When most people think of fertility treatment, they imagine the medical aspect: diagnostics, medication, and scans. Although a specialist will play a crucial role in your fertility journey, there are ways you can care for your own reproductive health. For example, choosing nutritious food and drink can affect your fertility. While many women won’t start watching what they eat until after they fall pregnant, healthy eating is, in fact, an important part of conception. In this article, we discuss food for ovulation stimulation and how these simple changes in your diet can help you conceive.
How Diet Can Affect Fertility
A study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who ate large amounts of trans fats, sugary carbohydrates, and animal proteins were more likely to have an ovulatory disorder. The study monitored the health of nearly 18,000 women over a period of 8 years. Currently, about 20% of women who seek fertility treatment have an ovulatory disorder; according to this study, the risk of infertility due to ovulatory disorders can be reduced with lifestyle changes. This isn’t to say that these findings will apply to all women experiencing issues with fertility. However, researchers did find that the following foods and lifestyle factors could help reduce the risk of ovulatory disorders which can lead to infertility.Food for Ovulation Stimulation
- Avoid low-fat dairy products. Many people are aware of the downsides of diet soda, but they may be surprised to learn that the same principles apply to low-fat dairy products. Try switching low-fat dairy options to high-fat versions – for instance, swap 1% for whole milk.
- Take multivitamins. Participants in the study who regularly took multivitamins and followed other dietary recommendations were less likely to have an ovulatory disorder.
- Choose vegetable proteins. Replace some of the meat in your diet with vegetable proteins like beans and nuts.
- Cut out caffeine. A high caffeine intake could reduce your chances of conceiving. Some women may want to consider eliminating caffeine altogether, as once you’re pregnant a high caffeine intake is not recommended.
- But don’t replace with herbal tea. You may think they’re healthy, but too many botanicals can compromise fertility treatment. For example, ginseng and St. John’s wort can interfere with medicines.
- Stay hydrated. When you don’t drink enough water, your cervical fluid can become sticky and sluggish. Without proper lubrication, sperm isn’t able to target the egg as easily.
- It takes two. If you are a female attempting conception with a male partner, he should also consider his own health. He may visit a primary care physician or reproductive endocrinologist to discuss lifestyle factors that could affect his fertility, such as smoking.
