Fertility issues are estimated to affect  1 in 7 (14%) couples of childbearing age. Infertility is when a couple fails to get pregnant six months after having regular unprotected sex over 36 years or one year if under the age of 35.

Regular ovulation increases the chance of getting pregnant by 20 to 25% every cycle of regular unprotected sex.   

Without treatment, 30% of women conceive within one month, 50% of women will conceive within four months of trying, then 70% will conceive within eight months, and by eighteen months, 90% of women will get pregnant.

Your fertility, hormones, and immune system are influenced by the food and drinks you consume. 

How to nourish your fertility with whole foods 

To nourish your fertility and conceive a healthy baby, you need to focus your diet on varieties of whole living that are organic, healthy and free from pesticides and preservatives as much as possible. This is the best approach to eating for fertility.  Many women and men who were told they can’t get pregnant will be able to once they make the necessary changes to their diet and lifestyle. While you cannot control all the causes of infertility, One thing you can control is what you eat. Good nutrition for both partners can significantly impact your ability to conceive and give birth to healthy babies. 

The importance of eating for fertility 

Good nutrition will; 

• Reduce inflammation 
• Detox and reset healthy function of the body 
• Restore proper digestion and gut flora 
• Balance hormones 
• Restore correct acid/alkaline balance in the body
• Improve mitochondria function 
• Improve egg quality 
• Improve sperm health 
• Improve gut health and absorption 
• Help you get pregnant quickly 
• Encourage frequent ovulation 

What foods are best for fertility?

Nutrition impacts the potency of a man’s sperm. For example, research shows that poor diet, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption affect the quality and quantity of sperm produced, making conception difficult.

 A healthy diet is low on saturated fat, particularly from animal sources, sugar, salt, refined and highly processed foods, and high in whole natural foods found in nature. Men! Do not mistake thinking that infertility is purely a female problem and that you can carry on drinking, smoking and eating whatever you like. At the same time, your partner makes all the lifestyle changes.

 In case you haven’t heard, Did you know that nearing half of infertility comes from men? 

The best way to maximise your chance of successful pregnancy is when both adopt a healthy lifestyle and eating pattern. After all, it takes two to tangle. 

Fertility nutrients for men 

Zinc increases sperm count and motility. You can get zinc from fish, brown rice, kelp, hulled hemp seeds, wheat germ, pulses, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chicken, peas, eggs, and whole grains. 

Selenium improves sperm count and prevents oxidative damage in developing sperm. You can get selenium from brazil nuts, broccoli, fish, eggs, asparagus, brown rice, chicken, dulse, garlic, kelp, and wheatgerm. 

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant which helps to make sperm more fertile. Food sources include sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, avocados, and peanuts. 

Vitamin C increases sperm morphology and count and protects against oxidative damage. It also plays a role in keeping sperm from sticking together, thereby boosting sperm motility.   Food sources include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and goji berries.  You can also find vitamin C in citrus fruits, kiwi, tomatoes, peppers, rose hips, peas, and blackcurrants. 

Essential fatty acids are crucial. Sperm is rich in prostaglandins which require fats to make them. Food sources of essential fatty acids include flaxseeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, avocados, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trouts, sardines, and herrings. 

Vitamin B12 is good for increasing sperm count and motility. Food sources include fish, shellfish, dairy, organ meat, eggs, beef, and pork.

Vitamin D helps to maintain sperm quality and count. It is necessary for the proper development of sperm. The best source of vitamin D is sunshine. To up your levels and ensure adequate amounts of this beautiful vitamin, you need regular exposure to the sun for a short period without applying sunscreen. Not many foods contain vitamin D, and you cannot get the required amount from diet alone, but the best source is oily fish and small amounts in meat, eggs, and milk. A vitamin D supplement is recommended for men, especially those with darker skin who don’t go out in the sun during summer. 

 Carotenoids may improve sperm motility. For example, lycopene found in cooked tomatoes can improve sperm morphology. Fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids include carrots, sweet potatoes, avocados, dark green leafy vegetables, melon, red peppers, tomatoes, and dried apricots. 

CoQ10 improves sperm motility and health and protects it from oxidative damage. Food sources include beef organs, oily fish, chicken, nuts and seeds, and vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower provide little amounts. 

Folate improves sperm health. Food sources include green leafy vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, spinach, asparagus, liver, chickpeas, and brown rice.

