Female infertility can be caused by a number of things, most of which respond positively to changes in diet and lifestyle. Some causes of infertility are anatomical, or physical such as a mis-shapen uterus or a blocked fallopian tube. However, for the majority of women who are having difficulty conceiving the problem is due to hormonal imbalances, because of disease or abnormalities in body weight. Diet and lifestyle can influence the hormonal imbalances associated with disease and body weight enormously, thereby increasing fertility.

Every women who is having trouble conceiving should first make changes to their lifestyle and diet, alongside a carefully considered supplement regime, for at least 3 months before seeking medical intervention (which can not only be both emotionally and financially costly, but possibly not as effective).

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

A fairly common cause of infertility in women is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which effects about 10% of women in the UK. It is often characterised by ovarian dysfunction and associated with the following symptoms:

• Many women (about 66%) with PCOS have irregular periods (oligomenorrhoea). Periods may be every 5-8 weeks, or just once or twice year.
• Increased facial and body hair (hirsutism) and acne are fairly common and occur because of hormonal imbalances with result in increases in androgenic hormones, such as testosterone.
• About 40% of women with PCOS are obese because of abnormalities in their sugar metabolism (insulin resistance) which prevents cells from using the glucose from circulating blood as a fuel. This results in glucose concentrations rising and sugar is then stored as fat instead of being metabolised as energy. Usually, the more overweight a women becomes, the greater the problems with sugar metabolism (insulin resistance).
• Miscarriage: PCOS can be characterised by a high level of the lutenising hormone (LH), which is a hormone produced in the brain to regulate ovarian function. Raised LH is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage and structural changes to the ovaries. Insulin resistance is also common when LH levels are raised, as well as other features of metabolic syndrome, such as glucose intolerance and hyperlipidaemia.

The symptoms of PCOS can be improved enormously through diet, food and lifestyle changes. Losing weight, improves the hormonal imbalances in women with PCOS and improves conception rates and pregnancy outcome.

Key Lifestyle and Dietary Changes for the Treatment of PCOS

• Lose weight, try to achieve a BMI of between 22-25.
• Increase your fibre, and complex carbohydrate intake. Try eating carbohydrates that have a low to moderate Glycaemic Index to help reduce blood sugar abnormalities. In time this will reduce the amount of sugar that is stored as fat, as well as improve your hormone balance.
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods. This will also improve your hormone balance and ensure the health of reproductive cells.
• Supplement with a omega-3 to reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity and abnormalities in sugar metabolism.
• Take a good Ante-natal supplement to correct any deficiencies and to help meet additional requirements for key nutrients.

Body Weight and Fertility

One of the most important factors for female fertility is body weight because extreme measures of body weight disrupt  hormone balance which then adversely affects ovulation and fertility.

Fertility in women is affected by percentage body fat rather than absolute body weight. Height (in metres) and body weight can be used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). This is a simple measure of body weight to body surface area and gives a better indication of you desirable weight than body weight alone. Its easy to calculate your BMI, just follow the steps below:

1. Find out your height in metres – most women are between 1.60m and 1.75m
2. Times your height by itself, to find the square i.e 1.65mx 1.65m= 2.7225 (make a note of this)
3. Then find your weight in Kg.
4. Divide your weight (Kg) by your height squared, (your answer to No 2) to find your BMI
5. For most people this will be between 21 and 35
6. A BMI of between 22 and 25 is associated with the highest incidence of conception. The closer you can get to this range, the greater your chances of conceiving.

The Effect of Being Underweight on Fertility

Women who maintain a low body weight, have suffered eating disorders or who diet regulary, typically have irregular or absent periods and take longer to conceive. In underweight women several mechanisms are triggered in the body to ‘halt’ reproduction, and this is ‘nature’s’ way of preventing conception while the body is neither strong, or sufficiently well nourished. Underweight women have high levels of the hormone prolactin, which suppresses ovulation, nutrient deficiencies and insufficient energy reserves for fertility. Increasing body weight and correcting nutrient deficiencies, restores fertility in these women.

The Effect of Being Overweight on Fertility

Excessive body fat also reduces fertility, there is a lower rate of pregnancy amongst overweight and obese women as fertility is again suspended by hormonal reactions: typically raised  male hormones (hyperandrogenism) and abnormal sugar metabolism due to insulin resistance (hyperinsulinaemia). Losing weight restores ovulation, increases the likehood of conception, and leads to a successful pregnancy outcome in many cases.

Centrally distributed fat, around the middle rather than periphery (leg and botttom) is also associated with reduced fertility. In fact, fat storage has a greater impact than either age or degree of obesity. This is likely to be due to insulin insensitivity, which is associated with abdominal fat distribution (waist:hip ratio >0.8), and causes raised levels of androgenic and lutenising hormones, which then reduces the viability of the egg. In women where weight is abnormal, procreation is often inhibited because of abnormal metabolic conditions.

Key Steps for Improving Fertility in Under- or Overweight Women

• Try to gain or lose weight so that you have a BMI of between 22-25
• Ensure that you eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Supplement essential fatty acids to help balance hormones
• Supplement with a good ante-natal formula to ensure that you have all the necessary nutrients to support fertility
• Avoid processed, high fat and sugar, nutrient poor foods
• Take regular exercise, building up slowly if necessary.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 9:30 PM and is filed under Fertility. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.