Gender Selection - Boy Baby , Supplements That Help Fertility
The Top Foods to Eat to Conceive a Boy Baby
You might have heard many old wives tales about eating certain foods can influence the chances of having either a boy or girl baby, but is it true? Can certain foods really influence the chances of conceiving a boy or girl?
Actually there is some science behind this because there are foods that can change the composition of the cervical fluid and pH of the vagina, and that in turn can help or hinder either the male or female sperm from reaching the egg first.
For getting boy babies, you want to try and make your cervical fluid to a low pH level (or alkaline levels) to help the Y chromosome sperm (for a male) reach the egg first.
So which foods are best for getting a boy baby?
Let’s start with breakfast. Studies have shown that women who eat breakfast every morning have nearly doubled their chances of conceiving a boy. The reason is that eating kick starts the metabolism, and you want your metabolism working as soon as possible in the day to help put your body in the optimum condition.
But skip the bacon and eggs, it’s good old cereal that’s best for a boy. The best cereal to choose is one that is high in fibre and also contains healthy vitamins and minerals such as All Bran.
If you like, follow up your breakfast with a banana. Eating banana’s is very beneficial for making the cervical fluid more alkaline which is beneficial to the male sperm. Banana’s are high in potassium, and this is what influences the pH levels of the vagina. The more alkaline, the better the Y chromosome sperm likes it.
But banana’s are not the only food that is high in potassium. You also have nuts, figs, apricots and baked potatoes with the skin on them.
There are also more foods that can have a alkalizing effect on the vagina including nearly all vegetables (although skip the corn). Green leafy vegetables are your best bet to add to your dinner plate each evening.
Now that you know what to eat, what about what to drink?
Well good old water is beneficial not only for conceiving a boy but fertility in general, but what I bet you didn’t know is that orange juice can also lower the pH of your cervical fluid. Most people assume that orange juice would be acidic, but it actually has an alkalising effect on the body making it a great choice if you are trying to get pregnant with a boy.
As you can see, eating to conceive a boy baby is actually quite a healthy diet, but there is still a lot more that you can do. Click over to this blog post on conceiving a boy for more tips.
You can find more great articles on fertility and how to fall pregnant fast on this blog.
Supplements That Help Fertility , Trying To Conceive (TTC)
Secret Foods That Promote Fertility and Boost Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
It is becoming well known now that foods can help and even heal certain conditions and that is definitely true for fertility. With the rise in awareness about the effect food has on our hormone levels is it any wonder that in today’s nutrient deficient menu now has thousands of women unable to fall pregnant. So if that’s true, how can you fix it?
Well the first thing to remember is that old saying ‘you are what you eat’. That means you need to eat foods that nourish the hormone system and increase fertility. By doing so you will allow your body to know how to fall pregnant fast by itself.
Many specialists are recommending that you eat and act like you are already pregnant. And that includes no alcohol, no smoking and drinking lots of water. Try and pretend that you are at a luxury health spa and eat as healthy as you would there if you were on a body cleanse program.
So that’s fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish and whole grains. While that makes sense, there are also some foods your probably haven’t thought about that can help promote fertility. They are:
Goji Berry
Many women also swear by taking extra nutrient rich foods such as the goji berry which contains high levels of antioxidants, essential amino acids and vitamins A and C. Many practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine also recommend the gogi berry.
Floradix
Other nutrients that many women are lacking are enough iron in the diet. There have been studies that suggest that low iron is linked with infertility. So eating foods high in iron such as beans or taking an iron supplement like Floradix can help improve your iron levels and therefore increase the odds of conceiving.
Grapeseed Oil
Women trying to get pregnant should cook with oil that has essential fatty acids as these are well known to balance hormonal levels. Grapeseed oil is a good oil to choose and it tastes delicious as well.
Wheatgrass
Folic acid is important for preventing birth defects like spina bifida and it also can help you produce healthy eggs. One of the most nutrient dense ways of getting your folic acid requirements is by taking a wheatgrass shot.
Maca Root
And finally another important ingredient for conception is maca root which has very high levels of zinc. While maca root can be hard to find (it’s grown in the Peruvian mountains but you can probably find supplements in your local health food store) it can be worth it, as studies are suggesting it’s a potent fertility booster.
