by Christina Swigart, M,S., L.N.

Infertility is a growing problem for many people in our country; maybe you are one of them.  As a mother, I am grateful that I have not had to face fertility problems. However, as a nutritionist, I see so many people struggling to have a family that it breaks my heart.  Too often, people are told they cannot get pregnant on their own and that their only option is treatment; that is just not true! What really frustrates me is that people don’t realize that there are many things they can do before turning to reproductive medicine. If there is any advice I would give couples with fertility problems, it is to explore their options carefully before making the huge investment in medications and treatments. One of the options most overlooked is nutrition.

Now, I am not guaranteeing that everyone who addresses all of the nutritional links to fertility is going to have success, but it works for many people. At Nutritional Weight & Wellness, we have helped dozens of couples become parents. Our greatest reward is meeting the babies when the happy parents return to show them off!

In fertility, like many other health epidemics facing our nation, there is a huge disconnect between what we put in our mouths and how that affects our bodies.  If your body is deficient in certain nutrients, you are going to experience biochemical imbalances.  Different processes will begin to slow down and will not function normally until those imbalances are addressed. 

So, what can you do nutritionally?  It really does start with the basics.  Are you living off processed, convenience foods or are you filling your diet with plenty of real whole foods that are rich in the nutrients and necessary to keep your body balanced?  Do you have a history of low or no fat eating?  Are you getting unneeded sugars on a regular basis?  Have you ever been told that fatty acid deficiencies greatly affect your hormones and your ability to become pregnant?  Did you know that hormones can be rebalanced without taking synthetic hormone medications?  These are some of things that need to be considered when addressing fertility naturally.

What are you eating?  Making sure that the foods you are putting in your mouth are nourishing your body is one of the most important things you can do.  If you are consuming foods that are full of sugar, chemicals, preservatives, artificial ingredients, and unhealthy fats, you are undermining your efforts to become pregnant.  People just do not realize the negative impact this has.  Even drinking one can of soda per day can reduce a couple’s fertility! We cannot expect our body to do the things it should when we do not give it the tools it needs.  Likewise, people do not realize how powerful real, healthy foods are.  In order to start repairing imbalances, you need to be sure you are getting real proteins, real carbohydrates and real fats four to five times per day.

Proteins are essential for hormone balance and healthy pregnancies.  People are most successful with fertility when they get the majority of their protein from animal sources.  I have seen a number of women struggle to get pregnant when they rely on vegetarian proteins.  You also need to be sure that you avoid preservatives and flavorings in proteins, such as nitrates and MSG.  If you can find grass-fed meats and wild caught fish, you will not only be getting good protein, but also essential fatty acids to reduce inflammation and balance hormones.  Healthy protein choices would include chicken, beef, turkey, organic free-range eggs, cheese, and fish.  If you have only been eating protein once or twice per day, increasing your protein is a place to start.

Carbohydrates are necessary, but it is so important to choose the right ones.  Yes, vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates, which means you don’t have to fill up on grains.  Eating a lot of cereal, bagels, and pasta is going to raise your blood sugar and insulin levels, resulting in excess estrogen in the body.  When estrogen levels get too high, your progesterone and testosterone levels drop (in men, too) and it is difficult to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy.  Also, sugar produces a lot of inflammation and insulin resistance in the body, which play a role in every health problem, including PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and infertility.  Fill your meals and snacks with lots of fresh vegetables and smaller amounts of fruits. Choose vegetables such as sweet potatoes, wild rice, and squash for your starches. Organic fruits and vegetables are ideal, if possible.  Besides keeping your blood sugar stable, vegetables provide you with a wealth of vitamins and minerals that are essential to your health.

When it comes to fats, there has been a lot of misinformation. I believe the misinformation about fats and avoidance of healthy fats have been major factors in creating the significant hormonal imbalances present in both women and men.  Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are all made from healthy fat and cholesterol—exactly the things that we have been told for years to keep at a minimum in our diets.  If avoiding fats is something you have been doing, you need to begin adding fats back into your diet.  To ensure you are getting adequate amounts of fat, make sure you eat some at every meal or snack.  I have seen some women become pregnant after adding healthy fats back into their diets along with a couple of key nutrients.  Fats to include would be olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, butter, cream, coconut oil, and olives.  For some people, adding fat to their diets is hard to wrap their mind around, but when you look at the body’s biochemistry, it makes sense.

In addition, when I work with people struggling with fertility, I recommend a few supplements to help them rebalance their biochemistry sooner. 

·         An activated omega-6 fatty acid called GLA is at the top of my list.  This fatty acid is essential to hormone balance in the body and really works.  I prefer using borage seed oil for the source of the GLA. 

·         I also frequently recommend adding omega-3 fish oil to address inflammation, especially if the person is dealing with PCOS.

·         Natural progesterone cream is often necessary, especially for those women who struggle with maintaining pregnancy.  Many women who struggle with fertility have high estrogen and low progesterone, which is a big part of the problem. (That is why synthetic hormones are used as a treatment. However, synthetic hormones have side effects that natural methods are not going to cause.)

So, how important is nutrition to fertility? It’s critical. If you are having fertility problems, nutrition is a great place to start for both women and men. Support your body by eating real, whole foods that balance your biochemistry and provide the nutrients essential to fertility. I understand that this may sound overwhelming at first. If you would like help, nutritionists specializing in nutritional therapy can start you on the road to pregnancy with a personal fertility plan. I wish you the best and hope that you make nutrition part of your strategy for fertility.