent large study (conducted in the United States) found that unlike other factors that you cannot control—such as age and genetics—eating certain foods and avoiding others is something you can do yourself, without medical intervention.

For eight years, the Harvard study followed 17,544 married nurses without any history of infertility as they tried to become or became pregnant. The research found that by changing five or more aspects of their diet (and exercise) habits, women with irregular or absent ovulation, which is responsible for 18 to 30 percent of infertility cases, reduced their risk of infertility by 80 percent.

Does the modern diet have to do with rising infertility rates?

Yes. High consumption of sugary sodas and fruit drinks, starches, and trans fats is a big factor.

Why eating complex, or "slow," carbohydrates is recommended to enhance fertility?

Your body digests bad carbohydrates (like cookies, cakes, no-fiber breakfast cereals, sugary drinks, chips, white bread and white rice) quickly, and turns them into blood sugar. To drive down the blood-sugar spike, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream. Good carbohydrates (those containing fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains) are digested slowly and have a more gradual effect on blood sugar and insulin. Women whose diets have the highest glycemic load are more likely to have ovulatory infertility than those whose diets had the lowest glycemic load.

How do trans fats affect fertility?

Trans fats (found primarily in foods such as commercial baked and snack foods, animal products, french fries and some margarines) increase insulin resistance. Insulin helps move glucose from the bloodstream to the cells; resistance means it's harder to move glucose into the cells. The pancreas keeps pumping out more insulin anyway, and the result is more insulin in your bloodstream. High insulin levels cause a lot of metabolic disturbances that affect ovulation.

What about caffeine?

With moderate consumption caffeine has not much relationship with fertility. Several cups of coffee or tea a day have little effect on ovulation problems.

Why, full-fat dairy products are recommended for women trying to conceive over nonfat or low-fat ones?

It is found that the more low-fat dairy products in a woman's diet, the more trouble she has getting pregnant. The more full-fat dairy products she ate, the less likely she is to have trouble. The full-fat dairy foods convey the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Skimming the fat from dairy also removes these hormones, which are attached to fat. Left behind are androgens, or male hormones. When male hormones are unchecked by female hormones, ovulation is impaired.

Why do women are suggested to consume more protein from plants?

Plant protein (from beans, nuts, seeds and tofu) comes with healthy fats and is relatively low in calories and can be helpful for weight loss. A body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24 is best for fertility.

Can taking vitamins make a difference if you're trying to conceive?

Women who take daily multivitamins containing 400 micrograms of folic acid are 40 percent less likely to experience ovulatory infertility than women who didn't.

What is the single most important diet change for women who are trying to conceive?

Nutrition is sort of like an orchestra: You need to have all factors in place for the best result. If you practice all of the recommendations, it could have a large impact on your fertility.