Last Updated on August 17, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford
When it comes to fertility, sadly, not everyone is as lucky as those that manage to conceive quickly. Sometimes, it can take a little longer to become pregnant. Luck and timing are just two of the reasons for that, but the biggest concern is lower fertility on the side of either the female or the male. The negative effects of lower fertility on the chances of conceiving are obvious and enormous.
For that reason, when people become aware of a lower fertility issue, they try to do all they can to improve it. Food has been seen as a good way to accomplish that, and so, here, we look at five foods to boost fertility.
We are focusing on women in particular in this article, and, though we will look at a whole range of foods, we will also zone in on how seeds support fertility. Seeds have recently been seen to have some positive effects on improving a woman’s ability to conceive naturally or with the help of IVF and other treatments.Â
Foods That Can Boost Fertility In Women
The foods below are those that have been seen to help improve fertility in women for a variety of reasons. While just adding one or two to your diet can help, adding all of them to your diet in addition to a wide range of fruit and vegetables has been seen to support conception. While it is not a 100% proven method for getting pregnant, it will never hurt to try to include them in a healthy diet anyway.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds have recently been shown to help both male and female fertility. For females, it is the high amount of folate and selenium in these little nuggets of goodness that can help with a woman’s ability to conceive.Â
The reason is that selenium can help a woman’s body support healthy follicular fluid, which is the fluid that surrounds her eggs. In terms of folate, it has been seen that folate can help improve the quality of eggs which helps in both conception and, later on, in pregnancy, as well as after the birth.Â
Related: 25+ Different Types Of Sunflowers
Figs
Figs have been found to be an aphrodisiac, but that is not why they are included here. And while even the Ancient Greeks ate them to improve libido, research has shown that it is the high amount of iron in figs that can help with fertility issues in females.
Iron, like folate, is crucial in the production of healthy eggs. It has also been seen to help improve ovulation which thereby increases a woman’s chances of conceiving.
Lentils
While figs have been seen to be an aphrodisiac, lentils are more likely to be seen in quite the opposite way. However, putting that aside, they can help support and even boost a female’s fertility as they, too, have a high amount of iron in them.
While this benefits fertility and ovulation, iron can also help prevent anovulation. Anovulation is when an egg of low quality is produced, which impedes conception. Women who suffer from low iron levels have been seen to be more predisposed to anovulation.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens should be part of any healthy and varied diet. Spinach, arugula, kale, chard, and all their dark green siblings are such superfoods that they can help a person’s body function better in a number of ways. Which is part of the point.
For, by improving overall health, a woman can also help her reproductive health, too. In terms of fertility, specifically, leafy greens are great because they are, again, high in folate. They are also full of antioxidants which can help a woman who is trying to get pregnant stay free from sickness which can add stress to the body.
Dairy
Dairy, for a long time, was often seen as something to avoid as part of a healthy diet thanks to its high-fat content and subsequent high-calorie count. However, research is increasingly showing that full-fat dairy is better to consume than the fat-free versions of cheese, milk or yogurt.
When it comes to fertility, the full-fat varieties are particularly important as women who consumed them in comparison to those that only ate low-fat dairy products, were found to have better ovulation.
Foods To Avoid To Improve Fertility
While upping your intake of some types of food, it can be highly beneficial to reduce your intake of these listed below—if not eradicate them entirely.
Alcohol
Reducing alcohol is a very good idea when trying to improve fertility. First, if you do fall pregnant and are still drinking (unaware that you are pregnant), alcohol can have detrimental effects on fetal development.
However, even if you are not pregnant, the strain that alcohol can put on your body as it tries to process it can have a negative effect on your overall health, and therefore, reproductive health, too.
Sugar
Like alcohol, sugar can have a highly negative effect on your body. It can cause you to gain weight in the long term. In the short term, the blood sugar spikes that your body experiences is yet another strain you can do without.
Increased blood sugar can negatively affect the reproductive system as a result. But that doesn’t mean all sugar is bad for you, as Carbohydrates are also broken down to be used as sugars. Though there are people who decide to try a low carb fertility diet.Â
Boosting Fertility—Key Takeaways
Eating well is something that all doctors and healthcare professionals would champion to help improve overall physical and mental health. However, the foods listed above that can boost fertility do have high amounts of nutrients in them that are seen to help the reproductive system in particular.
Increasing your intake of them may not be a surefire way to get pregnant, but it shouldn’t do you any harm either. Do seek the help of your doctor if you are experiencing fertility problems, as they will be able to take your specific circumstances into consideration and draw up a treatment plan for you that should help aid conception and pregnancy.