So there you go, some of the secret fertility foods that you may not have thought of.
Fish oil is a great supplement for improving your fertility, especially if you suffer from inflammatory conditions such as PCOS. And as an added benefit you’ll improve your cervical mucus which is necessary for the sperm to reach the egg when you ovulate.
But fish oil isn’t just good for women, it’s also good for men too as it can improve sperm motility. Many male infertility issues that relate to sperm can be corrected by taking an omega 3 supplement.
So why is fish oil so good?
Our bodies need essential fatty acids (EFA’s) for optimum health. EFA’s are made up of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. These help many conditions including inflammatory conditions, they lower cholesterol and improve mood disorders. If you have a hormone imbalance, they can correct this too – which is why they are considered a super food.
In fact fish oil can help with many different fertility issues. Women who take a fish oil supplement have reported things like clearer charts (for those who are charting), decreased menstrual cramps, improved egg white cervical mucus and less PMS symptoms.
By improving their menstrual cycles, some women who had previously had trouble conceiving , were able to get pregnant within a few months of taking a fish oil supplement.
Helping women with PCOS get pregnant with fish oil
One of the main causes of infertility in women is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Fish oil has been shown to help regulate PCOS conditions by decreasing inflammation in the ovaries and also balancing the hormones associated with ovulation. By doing this, as well as helping to make their menstrual cycles more regular, it can help enough to be able to conceive.
If you choose to try fish oil to improve your fertility, then make sure you take a high dose supplement (around the same dosage that arthritis sufferers take) for the best results.
Does Iron Help with Fertility?
In a nutshell, yes.
In a recent study, a group of women who had no history of infertility were given iron supplements to determine the effect on their fertility.
The results were that those women who took around 41 milligrams of iron, significantly lowered their risk of ovulatory infertility (the condition where women cannot product healthy eggs or ovulate infrequently).
Most good multivitamins do contain iron so check with your doctor to make sure you are getting the correct dosage.
Symptoms of low iron include tiredness, headaches, shortness of breath and weak brittle nails.
You might have already heard that iron can help improve your fertility, and it’s true that it can. Studies have shown that women who take an iron supplement have 40% less chance of having ovulatory infertility compared to women who didn’t take a supplement. And by increasing the dosage to over 40 mg they have lowered their risk even further by 62%.
That’s good news for women trying to conceive! Most good prenatal vitamins usually have around 40 mg included anyway, but you can increase your iron levels through food as well.
Foods that are high in iron include fortified breakfast cereals, beans and pulses, and of course meat (particularly red meat) and eggs.
It’s also a good idea to take a Vitamin C supplement or take your iron vitamin with a glass of orange juice because vitamin C helps the iron to be absorbed more readily into your body.
As an added benefit, iron will help improve your energy levels but don’t take too much, because too much iron can make you constipated.
What the study found:
The study found that a low iron intake in women led to ovulatory infertility which is where the body can’t product healthy eggs. If your eggs are unhealthy they are unlikely to result in a pregnancy no matter how good your timing is.
The women in the study had no previous history of infertility and ranged in age, weight and other lifestyle factors. Each woman was prescribed either a different dosage of iron supplement or asked to increase their iron levels through food in order to test how it affected their fertility.
The women in the study that took 41 mg or more iron per day showed the best results as it decreased their risk of ovulatory infertility by 62%. Those getting their iron from food (non-heme iron) had the best results.
Good sources of non-heme iron are:
• bread (both white and whole wheat)
• broccoli
• prune juice
• spinach
• beans
• lentils
• apricots
Supplements That Help Fertility
What are the Best Prenatal Vitamins to Take Before You Get Pregnant?
If you are thinking about having a baby, then one of the first things that you can do, before you even conceive is start taking a good prenatal vitamin.
Not only will it help give you and your baby the best start in life, but it can also improve your fertility! So what should you look for when choosing a prenatal vitamin supplement?
What to look for in a good prenatal vitamin supplement
Folic Acid (Folate)
While including folic acid is usually standard in prenatal vitamins (and even some regular multi vitamins) you need to make sure that they include the correct dosage so that you are getting enough of this important nutrient. Make sure that your supplement includes at least 400 mcg of folic acid. This will help protect your baby against neural tube defects like spina bifida. For the best way to lower your risk of your baby getting it, then you should be taking folate BEFORE you get pregnant.
