6 things to avoid to increase your fertility

1. Deep Sea Fish 
 Eat a minimum of seafood. Avoid albacore tuna altogether due to the high levels of mercury in this type of fish. Mercury has been linked with serious birth defects including autism. 

2. Coffee
Drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day can halve your chances of conceiving. Drinking even one cup per day can interfere with female fertility however if a man drinks one cup prior to intercourse, there is some evidence to suggest this increases sperm motility in the short term.  One study showed that problems with sperm: sperm count, motility and abnormalities, increase in proportion with the number of cups of coffee consumed each day.

3. Alcohol
Any alcohol reduces the chances of conception by up to 50% as well as possible damage to the foetus especially in the first few weeks.  Research has also shown that drinking alcohol causes a decrease in sperm count, an increase in abnormal sperm and a lower proportion of motile sperm. Alcohol also inhibits the body's absorption of nutrients such as zinc, which is one of the most important minerals for male fertility.

4. Smoking / Smoking has definitely been linked with infertility in women. It can even bring on an early menopause, which is a particularly important consideration for older women who may be trying to beat the clock. Smoking can decrease sperm count in men, making the sperm more sluggish, and it can increase the number of abnormal sperm. With men, the negative effects on fertility are increased with the number of cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is known to greatly reduce the vitamin C levels in our bodies. RDA of Vitamin C for smokers is twice as much as that for non-smokers. As has been discussed elsewhere, Vitamin C plays a very important role in fertility, especially Male fertility.

5. Soy Products
 Be ware of soy products.  These may provide a good supply of calcium however their high content of oestrogen has been linked with some quite detrimental effects.  If the foetus is a male, the damage can include gynacomastia (breasts on a male), small genital organs.  In females, babies have been born menstruating and tend to develop earlier physically. 

6. Processed Foods
Avoid processed foods like sugar and refined flour (sweets and junk foods) since these provide no nutrition for a developing baby. Many older women who have babies are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and too much junk food can contribute to high blood sugar and a greater need for cesarean birth due to large babies from diabetic mothers.

Your baby depends on you and the foods you eat. Give it every advantage prior to conception and avoid problems further down the road. Eating healthy is one of the easiest things you can do during pregnancy to safeguard the health of you and the baby. / and the bonus... / 7. Too much exercise / The standard rules of 30 minutes of moderate exercise, a minimum of three times per week seems to provide for optimal fertility.  

Any more than 2 hours of moderate or harder exercise in a day tends to alter hormone levels.  It has been found to severely deplete testosterone in particular – an important hormone in male fertility.  It can also deplete body salts such as magnesium and calcium if they are not being adequately replaced.

~Bel

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