Optimal Nutrition Helps Conception Particularly for PCOS Patients

It is well known that good nutrition before pregnancy is important because of the amount of resources childbirth requires. What might be lesser known, however, is that good nutrition is also important for conception. While conception might seem easy enough and aided by healthy behavior, the truth is that over six million Americans this year alone will not be able to get pregnant no matter what vitamin, mineral, or diet they employ!

There is no panacea to treat infertility and sometimes even reproductive endocrinologists can’t find a reason why a couple cannot get pregnant but specialists do acknowledge that optimal nutrition can optimize the chances. 

According to Lory Hayon, a registered dietitian and medical nutritionist at The Fertility Center of Las Vegas, “ Making positive changes in your diet can not only have an impact on your fertility, it can better prepare your body to handle the rigors of pregnancy and assist in the development of a healthy baby.”

When 32-year-old Cara Richards decided to get pregnant, she assumed like all the women in her family she would be pregnant within the month. It didn’t happen that month nor for the rest of the year for that matter. After a visit to a fertility specialist, Cara found out she had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a relatively common but challenging to diagnose condition.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an endocrinologic disorder that can appear in women of reproductive age and is the leading cause of fertility, affecting 6-10% of women of childbearing age. Symptoms of PCOS include obesity, infrequent or abnormal ovulation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. These symptoms can get worse with weight gain. The onset of the disease can be as early as puberty, but usually begins in adolescence. The cause of PCOS is unknown but both Drs. Shapiro and Daneshmand recognized that nutrition was an important facet to managing the condition. Thus, they recruited a full-time nutritionist to serve the needs of their patients at The Fertility Center of Las Vegas.

“All patients but particularly those with PCOS can benefit from a carefully planned menu that not only allows for weight loss if necessary, but reduces the insulin fluctuations that can set a patient up for ongoing health issues,” notes Dr. Daneshmand.

Both Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Daneshmand insist that nutritional focus should be on enhancing the health of your body, not on facets of attractiveness such as weight (unless you're very over- or under-weight) or shape.

The role of a registered dietitian is key in the treatment of PCOS. A balance of the food the patients eat is an important part of treating PCOS. One of the most important treatments for obese patients should be weight loss and exercise. A 5-10% weight loss has shown significant biochemical and clinical improvement. Studies have shown menstrual cycles and fertility have improved with weight loss.  

“I think that step one in proactively dealing with PCOS is recognizing that what you eat plays a huge role in minimizing this disorder and it's effects on our body,” said Hayon. She is also quick to point out that compassionate support from healthcare providers such as patients of The Fertility Center experience, also aid in the many emotional dynamics of over- or under-eating.

There are many issues to still be explored in PCOS. The biggest challenge according to Hayon is making permanent changes focused on good nutrition. The doctors agree insisting that a registered dietitian with experience in weight management, diabetes, and gastrointestinal diseases would be best given their knowledgeable in insulin resistance and special diets.

While there are no specific foods or beverages that will make anyone more fertile, one's overall nutrition has a subtle, but powerful effect on all of the body's systems, including the reproductive. Having a basic awareness of what "good nutrition" means and what is going into your body can affect your efforts to conceive a successful pregnancy particularly if its complementing fertility treatments which in themselves can be stressful.

Drs. Shapiro and Daneshmand say that focus on nutrition should begin long before conception ever occurs. Eating nutritionally sound meals before conception will help ensure that the baby has an optimal environment to grow in, and reduces the likelihood for deficiencies that might result in birth defects. Women wanting to conceive should evaluate their diet immediately and examine whether or not they have enough nutrient stores to carry a baby for nine months.

             Drs. Shapiro and Daneshmand insist the nutritional status of not only the mother, but father in the weeks and months preceding pregnancy can influence the outcome of the pregnancy. The quality of a man’s sperm can be influenced by both nutritional and toxic factors. Men who are underweight or overweight also tend to have lower than normal levels of testosterone. The better a man’s nutritional status, the healthier his sperm is and the more likely he will conceive.      

         Both doctors insist that nutrition planning is extremely important. Not only have physical disorders been linked with poor nutrition before and during pregnancy, but neurological disorders are risks run by mothers who are malnourished, a condition which can also lead to the child becoming more susceptible to later degenerative disease. Good nutrition will also provide phytochemicals and antioxidants that will help keep you feeling young, looking great, and perhaps even disease-free.

“The process of nutrition before, during and after pregnancy is known as being one of the major factors in determining the success rate of conceiving healthy children,” said Dr. Shapiro. “Good nutrition means good health—for everyone.”