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.

What is IUI? Advice for first timers

I’ve just had my third cycle of IUI, or intrauterine insemination. My first attempt was nine months ago, shortly after I miscarried and was raring to get pregnant again as soon as possible. We went through two cycles, both unsuccessful and then decided to go back to traditional methods for a while as I was finding it difficult balancing the treatments with work and just found the whole process a bit mechanical.

Nearly one year later and we’re back on it. If you’re not familiar with the procedure, you might be wondering, what is IUI? My husband, rather romantically, calls it turkey basting. Essentially it is a way of getting the little swimmers closer to the target. The doctor takes a sample of your partner’s semen, washes it to make it more concentrated, then inserts it in to your uterus through a thin catheter. This increases the chances of the sperm getting to the fallopian tubes. The rest is down to nature. It’s not for everyone, but if you are struggling to conceive it may be an option you want to consider.

I’ve put together a list of a few useful things you might want to know before you try IUI.