Fertility diets for women: Boosting fertility naturally
Does what you eat affect your fertility? It’s a question more and more people are asking, and the short answer is yes. You can support your fertility through healthy diet and lifestyle habits.
Research shows that specific fertility diets for women can play an important role in supporting hormonal balance, ovulation, and overall reproductive health.
While food can’t solve every fertility challenge, the right nutrition and lifestyle choices are key to boosting fertility naturally.
What to eat when trying to conceive?
Before searching for specific fertility foods and diets, look at the bigger picture when trying to conceive.
- Being underweight or overweight can make conception more difficult
- Taking 400 µg of folic acid daily has well-established benefits for fertility
- Preferring a plant-based diet: less animal protein supports fertility
- Eating complex carbs rich in fiber can improve fertility.
Aim for a healthy weight and pre pregnancy BMI
Being significantly underweight or overweight can affect fertility and make conception more difficult. In women, obesity is associated with ovulatory dysfunction and reduced fertility, while being underweight can disrupt menstrual cycles and ovulation.
Take folic acid before conception
Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients to address before pregnancy. The WHO recommends that women trying to conceive take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily from the time they begin trying until 12 weeks of pregnancy.
A varied diet provides natural folate from leafy greens, beans and lentils, but food alone may not provide enough folic acid before conception.
Choose more plant-based protein to support fertility
Research suggests that replacing animal protein with plant-based protein may support fertility. In one large prospective study, replacing 5% of total energy from animal protein with plant-based protein was associated with a more than 50% lower risk of ovulatory infertility.
Choose complex carbohydrates with fiber
A diet rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates (wholegrains) may support fertility. Good options include oats, millet, barley, quinoa, brown rice, wholegrain bread and pasta. Other useful foods that you can eat instead of refined carbohydrates (white bread or pasta) include beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, vegetables and whole fruit.
Another rating of carbohydrate foods is the glycemic index (GI). Lower GI foods are wholegrain pasta, sweet potatoes, oats, basmati rice, dairy and fruit. Including these foods as part of a balanced diet has been shown to improve fertility.
So, what are the best female fertility foods?
The best female fertility foods are nutrient-rich whole foods and healthy fats as found in a Mediterranean-style diet.
Instead of searching for one specific fertility food, build your everyday diet around vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and quality protein.
Include omega-3-rich foods such as oily fish (or consider a supplement), take folic acid before conception, and avoid smoking, alcohol, highly processed foods, trans fats and excessive caffeine.
A Mediterranean-style diet has been associated with more favorable fertility outcomes.
Fertility diets for women: Foods to boost fertility
Just as some foods can make it harder for your body to conceive, others can support female fertility and prepare your body for pregnancy.
Below are key nutrients and foods to boost fertility when you are trying to conceive.
Foods to eat to get pregnant fast
Boosting fertility naturally: PUFAs are the fats your body loves
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)—especially omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA) and omega-6s (such as arachidonic acid)—play an important role in fertility for both women and men. PUFAs support healthy ovulation, sperm quality, and early embryo development.
In women, a higher intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may support fertility. Increased nuts and seeds consumption (omega-6 fatty acids) may improve male fertility.
Foods to avoid when trying to conceive
What you eat may influence how long it takes to become pregnant. While no single food determines fertility, research suggests that certain dietary patterns, foods and nutrients may be associated with a longer time to pregnancy.
The infographic below highlights some foods and nutrients to be mindful of when trying to conceive, including fast food, sweetened sodas, alcohol, coffee, trans fats and saturated fats.
Foods to avoid when trying to get pregnant
Saturated and trans fats to limit when trying to conceive
Trans fats and high amounts of saturated fats in particular can negatively affect hormone balance and ovulation.
Saturated fats: found in high-calorie animal products like butter, fatty meats, sausages, cheese and processed pastries. These fats can raise “bad” cholesterol and may interfere with hormone balance when consumed in excess.
Trans fats (also called trans-fatty acids): found in fried foods (incl. French fries), and commercial baked goods such as cakes, cookies and pies. Trans fats may reduce fertility in both women and men.
Trying to conceive? Learn how a healthy preconception diet can support fertility and prepare your body for pregnancy.
Want a complete, structured guide to support yours and your partner’s fertility — without hopping between articles?
Download our Pre-Pregnancy E-Book here.
References:
Winter, H.G.; Rolnik, D.L.; Mol, B.W.J.; Torkel, S.; Alesi, S.; Mousa, A.; Habibi, N.; Silva, T.R.; Cheung, T.O.; Tay, C.T.; et al. Can dietary patterns impact fertility outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients 2023, 15, 2589. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112589
Gaskins, A.J.; Sundaram, R.; Buck Louis, G.M.; Chavarro, J.E. Seafood intake, sexual activity, and time to pregnancy. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2018, 103(7), 2680–2688. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-00385
Rogers, L.M.; Cordero, A.M.; Pfeiffer, C.M.; Hausman, D.B.; Tsang, B.L.; De-Regil, L.M.; Rosenthal, J.; Razzaghi, H.; Wong, E.C.; Weakland, A.P.; Bailey, L.B. Global folate status in women of reproductive age: A systematic review with emphasis on methodological issues. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2018, 1431(1), 35–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13963
Cueto, H.T.; Riis, A.H.; Hatch, E.E.; Wise, L.A.; Rothman, K.J.; Sørensen, H.T.; Mikkelsen, E.M. Folic acid supplementation and fecundability: A Danish prospective cohort study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2016, 70(1), 66–71. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.94
Sharma, R.; Biedenharn, K.; Fedor, J.; Agarwal, A. Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: Taking control of your fertility. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2013, 11, 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7827-11-66
Chavarro, J.E.; Rich-Edwards, J.W.; Rosner, B.A.; Willett, W.C. Protein intake and ovulatory infertility. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2008, 198(2), 210.e1–210.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2007.06.057
