People rarely link what they eat with the state of their health, but in fact it is the nutrients in our foods that have everything to do not only with our state of health, but the state of our fertility and the future health of our children.
Our readiness for conception relies on a balance of nutrients that feed the hormones in our bodies for both men and women. Healthy parents usually have healthy babies. Once conception has happened there is no changing what will be. It is advisable that the parents pay close attention to their diet prior to conception to give their children every advantage for future good health.
Putting a sorry looking sperm into a starving egg and implanting it into a sick womb is a recipe for disaster. About 750,000 babies are born each year in the UK, but 40,000 are born early and are too small. One in 150 babies is lost through stillbirth, and one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, up to 60 per cent of which are due to defective sperm. For a healthy pregnancy, a healthy diet and digestive system are essential. Everything that we put into our bodies has health consequences. Poor nutrition has a detrimental effect on endocrine and reproductive functioning.
We think of conception as the beginning of life, but the parents bodies have been working hard for the previous 3 months to prepare the egg and the sperm. The health of the man’s sperm is dependent upon his diet for the previous 3 months before conception – that is how long it takes the testes to make healthy sperm. Too much alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, working with harmful chemicals, eating too many processed foods and too few vegetables and fruits may lead to sad looking and possibly defective sperm. A low sperm count may be due to environmental factors, such as oestrogenic pesticides, but a poor diet will also lead to weakened or deformed sperm.
It is the quality of the foods eaten that makes all the difference in how our body cells function, including the cells in our reproductive system. By eating fresh, wholesome foods regularly, you will give your body the fuel it needs to keep itself healthy. Fuel includes the macro-nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils) and the micro-nutrients (the 52 known vitamins and minerals) plus the compounds known as phytochemicals. It is now recognized the dietary factors are closely linked with diseases. In fact, the World Health Organsiation states that ‘ over 30 per cent of all cancers are diet related”. The healthy choice should be the easy choice, but in our world of fast food and convenience meals, the healthy choice may be the hardest to make. It takes time and effort to eat well, as well as conscious thought. Care for your body! Getting all the nutrients you body needs from food may be the goal, but giving the body a boost from short-term supplementation may help the process, especially with the advice of a qualified nutritional therapist at The Endometriosis and Fertility Clinic.
We hear so much about eating a balanced diet, but what is balanced for one person may not be correct for someone else, because of their differences in body build and genetic make-up, digestive and absorption capacity. The medical professionals advice a balanced diet –one size fits all, but a nutritional therapist will design a diet to fit your needs. The impact on your health is far greater. Supplements, especially for couples seeking a healthy pregnancy, are important, as the vitamin and mineral content of the diet is far lower than it was 30 years ago, which could account for the rise in fertility problems over the past 30 years. Eating a fresh food diet along with a well designed supplement programme has been shown to enhance fertility.
We hope to provide some good general information on these pages on what you should do but that is no substitute for a nutritional consultation with a plan specifically designed for your body's requirements.