Foods That Help Boosting Fertility

When most of us think of fertility treatment, we imagine sophisticated diagnostic testing, powerful medications, and high-tech procedures. Choosing certain foods and drinks as a way to influence your ability to become pregnant sounds more like folktale wisdom than medical advice.

COULD YOU BE PREGNANT? 4 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms No wonder, then, that in a society blessed with many medical advances, we sometimes overlook the natural tools we have to help us with our fertility and pregnancy experiences.

Yet, science now is coming full circle to take another look at the role nutrition may play in improving fertility and supporting healthy pregnancies. While many women don`t start getting serious about eating healthfully until after they`ve become pregnant, there`s increasing evidence that diet matters long before conception.

1. Watch your weight Unhealthy food intake - whether too much or too little - has been recognized as a contributing factor to infertility for many years.

Too little or too much weight can make your reproductive cycle irregular. That causes you to ovulate only now and then, or not at all.

2. Foods to improve ovulation If weight isn`t a problem, but you`re experiencing infertility, will changing your dietary habits help you eat your way to motherhood?

Recently, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health published findings from a study of more than 18,000 women who were followed over eight years to see if their diets influenced their ability to become pregnant.

3. Building a healthy baby nest Let`s face it: Everyone knows women whose food choices are awful, but who have no problem getting pregnant. Likewise, there are plenty of women eating healthy meals consistently, yet struggling with infertility. It`s not clear how what we eat can determine how easily we will get pregnant.

Despite that, Johnson adds, "It makes sense to eat a healthy diet while you are trying to get pregnant. It may increase your odds of getting pregnant, but, beyond that, it nourishes your body so that it is at its healthiest the moment that you do get pregnant.

4. Consume choline You may never have heard of it, but choline is a nutrient with the potential to reduce harmful gene effects that may result in birth defects. It also is important for brain function, among other benefits. Most women don`t get enough choline; many prenatal vitamins don`t even contain it.

Egg yolks are rich in choline; only beef liver contains more. Cauliflower, the highest choline - containing veggie, has 25 percent of the choline found in one egg yolk.

5. Avoid Fish Don`t eat sushi or any raw fish. Avoid fish that have high mercury content due to their environment - including swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and shark.