What is a nutritionist?
According to the Mexican Association of Members of Nutrition Faculties and Schools, the nutritionist is a professional able of providing nutrition care to healthy or at-risk individuals, as well as groups from different sectors of society, administering food programs and services, and nutrition, to innovate and improve the nutritional and sanitary quality of food products.
Nutrition and fertility
At IREGA we have the nutrition program to provide adequate nutritional support, which aims is to increase the success of assisted reproduction techniques and boosting to the patients acquire healthy lifestyles, in which the expected baby will be integrated. Each eating plan is designed according to the individual needs of the patients, creating healthy lifestyle habits.
The ideal is to be well nourished before conceiving, since an adequate diet can promote the couple’s fertility and avoid problems when trying to conceive a baby.
An inadequate weight caused by poor nutrition, in addition to increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and hypertension, can affect fertility:
- Excess estrogen is associated with overweight which alters the function of the ovaries, interrupting their natural cycle.
- The high level of estrogens is associated with the formation of uterine tumors (benign fibroids)
- overweight from childhood is associated with higher risks of amenorrhea (condition where menstrual cycles are absent)
- Women with overweight or obesity are less likely to succeed when they start assisted reproduction treatments, interfering with the correct absorption of medications to induce ovulation.
- Overweight is related to diseases like polycystic ovary syndrome and hyperthyroidism and is believed to be responsible for metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance.
How does nutrition affect men’s fertility?
An inadequate weight caused by a bad diet affects the man in the following way:
- Overweight men have 15% less sperm in the ejaculate compared to normal-weight men
- overweight increases the temperature of the testicles, affecting the mobility of sperm and consequently the ability to fertilize the egg
- overweight in men is often related to low testosterone levels and is prone to erectile dysfunction
- overweight is associated with increased sperm DNA fragmentation index, which can lead to implantation failure and increase the risk of miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Importance of weight when conceiving
Whether due to excess or less, body weight is a factor that directly influences reproductive capacity. A few years ago, little was known about the relationship between fertility and nutrition, today it is one of the branches that integrates fertility treatment. The evaluation of body weight is essential, since several scientific studies show that those women who are overweight or underweight have greater difficulty in completing a pregnancy. Obese women tend to have more visceral adipose tissue, those who initiate fertility treatment, several studies show that obesity is associated with worse reproductive outcomes, including an increase in cycle cancellation, decreased implantation, and increased miscarriage.
What is the best way to approach the search for pregnancy?
Its important to carry out a nutritional consultation that allows evaluating the relationship of weight and height through the BMI (body mass index) in order to classify the individual as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obesity, perform a dietary history to determine the eating habits of an individual and assess whether these habits lead to nutritional deficiency.
