Unexplained Infertility and Your Diet
Unexplained infertility is on the rise and many couples are faced with tremendous challenges in conceiving their children. Infertility is a subject that rests close to my heart as I struggle with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome – a condition marked by anovulation and difficulty conceiving; indeed, I was told that I would never be able to conceive a child without serious medical intervention; fortunately, we were blessedly surprised by a beautiful chid born four years ago. I still struggle with anovulation and PCOS, so I understand the sting of infertility and a body that just won’t function the way you want it to. While the cause of the infertility I experience has a name, between 10% and 15% of are left with no real explanation for their inability to conceive. It seems that diet may play a strong role in infertility just as it plays a role in other challenges to health and well-being. Whether you’re currently trying to conceive or struggling with unexplained infertility, paying a little extra attention to your diet won’t hurt.
Gluten and Unexplained Infertility
The incidence of gluten intolerance or celiac disease is higher in women experiencing unexplained infertility than among the general population1. Gluten intolerance is not only related to unexplained infertility, but also to recurrent miscarriage2, and Intolerance to gluten, often undiagnosed, contributes to nutrient malabsorption as those suffering from the intolerance do not readily absorb micronutrients like iron, zinc and folic acid which are critical to reproduction3. Some researchers recommend that all women with unexplained infertility be routinely screened for gluten intolerance1. Strict adherence to a gluten-free diet usually resolves symptoms including unexplained infertility and recurrent miscarriage2. Gluten is a protein found in various grains including wheat, spelt, barley and rye.
If you’re experiencing trouble getting pregnant, consider asking your physician to screen you for celiac disease. Alternatively, go on a gluten-free diet for a trial period for a few months. Give up processed foods in which allergens may hide as well as breads, cereals, most noodles and other sources of gluten. Instead, you can rely on pseudocereals which are naturally gluten-free such as quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth as well as gluten-free cereal grains like rice, corn and certified gluten-free oats.
Skim, Part-skim Milk, Low-fat Dairy Products and Anovulatory Infertility
There’s a big push for women to consume skim and low-fat dairy products while eschewing butter, cream and whole milk. Yet, this very advice might be limiting the reproductive health of women. Fat, including butterfat, is an important source of fat soluble vitamins – the very nutrients that are vital to the reproductive process. Skim and part-skim dairy products lack butterfat and the life-giving nutrients it contains. A recent study of over 18,000 women found that skim and low-fat dairy products may actually increase the risk of anovulatory infertility, while full-fat dairy products actually decrease the risk of infertility4. Similarly the same researchers found that women who adhered to a “fertility diet” that included high fat dairy products experienced more favorable outcomes than those who did not adhere to such a diet5.
Instead of consuming skim and part-skim dairy products, enjoy the real thing complete with all its natural, vitamin-rich butterfat. Note that the butterfat of cows fed on fresh pasture serves as a richer source of micronutrients than that of cows fed on grain in concentrated animal feeding operations. Ghee (see sources), butter, cream, whole milk, whole milk yogurt and other full fat dairy products are delicious and may be particularly helpful for women who are trying to conceive.
Soy and Infertility
Soy worms its way into our diets in countless ways: as a filler, as a thickener, as an emulsifier, as a preservative and, ostensibly, as a feel-good health food. Soy is a potent source of xenoestrogens, or plant hormones that can have a remarkably strong effect on the hormones within our body – including those very hormones that drive our fertility and reproductive function. Soy isoflavones can create potent, adverse effects on both the male and female reproductive systems – particularly in their early development6. Genistein may harbor particularly deleterious effects by disrupting ovarian function7; moreover, genistein and other phytoestrogens of soy origin such as daidzein inhibit the production of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) which is a hormone that plays a critical role in human reproduction8. Interestingly, removing soy from the diet may has improved the outcome of infertility in women in at least isolated incidences9.
If you’re struggling with infertility soy-based foods and foods containing soy might be the first place to look when it comes to your diet. Avoid supplements and health foods that are rich in soy – particularly soy isoflavones. Additionally, scan labels and avoid foods that list soy, soy lecithin, soy protein, soy flour, texturized vegetable protein (TVP) – taking special care to avoid soy milks and soy-based meat substitutes. Instead, enjoy full fat dairy products and the meat from naturally raised animals. If you’re a mother already, take great care to breastfeed your baby and avoid use of soy-based infant formulas (read more about soy and infant formula).
