Eating a well-balanced diet that contains a variety of healthy foods will ensure your body is getting the necessary nutrients to boost your fertility. With March being National Nutrition Month, it is an excellent time to make sure you are taking the right steps to getting proper nutrition and eating healthy.
Here are some nutritional tips while undergoing fertility treatment:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables: These foods are rich in antioxidants that help protect the sperm and ovum from damage by free radicals.
- Fiber-Rich Foods: Foods such as whole grain, beans, lentils, and chickpeas help remove excess hormones from the body and keep your blood sugar level under control. This improves the chances of achieving pregnancy.
- Eat More of Healthy Fats: These include avocado, olive oil, seeds, and nuts. In some research studies, consuming plant-based fats during an IVF cycle has been shown to increase the success rate by up to 3-1/2 times.
- Replace Animal Protein with Plant Protein: Studies have demonstrated that the risk of developing ovulatory disorders is dramatically reduced when just 5% of your total caloric intake is obtained from plant protein.
- Multivitamin Supplementation: It has been estimated that regular intake of multivitamin tablets that contain folic acid may lower infertility risk by as much as 41%.
- Consume Complex Carbohydrates: Foods such as brown rice and whole grains are digested slowly and hence prevent blood sugar spikes that can inhibit ovulation.
- Do Not Skip Breakfast: A hearty and healthy breakfast can minimize the harmful hormonal impact of PCOS (polycystic ovarian disease syndrome) which is one of the common causes of infertility.
- Foods to Avoid: Avoid red meat, refined and processed foods, sugar, caffeine, and trans fats as far as possible as these have no nutritive value and can hinder your chances of getting pregnant.
As you can see, nutrition plays an important role in the success of fertility treatments and therefore healthy eating should be a priority when trying to maximize your chances of a positive outcome.
ReproMed Fertility Center offers personalized fertility treatments in four convenient locations in the Dallas metroplex and one in Tyler. Please contact us at (214) 827-8777 for all appointments and information.