Considering IVF? Then include these foods in your diet that can increase your chances by 10%

Our diet plays an important role in our daily life. Improper and inadequate dietary intake can cause diseases or cause hormonal imbalance—key factors that affect fertility in both men and women. This has become more important due to our lifestyle shifting towards a sedentary mode.

Therefore, if you are trying to conceive a child, are undergoing, or will undergo in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or any other assisted reproductive technology (ART)—keeping a check on what you eat is crucial. The right diet can help improve your chances of getting desired results by upto 10% while committing diet mistakes can make you spend money without any result.

Follow these dietary guidelines for better IVF results
There are quite a few reasons why diet is of utmost importance before or during IVF process. For starters, good food helps to build the lining of the uterus in women that will eventually play an important role in holding the baby and continuing the pregnancy.

Balanced nutrition will also help boost the right hormones required for ovulation, while good food provides the required nourishment to the foetus and supports a healthy pregnancy. Your food should have a balance of vegetables, fruits, proteins, whole grains, fish, and mono-unsatured fats. A survey published in Frontiers in Public Health noted that women who followed a similar diet were found to have 66% lower risk of infertility caused by ovulatory disorders.

These women are also 27% less likely to become infertile due to other causes compared to women who do not follow this diet pattern.

Wondering what these foods are? Well, read on:

• Green leafy vegetables: They boost fertility and are rich in antioxidants, folic acid, and iron. Cabbage is full of essential vitamin and minerals–the di-indole methane present in cabbage regulates oestrogen metabolism.
• Broccoli: This veggie is rich in vitamin C and helps in maturing the eggs. The rich iron content, antioxidants, and folic acid in broccoli helps in the development of body and foetus.
• Potatoes: The underground vegetable provides essential vitamins like B and E, and helps to increase the cell division in the body and hence, makes the foetus grow better.
• Banana: Loaded with vitamin B6, this fruit is actually a superfood and helps in making menstruation cycles regular. It is also a healthy snack option.

• Pineapple: The fruit contains a good amount of manganese, known as a reproductive mineral and thus, helps in boosting reproductive hormones.
• Salmon: Though little costly and elite, the rich content of omega-3 fatty acids makes this fish an essential intake. It helps in oestrogen balance and increases blood flow. Avoid raw salmon but cooked one are good to eat.
• Complex carbs: They regulate blood sugar level well and help you in maintaining a healthy weight.
• Folic acid: Spinach, lentils, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, beets, broccoli, oranges and other citrus fruits, and papaya are good source of folic acid that increases progesterone levels, reduces risk of irregular ovulation, and support a healthy pregnancy by reducing birth defects and other risks.

Daily intake of folic acid should be 400 mcg (when you plan and try to conceive and in the first three months of pregnancy) and 600 mcg (from fourth to ninth month of pregnancy).

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Avoid these during the IVF process

Certain foods can adversely impact your chances of getting pregnant and carrying on a healthy pregnancy are:

• Alcohol and caffeine: Avoid these two components at all costs as they may affect ovulation in women and sperm quality in men.
• Seafood: Though a good source of protein and essential fatty acid, consuming raw or half-cooked seafood may cause infection or allergic reaction. Besides, seafood is known to be rich in mercury, which may cause developmental issues in the foetus and result in birth defects.
• Herbal remedies: Herbal supplements generally do not have a positive effect on the IVF process and some herbs may interact with fertility medications. Consult your doctor before taking any such supplements.