Brussel sprouts may increase fertility in both men and women

Many people shudder at the thought of Brussels sprouts with their minds conjure up images of bitter, overcooked school vegetables. But new research suggests that couples who are trying for a baby should tuck into a regular helping of the festive staple. According to studies, nine per cent of all conceptions take place over the Christmas period, making December the most fertile month of the year. Parties and festive tipples are thought to be partly responsible for this trend. However, Neema Savvides, a nutritional therapist at the Harley Street Fertility Clinic, says the increased consumption of sprouts could also play a role. She said: ‘Believe it or not, this green micro cabbage is a baby making super food. ‘Firstly, they are bursting with folic acid which is essential for boosting fertility in both men and women. ‘This vitamin rich source also increases sperm levels and helps line the womb with the right nutrients raising sperm survival chances. ‘Another benefit of this folic rich food is that it also helps to decrease the risk of miscarriages and birth defects.’ Brussels sprouts also contain a phytonutrient called di-indolylmethane, which helps women absorb balanced levels of the hormone oestrogen. In fact, it binds to environmental oestrogens, like pesticides and hormones in meat and dairy products, and helps rid the body of excess hormones – this boosts fertility. The vegetable is also thought to lower cholesterol levels and have anti-inflammatory properties. Article: 5th December 2013 www.dailymail.co.uk

Six ways to improve fertility through diet and nutrition

For women hoping to conceive, experts advise watching your weight and following a Mediterranean-style diet to boost your odds of having a baby. As fertility experts shared their research at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Boston this week, Loyola University dietitian Brooke Schantz offered essential diet tips to increase your chances of having a baby. "Establishing a healthy eating pattern and weight is a good first step for women who are looking to conceive," she said. "Not only will a healthy diet and lifestyle potentially help with fertility, but it also may influence fetal well-being and reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy." Thirty percent of infertility is due to being either overweight or underweight, according to the National Infertility Association in the US. Reducing extra weight by even five percent can enhance fertility, experts say. For women looking to conceive, Schantz recommends the following: 1.Reduce intake of foods with trans and saturated fats while increasing intake of monounsaturated fats, such as avocados and olive oil 2.Lower intake of animal protein and add more vegetable protein to your diet 3.Add more fiber to your diet by consuming whole grains, vegetables, and fruit 4.Incorporate more vegetarian sources of iron such as legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, and whole grains 5.Consume high-fat dairy instead of low-fat dairy. A Harvard University study showed that women who ate more than two portions a day of low-fat dairy foods were 85 percent more likely to be infertile due to ovulatory disorders than those who only ate it less than once a week. 6.Take a regular women's multivitamin But men aren't left out of the equation. "Men who are looking to have a baby also have a responsibility to maintain a healthy body weight and consume a balanced diet, because male obesity may affect fertility by altering testosterone and other hormone levels," Schantz said. Approximately 40 percent of infertility issues are attributed to men, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Article: 21st October 2013 www.ctvnews.ca Read more about diet and nutrition

Six ways to improve fertility through diet and nutrition

For women hoping to conceive, experts advise watching your weight and following a Mediterranean-style diet to boost your odds of having a baby. As fertility experts shared their research at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Boston this week, Loyola University dietitian Brooke Schantz offered essential diet tips to increase your chances of having a baby. "Establishing a healthy eating pattern and weight is a good first step for women who are looking to conceive," she said. "Not only will a healthy diet and lifestyle potentially help with fertility, but it also may influence fetal well-being and reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy." Thirty percent of infertility is due to being either overweight or underweight, according to the National Infertility Association in the US. Reducing extra weight by even five percent can enhance fertility, experts say. For women looking to conceive, Schantz recommends the following: 1.Reduce intake of foods with trans and saturated fats while increasing intake of monounsaturated fats, such as avocados and olive oil 2.Lower intake of animal protein and add more vegetable protein to your diet 3.Add more fiber to your diet by consuming whole grains, vegetables, and fruit 4.Incorporate more vegetarian sources of iron such as legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, and whole grains 5.Consume high-fat dairy instead of low-fat dairy. A Harvard University study showed that women who ate more than two portions a day of low-fat dairy foods were 85 percent more likely to be infertile due to ovulatory disorders than those who only ate it less than once a week. 6.Take a regular women's multivitamin But men aren't left out of the equation. "Men who are looking to have a baby also have a responsibility to maintain a healthy body weight and consume a balanced diet, because male obesity may affect fertility by altering testosterone and other hormone levels," Schantz said. Approximately 40 percent of infertility issues are attributed to men, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Article: 21st October 2013 www.ctvnews.ca Read more about diet and nutrition

