We all understand that a healthy diet is important for our overall health, but does it impact our fertility? The answer is yes. A diet rich in nutrients can support the quality of eggs and sperm, as well as menstrual cycle regularity for ovulation, fertilization and implantation.
Can a Nutritionist Help Me with Fertility?
A Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Nutritionist is a health professional with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and food science. Not all RD’s specialize in fertility support. Just like specialists for certain health concerns (e.g. cardiologist for heart health), dietitians also can spend extra time growing their education and experience in particular areas. An RD specializing in fertility and perinatal nutrition can be an important piece of the puzzle when trying to optimize nutrient intake to support our bodies with fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding and postpartum recovery and healing. This can be helpful if you are in the early stages of family planning or are undergoing fertility treatments.
Nutrition for Fertility
There are different components that make up a healthy diet. Our bodies all have different needs based on many factors like genetics, mental/emotional health, presence or absence of health conditions, our physical environment, the movement we engage in daily … just to name a few. Therefore, it is important to have individualized support and recommendations for nutrition based on our current dietary intake, our accessibility to food, our individual preferences and the ease in which we can adopt and incorporate certain changes.
Optimal Macronutrient Balance for Fertility
The foods that we eat are sources of Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat and Fibre. How we balance our meals and snacks with these components and the types and amounts of each have an impact on our fertility as they can impact our blood glucose regulation, sex hormone production, menstrual cycle regularity and egg and sperm health. Learning how to eat a balance of Macronutrients that is right for us based on our individual needs and preferences can help us to feel confident that we are getting adequate nutrition to support fertility.
Key Micronutrients for Fertility
Micronutrients are nutrients that we need in much smaller quantities in comparison to Macronutrients. We can think of Macronutrients as the fuel to keep our engine going and Micronutrients as the oil to keep everything running smoothly. The following are a list of Micronutrients that are important for fertility in both males and females. Each has a description of its importance and a short list of the highest dietary sources.
Vitamin B12
A vitamin that is essential to a process called methylation which is important for the creation of new DNA, proteins and lipids. This can be very important for egg and sperm quality, as well is important for the prevention of neural tube defects in the first 5-8 weeks of pregnancy. It is only found in animal foods. Sources: Clams, liver, octopus, oysters, ground beef, milk, eggs, poultry.
Folate (Vitamin B9)
Similar roles as Vitamin B12. Sources: Liver, lentils, spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, chickpeas, black beans, sunflower seeds, peanuts, beets, broccoli, “enriched or fortified” grain products or flour, avocado, artichoke heart, kidney beans, egg yolks, seaweed (wakame, kelp).
Choline
Is a B-vitamin like compound vital to folate metabolism and methylation and has many of the same roles that Vitamin B12 and Folate have. It is found in both animal and plant foods but is most concentrated in animal foods. Sources: Egg yolks, liver, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pinto beans, quinoa, yogurt, shiitake mushrooms, peanut butter, almonds, soy.
Vitamin A
Is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential to fertility. It plays an important role in progesterone production, development of the corpus luteum and implantation. It is also important for testosterone and sperm production. In addition, it supports the thyroid, immune system function, digestive health as well as red blood cell production. The animal-based (retinol) and the plant-based (carotenoids: beta carotene) are utilized at different rates. We need sources of both in our diets to get adequate amounts. As this is a “fat-soluble” vitamin it is found in animal fats and requires fat in the diet for us to absorb. Sources: Liver, meat, full-fat dairy ( 2% MF or higher), seafood, eggs, carrots, pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cooked spinach, leafy greens, red bell peppers, mango, apricot.
Iron
A mineral important for thyroid hormone production and conversion which regulates the menstrual cycle and ovulation. It is also required to produce hemoglobin which is a protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body. It is important to have good iron status prior to pregnancy as the increase in blood volume and increased thyroid hormone production increases requirements in pregnancy. There is heme iron (animal sources) and non-heme iron (plant sources) that are absorbed at different rates. The recommendations for iron are higher in vegans and vegetarians due to the lower rate of absorption from plant-based sources. Sources: Clams, oysters, liver, beef, poultry, salmon, legumes, pumpkin seeds, cacao, cooked leafy greens, firm tofu, spirulina algae.
Zinc
A mineral in our diet that is also required for conversion of thyroid hormone. As well as egg and sperm quality and promotion of normal ovulation. The recommendations for zinc are higher in vegans and vegetarians due to the lower rate of absorption from plant-based sources. Sources: Oysters, clams, mussels, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, red meat.
Selenium
A mineral required for thyroid hormone conversion and the synthesis of DNA, immune function and detoxification and supports ovarian function and egg & sperm quality. Sources: Brazil nuts (content varies widely), seafood, fish, eggs, sunflower seeds.
Iodine
A mineral required to make thyroid hormone. Each thyroid hormone molecule contains iodine which regulates the menstrual cycle and ovulation. Sources: seaweed, seafood (oysters, clams, mussels), fish, eggs, dairy products, iodized salt.
What if my Diet Does Not Include Some of These Foods?
You may have heard that a prenatal vitamin should be started up to 2-3 months prior to conception. This advice is to ensure that the key nutrients required for fertility and pregnancy are built up in the body. With that said, a prenatal vitamin can help you to meet your requirements for these nutrients if the diet is lacking. Unfortunately, not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. There can be variations in quantity, quality and types of vitamins, mineral and
antioxidants. This is why it can be valuable to have an RD who specializes in nutrition and fertility to assess your dietary intake and the vitamin(s) you are currently taking and give personalized recommendations for diet and supplements.
Lifestyle Factors and Fertility
It is not just all about the diet. Lifestyle factors like movement, sleep, stress levels and mental/emotional health can all have impacts on fertility. At the end of the day, it is not about being perfect or strictly adhering to certain rules or routines, it is about having daily practices that you are able to maintain during your fertility journey and beyond. Other lifestyle factors such as alcohol use, cannabis use, and smoking can also be detrimental to your body’s health and your fertility. It can be helpful to start exploring your relationship to these in your life and experiment with building different health promoting habits and behaviours.
Written by:Megan Hoffman, Registered Dietitian