Boosting your Fertility
It is only natural when faced with fertility problems later down the track that we may regret not valuing our fertility earlier.
For most couples, the chance of getting pregnant is generally pretty good; others however, may face the challenges of infertility.
For the average couple, there is a 20-25% chance of conception per month and only 65% of couples will have conceived in the first six months. Most couples with relative infertility will usually go on to conceive in time, and only 5% of couples have complete infertility.
There are a variety of reasons for pregnancy not happening. About 30% of causes can be attributed to a problem with female fertility, 30% to a problem with male fertility and in about 20% of cases there is a problem with both partners. In approximately 20% of cases, there is no clear and definitive cause for infertility – in these instances infertility remains frustratingly unexplained.
Fertility factors
A range of lifestyle factors can influence overall fertility, these include:
- Age
- Diet and exercise
- Smoking/drugs/alcohol
- Stress
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Medical problems
- Environmental toxins
Health and wellbeing
Lifestyle can help enhance your fertility and the chance of conceiving. Here we look at the role of diet, food and fertility.
For Both Partners
When planning to get pregnant, there are no wonder foods to boost fertility, but there are some foods that you should eat more of, and others which should be avoided. Although an organic diet is a healthy option, there is no scientific evidence to suggest it improves fertility. Overall, a healthy balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables is advisable.
Foods rich in antioxidants are recommended for both prospective parents. These include:
- all types of berries
- fruits such as grapes, oranges, plums, pineapple, dates, kiwifruit, mandarins
- dried fruit such as apricots and prunes
- vegetables such as red cabbage, peppers, parsley, artichokes, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, spinach; brightly coloured vegetables are particularly rich in antioxidants
- legumes such as broad beans, ground nuts, soybeans
- cereals such as barley, millet, oats and corn
- nuts and seeds such as walnuts, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds
- garlic and ginger
- dark chocolate
For Her
- Folic acid supplements are strongly recommended when trying to get pregnant and up to 12 weeks into the pregnancy. Folic Acid can help reduce the chances of spina bifida by up to 92%
- Other minerals and supplements may also be useful
- Avoid Vitamin A
- There is no safe limit of alcohol during pregnancy, so it’s best avoided as high alcohol intake can increase the risk of babies born with birth defects
- Caffeine, like alcohol, can also be harmful to the unborn baby and it can affect your chances of conceiving
- Women should avoid some foods during pregnancy, such as fish – including shark, swordfish and marlin – which have high levels of mercury. Tuna has much lower levels of mercury
- A diet high in transfats can inhibit fertility. Transfats are formed when liquid oils are chemically treated to increases their shelf life (hydrogenation) and are present in a wide variety of foods, particularly in snack foods, biscuits and some takeaways
For Him
- Eat a diet with lots of healthy antioxidants. Foods rich in antioxidants can reduce the damage that free radicals can have on sperm
- Supplements containing Vitamin C, E, selenium and zinc could possibly improve sperm. A new men’s supplement ‘Menevit’ has recently been introduced to NZ and is available by prescription through Fertility Associates. There has been one study showing that men who took ‘Menevit’ for 3 months prior to an IVF/ICSI cycle had better pregnancy rates compared to others who took a placebo pill
- Alcohol in large qualities reduces sperm production; the current recommendation is fewer than 20 units of alcohol per week
- Obesity impacts on sperm production, with recent studies showing obese men having sperm counts 20% lower than men who are not obese. It is unknown whether this is due to a heat or hormonal effect