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Pre-Conception Nutrition:

To help you understand the “Fertility Diet”



As I have mentioned, like many women, I struggled with infertility. I was diagnosed with unspecified infertility meaning that every test performed came back normal. My weight, medical history, etc. provided no clues to why. Many specialists had no idea what was causing my issue. As far as everyone was concerned, I was a healthy woman of an appropriate age to get pregnant without any underlying factors for infertility.


Yet, like too many women, there I was. I had already spent years researching nutrition related to women’s health as an interested from my teens but more research was to be done and specialists to be spoken to. This is a brief post and there will be more to follow.


The “Fertility Diet”

In 2007, Harvard Researchers published their findings on the so-called “Fertility Diet” study. This study followed over 18,000 women over an 8 year period. Their findings indicate that women who followed the diet, increased their chances of becoming pregnant; 66% decrease in ovulatory infertility and 27% decrease in other causes compared to women who did not follow the diet.


The diet included

  • Consuming less animal protein and more plant-based protein with more vegetarian sources of iron

  • Taking multivitamins (specifically prenatal or those higher in B vitamins and folic acid/folate)

  • Eating high-fat dairy over low-fat dairy including milk, yogurt, and cream

  • Avoiding trans fats with increase of monounsaturated fats (the ‘healthy’ fats and/or plant-based fats).

  • Achieving or maintaining a healthy weight

  • Getting in regular exercise


Are you sensing a pattern by any chance? A diet higher in plant-based foods and nutrients with adequate fat (such as the Mediterranean diet) seems to be ideal.

It is important to note that many may also need to evaluate their intake of added sugars prior to conception. Higher insulin levels can negatively impact ovulation for some women. The Fertility Diet above encourages carbohydrate intake from sources such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts or seeds.

In the end, a healthy and well-balanced diet with appropriate exercise will lead to benefits such as less body fat, higher quality and higher intake of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants, improved ovulation and quality of egg(s).



I specialize in plant-based diets and understand the physical and emotional toll that infertility can take. Interested in improving your chances of getting pregnant with dietary changes? Let’s talk.


Yours in Health,

Julie Wallace, RDN, LD, CSP





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