Diet increases fertility - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(03/11/13) - An estimated one in eight couples struggle with infertility. If you are trying to have a baby, there is actually a fertility diet that some experts swear by.

Balls, bottles, and boys - that's what fills Laurie Elper's life, "this one looks like me and this one looks like my husband."

Fraternal twins, Noah and Ben, are double trouble their parents feared might never happen. After months of trying, Laurie suffered a miscarriage at 10 weeks.

"That really, you know, kind of, shook us a little bit," she says.

In fact, 30 percent of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage, according to Dr. Sanjay Acerwall. "The risk of miscarriage increases with age. So that women, for example, that are over 40, can have a one in three chance of miscarriage."  

What you eat could improve your chances of getting pregnant and carrying your child to full term. Harvard researchers have come up with a fertility diet.  

According to the researchers, women should avoid trans fats, cut back on saturated fats, and add more vegetable oils, nuts, and cold water fish like salmon. They should also replace a serving of meat each day with beans, peas, soybeans or tofu.  Skim milk appears to promote infertility, so choose whole milk instead. For your veggies, go for spinach, beans, tomatoes, and beets. Most importantly, skip the soda, it could slow ovulation.

For men, a 2012 study found eating 75 grams, or about two handfuls of walnuts a day improves sperm quality. Oysters are not only an aphrodisiac, their high zinc content helps production of sperm and testosterone.  You can also find zinc in beef, eggs, and beans. The antioxidants found in dried fruits, cranberries and collard greens help protect sperm from cellular damage.

One more fertility fact: as long as you don't drink more than six cups a day, coffee and tea do not affect a woman's fertility or cause miscarriages.

The fertility diet book is available now.