Are you thinking about getting pregnant? If so, it’s a good idea to pass on the fast food and put more fruit on your plate. That’s because what you eat before getting pregnant really matters. And according to a study published last week, trading junk food for fruit is a good way to boost fertility and get pregnant more easily.
In a study published in Human Reproduction called, “Pre-pregnancy fast food and fruit intake is associate with time to pregnancy,” asked whether a woman’s preconception diet can impact her fertility and how long it takes to get pregnant, or “time to pregnancy” (TTP).
They observed over 5, 500 women in Australia, and their diets one month before they became pregnant. Midwives gathered dietary information, asking how often the participants consumed fish, fruit, leafy green veggies and fast foods, like fried chicken, French fries, burgers and pizza.
Researchers found that if a woman had three servings of fruit or less per month, her TTP took half a month longer than women who had daily servings of fruit. Furthermore, their infertility rose from 8 percent to 12 percent.
Infertility risk increased even more – up to 16 percent – if a woman ate fast food up to four times a week. And diets high in fast food were associated with a month delay in getting pregnant.
While researchers admit that “research in pre-pregnancy diet and TTP in humans is sparse”, their findings do suggest that a diet rich in whole fruits, instead of fast food, can support a woman’s fertility.
