What are the Foods to Avoid During Fertility Treatment?

What are the Foods to Avoid During Fertility Treatment?

When you’re trying to conceive you want to do everything you can to ensure that your sperm is healthy and can fertilize your partner’s egg. Hence, you need to pay special attention to your diet. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables that are rich in iron, zinc and vitamins.

Foods to Avoid During Fertility Treatment

There are certain food items that should be avoided. Consumption of these food items can interfere with sperm production and lead to the development of sperm with low motility and improper morphology. Some foods to avoid during fertility treatment are:

Fish with High Mercury Content

Fish with high mercury content like tuna and swordfish should be avoided by men and women when they are trying to conceive. This is because mercury gets stored in the body and can affect the production of sperm. However, other fish such as shellfish and salmon that are rich in zinc and essential fatty acids are good for fertility.

Full Fat Milk

Full fat milk and dairy products could drastically reduce the amount of sperm your body produces. It can also affect sperm motility. The main reason for this is the pesticides and chemicals that are attracted to fat in milk. However, you do not need to avoid milk completely. Instead, you should have low fat milk.

Processed Meats

Processed meats such as salami, sausages, bacon, hotdogs etc. should be avoided when you are trying to conceive. Processed food tends to have higher hormonal residue than unprocessed meat. This can affect sperm production and leave you with sperm that has low motility.

Alcohol and Carbonated Drinks

Alcohol should be avoided not only by women who are trying to get pregnant but also by their partners. Alcohol and carbonated drinks have an adverse effect on sperm production and may cause abnormal sperm. Diet drinks also contain a substance known as aspartame that affects sperm count and sperm quality.

Soy

Soy-based foods can have a mild estrogenic effect on men. Thus, in certain cases, it can be harmful to male fertility. Men with a naturally low sperm count should avoid soy as it could further reduce sperm production.

Cigarettes

Smoking is very bad for sperm health. This can reduce sperm count and cause abnormal sperm shape. The more you smoke the less your sperm count will be. Some studies also show that smoking can cause DNA fragmentation in sperm. Thus, if you’re looking for a reason to quit smoking, this is it.