5 ways to improve your reproductive health through diet

When it comes to fertility and reproductive health, diet can play a key role for both men and women. If you're looking to start a family, here are some diet tips to follow.

Alcohol isn't just bad during pregnancy, but it can also reduce fertility in both men and women.

• Alcohol can have a negative impact on sperm quality and testosterone levels, and can also reduce your overall sperm count.
• Alcohol is also suspected to reduce fertility in women and scientists suspect alcohol consumption is one of the reasons behind an increase in infertility in women.
• Although it's not necessary to completely stop drinking, try to take in no more than one to two drinks a day.
• If you've gone many months without conceiving, try ceasing your alcohol intake entirely, and see if this step doesn't help you conceive.

Fruits and vegetables such as arugula, kale, blueberries, oranges, red peppers and raspberries are full of vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

• These properties can help feed and repair your reproductive system. Furthermore, environmental factors such as smog, pollution and stressors can contribute free radicals that can damage your reproductive system.
• By ingesting fruits and vegetables, antioxidants help suck up these free radicals, helping protect your reproductive health and making it easier to conceive a child.

This tip applies to both men and women. Caffeine has the ability to disrupt the natural rhythm of the fallopian tubes, as well as cause sperm motility and quality problems.

• It is also well known that caffeine can cause a spike in cortisol inside your body.
• Cortisol serves as a stress hormone and can counterbalance other important hormones related to fertility, such as oestrogen and testosterone.
• If you're a coffee addict, it's time to think about cutting down on your consumption, or perhaps switching to tea, which has a lower caffeine content.

While simple carbs such as pasta, white bread and sponge cake may taste great, they don't pack much nutritional value and can even negatively influence your hormonal levels.

• If you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a disorder that affects your hormonal balance, you may be especially vulnerable to the impact of simple carbs.
• PCOS is the most common reason behind female infertility, and simple refined carbs can cause a huge spike in insulin that can significantly worsen PCOS and lead to difficulties with ovulating.
• Try to stick to more complex carbs and whole grain dietary choices.

Iron is important for women, especially if you have periods that produce heavy blood loss, which can quickly deplete your iron.

• Often, during pregnancy, women can suffer from anaemia, which results from the developing fetus taking in much of your iron stores, which can leave you fatigued and feeling weak.
• As a result, try to take in plenty of meat to keep your iron levels high.
• If you're a vegetarian or vegan, an iron supplement is highly recommended to keep your iron levels high enough both before and after your pregnancy.

Eating properly to improve fertility, protect your reproductive system and nurture your baby is essential for every healthy pregnancy. With these tips, you should be able to increase your chances of successfully conceiving.