Calcium
You’ll need extra calcium to help you grow a healthy baby when you are pregnant, so look for a supplement that has 1,000 mg per day. You can also get your daily calcium needs by eating foods that are high in it such as milk, yoghurt and cheese.
Iron
Iron is especially important when you are pregnant because it will help to combat fatigue and prevent anaemia. A good prenatal vitamin will have around 30 to 40 mg per day.
Vitamins that help improve fertility
If you are taking a prenatal vitamin to help improve your fertility you should also make sure it contains vitamin B6, manganese and zinc.
Other factors to consider when choosing a prenatal vitamin
You also need to take into account other factors such as the size of the supplement (smaller vitamins are easier to swallow than large ones – especially if you do get pregnant and are suffering from morning sickness). If you can’t stomach swallowing your supplement you might even prefer one that you can chew or dissolve in water as an alternative.
Price might also be a contributing factor to which brand you purchase. Don’t always assume that the most expensive brand is going to be the best – most supplements are quite similar in composition, so read the labels carefully to decide.
There are many great prenatal vitamins that are available at your health food or grocery store that will not only help improve your fertility but also put you in your best shape when you do conceive.
Supplements That Help Fertility
Eating for Fertility – How Diet & Food Can Help Get You Pregnant
Yes, it’s true – food can help improve your fertility so much so, that previously infertile couples are making babies just by changing their diets.
The reason being that food and diet play an important role in the balance of hormones for both men and women and works as a sort of internal medicine for improving your health. Using food for health is nothing new, we have been told for years that eating right will improve certain conditions, help us lose weight and even cure diseases, so it makes sense that fertility diets can also help us get pregnant.
The food pH levels itself will not affect you getting pregnant or not, but it can influence the gender of your child.
So what sort of foods should you be eating to make sure that you conceive a healthy baby?
First let’s cover what you shouldn’t be eating – and that’s junk food (refined sugars and saturated fats), caffeine and artificial substances (preservatives, colours & flavours).
These foods not only make you unhealthy, they are widely known for their effect on the hormones of your body, particularly ones like oestrogen which are needed for a healthy menstrual cycle. Have too much oestrogen and not enough progesterone and it will be difficult for you to conceive (you’ll likely have a short luteal phase if this is your problem).
People with PCOS are particularly sensitive to foods that cause hormonal imbalances.
Instead you should be eating a variety of healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Good sources of whole grain’s include brown rice, oatmeal and whole wheat breads. The best vegetables are the green leafy vegies and also fruits and vegetables that have lots of colour such as carrots, mango, berries, peppers and more. The more colour it has, the higher in nutrients it is.
You’ll probably also hear that you should or shouldn’t eat dairy or meat. The reason being that these foods can affect your hormone levels either for the positive or negative depending on your condition.
If you suffer from any sort of ovulatory infertility such as PCOS, then full fat dairy is your friend, and can actually help you get pregnant. If that isn’t your problem then you should decrease the amount of dairy you eat and stick to low fat.
Meat can affect some people’s fertility but not all. That’s why some fertility diet books recommend going vegan or vegetarian when trying to get pregnant. It’s definitely worth a try if you’ve ruled out everything else – you can always start eating meat again once you know there is a baby on the way.
It usually takes around two to three months to see any real changes in your body and menstrual cycle when starting a diet aimed at improving your fertility so stick with it because you just never know if that apple is going to help you finally get that baby you want.
Supplements That Help Fertility , Trying To Conceive (TTC)
Trying to Get Pregnant? The Top 4 Supplements You Might Need
Trying to get pregnant is a struggle and a reality for so many women (I know because I’m one of them) but there are things you can do to help improve your chances of getting pregnant such as diet, fertility supplements, ovulation timing and more. I’ve previously talked a bit about ovulation timing, so in this post I wanted to go over some of the better vitamin and herb supplements that have helped many women conceive naturally.
So if you have been asking yourself what supplements should I take to get pregnant, hopefully this post will answer all your questions.
Here are my top supplements to get pregnant:
Continue reading “Trying to Get Pregnant? The Top 4 Supplements You Might Need” »
Leave A Comment