Do diets affect the chances of getting pregnant?

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.