Getting Pregnant Blog

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

So can caffeine affect your fertility? Yes it can. Studies have shown that a high caffeine consumption (that’s around 5 cups per day of coffee) can contribute to decreased fertility in women. While the findings are not exactly clear on why this is the case, it’s worthwhile to lower your intake of coffee, tea, cola drinks and even chocolate while trying to conceive.

One particular study found that women who had more than 300 mg of caffeine per day had lowered their chances of getting pregnant by 27% compared to women who didn’t have any at all. However some other studies have shown no correlation at all between caffeine and fertility so it can be confusing to know who to believe.

You are going to have to decrease your caffeine levels anyway when you do get pregnant as it can affect the baby (and in some cases has been linked to miscarriage), so starting now is worthwhile for your health anyway.

So how much is too much when it comes to how much caffeine you can have when trying to conceive?

You should aim to consume no more than 200 mg per day. That’s the level that is linked to raising the chances of miscarriage.

To put that into perspective, a regular cup of coffee contains 100 mg, a soda drink has 50 mg and energy drinks usually have around 80 mg per can. That means that even if you can’t live without your morning coffee, as long as you limit yourself to no more than two cups per day then you’ll be fine.

If you do currently have more than that, don’t go cold turkey as this can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as headaches. Instead wean yourself off gradually by lowering your intake by a small amount every few days. You can alternate with decaffeinated drinks or add more milk to your coffee.

Below are some tables of the caffeine levels of certain regular drinks and foods:

Caffeine Charts

Coffee
coffee, generic brewed 8 oz 102-200 mg
coffee, Starbucks brewed 16 oz (grande) 330 mg
coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts brewed 16 oz 206 mg
caffÉ latte or cappuccino, Starbucks 16 oz (grande) 150 mg
caffÉ latte or cappuccino, Starbucks 12 oz (tall) 75 mg
espresso, Starbucks 1 oz (1 shot ) 75 mg
espresso, generic 1 oz (1 shot) 30-90 mg
coffee, generic instant 8 oz 27-173 mg
coffee, generic decaffeinated 8 oz 3-26 mg

Tea
black tea, brewed 8 oz 40-120 mg
green tea, brewed 8 oz 30-50 mg
decaffeinated black tea 8 oz 2 mg
Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea latte 16 oz (grande) 100 mg
Nestea 12 oz 26 mg
Snapple 16 oz 42 mg
Lipton Brisk iced tea 12 oz 10 mg

Soft drinks
Coke 12 oz 35 mg
Pepsi 12 oz 38 mg
Jolt Cola 12 oz 72 mg
Mountain Dew 12 oz 54 mg
7-Up 12 oz 0 mg
Sierra Mist 12 oz 0 mg
Sprite 12 oz 0 mg

Energy drinks
Red Bull 8.3 oz 80 mg
SoBe Essential Energy, berry or orange 8 oz 48 mg
SoBe No Fear 8 oz 83 mg

Desserts
dark chocolate 1.45-oz bar 31 mg
milk chocolate 1.45-oz bar 11 mg
coffee ice cream or frozen yogurt 8 oz 50-60 mg
hot cocoa 8 oz 3-13 mg

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.