Bowl of healthy vegan food

Vegan diets and fertility

Increasingly women are becoming vegan for a lifestyle choice, but my concern here is for fertility. You need to manage your diet really carefully to get the right amount of protein as it’s not only your hormones and the neurotransmitters in your brain that need protein – eggs and sperm need it, too. High-quality protein, such as from lean meat and poultry, as well as fish, eggs and soya beans, contains all eight essential amino acids. These are biological catalysts that enable protein to break down and become what the body needs – be that muscle or other tissue, egg, sperm, neurotransmitter or hormone. Your body can’t manufacture these amino acids for itself (which is why they are essential), so they must come from your diet. Include one portion (about the size of your fist) of protein in every meal. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’ll need a full range of plant proteins to ensure that you get all the essential amino acids.

Beans, leafy greens, pulses, nuts and seeds are all good  sources, and I’d also encourage you to use protein powders – including hemp, pea and sprouted-seed-based powders. Finally, be aware that you may be more prone to other nutritional deficiencies that can affect fertility – including low levels of iodine, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Supplement with a multivitamin and -mineral formula to make sure that you keep all your vitamin and mineral levels up, and you may also need to take a specific vitamin B12 supplement, too.

Sperm cells and an egg

What Role Does Sperm Play In The Success Of IVF?

This week Dr Simone Rofena, our medical consultant in Reproductive Medicine talks to us about male infertility and the role sperm plays in IVF.

50% of the reasons for a couple’s infertility is down to male infertility which is very important in the couple’s diagnostic. There are three parameters we assess when considering the capability of a sperm to fertilise an egg.

  1.     Sperm count

The sperm total account must be over 15 million to be considered normal.

  1.     Motility

Motility of the sperm is also important and we would be happy with 40% of sperm having progressive motility.

  1.     Morphology

When we analyse sperm, we look at the head, neck and tail. Morphology can affect any of these three parts, so for a sperm to be considered normal they must be normally shaped.

 

There are several things that can be done to contribute to improving sperm count, motility and morphology. For example:

  • Good Lifestyle
  • Good Nutrition
  • Supplements

Often when men get poor results on a seamen analysis they worry they might not be able to conceive a baby but try not to worry too much as it only takes one good sperm to create a pregnancy.

For weekly tips, advice and wisdom on natural fertility and IVF, subscribe to our  Fertility Show on YouTube.

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Call us on 0808 196 4060 or email us at clinics@zitawest.com