A plan for parenthood

Getting fit and healthy: a plan for parenthood. Having a better lifestyle can greatly improve your chances of falling pregnant, discovers Lisa Wachsmuth.

Fancy a slice of shark's fin, camel hump stew or a bowl of hot chilli peppers?

The power of such so-called fertility foods has been extolled since ancient times, though there's scant evidence that they actually work.

Even in modern times, many old wives' tales link food with fertility. What you eat pre-pregnancy can even affect gender, at least according to a popular myth that if you stick with salty snacks you will get a boy, while those after the fairer sex should give in to their sweet tooth.

But there's no one magic ingredient that will ensure you fall pregnant, according to Wollongong naturopath Sharyn Hocking. Although, she says, a combination of certain foods and lifestyle choices can significantly affect hormone levels and improve fertility in women with ovulation problems.

Hocking, who has been practising naturopathy at Wollongong's Lotus Health Centre for the past 19 years, runs a conscious conception program for those women - and men - wanting to make the leap into parenthood.

"About 10 per cent of my clients come to me for fertility issues. Of those, there are two types. There are those who are having problems falling pregnant. They may have been trying for over a year, or have had repeated miscarriages," Hocking says.

"Then there are those people who are planning a pregnancy and are thinking about their health and their baby's health."

Hocking carries out a thorough investigation of diet and lifestyle of both partners.

"The important thing is that both the mother and father need to be involved - men contribute half the DNA, it's not just a women's issue - so both need to look at their diet and lifestyle," Hocking says.

"That's why it's important for couples to allow three to four months to make changes before they are planning to conceive, because sperm takes 116 days to form and ova take 100 days to mature."

A detox is the first step for many couples, says Hocking. Out go the cigarettes, the alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, white carbohydrates and refined sugars. In comes the balanced diet.

"Studies have shown that if you have more than two cups of coffee, or one can of Coke, per day, it can decrease fertility by up to 50 per cent," Hocking says.

"Smoking increases the risk of infertility as it affects sperm health greatly. It also leads to lower birth weight babies and associated problems, and the children are more susceptible to asthma and allergies. Alcohol also adversely affects fertility and it can lead to foetal alcohol syndrome.

"But it's not just about cutting out these things that are bad, it's also about increasing fruit and vegetables, healthy sources of protein like fish, chicken and red meat, wholegrain breads and cereals and legumes."

Hocking's advice concurs with a recently released study on women's diets and fertility by Harvard doctors.

Dr Jorge Chavarro, lead author of the study says the findings suggest women can increase the odds of becoming pregnant without risky, costly or invasive treatments.

"Making changes to your lifestyle should be a first step when people are facing problems with fertility," Dr Chavarro says.

In the study, women who followed five or more lifestyle or dietary recommendations reduced their risk of ovulatory infertility by as much as 80 per cent compared with women who engaged in none of the recommendations.

Ovulation problems - in which women ovulate irregularly or not at all - account for 18 to 30 per cent of all infertility cases, according to Dr Chavarro. Often fertility drugs are prescribed, but that can raise the risk of multiple births which can lead to other complications.

The main recommendations of the study are for women to avoid refined carbohydrates such as white bread, potatoes and sugary soft drinks, which quickly raise blood sugar and insulin, disrupting the balance of hormones.

Other suggestions were: avoid trans fats, use more unsaturated vegetable oils such as olive oil, eat more vegetable protein such as beans and nuts and less animal protein while drinking a glass of full-fat milk or a small bowl of ice-cream could also improve fertility.

Hocking agrees with the findings although offers a word of caution about dairy products. "A lot of people have a dairy intolerance and it can cause mucus in the fallopian tubes which makes it harder to fall pregnant, so I advise my clients to avoid cow's milk and use soy or rice milk," she says. "Yoghurt is okay as it is a good source of calcium and a little but of mozzarella cheese is fine."

A multivitamin containing folic acid and other B vitamins is advocated by Hocking, and backed up by the study findings. "Fish oils are really good too while a lot of different herbs and uterine/ovarian tonics can be used to create a beautiful hormonal balance," she says.

Maintaining a healthy weight is also important for those trying to conceive. Exercise and fertility are also related; Hocking's program advises establishing, or maintaining, fitness levels. Meditation and relaxation exercise can also be effective.

Hocking says most of the women she sees are aged 30-35 years, who may have put off having children and can hear that biological clock ticking. They often want to try natural therapies before other medical interventions.

"Many people come in and try what we do first," she says. "We will establish a timeframe for the program and reassess after a certain time. If it doesn't appear to be working some women choose to try IVF or other types of intervention. And a lot of these women find their chances of success with these procedures are increased if they have done all they can to get their body as healthy as possible first.

"For instance one lady in her mid-30s who came to me a few years ago had had 25 IVF attempts. She had a very poor diet so we changed that and gave her body a good detox. On the 27th IVF attempt she fell pregnant."

Prepare for pregnancy

• Wean yourself and your partner off coffee, alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs and all other prescription and over-the-counter drugs, even aspirin.
• Commit to a balanced diet including fruit and vegetables, whole grains, soy products and fish. Choose organic fruit and vegetables and free-range eggs and chicken where possible.
• Have a check-up with your medical practitioner to ensure that you have immunity to rubella, that your blood pressure is within a normal range and that you aren't anaemic.
• Get any necessary medical or dental work undertaken before trying to conceive and avoid exposure to X-rays for four months before conception.
• Look for ways to decrease the amount of chemicals you use in your home and garden. Minimise exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals in the workplace.
• If overweight, aim to lose between 5 and 10 per cent of your body weight. Start, or maintain, an exercise program.
• Come off the contraceptive pill and use an alternative method for at least four months prior to conception.
• Drink lots of water, preferably filtered, to make sure the body is hydrated properly.

Discuss conception, ovulation and fertility.