The most effective way to enhance your fertility is through having a healthy body. Nutrition plays a part in efforts to conceive for both men and women. Healthy eating invests in the wellness of both your body and your fertility.
However, there is no specific research that supports the idea that specific foods will increase your changes of conceiving. So the focus is on eating healthy overall versus trying to eat something specific.
There is one exception which involves eating zinc is related to ovulation in fertility in women and related to the production of semen and testosterone for men. Oysters is a food substance that has high levels of zinc. It appears that most studies note that a deficiency in zinc has a negative impact on conception, but that higher concentrations of zinc don’t raise fertility probabilities. Subsequently, you should maintain the recommended dietary allowance of zinc as 15 mg to keep your system functioning appropriately.
Folic Acid: The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that women of childbearing age obtain 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folate or folic acid each day. Folic acid is a B vitamin that lowers a baby’s chances of getting a neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. A history of neural tube defects may lead your doctor to raise the amount of folic acid you take. Folic acid occurs naturally in dark green leafy vegetables (i.e. spinach), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals. Prenatal vitamins can all be used as supplements to healthy eating to ensure that you get the 800mcg of folic acid.
Calcium: Calcium is found in foods such as sardines, rice, cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt, canned salmon, and cheese. For women who are trying to conceive, the recommendation is to get at least 1,000 mgs (three 8 oz glasses of skim milk) of calcium a day.
Supplements & Vitamins: Prenatal vitamins are often used and sometimes recommended to supplement healthy eating. The priority is focused on eating well-balanced meals, but taking a prenatal vitamin is one way to help ensure that you and your baby are getting the nutrients that you need.
Caffeine: It is important to wean yourself off of caffeine (including chocolate), because research has shown that more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day may reduce fertility by 27 percent. Caffeine also impedes upon the body’s ability to absorb iron and calcium.
Remove: Artificial sweeteners, alcohol, recreational drugs, and cigarettes all have the potential of harming your soon to be conceived baby.