Top Five Fruits for Fertility

I read something the other day that said foods that resemble part of your anatomy are actually very beneficial for that particular body part. There are a lot of fruits that look our reproductive organs so it totally makes sense that they will be important for fertility.

A study that was presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s annual meeting in Lisbon, found that eating fruit could boost the chance of having a baby. Whilst these succulent little buds can help improve fertility in both men and women, it seems men are ‘lazier’ when it comes to improving their diet than women, so get your man to up his fruit intake.

Fruits are great sources of Vitamin C, which are important to sperm and egg health due to their antioxidant properties, which attach to and remove free radicals that can cause damage to our bodies. But eating a wide variety of fruit will also keep you topped up with lycopene, folic acid and Vitamin B6, which are important when you’re trying to conceive.

There are many, many fruits that you can add to your daily diet but these are my top five fruits for fertility. Eat at least two portions a day for 90 days before trying to conceive to make a difference to your egg and sperm quality.

Kiwi Fruit

There is no fruit that looks more like a testicle than a kiwi fruit, so it’s not surprising that they are packed with zinc, which helps testosterone production for a high sperm count. Kiwi fruit also contains three times more Vitamin C than oranges and contains 100% of your daily needs in one serve, as well as 10% of the recommended daily folate intake, which is vital for the health of a mother and child during pregnancy, and for the prevention of neural tube birth defects.

Pineapple

Pineapple is often recommended for women who are trying IUI or IVF, as the bromelain in the pineapple core thins the blood, so more can flow to your uterus and help embryos ‘stick’ during implantation. For best results eat one to two slices of pineapple a day for five days after ovulation and make sure you eat the core.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates were seen as a symbol of fertility in ancient Persia and pomegranate juice is still recommended during pregnancy as it may help prevent brain damage in babies. Full of vitamins and minerals, pomegranates are rich in vitamins C and K as well as a good source of folic acid. Pomegranates are also supposed to aid blood flow so drink the juice around ovulation to send blood to the uterus, and a juice a day for guys can help the health and mobility of sperm.

Strawberries

Red fruits are good sources of lycopene, which are important to sperm health due to their antioxidant properties. Strawberries also contain folate, which you can get in even higher doses if you eat them dried, plus Vitamin A, which improves cervical mucus. They’re even said to be linked to naturally increasing a woman’s libido, so have a bowl at the ready when that time of the month comes around. It’s best to eat strawberries within two days of buying them as the amount of vitamin C and polyphenols decreases quite quickly.

Bananas

Bananas are full of Vitamin B6, potassium, Vitamin C and Manganese, which are all important for reproductive health. Getting enough of these vitamins helps to balance hormones, regulating the menstrual cycle as well as improving egg and sperm development.