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Boosting your fertility

By Giulia Draycott

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Nutrition for peak fertility

Good nutrition is vital to keep your fertility in tip top condition and a positive way to prepare for a healthy pregnancy. However, 74 percent of women are not getting enough nutrients from their diet, according to The National Diet and Nutrition Survey in 2003. In particular, 74 percent of women did not get the recommended level of magnesium, 45 percent had insufficient zinc and 84 percent did not get enough folic acid⁶.

• Zinc is very important for fertility as it is vital for the health of sperm. Deficiency can lead to reduced volume of semen in men and increased risk of miscarriage in women⁷. Boost the level of zinc in your diet by including seafood, beef, lamb and toasted wheat germ.
   
• Folic acid aids the healthy development of the foetus and its nervous system. Deficiency can also lead to miscarriage so if you're trying to conceive, make sure you get plenty of folic acid, which is found in leafy green vegetables, lentils, hard-boiled eggs and chicken or beef liver⁶. The Department of Health recommends taking a daily supplement of 400mcg of folic acid from as long as three months before you conceive and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
   
• Magnesium is another important nutrient for fertility as it helps to support the function of the fallopian tubes⁸ and deficiency of this mineral can therefore block conception. Boost your magnesium levels by adding brown rice, nuts and green leafy vegetables to your diet.
   
• Avoid soy-based foods. Higher intake of soy foods and soy isoflavones is associated with lower sperm concentration⁹. Such foods include tofu, textured vegetable proteins (used in vegetarian foods often to imitate meat), tempeh, soy milk, soybean oil and soy sauce.
   
• Selenium. To give your man the best fighting chance of getting you pregnant and yourself the best chance of a successful pregnancy, make sure you both get plenty of selenium, an antioxidant that's found in nuts, cereals, meat, fish, and eggs⁶.
  
  Essential fatty acids are essential for healthy hormone functioning and for the development of healthy sperm and for the baby's brain development. These essential fats are found in oily fish, nuts and seeds.
   
• Vitamin E is an antioxidant, which has been proven to boost both male and female fertility, helping to increase fertilisation rate when given to men and to reduce the decline of ovulation due to age in women⁶.
   
• Vitamin C is another antioxidant that improves fertility in both men and women, by improving the quality of sperm quality and improving the success rate of women undergoing IVF⁶.