If you want to ensure you're in the best shape to get pregnant, who better to ask for help than a fertility nutritionist?
Yvonne Bishop-Weston joined us for a babyexpert webchat to answer your questions about how to maximise your chances of conception by changing or improving your diet. Read on to find out: why decaff is not necessarily a safe option; how to boost your partner's sperm performance; and the basics of healthy eating to boost your pregnancy chances.
Nutrition Therapist Yvonne has clients from all over the world including Switzerland, Germany, France, India and Saudi Arabia as well as the UK.
She first graduated with a degree in psychology, but was most interested in the role that our diets played in the health of the mind and body. She has worked with Holland and Barrett health food stores, Cranks and The Food Doctor.
Yvonne is a registered practitioner with Foresight (recommended for pre-conceptual and pregnancy care), with The Food and Mood Project, and is accredited by the British Association of Nutrition Therapists (BANT).
Q: My other half is a big fan of fizzy drinks, can this affect fertility? Also, I drink a lot of tea and I am not a big water drinker? Should I be drinking more?
A: Caffeine in your tea and your partner's fizzy drinks could well be a problem. In trials caffeine has been shown to reduce fertility in men by 50%! Making it take twice as long to fall pregnant. This can't easily be tested in women but we could assume similar issues. The studies on caffeine are on more than 1 cup of caffeine drink a day I would cut it out completely to increase your chances. De-caff still has 2 stimulants so I would restrict to 1 a day. Also make sure it is water decaffeinated rather than chemical.
Q: My h2b has had a sperm count done and he has slightly lower than average numbers (but still ok, not classed as a low sperm count). Aside the usual giving up smoking and drinking etc is there anything that can affect this and help increase the numbers?
Also he has told they arent great swimmers so is there anything we can do to boost them? Any particular type of food?
A: I find it infuriating that so little advice is offered to men to help them make super sperm. As you are doing, avoiding alcohol and smoking is vital but also avoid caffeine as it can reduce male fertility by 50%. As your man’s sperm are not great swimmers also consider an omega-3 purified fish oil supplement (check if he is on medications) and get him to avoid saturated fat from red meat, processed meat such as sausages, and cheese as this can hinder the use of the fluid omega-3 fats which help to make the sperms' tails bendy so they can swim. Also make sure his diet has plenty of veg and fruit, ideally 5 handfuls of veg and 3 of fruit a day for antioxidants to protect the sperm as they are being produced.
There are a number of supplements which can help including amino acid arginine to harden the sperm head and vitamins such as Co-Q10 which provide the sperm with fuel but you would be best seeing a fertility-specialised nutritionist for specific advice. Testing for nutrient status could then be arranged so the supplements are specific.
Q: I'm taking folic acid at present, but wondered if there's anything else I should be taking?
A: Yes it is important to take folic acid but we never give this alone as most vitamins work better when teamed up in groups and folic acid is part of the B vitamin group. If going for a pre-conceptual multi do check it has at least 400mcg of folic acid and that the formula states it is safe for pregnancy. My favorite is Pre-Natal pack which gives you a daily sachet of vitamins, minerals and fish oil. Ask Sunny who manages our clinics if you want details clinic@foodsforlife.co.uk If you have any medical conditions or are on any meds you do need to check with your GP before taking any supplements.
Q: I would like to know if there are any particular foods that we should try and eat to help us TTC? Both me and hubby have pretty healthy diets and have been try for our first baby for 5 months now and are keen to do as much as we can to boost our chances.
A: A diet based on whole-foods really is the answer to how to put together a healthy diet. Just one example is a study at the University of Surrey consisting of several hundred would-be parents with a history of fertility problems.
They were put on tailor-made holistic pre-conceptual care programmes focussing principally on diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation and avoidance of environmental toxins. A stunning 81% of those who took part went on to produce healthy babies.
That’s a lot better than IVF and of course your body is then ready for pregnancy. The best fertility diets are tailor-made as we all have different nutrient requirements and in an ideal world run a metabolic test which looks at your need for nutrients (based on genetic need and what your body needs at the time of test). However the basics....
o 8 a day veg and fruit, ideally organic, focus mostly on veg rather than fruit which can be high in natural sugars
o Avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoking
o Wholemeal rather than white carbs such as bread, pasta and rice as they have 15 different nutrients removed
o Daily portion of omega-3 fats and avoid excess saturated fat
Q: What is your stance on milk? I’ve read that drinking too much milk (or other dairy) is not great for you, but then again soy can reduce your fertility. I eat cereal for breakfast with fruit or make myself a smoothie, which I include some milk and yoghurt in. Is this a good idea or should I opt for something else? But then what is the best choice – as you shouldn’t eat too much wheat and carbs etc. I find it all a bit too much sometimes!
A: We do need calcium but we also need other minerals such as magnesium in order to get it into our bones where it should be. Unlike many plant-based sources of calcium, milk is not a great provider of magnesium. Soya is in question as it reduces fertility in rats when given not in its natural whole form but the phytoestrogen extracts. I had a mix of soya, rice and oat milk in pregnancy and felt that provided the best balance.
Q: Is it true that grapefruit juice helps to produce EWCM to help sperm survive during oving? If not, is there any other foods/drinks that can help?
A: To support EWCM ensure you are drinking enough water, avoiding caffeine and have enough omega 3 and 6 fats in your diet from small sized oily fish (large sized ones such as tuna may be too high in mercury as they are higher up the food chain), hemp and flax oil and seeds. If you have conditions such as dry skin, acne, PMS or low mood you may consider having your omega 3 and 6 fat levels tested to see if these need a top up through supplements.
Grapefruit juice is anecdotal so not much evidence, but that doesn't mean its not true. Just avoid grapefruit juice if you are on any medications as it can interfere.
Q: I am thinking of having acupuncture, I have just had my right fallopian tube removed and we are IVF soon. Is acunpuncture beneficial or is there anything else we can do to get prepared for IVF?
A: I would recommend a nutrition programme as the 81% success rate which has been shown in trials is certainly promising. I have seen good results when running this alongside acupuncture.
Q: I have been off the pill for over 6 months but only had 2 periods during that time, so my cycles are very screwed up – anything I could do to sort this out naturally would be great. I am concerned I might have PCOS which could be causing my cycle irregularities – what would be your advice for a PCOS diet?
A: If you think you may have PCOS I would advise you go to your GP to get this tested. If you do have PCOS, nutrition can have good results, we usually use an insulin resistance, blood sugar balancing diet but would not suggest the level of protein this requires unless you have been tested and we know that is what you need.
Yvonne adds: 'If you have any questions on any of the tests or supplements discussed or on our fertility consultations please do contact my clinic manager Sunny on clinic@foodsforlife.co.uk If you have any other questions Sunny will send them on to me. Also see http://www.optimumnutritionists.com/pages/health-issues/natural-fertility-program.php
for details of our natural fertility and pregnancy plans.
I would also advise the new First Response 6 days early test so you know as soon as possible and reduce that stressful waiting time and get on with a great pre-conceptual diet.'
Yvonne Bishop-Weston is a fertility nutritionist at Foods for Life (www.optimumnutritionists.com), and she recommends the groundbreaking new First Response Early Result Pregnancy test (rrp from £8.25) - The only pregnancy test on the market that lets women know sooner than ever before.
The new test can now detect the pregnancy hormone up to six days before a woman’s missed period – two days before other at-home tests.
First Response is the only test which provides a free online, confidential midwife helpline so that you have access to the advice that you need to help you get pregnant.