L-arginine is an amino acid which increases the volume of ejaculation, sperm count, motility, and quality. Food sources include red meat, nuts like almonds, walnuts, hazelnut, cashews, and peanut. Its also available in chocolates, seafood, and dairy products.

L-carnitine supports the normal functioning of sperm, concentration, quality and motility. Food sources are beef, pork and seafood. 

Top foods to boost sperm health 

• Pumpkin seeds 
• Tomatoes 
• Walnuts 

Foods and ingredients to avoid 

• Alcohol renders your immune system weak; it is acidic and can interfere with the absorption of minerals, causing your body to be incapable of using nutrients, leading to deficiencies. It can impair ovulation by raising cortisol and prolactin levels (prolactin is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland, it is responsible for making breast milk in nursing mothers. It stops ovulation.  

• • Caffeine disrupts the liver’s ability to metabolise excess estrogen and hormone balance. As a result, it can shorten the menstrual cycle (less than 25days) and reduce the production of progesterone and oestrogen in the luteal phase. Caffeine also weakens the nervous system and can contribute to adrenal exhaustion. In addition, it can create an acidic environment in the body which does not favour fertility and getting pregnant.
  • Diary can create mucus in the body and is not favourable. If you have a history of fibroids, cysts, or endometriosis, you may want to exclude all dairy products from your diet. This is because dairy consumption might cause cyst formation, fibroids, and endometriosis in some people.  

• Highly processed meats such as ham, sausages, bacon, and hotdogs contribute to infertility by stopping ovulation, promoting inflammation, and worsening symptoms of PCOS, fibroids, and endometriosis. 

• • Baked goods like doughnuts, cakes, biscuits, and white bread raise insulin levels, disrupts endocrine function, disrupt ovulation, increase inflammation and weaken the immune system. 

• Soda drinks can affect your fertility by raising blood insulin levels, lower ovarian reserve and egg quality,  increasing weight, disrupting ovulation, increasing inflammation and leading to metabolic syndrome. It may also take longer to get pregnant if both couples consume at least 7 soda drinks weekly. 

• Highly processed carbohydrate with a high glycemic index, low fibre intake, and high added sugar is linked to infertility and a long time of pregnancy due to the effect on insulin levels. 

 

Foods and ingredients to eat

Research has it that one of the essential foundations for your fertility is your diet. Even if you take vitamins and supplements, you still need to eat a nutritious diet. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. What you eat today will show up in your egg quality report card 3 -4 months later.

Are you finding it challenging to figure out precisely the kind of foods you should be eating to boost your egg quality, balance your hormones, help you lose some weight, improve your ovulation, and help you conceive?

Here I will list the foods you need to start eating to help you achieve all of these.

Vegetables

Good examples include Spinach, Chard, Kale, Lettuce, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Lamb’s lettuce, Watercress, Celery, avocados, rockets, Wheatgrass, Artichokes, and Cauliflower. Carrot, Beetroot, Garlic, Onions, Spring onions, Parsnips, Sweet potatoes, Yams, Squashes, Ginger.

Fruits

Good examples include Apples, Grapes, Oranges, Grapefruits, Cherries, Apricot, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Goji berries, pineapples, Lemon, Melons, Bananas, Mangoes, Figs, Pomegranates, Papaya, Persimmon, Pomelo.

If you have PCOS, limit your fruit intake to berries and low-sugar fruits. 

Fermented soya products

 An Ivf study of 315 women found that those who ate soy food had a 77% chance of getting pregnant than those who didn’t. This is because Soy may help women produce estrogen; in women with low levels. Estrogen helps to grow and mature ovarian follicles. Good sources of Soy include; Edamame beans, Tofu and miso. You can also take soy isoflavones to supplement if you wish. Suppose you suffer from fibroids or endometriosis. It is best to stay away from Soy products. Soy products can be beneficial to women who have estrogen deficiencies.

Nut butter

Nut butter is an excellent source of healthy fat and protein, essential for hormone production. In addition, they are pretty easy to make and can serve as a good choice of snacks when paired with carrots or celery sticks.

Tip; if you have difficulty digesting nuts best to soak them for eight to twelve hours as this makes them easy to digest, especially if you are eating them whole.

Sweeteners 

Use these sparingly

Honey, black strap molasses, stevia.

