Can certain foods actually increase fertility?
The answer to this is YES.
It's crucial to remember that there is no magic diet that can get you pregnant, but food and lifestyle choices can have a big impact on both men's and women's reproductive health. The foods you eat, along with other factors such as lifestyle and stress levels, can improve fertility by influencing your gut, blood flow, hormonal levels, and overall health.
Shradha IVF takes a holistic approach, including various natural adjustments such as food and lifestyle changes, before going on to sophisticated treatment.
Here are some things to include in your diet to improve your fertility.
Bean and lentil
If you want to enhance your fertility, don't pass up beans and lentils. They contain high levels of spermidine, a polyamine linked to fertility, as well as folate. Researchers link increased folate levels to higher fertilized egg implantation rates, as well as clinical pregnancy with assisted reproduction. Higher folate levels in men lead to improved sperm count and quality.
Beans and lentils in addition provide plant-based protein. According to study, women who consume plant-based protein had a lower chance of infertility due to ovulation issues.
Sunflower seeds
Eating sunflower seeds is a simple strategy to help maintain healthy sperm levels without making significant dietary changes. Roasted, unsalted sunflower seed kernels are rich source of Vitamin E, which is important component that promotes sperm count and motility. Sunflower seeds also contain high concentrations of zinc, folic acid, and selenium, all of which are powerful reproductive ingredients and have numerous advantages.
Fruit
Citrus fruits contain vitamin C, another antioxidant that has been demonstrated to improve sperm quality. They also contain a lot of polyamines, which are essential for male and female reproduction.
The well known citrus fruit which are rich sources of polyamines are:
• Grapes, lemons, and oranges.
Full-fat dairy
There are no standards for how much dairy to consume when attempting to conceive. However, for females, there is evidence linking full-fat dairy products to a lower incidence of ovulatory infertility, which happens when eggs cannot be produced or released on a regular basis.
Full-fat dairy is a great source of vitamins A, E, and D. Cheeses are also high in polyamines, with hard cheeses and raw milk cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, camembert, and asiago having the greatest levels.
Yogurt with Cheeses
Fatty foods are excellent for promoting fertility. Greek yogurt and cheese are rich in calcium, vitamin D, and probiotics, all of which help in ovulation. In addition it will provide an adequate amount of protein, increasing your chances of a successful pregnancy through more exact ovulation cycles.
Salmon
To supplement those beneficial fats, salmon contains a lot of protein and omega-3s, which help embryonic development throughout pregnancy. Men can also benefit from eating salmon since it contains high levels of vitamin D and selenium, two nutrients that increase semen levels and improve general health. Keep in mind that wild-caught salmon is preferable than farmed salmon since it contains less mercury, which can be damaging to a pregnancy if ingested in excess. To be safe, limit your salmon consumption to once or twice per week
Walnuts
Walnuts are an easy-to-eat meal that promotes ovulation and sperm health. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which is responsible to increase your chances of conceiving. Walnuts also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant that promotes sperm count and motility.
One study concentrating especially on walnuts and male fertility discovered that consuming just one handful (approximately 42 grams) of walnuts each day for three months resulted in better sperm. Semen samples from participants who ate walnuts contained a larger concentration of active sperm than earlier samples.
Egg yolks
Most people remove the yolk of an egg to save calories, yet yolks contain vitamin B and vital omega-3s. Yolks also contain folic acid, which helps the body produce red blood cells and maintain embryo development following conception.
Lean Red Meat
Lean red meat is a great source of iron, which helps to prevent anemia and play a role in the production and function of red blood cell, decrease risk of ovarian infertility.
Red meat is also good source of Vitamin B12, especially useful in maintenance and development of the nervous system.
Foods to avoid while trying to become pregnant
A healthy fertility diet is more than just the items you include. It's also about what you avoid. When trying to conceive, both men and women should avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, baked products, and ultra-processed carbohydrates.
• Excessive alcohol consumption (greater than two drinks daily)
Alcohol use may have a deleterious effect on female fertility. The greatest influence was shown in those who consumed more than 12.5 grams of alcohol each day.
If you fear you are pregnant, there is no such thing as a safe amount of alcohol.
If you're trying to conceive and think you could be pregnant, the best option is to avoid alcohol. If you prefer to drink and know you're not pregnant, limit it to one regular drink.
• Caffeine consumption can reduce fertility in both sexes.
The link between caffeine and fertility is not entirely established. High caffeine intake (more than five cups of tea or coffee per day) can increase the chance of miscarriage and impair fertility.
However, considering the uncertainty surrounding caffeine's effect on fertility, you may wish to limit your regular coffee consumption to one or two cups.
• Smoking
Research indicates that women who smoke are more likely to experience delayed pregnancy and infertility, both primary and secondary. Research has also revealed that women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have difficulties, premature birth, low birth weight (LBW) infants, stillbirth, and infant mortality.
Even reproductive therapies like IVF may not be able to completely counteract smoking's impacts on fertility. Female smokers require more ovary-stimulating medicines during IVF, have fewer eggs at retrieval, and have 30% lower pregnancy chances than IVF patients who do not smoke.
How long does it take for fertility to improve once you quit smoking?
The longer you avoid smoking, the better. It takes roughly three months to create fresh sperm and eggs.