Good Medicine - Healthy fats are fertility friendly

In the British Medical Journal, for example, found no link between emotional distress and IVF failure. But many experts believe chronic stress has hijacked our primitive fight-or-flight response, causing the pituitary gland to unnecessarily release endorphins that suppress reproductive hormones.

A landmark 2000 Harvard Medical School study found that women, who participated in a 10-week mind-body program, including relaxation and yoga, were nearly three times more likely to conceive than women who didn’t. And a 2009 Domar-led study found that women who took part in a mind-body stress management program before or during their second IVF cycle had a 160 percent higher pregnancy rate compared with those who did not. STRIKE A POSE "Yoga reduces the stress hormone cortisol and induces the relaxation response," explains Tami Ouinn, a registered yoga teacher and co-founder of the Chicago-based holistic fertility center pulling Down the Moon. Specific poses, such as Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall), can also increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, potentially thickening the uterine lining; this can help with embryo implantation. Stick with gentle hatha or restorative yoga—this is not the time for Bikram ("hot”) yoga. 

ON PINS AND NEEDLES A 2008 British Medical Journal study found that women who underwent IVF and acupuncture together were 65 percent more likely to conceive than women who only underwent IVF. According to acupuncturist-herbalist and Making Babies coauthor Jill Blakeway, L.Ac., acupuncture works by promoting uterine blood flow. It can also quiet post-IVF uterine contractions, encouraging implantation, and decrease levels of cortisol (a "stress hormone”) and prolactin; both are known to disrupt reproductive function.

Eat to Conceive:

GET YOUR PROTEIN FROM PLANTS Foods that elevate insulin levels contribute to ovulatory disorders. "Not all proteins are digested the same,” Chavarro explains. "Animal proteins require more insulin to be secreted." Beef and poultry, specifically, were associated with infertility, but replacing 25 grams of animal protein with 25 grams of plant protein (beans, peas, and nuts) was related to a 50 percent lower risk of ovulatory infertility.

BAN TRANS FATS Found primarily in packaged baked and fried foods, trans fats elevate insulin levels. Monounsaturated fats, like those found in avocados, nuts and olive oil, are associated with a decreased risk of infertility.