Sea vegetables 

• Nori,
• Hijiki,
• Arame,
• Kombu,

Wholegrains 

Good examples include Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat, Brown rice, and Amaranth.

Beans 

Beans are such excellent food for your fertility. They serve as an excellent source of fibre which is ideal for improving blood sugar and digestion. The best way to eat beans is to combine them with grains such as rice. This makes it a complete protein. However, some people experience digestive discomfort when they consume beans. If this applies to you, I will advise you to soak your beans at least 24 hours before cooking to make them easier for you to digest. Any beans are great as long as you soak them well before cooking. Beans are high in antioxidants that support your body’s cells and tissues by preventing oxidative stress.

Nuts and seeds 

Nuts supply your body with healthy fats and protein that help to keep your blood sugar levels steady. They are also essential for hormone production.

Good examples include Almonds, Cashews, Brazil nuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Pistachios, and Walnuts. Try to have a wide variety of nuts and seeds in your diet. It will do you good.

Oils 

Good oils for cooking include Ghee, Cold-pressed olive oil, Coconut oil, Avocado Oil, and Palm oil.

Sesame Oil: Use this mainly in dressings or add flavour to your food.

Nutritional deficiencies that negatively affect fertility

Micronutrients are essential vitamins and minerals the body needs in small amounts to support the nutrients we get in our food. The truth is we can get all the nutrients our bodies need to function optimally from our diet, but the problem with this is farming systems have changed with the use of chemicals and pesticides that deplete the foods of nutrients before they get to our plates. The soil is also depleted of minerals rich to supply the plants with abundant nutrients. 

Some of us also don’t eat enough of the right nutrients to maintain healthy reproductive function. 

The right amount of nutrients is important to maintain egg quality, maturation, fertilisation and implantation. Nutrients such as antioxidants help to reduce oxidative stress, a process which impairs fertility. Women who are diagnosed with infertility are known to have lower levels of recommended micronutrients. 

Supplementing with the recommended micronutrients before conception can help to restore nutrient status to ideal levels and reduce oxidative damage when antioxidants are included. Supplementing with the proper nutrients helps to reduce the amount of time it takes to become pregnant, while deficiencies will prolong it.

• Folate is not only crucial for preventing neural tube defects in babies. This vital micronutrient is needed to maintain optimal reproductive health and fertility in both men and women. A deficiency of folate can lead to anovulation, and chromosomal abnormalities in the egg leading to low egg quality, low AMH, diminished ovarian reserve, recurrent miscarriage or recurrent IVF failures. 
• Zinc is another vital nutrient to maintain female fertility. A deficiency can lead to irregular or no ovulation and menstrual problems and affect follicle growth and maturation. It also plays a role in egg division, fertilisation, DNA regulation and embryo development. 
• Selenium deficiency can lead to male and female infertility. Inadequate levels of selenium can put women at risk of luteal phase deficiency, where inadequate progesterone production by the corpus luteum makes the endometrium less receptive for implantation.  A deficiency in selenium can lead to complications in pregnancy, such as miscarriages; it can also damage the fetus’s immune system. Deficiency in men may also lead to infertility due to low sperm count and motility. 
• Vitamin D deficiency is common. Receptor sites are found all around reproductive tissue, and vitamin D plays an important role in fertility. A deficiency is associated with conditions that promote infertility, such as PCOS. Low levels can also negatively impact the success of IVF treatments. 
• B6 Plays a vital role in keeping hormones balanced, so a deficiency can lead to an imbalance of hormones, especially between oestrogen and progesterone, the two hormones vital for fertility. B6 deficiency affects levels of progesterone, a vital hormone for ovulation,  pregnancy and a balanced cycle. 
• B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that supports the brain and the healthy functioning of the nervous system. It is responsible for making up the genetic components in egg and sperm. A deficiency can lead to difficulty getting pregnant in women and sperm issues in men. 
• Iron low iron levels can cause ovulation problems. It may affect the ovaries’ ability to produce and mature eggs.
• Vitamin C, when low, can lead to low progesterone, which can stop ovulation and disrupt the menstrual cycle. 
• Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that supports fertility. Low levels can lead to recurrent miscarriages in women. 

Nutritional supplements for female fertility 

The best place to get nutrients is from food; however, due to farming methods, the soil is depleted of essential nutrients, making it more challenging to obtain all the nutrients we need to support a healthy reproductive system and fertility. 

