Trans Fats Linked to Female Infertility

By Kathleen

Yet another study links diet to ovulation related infertility. A recent WebMD article outlines the findings from a recent Harvard School of Public Health study. According to the study, getting just 2% of your calories from trans fats can double a womens risk of having ovulation related fertility problems. A simple calculation based on a 2000 calorie diet, puts this at just 40 trans fat calories. Since fats are about 9 calories/gram, this puts your trans fat risk starting at 4-5 grams/day. For reference, an order of large fries from McDonalds has 8 grams of trans fat.

Obesity and Infertility

By Kathleen

A new study reviewed here reinforces the evidence linking obesity in women and infertility. The study followed some 3000 couples who were having trouble conceiving. 10% of the women were considered obese, and these women had the hardest time getting pregnant. BMI's were established for each of the couples in the study, and the results were fairly obvious. Those women with the highest BMI's had the worst pregancy rates. The reasons for the high correlations are not entirely clear, but even without a good understanding of the pathology, overweight patients should take notice.

New Fertility Diet Book Gets Lots of Press

By Kathleen

An article in the New York Times talks about a recent book about fertility and diet that has received alot of attention. Newsweek even devoted a December cover to the subject. “The Fertility Diet”, a book by some Harvard researchers suggests that simply eating right can have significant effects on fertility. After reading further, you realize that it really ONLY applies to women with irregular ovulation, which represents only a subset of fertility patients. As the article points out, there’s little evidence that the suggestions in this book will improve fertility for other types of patients. The type of misleading headlines associated with this book are certain to frustrate infertility patients as the general public hears all you need to do is “eat right” to become pregnant.

Mythbusters: Hot Tubs Bad for Men?

By Kathleen

You’ve probably heard the statement that hot tubs are bad for male fertility. The basic idea is that regular use of hot tubs will impair sperm production. Apparently this assertion was almost entire based on guessing, with little science behind it. Recently, a group of scientists put the theory to the test, which is summarized in this NYT article. After following a group of men who regularly used hot tubs, it was confirmed that sperm production and motility was impaired. Interestingly, most of the men were able to reverse the trend within a few months of cessation of hot tub use. It’s nice to know that we can continue to warn about this, but now with some actual science behind it.