Six ways to improve fertility through diet and nutrition

For women hoping to conceive, experts advise watching your weight and following a Mediterranean-style diet to boost your odds of having a baby. As fertility experts shared their research at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Boston this week, Loyola University dietitian Brooke Schantz offered essential diet tips to increase your chances of having a baby. "Establishing a healthy eating pattern and weight is a good first step for women who are looking to conceive," she said. "Not only will a healthy diet and lifestyle potentially help with fertility, but it also may influence fetal well-being and reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy." Thirty percent of infertility is due to being either overweight or underweight, according to the National Infertility Association in the US. Reducing extra weight by even five percent can enhance fertility, experts say. For women looking to conceive, Schantz recommends the following: 1.Reduce intake of foods with trans and saturated fats while increasing intake of monounsaturated fats, such as avocados and olive oil 2.Lower intake of animal protein and add more vegetable protein to your diet 3.Add more fiber to your diet by consuming whole grains, vegetables, and fruit 4.Incorporate more vegetarian sources of iron such as legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, and whole grains 5.Consume high-fat dairy instead of low-fat dairy. A Harvard University study showed that women who ate more than two portions a day of low-fat dairy foods were 85 percent more likely to be infertile due to ovulatory disorders than those who only ate it less than once a week. 6.Take a regular women's multivitamin But men aren't left out of the equation. "Men who are looking to have a baby also have a responsibility to maintain a healthy body weight and consume a balanced diet, because male obesity may affect fertility by altering testosterone and other hormone levels," Schantz said. Approximately 40 percent of infertility issues are attributed to men, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Article: 21st October 2013 www.ctvnews.ca Read more about diet and nutrition

Eat raspberries to boost male fertility says nutritionist

The news has recently highlighted that Raspberries may improve fertility, because they high levels of Vitamin C, a key nutrient in male fertility, and magnesium, which helps produce testosterone. They are also thought to contain 10 times more antioxidant activity than tomatoes, and are key to protecting sperm. It is also believed that after conception antioxidants continue to protect the embryo and may decrease the risk of miscarriage. Raspberries provide essential nutrients that are known to enhance fertility in men and women Juliet Wilson, a leading fertility nutritionist, said that one portion of raspberries provided the same amount of Vitamin C as eating 173 grapes. She said: “Raspberries provide essential nutrients that are known to enhance fertility in men and women.” It is also important to have a healthy balanced diet containing many different fruits and vegetables, which can help boost fertility, such as mangos, lemons, garlic, nuts and green leafy vegetables. Along with eating meat, fish, potatoes and eggs. Article: 1st September 2013 www.prideangel.com Read more about diet and natural fertility at www.prideangel.com

Taking vitamin pill could double success rate of IVF

A 30p multi-vitamin pill could more than double a woman’s chance of having a baby by IVF, according to a study. It found that 60 per cent of those taking the supplements while undergoing IVF became pregnant compared to just a quarter who did not take them.

Researchers say the pills contain nutrients that may boost fertility such as vitamins A, C and E, zinc and selenium, that are often absent from our diets.

The study carried out at University College London involved 56 women aged 18 to 40, who had all tried unsuccessfully to fall pregnant using IVF for at least a year. Half were given a multi-nutrient pill to take every day and the other half given folic acid pills to take daily.

The micronutrient pill also contained folic acid which prevents birth defects and has also been shown to help boost fertility. The team found that 60 per cent of women taking the multi-nutrients fell pregnant, and did not miscarry in the first three months when it is most common. This compared to 25 per cent of women in the group taking folic acid who were still pregnant after three months.