Refined Sugar and Infertility
No matter which way you look, refined sugar is bad news for your health and your the health of your reproductive system is not excluded. Intake of refined sugar creates a vicious cycle when it comes to the inner workings of your body’s hormonal and reproductive system. Consuming refined sweets causes your blood sugar to spike, which then causes your body to produce insulin and, over time, when your body is consistently exposed to high levels of insulin, it may become insulin resistant. Following a low-glycemic diet that limits consumption of refined sugars may improve fertility and pregnancy outcome5, 10. Sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption plays a particularly devastating role in polycystic ovarian syndrome. Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome may see improvements in their fertility by increasing protein and restricting or eliminating simple, refined sugars11.
Instead of relying on sweeteners, tasty and addictive as they may be, simply learn to enjoy foods that are naturally sweet, but also low on the glycemic index. Fruits and very limited amounts of natural sweeteners, if any at all, may satisfy a sweet tooth without negatively impacting fertility.
Coffee, Soft Drinks and Infertility
America has a love affair with caffeine: we love our coffee, our tea, our soft drinks and our energy drinks, but caffeine negatively impacts our health. Caffeine-rich foods and beverages may impair fertility. Indeed, women who habitually consume caffeine may increase their risk infertility and may experience delayed conception12. Furthermore, researchers have concluded that reducing caffeine intake may be a primary avenue for improving infertility13.
As hard as it may be, ditching your morning latté may very well improve your ability to become pregnant. Instead of relying on caffeine-rich coffees and soft drinks, switch to mineral-rich herbal tisanes and infusions in the morning and kick your soda habit by trying naturally probiotic, fizzy beverages like water kefir.
In the end, if you’re suffering from infertility, take care of your body so that it might become ready to nourish and nurture the growth of your future children. Looking to your diet, and eliminating potentially problematic foods, might very well be an affordable and effective route to take to prepare your body to conceive.
Sources
1. Pellicano et al. Women and celiac disease: association with unexplained infertility. Minerva Medica. 2007. June.
2. Tursi et al. Effect of gluten-free diet on pregnancy outcome in celiac disease patients with with recurrent miscarriage. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 2008. November.
3. Stazi et al. Reproductive aspects of celiac disease. 2005.
4. Chavarro et al. A prospective study of dairy foods intake and anovulatory infertility. Human Reproduction. 2007. May.
5. Chavarro et al. Diet and lifestyle in the prevention of ovulatory disorder infertility. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007. November.
6. Jefferson et al. Disruption of the developing female reproductive system by phytoestrogens: genistein as an example. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2007. July.
7. Jefferson et al. Disruption of the female reproductive system by the phytoestrogen genistein. Reproductive Toxicology. 2007. April – May.
8. Jeschke et al. Effects of phytoestrogens genistein daidzein on production of human chorionc gonadotropin in term trophoblast cells in vitro. Gynecological Endocrinology. 2005. September.
9. Chandareddy et al. Adverse effects of phytoestrogens on reproductive health: a report of three cases. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2008. May.
10. Chavorro et al. A prospective study of dietary carbohydrate quantity and quality in relation to risk of ovulatory infertility. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009. January.
11. Kasim-Karakas et al. Relation of nutrients and hormones in polycystic ovarian syndrome. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007. March.
12. Derbyshire et al. Habitual caffeine intake in women of child-bearing age. Journal of Human Nutrition and Diatetics. 2008. April.
13. Silva et al. Impact of lifestyle choices on female infertility. Journal of Reproductive Medicine. 1999. March.
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This is great! Thank you so much for putting this together. Now I can send this to friends who I know need to read this. It is so hard to get people to listen to you when you want to help… especially when you KNOW what you are talking about
)
Never had a problem with it, but then again I steered clear of a lot of those foods. That said, I know some others who could benefit from this.
Thanks for pulling together all the info and sharing it.
