Eating for conception: the top ten foods that boost fertility

Most of us now understand that what we eat and how we live affects every aspect of our health. Therefore, it only makes sense that diet would affect the ability to get pregnant and then to stay pregnant.

Conception, the magic meeting between the female egg and male sperm, really is a fragile miracle. So many things have to occur, at just the right time and in just the right order that it would seem to be rather improbable that such a thing would actually happen. Yet it does, all by itself, millions of times a year all over the world and for those who simply ‘fall pregnant’ it’s not a miracle at all, it’s just life.

When things don’t go as planned 

However, for about one in seven couples worldwide the miracle of conception does not ‘just happen’, something goes wrong and that life changing rendezvous between biological materials that should be so easy and come so naturally doesn’t work.

There are many ‘somethings’ that can lead to this. Eggs that don’t mature properly, blocked or damaged fallopian tubes, weak-swimming sperm, abnormal sperm, hard to treat physiological, and hormonal barriers, and that is just the beginning of the list.

However, undeterred, couples do keep trying, and hoping, and worrying and suffering. Some turn to the medical ‘conception’ that has bloomed in the last couple decades to get around barriers to conception. Medication that rev up egg production along with an alphabet soup of reproductive procedures—IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, ICSI, and more—have helped more than a million couples have babies. But none of these are a magic bullet and each of them only leads to a full term pregnancy – to an actual baby – in about one case in four.

And there are downsides, big ones for many. These processes and procedures are time-consuming and invasive and often very embarrassing. They can have unwanted side effects. They can make something as intimate and personal as conceiving a child a nightmare. Others simply can’t afford it. But is it really the only option?

The overlooked fertility booster 

Most of us now understand that what we eat and how we live affects every aspect of our health. Therefore, it only makes sense that diet would affect the ability to get pregnant and then to stay pregnant. What is surprising, and more than a little sad, is that this is news to many. While millions have been spent developing and perfecting all of these high-tech reproductive technologies, almost no attention has been paid to the really quite obvious connections between diet and fertility. Until now.

Over the last few years respected researchers from all over the world have begun taking a much closer look at the connections between diet and fertility in both men and women and the ongoing publication of their findings, coupled with education aimed at medical professionals as well as would be parents, is finally beginning to help more and more people see that what they eat when they are trying to conceive can make a real difference to their chances of success.

Some Basic Guidelines 

Before we get into naming the specific food that has been singled out as fertility boosters it would be helpful to share some basic wisdom about your daily diet in general. Here are some of the most important things you need to do:

● Avoid trans fats, the artery-clogging fats found in many commercially prepared products and fast foods.

● Use more unsaturated vegetable oils, such as olive oil or canola oil.

● Eat more vegetable protein, like beans and nuts, and less animal protein.

● Choose whole grains and other sources when it comes to getting carbohydrates rather than highly refined carbohydrates that quickly cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin. But no carb is not the answer. You need the energy that carbohydrates offer.

● Get plenty of iron from fruits, vegetables, beans, and supplements but not from red meat.

● What you drink matters too. Water is great, probably the very best beverage choice; coffee, tea, and alcohol are OK in moderation; leave those sugared sodas alone though and those enhanced energy drinks? Don’t even think about them.

The Top Ten Foods for Fertility 

We all love top ten lists. They are easy to follow, easy to digest and easy to pin on the refrigerator to refer to later. So, rather than go into a lengthy examination of every type of food you might find in your local food market we have put together just such a list for couples wondering just what they should add to their diet to help boost their chances of becoming parents sooner rather than later (or not at all);

Bananas

What Fertility Booster They Offer: Vitamin B6.

According to a slew of recent research, Vitamin B6 is one of the most important vitamins in aiding conception as it regulates important fertility hormones. A B6 deficiency has been found to lead to irregular or paused menstruation and can also lead to poor egg and sperm development.

Asparagus

What Fertility Booster They Offer: Folic acid.

Many studies have found that folic acid can help reduce the risk of ovulatory failure and poor egg production.

Shellfish

What Fertility Booster They Offer: Vitamin B12.

Studies have suggested a link between Vitamin B12 deficiency and the abnormal estrogen levels that often interfere with successful implantation of a fertilized egg. It may also help to strengthen the lining of the cervix after fertilization, decreasing the risk of early miscarriage.

Eggs 

What Fertility Booster The Offer: Vitamin D 

The link between a lack of Vitamin D and infertility was most recently claimed by a Harvard University study and that was not the first. In the Harvard study it was found that of the 67 women included in the study, women who had been medically termed ‘infertile’, 97% lacked the basic level of Vitamin D in the body recommended for adults in general.

Often referred to as the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’ because the main natural source is the sun itself, Vitamin D deficiency is becoming more common across the world, as people spend less time in the sun and wear stronger sunscreens to avoid skin cancers. Eggs offer an easy, healthy way to help make up for this.

Almonds 

What Fertility Booster They Offer: Vitamin E 

Almonds offer a number of benefits for couples struggling to conceive. Vitamin E has been found to help improve sperm quantity and quality and their impressive antioxidant properties have been shown to protect and improve egg and sperm DNA.

Citrus Fruits 

What Fertility Booster They Offer: Vitamin C 

The many benefits of vitamin C for women trying to conceive have long been touted but a recent study has shown that it can help men as well. The study took 1,000 men medically termed ‘infertile’ and had them increase their daily Vitamin C intake to 2,000 mg a day for 30 days. The results, almost across the board, were increases in sperm motility and sperm count.

Tofu 

What Fertility Booster It Offers: Iron

Iron is very important for the health of pregnant women but emerging science is demonstrating that it is just as important for couples trying to conceive. In women, a lack of iron can result in irregular ovulation and poor egg quality and in men it is associated with a decrease in sperm quality.

Salmon 

What Fertility Booster It Offers: Selenium

Selenium is a clever little mineral that has been shown to increase sperm motility, prevent egg damage during the journey down the fallopian tubes and decrease the damage that free radicals can do to both sperm and egg.

Edamame 

What Fertility Booster It Offers: Zinc 

This versatile little veggie is often used as a meat substitute as well as a tasty side dish and it has now been shown to offer benefits to those struggling to conceive as well. Higher levels of zinc in the blood have been shown to improve the form, function, and quality of sperm while also balancing estrogen and progesterone levels in women.

Mackerel

What Fertility Boost It Offers: Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids 

The importance of Omega fatty acids for humans, in general, has been amply demonstrated over the last several years. They can have a special benefit for men with sperm quality difficulties though. While there are other fish that offer some of these acids, mackerel offers them in the highest and purest concentrations.

These fertility foods and a diet change, in general, are no more a magic bullet than anything else and should not be considered such. They can, however, help a great deal and for couples struggling to conceive anything that might be of benefit is worth a try.