Friday, May 29, 2009

Fertility & Pregnancy




Every women needs to understand how the reproductive system works- not only to boost her fertility, but also to give her baby the best start in life. The fertile days are days when there is a possibility for conceiving. However, within your fertile period - the window of opportunity for conception - there are days of "peak fertility". Identifying these peak times, and plan accordingly, can help maximize your chances of becoming pregnant.

Fertility and diet go hand-in-hand. There are certain foods that can help boost a woman's chance of becoming pregnant, while other foods can harm her chance of conceiving.


Protein consumption (derived from animals or vegetables)

Fertility could be reduced by a direct toxic effect of protein breakdown products. Excess rumen degradable protein is commonly associated with reduced fertility, but similar effects are produced by diets that contain excess rumen undegradable protein. According to a test conducted by The Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, women eating over 30% protein may have trouble conceiving. It was found those on the high protein diet had four times the amount of ammonium in their reproductive tracts than those on a normal diet.
Women who are trying to conceive should limit their protein intake to around 20% of their diet. Too much animal protein is also linked to lower fertility.


The ratio of mono-unsaturated to trans fats in diet

A recent study at the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that women with fertility problems, especially those who aren't ovulating, tend to consume higher amounts of Trans fats then women without infertility issues. The results of the study suggest that women who ingest a mere 2% of total calories from Trans fats instead of healthier monounsaturated fats doubled their risk of infertility. To cut trans fats out of the diet completely, women should avoid all foods that list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in their ingredients.


Carbohydrates consumption (including fiber intake and dietary glycemic index)

Choosing breads with whole grains will help to ensure that you get enough fiber. Whole grains also contain nutrients that help to stimulate total body health. Recent advances have shown that a balanced, low GI (Glycaemic Index) diet may have a very significant, beneficial effect on many of the symptoms related with infertility. At least 75 per cent of obese patients with PCOS have a condition known as "insulin resistance", in which levels of insulin are elevated. Insulin is the hormone that controls the storage of fat in our bodies, so it is virtually impossible for patients who have a high level to diet successfully by conventional methods. Reducing the level of insulin not only causes rapid and sustainable weight loss, it also produces widespread, beneficial effects on general health - reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and lowering high cholesterol levels. Even a relatively modest reduction in weight has been shown to regularise ovarian function and increase fertility. Restricting the amount of refined carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, rice and cakes) - is highly effective in weight-loss management. High GI foods (such as refined bread, pasta and rice) cause high levels of sugar and, therefore, high levels of insulin. Low GI foods (meat, cheese, eggs and pulses) stimulate much lower levels of insulin.


Physical activity

Research indicates that light-to-moderate physical activities are associated with most favourable health outcomes. Intense activities, however, may actually have detrimental effects, including suppression of reproductive function. An increase in vigorous activity (but not moderate activity) is associated with reduced relative risk of ovulatory infertility. Each hour per week of vigorous activity was associated with a 7% lower relative risk of ovulatory infertility. These data suggest that, among women, more ovulatory infertility is attributable to overweight and a sedentary lifestyle.


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