I think you are so right. I struggled with infertility for most of my 30s, with surgical treatment for non-symptomatic endometriosis and fibroids midway through. We managed to have one child, for which we are grateful, but still, it was a long stressful, uncertain period of time. I thought I was very knowledgeable about nutrition back then (I swallowed too much of the Conventional Wisdom about fat & modern foods), but I now realize I was pretty clueless about what our bodies really needed for optimal fertility. By the time I knew more about nutrition for fertility, we felt we were too old to resume our efforts to have another child. Back then I had no idea that both of us carry gluten sensitivity and/or celiac genes, that we were probably iodine and fat soluble vitamin deficient (I have since been diagnosed as hypothyroid), and my blood glucose regulation is impaired. Who knows what effect a gluten-free, low carb, and iodine-rich diet might have had on our fertility or if we weren’t Vit D deficient? We just didn’t know.
The worst part is I probably would have been resistant to this information back then, because it was so contrary to what I thought I *knew*. The CW was reinforced by my healthcare providers.
Lately I’m sharing fertility nutrition with a close relative who is struggling to have a child, and she’s sometimes resistant to the views I present to her and reluctant to adopt my recommendations to consume certain foods, which sometimes frustrates me (like I once did, she thinks she eats quite well).
But I realize that it was *because* my struggle with infertility, hypothyroidism, and glucose intolerance (and how poorly managed they were by the so-called experts in my healthcare system) drew back the curtain and exposed the inadequacies of the CW, that my mind was finally open to the new information. I had to be receptive to the contrary view. Unfortunately, the timing was all wrong for our fertility efforts.
We need to teach more about optimal nutrition for fertility to young women, long before they consider starting a family, long before they think that they’ll always be fertile when they want to be.
Wow! Its like you wrote this post for me. I am currently on an anti-inflammation diet prescribed by my naturopath. I decided to go to a naturopath after getting nothing from my doctor but, “use ovulation kits.” So for those that don’t know, an anti-inflammation diet is basically what the above post describes; it means cutting out alcohol, caffeine, pork, potatoes, tomatoes, dairy, wheat, corn, and a few other things. It means eating a diet free of processed foods and choosing organic and hormone free foods where possible.
I’ve been doing this diet for the last month in the hopes of helping my female issues lessen and help me to conceive. I have the unexplained infertility you speak of in your post and I feel awful most days, especially around that special time. I have always tried to eat right, but I’m finding some of my ideas about what is good for you is maybe not so good for you. I have been trying to make small changes here and there and going on this diet has helped me with the process of choosing foods that nourish.
My husband had horrible prostate issues when I met him, to the point where the doctors were talking about removing it. Around that time, his sister was diagnosed with Celiac. He was tested, but it came back negative. After some research, we found you can be sensitive to gluten without having Celiac. He has been gluten free for 4 years now and he didn’t have to have his prostate removed. I think that is pretty amazing.
I’ve read stories about moms that have kids with ADHD that can’t be treated or the meds make the kids groggy and not themselves, then the moms find out their kids have allergies to foods like dairy (mainstream) or gluten or eggs. I firmly believe the foods available in the stores most restaurants make us obese, sick, and cause issues that seem to have no root cause – and then we are put on drugs to solve it.
I was supposed to go on the anti-inflammation diet for only a month (as a way to detox & determine any food sensitivies), I am planning on staying on it longer because I am feeling so much better. I was already mostly gluten free because of my husband, but I now plan on going fully gluten free.
Jenny, thanks for this post. I have been struggling with not feeling well for so long as well as having the infertility issues. I think it all goes back to food… and I feel I’m learning this late, like Anna expressed in her comment.
What a great post! I didnt realize gluten intolerance can lead to infertility!
This is so interesting! A must read for all women.
Oh, the sadness of the low fat diet. If I could just eliminate that phrase from America’s vocabulary, I’d be so happy. Even though research is proving otherwise, I still constantly see admonitions to eat “low fat” everywhere–magazines, even Dr. Oz! I’m so glad you mentioned low fat dairy being an issue here, and I remember those studies coming out. Well, why can’t we get that message out better and apply it to all people?! We need lots of the right fats!!!
From all of my reading, difficulty conceiving is frequently associated with food folate deficiency and the MTHFR polymorphism in many mamas.
Migraines and PCOS are also associated with folate deficiency and hormonal imbalances. Many mamas could be helped with 5-MTHF, which is the closest supplement to food folate. Lentils, greens, liver, asparagus, beans, romaine lettuce, broccoli, beets are excellent sources of food folate (not folic acid which is a synthetic supplement).