Supplements are available to make up for nutrient deficiencies depending on your unique condition. 

Here are some of the key ones 

• Folate is a B vitamin needed for hundreds of biological processes throughout the body. Folate may improve fertility and chances of getting pregnant. It is vital for healthy cell growth and function. For example, it can promote ovulation in women who struggle to get pregnant due to irregular ovulation. Folate also plays a vital role in egg health, helping to improve quality and IVF success rate. Women who took folate before starting IVF made better quality mature eggs than those who didn’t. Start folate at least four months before you plan to get pregnant. It will help to prevent congenital disabilities such as spina bifida. 
• Multivitamin Complex, preferably a whole food brand like this one, is excellent for supporting nutrient levels and can promote ovulation in women who struggle to get pregnant due to irregular ovulation. And pregnancy outcome. 
• CoQ10 is found in every cell in the body, including your eggs. It is an energy powerhouse supplying energy to the mitochondria, the powerhouse inside the cells. Women over 35 will benefit from taking this nutrient because as we age, mitochondria become less efficient at keeping our cells young and vibrant, leading to ageing, which affects the quality of eggs produced by the ovaries. Your diet and lifestyle have a lot to do with this process. Eating healthy and maintaining a youthful mind and body will help preserve egg quality and keep the mitochondria functioning effectively. If you are looking for a good brand of COQ10 here is one i recommend
• Vitamin E  is a natural antioxidant that supports fertility. It helps increase cervical mucus production and acts on the womb lining, making it receptive for the embryo to implant successfully. 
• Vitamin C improves hormone levels, especially progesterone, which balances the cycle. It’s useful for women with a short luteal phase as it can lengthen it through its positive effect on progesterone levels.  
• Alpha-lipoic acid is an essential antioxidant great for reducing oxidative stress by mopping up free radicals and protecting the quality of eggs from age-related decline.  
• N-Acetyl Cysteine improves egg quality and ovulation in women with PCOS, regulates menstruation, and may help lower insulin and testosterone levels. 
• Omega 3 fish oil reduces inflammation, supports hormone balance, increases fertility and can support a healthy pregnancy and baby development. 
• Vitamin D3 is best to get from sunshine. Studies show that it supports female fertility and pregnancy outcome. 
• Probiotic is vital for helping the body absorb the nutrients from food, optimise gut health, and improve fertility and pregnancy rate. If you are looking for a good brand of probiotic, here is one I recommend

Bottom line 

Your hormones, fertility, pregnancy outcome and immunity are controlled by the foods you eat. Eating a nutritious diet with lifestyle changes, herbs, supplements, a positive attitude, and self-belief can help you get pregnant and give birth to healthy babies. Infertility is a complex condition that affects a huge number of couples worldwide. While we cannot control everything about your fertility outcome, the one thing you can control is what you eat. If you are waiting to become a parent, one of the best things you can do today is to begin making better food and lifestyle choices. Stop stressing about your age, medical condition or your test results. Get the help you deserve, and you shall be a joyful parent to healthy and happy children.

Thirteen diet principles for fertility health. 

• Enjoy Alkaline foods rather than acidic.
• Eat plenty of essential fatty acids from plant-based sources and sustainably sourced deep-sea fish. 
• Eat organic foods and grass-fed meat whenever possible 
• Enjoy cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts in your diet. 
• Eat less animal protein and eat more plant-based protein. 
• Avoid gluten and steer more towards gluten-free wholegrains 
• Enjoy eggs; they are a rich source of protein 
• Enjoy gut-friendly 
• Eat eight servings of vegetables daily and two servings of fruits. A great way to achieve this is to have a smoothie in the morning and a salad bowl later in the day. This can be a cold or warm salad. 
• Whole grains such as brown rice, wild rice buckwheat, and quinoa are rich in vitamin B6, supporting hormone balance and promoting regular ovulation. 
• Drink plenty of water. Water is vital to your reproductive organs’ health and can help improve cervical mucus. 
• Eat limited amounts of slow-releasing carbohydrates (also known as complex carbs) in your diet daily aim for at least 50grams of carbs with each meal you eat daily. They digest very slowly and so do not spike your blood sugar levels. 
• Aim to maintain a steady blood sugar level by making sure you don’t skip meals and eat when you are hungry 

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