Eating properly means your body gets the fuel it needs to function at its best. We're all pretty well versed in the rules of healthy eating now - a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, making sure you have sufficient protein, carbohydrate and unsaturated fat (that's the sort you get in olive oil, seeds and fish rather than in meat and dairy products). We are familiar with the fact that we should try to eat fresh produce wherever possible, avoiding too much fast food and processed stuff, and that we should eat oily fish and drink lots of water.
When you're busy, perhaps working late or away from home a lot, it can be hard to find time to cook, or even to make sure you're eating something vaguely nutritious. Office canteens tend not to offer much in the way of fresh fish, brown rice and organic vegetables, and sometimes when you are really pressed, it can be hard to find time for lunch at all. It is simply not possible for many of us to eat the perfect diet every day, but you can make a difference if you try to be more aware of what you consume, and to choose the healthiest options you can.
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| How Can I Boost My Fertility |
The food many of us eat is also full of additives, and you may want to try to cut down the amount of processed convenience foods you consume and consider using organic produce. If you're not sure about something, read the label. Sometimes surprisingly few of the ingredients listed on ready-meals are actually recognizable as food.
'We didn't drastically change anything to do with our diet because we've always eaten quite healthily anyway. I bought everything organic, and I drink more water than I used to, but I didn't start buying anything else other than that. You hear of all these weird and wonderful things, but you have to be careful because you are vulnerable.' Sandra, 41
With diet, as with everything, a balance is essential. You will come across lots of advice about food and fertility, which may involve cutting out all kinds of things entirely, from dairy produce and red meat to sugar and wheat, but for most of us this would not be a particularly enjoyable experience. What's more important, we probably wouldn't stick with it for very long. It is far better to make less dramatic changes to your diet that you know you will be able to live with.
'Nutritionists say to cut out all dairy and all wheat and all this ... You might try it once, but to be honest I think the most important thing is to remain sane, and try and stay calm about it. I found stopping all your pleasures in life at a time when you are quite stressed actually has a detrimental effect. I was stuffing down chocolate bars, and drinking a few glasses of red wine, and really enjoying it.' Helena, 34
Vitamin supplements
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in natural solutions to fertility problems, and holistic fertility clinics have been springing up all over the place. Understandably, they have proved popular with couples trying to conceive who are keen to do everything they can to improve their chances of having a baby. Many of these clinics recommend supplements to help with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which it is believed may be at the root of some male and female fertility problems. Zinc, selenium, vitamins E and C are often recommended, but you do need to be careful if you are taking lots of different vitamin supplements, as the cumulative effects of taking large doses of individual vitamins are unclear.
'They gave us a ton of vitamins and minerals - huge amounts of them. When I did my second IVF, the doctor asked me what medication I was on, and I said I was taking tons of vitamin C. He said it was far too much and I shouldn't be doing that, So after that I thought I wouldn't do that again, I'd focus on trying to drink less and be fitter instead,' Debbie, 44
If you are worried that you may be lacking in some essentials, it is perhaps better to take a daily multivitamin. One study showed that women going through IVF and taking a daily multivitamin had considerably better outcomes than those who didn't take the multivitamin. In an ideal world, we would be getting all the nutrients and vitamins we need from our diet, but in reality this isn't always the ease and taking a daily multivitamin is certainly not going to do any harm.
The one individual supplement you should make sure you take if you are trying to get pregnant is folic acid, as it helps prevent neural-tube defects in babies developing in the womb. Some multivitamins designed for women who are pregnant or who are planning to conceive contain additional folic acid. Once you are pregnant, you should not take any other supplements unless you've checked with your midwife or doctor. To find out more, you can check out How Can I Boost My Fertility.