Here is a basic explanation about MTHFR and pregnancy: http://lifebalanceinfertilitycoach.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/the-mthfr-tutorial-genetic-mutation-and-cause-of-miscarriage/
We’ve been doing a lot of research regarding food and pregnancy/nursing complications on Heal Thyself, since many of the mamas posting there have difficulties in these areas: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/
Pat Robinson
Important information….thank you.
I have read about his before. I think it is important information to have!
Healing Our Children (By Ramiel Nagel) and
Traditional Foods Are Our Best Medicines (Ronald F. Schmid, ND)
are great for a journey to self healing through nutrition. These books specifically discuss fertility and nutrition through whole foods.
Good stuff!
Of course, we must also not forget the all-too-common problem of hypothyroidism, no matter how mild. This epidemic can also cause and mimic all the above stated health problems.
I really appreciate this article, Jenny, because my husband and I have also been struggling with infertility for five years. Fortunately, we too were blessed beyond belief with an amazing son nearly nine years ago…it was during a time when I was selfish and really didn’t think I ever wanted to be a mother at all…I just wanted to be married and “free to do what I wanted”. That all changed when we got the surprise of our young lives that we were going to be parents. I don’t know what I’d do without my son, he’s so incredible and special to us. I wish that somehow I could get pregnant again and give him a brother or sister, but I am now 40 and I’ve been on a completely traditional, natural diet with all the things you have talked about in your article, and I’ve done many natural “treatments” as well such as various detoxes, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, lymphatic massage, homeopathics, and others with no change in my ability to conceive. I have never been diagnosed with PCOS, but I do have a benign large cyst (as well as smaller cysts in both breasts) in one of my breasts and to my understanding, those things are similar to PCOS and can be an indication of a infertility problem in the body as well. I had many health problems for years and finally resolved most of them with diet and lifestyle – especially from eating traditional foods. The one remaining (infertility) is that which I don’t think I will ever be able to overcome. But I sincerely hope your informative article will be of help to other women who are struggling and are unaware of how dangerous the foods you have mentioned can be when trying to conceive. Thanks for your contributions!!
Jenny, What a great and educational article! Before really working on a traditional diet, It took me 8 months to conceive my first. I freaked! After having my first and learning about Weston Price and changing my diet, I conceived my second in the first month! This is encouraging and something I’ll definitely be sharing. Thanks!
Diana
Great post!
Absolutely wonderful post! Thank you. I suffered from ammenorhea and anovulation while TTC both of my daughters. While TTC the first, I went 6 months with no cycle. The second daughter, I had to use progesterone and Clomid to help me have a cycle and ovulate. Since eating a more traditional foods diet and doing a faithful yoga practice, I have been having a regular cycle for 3 months now. I’ve been eating more TF for a year.
Great article and great website! I forwarded the article to my dad who is an OB/GYN. This is really a must read for every woman and everyone who knows a woman!
I have struggled with infertility for years. We were blessed to have a son in 2004. After trying to conceive for several years afterward we were finally sucessful and I carried our daughter to full term. She passed away due to stillbirth hours before our scheduled c-section. It has been 9 months since her passing and I have yet to ovulate. I wanted to thank you very much for this informative article and also I would like to suggest a book to ladies who are also struggling with infertility. It is called Fertility Foods by Dr. Jeremy Groll, a reproductive endocrinologist. I believe that his book and the changes I made prior to conceiving our precious angel helped me to take my fertility into my own hands and ultimately conceive. It can seem to be a daunting task to make dietary changes but as I like to say “there is nothing to it but to do it.” This article has inspired me to get with the program and make the necessary changes for my reproductive health. Bless you all in your journies and thank you again for the article.
Amy -
Thank you so much for your warm and heart-felt comment and for sharing your experiences. I really hope that this site, in some way, can help people who face struggles that we have. There is no sting or struggle that can parallel infertility or the loss of a child.
Take care and thank you. I will check out that book – I’m going to order it from the library as soon as I can.
- Jenny
Thank you SO much. I have heard before that gluten intolerance can cause infertility but it didn’t click until now. My grandmother has celiac disease, my mom, aunt and grandmothers cousin all suspect they have it also. I know I have problems when I eat processed wheat, but I don’t with fresh ground whole wheat, so I didn’t think I was that bad. I’m going to try at least 6 months GF to see if that helps. (I have been doing everything else for 2 years.)
We have been trying to conceive for 3 years.