Globally, infertility is getting more
common for various environmental and lifestyle reasons. While couples can't
control all of the causes of infertility, they can control
their diet. Diet and weight management can have significant impact on the
ability to conceive for most people.
A proper diet can increase the success rate of getting
pregnant and continues to ensure lesser complication following conceive. In
under privilege countries, malnourished moms have higher chance of infertility
and miscarriage. These moms, or in our local society, teenage moms or
poor-eater moms, develop more complications in pregnancies such as premature
delivery or still birth.
Referring to those well designed study done oversea,
Malaysians can benefit from them and improve our chances for more babies.
Weight Extremism
Among Asians, we have many young mothers who are
underweight, who has a body mass index of below 19. These ladies might not be
ovulating on schedule due to hormonal imbalance hence missing the target when
they try to conceive.
On the flip side, overweight or obese partners, both men
and women, are facing more chance of infertility. Data
available in the US showed that 30 percent of infertility cases are due to
hogging on too much weight. Overweight affects the timing of ovulation and the quality of
active and alive sperms. Losing weight, especially through regular moderate
exercise, appears to be a good measure to increase likelihood of conception
among them.
Iron
Women who are told to have ovulatory infertility shall
try to get enough iron in the diet. It’s advisable to take iron-rich foods
including all types of beans, eggs, lentils, spinach, fortified cereals,
long-grain enriched rice and whole grains. Vitamin C from fresh citrus fruits,
guava or mango added into meals further enhances iron absorption.
Healthy Fats
Monounsaturated fats like
olive oil or avocado, rather than trans
fats like in shortening and normal margarine can be used as a
spread for meals or snacks. For women with diabetes, making full use of healthy
fat to achieve caloric need and fullness is especially important.
Plant Protein
Beans
and lentils instead of red meat or other animal sources may be beneficial to be
included. Those are higher in phytochemical, fibre and lesser in unhealthy fat
and oxidants, while give you enough protein for you to prepare for your baby.
Men too, who eat lesser red meat may have higher chance of producing healthy
sperms.
Complex
carbohydrate
Whole
grain like oatmeal, barley, brown rice or atta flour rather than the polished
simple carbohydrate found in white rice, white bread, Man Tou (Chinese bun) or white flour should be taken during most
meals of the day. This change heightens your chance for fertility by another
notch.
Dairy
products
Eating
full fat dairy products instead of the low fat dairy products for some unclear
reason is associated with higher chance of conceiving a baby. Taking one to 2
servings of dairy for calcium without having to worry about its fat content may
be advisable for you now.
Multivitamin and vitamin
supplements
For you who eat out often or are
too busy to prepare healthy meals, consistently taking your multivitamin (at least
six times per week) may be good. Also, do not forget the folate supplement
prescribed to you by your gynecologist too.
Other Lifestyle Changes
For men and women, staying away from cigarette and
alcohol gives a better chance to those trying to have a baby.
As the effect of healthy lifestyle is greater than while
you are preparing to have a baby, start sooner rather than later for its
maximal and prolonged effects.
Note:
This article was first published on babytalk magazine in April 2015.