The study published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine also found that women taking the micronutrients needed far fewer attempts to become pregnant. Of those who fell pregnant, 75 per cent conceived in the first course of IVF.

By comparison just 18 per cent of those on folic acid who became pregnant did so after the first IVF course. The particular pill, Vitabiotics Pregnacare-Conception,contains folic acid, vitamin B, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, selenium and some antioxidants.

Lead researcher Dr Rina Agrawal said: 'The implications of this study are far reaching as they suggest that prenatal micronutrient supplementation in women undergoing ovulation induction improve pregnancy rates. 'There is a large body of evidence establishing the relationship between placental development, foetal growth, pregnancy outcomes and adequate nutrition, particularly vitamin intake.'

But other scientists pointed out that the study was very small so the results should not be taken too seriously. Dr Allan Pacey who specialises in fertility at the University of Sheffield said: 'The influence of nutrition on our fertility is of general interest to the public and professionals, but there are relatively few studies which have examined this systematically and few which have shown direct benefits of taking supplements to enhance things.'

'Therefore, on the face of it, this study is interesting but we should acknowledge that this is a relatively small number of patients and the study would need to be repeated in a larger trial before we could be certain of the results.' A woman’s fertility is known to be affected by a number of factors including her age, weight, alcohol consumption, whether she smokes.

High levels of stress and even drinking too much coffee have also been shown to reduce the chances of falling pregnant.

Article 2nd December 2011 www.dailymail.co.uk

Men improve your sperm count by eating fruit

Female fertility has previously been linked to obesity, but a Brazilian study has discovered that a poor diet in men can lower sperm concentration and affect their ability to reach the egg.

A new study involving 250 men with partners undergoing IVF reveals that those who regularly drink alcoholand eat a poor diet are less fertile than those who eat a diet high in fruit and grains.

Lead researcher Edson Borges, from the Fertility-Assisted Fertilization Center in Sao Paolo, says: 'The sperm concentration was negatively influenced by body mass index and alcohol consumption, and was positively influenced by cerealconsumption and the number of meals per day.'

The results from the study reveal that, from the speed of their sperm to their partner's chance of pregnancy, men who drank alcohol and ate a poor diet were less fertile.

Lynn Westphal from Stanford University hopes that the study, published in the Fertility and Sterility journal, will encourage men to make healthier lifestyle choices.

'We talk about having a healthylifestyleand trying to eliminate any of these things that are bad for health, but I think most of the emphasis tends to be on making sure the woman is as healthy as possible,' she says.

Article: 22nd December 2011 www.marieclaire.co.uk

Eating disorders may cause infertility a study reveals

Women with the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia may take a bit longer to get pregnant than other women, a new study has found.
U.K. researchers asked 11,088 pregnant women to complete questionnaires at 12 and 18 weeks of gestation. Of those women, 171 (1.5 percent) had anorexia at some point in their lives, 199 (1.8 percent) had bulimia, and another 82 (0.7 percent) had experienced both conditions.

A larger proportion of the women with the eating disorders took more than six months to conceive compared to those with no history of eating disorders (39.5 percent vs 25 percent). However, women with eating disorders weren't more likely to take longer than 12 months to conceive, the investigators found.

Women with anorexia or bulimia were more than twice as likely to have received treatment or help to get pregnant, 6.2 percent vs. 2.7 percent.

The study also found that 41.5 percent of women with anorexia said their pregnancy was unplanned, compared with 28.6 percent of women in the general population. This suggests that women with anorexia may underestimate their chances of conceiving, the researchers said.

"This research highlights that there are risks to fertility associated with eating disorders. However, the high rates of unplanned pregnancies in women with a history of anorexia suggest that women may be underestimating their chances of conceiving," lead author Abigail Easter, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, said in a college news release.

"Women planning a pregnancy should ideally seek treatment for their eating disorder symptoms prior to conception and health professionals should be aware of eating disorders when assessing fertility and providing treatment for this," she added.

Study to be published in: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Read more about boosting your fertility at www.prideangel.com