Nutritional Changes to Improve Female Fertility: Role of Obesity, Hormones, Dietary Patterns and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Abstract

Importance Infertility affects around 180 million people in the world and can be influenced by a number of nutritional factors.

Objective The idea of a pretreatment optimization including beneficial weight loss, adequate physical activity, and good lifestyle habits could enhance fertility for many couples who want to conceive a baby.

Results There are different aspects related to nutrition, such as obesity (affecting 23%–30% of reproductive-aged women), dietary patterns (type of diet, good or bad habits, and physical activity), nutrients (vitamins or minerals), hormones (adipokines, among others), and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (phytoestrogens and bisphenol A, among others) that have a clear impact on women’s fertility.

Evidence Acquisition Findings have shown that a Mediterranean or balanced diet with an adequate weight loss in case of obesity and an appropriate serum concentration of different nutrients with low endocrine-disrupting exposure could improve female fertility. In addition, the context is quite important, as there are many differences between overweight and low-weight women, and both can encounter difficulties conceiving.

Conclusions and Relevance The aim of this review is to elucidate the impact of obesity and hormones in women’s fertility. In addition, how dietary patterns could help people to increase probability of conception and birth using less fertility treatments cycles will be also analyzed. Moreover, the role of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pollutants, and contaminants will be discussed.

Target Audience Obstetricians and gynecologists, family physicians.

Learning objectives After completing this activity, the learner will be better able to discuss how obesity and hormones impact fertility; explain the role of dietary patterns regarding conception and birth; and describe the effect of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pollutants, and contaminants.