Logo c4c345c0f2f7ba2a15948ce307a630a6d8edf8f88a547d69336323a7dfa75bdc

Nutrition, fertility, pregnancy, and health of offspring

Published: March 31, 2017

Fruit contains an array of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals
Fruit contains an array of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals

In recent years research has identified the importance of good nutrition prior to and during pregnancy.

However, many prospective parents give little thought to the food they eat and/or their nutritional status before pregnancy.
Research suggests that even when a pregnancy is planned women ignore pre-conception healthy eating advice, and few pregnant women follow health eating recommendations.
Advice to increase folic acid intake, reduce alcohol intake and cease smoking prior to and during pregnancy is often ignored.
Fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and future health of offspring can all be negatively affected by poor nutrition.
Common nutrient deficiencies in women of reproductive age include iron, folate, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and iodine. These and other micronutrients are essential for metabolic processes concerning energy production, DNA metabolism, signal transduction, and functionality and viability of body cells.
Oocyte (female immature egg cell) production and pregnancy have high energy requirement which increases the need for a variety of nutrients.
Poor nutrition not only leads to micronutrient deficiencies, but also involves macronutrient consumption (carbohydrate, protein, and fat) which may lead to underweight, overweight, or obesity. Studies suggest that underweight, overweight, and obesity have a significant and negative effect on fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and long term health of off spring.
Bodyweight status is usually identified by body mass index (BMI), and although not a direct measure of body fat, can be an initial indicator of under or over body fat. Adequate body fat (20%-25%) is essential for conception and to support fetal growth and future health of off-spring.
Low body fat (17%) can significantly interfere with ovulation and regaining normal ovulation is not necessarily regained when body fat is increased. High body fat (obesity) also has negative effects on fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
Sources of folate
Sources of folate
Nutritional status of both parents affects reproductive outcomes and certain foods and nutrients have also been identified as having negative effects on pregnancy.
For instance, unpasteurized dairy products may contain the listeria bacterium.
In pregnant women, a listeria infection may cause miscarriage or birth defects. Alcohol consumption can adversely affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
Low folic acid status is associated with neural tube defects.
In addition to poor nutrition, lack of physical activity can also have a negative effect on pregnancy outcomes.
While people may know about the general negative effects of under or over nutrition, the association with reproduction and future health outcomes is not commonly understood. Link to the full article to learn more.

References

1.
Rossi, AC. Underweight and pregnancy. International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2016
2.
Sim et al. Weight loss improves reproductive outcomes in obese women undergoing fertility treatment: a randomized controlled trial
3.
Andreason et al. Obesity and pregnancy. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2004: 83: 1022—1029
4.
Dixit and Girling. Obesity and pregnancy. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 28:1, 14-23
5.
Beliver et al. Obesity reduces uterine receptivity: clinical experience from 9,587 first cycles of ovum donation with normal weight donors. Fertility and Sterility® Vol. 100, No. 4, October 2013
6.
Hornstein, MD. Lifestyle and IVF Outcomes Reproductive Sciences 2016, Vol. 23(12) 1626-1629
7.
Pedersen et al., Birth Weight, Head Circumference, and Prenatal Exposure to Acrylamide from Maternal Diet: The European Prospective Mother—Child Study (NewGeneris) Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 120, No. 12 (DECEMBER 2012), pp. 1739-1745
8.
Bowen et al. Gestational diabetes, pre-pregnancy obesity and pregnancy weight gain in relation to excess fetal growth: variations by race/ethnicity. Diabetologia (2013) 56:1263–1271
9.
Attaman et al. Dietary fat and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic. Hum Reprod. 2012 May; 27(5):1466-74.
10.
Evensen et al. Association of physical activity in the past year and immediately after in vitro fertilization on pregnancy. Fertility and Sterility® Vol. 101, No. 4, April 2014
11.
Kort et al. A retrospective cohort study to evaluate the impact of meaningful weight loss on fertility outcomes in an overweight population with infertility Fertility and Sterility Vol. 101, No. 5 2014
<