New Years Baby

by Deborah English — January 1, 2008

If you're planning to make a baby this year, you can significantly improve your chances through healthy diet and lifestyle choices. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health confirmed that diet and lifestyle significantly affect a woman's ability to successfully conceive. The Harvard research team allocated a fertility score of one to five points. The higher the "fertility diet" score, the lower the risk of infertility. What they established is that women who included five or more specific lifestyle factors were more than 80 percent less likely to experience infertility due to ovulatory disorders compared with women who adhered to none of the factors.

Walter Willet, senior author and chair of the HSPH Department of Nutrition said, "The key message of this paper is that making the right dietary choices and including the right amount of physical activity in your daily life may make a large difference in your probability of becoming fertile if you are experiencing problems with ovulation."

The women with the highest fertility scores ate little saturated and trans fat, derived a main source of protein from vegetable rather than animal sources, ate less sugar from carbohydrates instead favoring high-fiber and low-glycemic carbohydrates; consumed more iron; took more multivitamins; tended to prefer high-fat dairy rather than low-fat - (although Willet says this may only be of temporary benefit), had a lower body mass index (BMI), and exercised regularly for longer periods.

If you are experiencing difficulty conceiving, read " The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation & Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant. " co-authored by Walter Willet, Jorge Charvarro, and Patrick Skerret.

I wish you all the best with your Baby-Making plans for 2008!