Fertile Food

[AmyLouise222]

Heyy
Just to clear up a little misunderstanding...
Are there any foods that can increase chances of conceiving or are they all old wives' tales??
Thanks

[Uglymush]

I'd say all old wives tales, but make sure you eat healthy with lots of fruit and veg. However it is good for you DP to take vitamin C and Zinc supplements (I speak as someone whose diet was shocking and took 21 months to conceive)

[AmyLouise222]

My husband and I eat VERY healthy he drinks moderately and neither of us smoke. I don't drink and we both take zinc. Maybe we should take vitamin C too. Do vitamins really help? What does DP mean sorry? Thanks

[Uglymush]

DP - dear Partner - didn't want to offend by assuming you were married. We were advised to take the vitamins. To be honest the best thing to do is have lots of fun and enjoy yourselves. How long have you been trying? Do you know your cycle - if not try using ovulation kits that tell you the opitmum time to try - sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs

[highlove]

Check out a book called Food for Fertility. It's developed based on research in the states with 18,000 nurses over many years and tracked how diet and exercise impact on fertility. Some interesting stuff but it is quite sciencey; it's not a great bedtime read! And some of it does feel like common sense: lots of wholegrains, avoid refined carbs, very little red meat, plenty of fish etc. But also some interesting and surprising stuff linking low fat dairy with ovulatory infertility while full fat was shown to have a positive. Worth a look, especially if you have PCOS.

Then again, as uglymush says, if you've just started trying and have no reason to suspect a problem and you're already don't drink much or smoke or take drugs, then really add in some vitamins and folic acid and just have a bit of fun.

[AmyLouise222]

We been trying about just over 6 months, my cycles becoming more regualar as the pill leaves my system. I just want a baby so much I'm scared that it's dominating things :/ I can't FORCE my husband to have sex after all. It should be fun not a chore.

[Uglymush]

If you have only stopped the pill in the last 6 months, really don't worry. It can take up to 12 months to be fully flushed out.

A friend of mine recommended hypnotherapy to me - not to make me fertile but to help with my mind.

If you are over 30 once you have been trying for 12 months go to your GP and request a referal to the fertility clinic at your local hospital. If you are under 30 it will probably be 3 years before they will refer you. But seriously you will probably have conceived naturally before this. As I said in my last message, have fun and enjoy sex. The last thing you want is your relationship to suffer due to the desperation of needing sex.

I seriously recommend these www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=digital%20ovulation%20kits&index=aps&hvadid=62897272531&ref=pd_sl_2nvzerb1v7_b&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21
We started using these in Feb after 16 months of trying and conceived in July.

[AmyLouise222]

Wow that is fantatstic- can you get cheaper ones and how do they work- sorry I'm new to all this.

[Uglymush]

Look on ebay - I think I got a pack of 20 for about £25. They have full instructions in the pack, but I would recommend getting a 7 day pack first. The 7 days pack tells you how to work out your cycle, where as the 20 day pack just tells you to use it every day - so economically speaking I would get one 7 day pack as it will save you money in the long term.
They work similar to pregnancy tests, in that you pee on the stick and it takes your hormone levels and if they are at the right level for conceiving it will give you a smiley face.
Don't apologise for asking - happy to help when I can
I really do recommend staying relaxed and enjoying yourself

[Squirrel77]

Hi, I've been drinking grapefruit juice (meant to be good for increasing quality of cervical mucus to help sperm get to the egg) and also we eat very healthily. Trying to increase consumption of full fat dairy by eating cheese and yogurt. Also trying to cut my and DH's alcohol consumption right back as well. And eating Nigerian Yams for twins (old wives tale, I bet, but they are quite tasty!) I have also cut right down on caffeine and am drinking nettle and raspberry leaf tea. Hope that helps!

[saxony]

Hi squirrel. Where did you buy your raspberry and nettle leaf tea? Is it a combined or separate tea leafs or in a bag? I was just checking Holland & Barrett and can't seem to find them in both in one product. Thanks

[wrighty2010]

Hi, dont know if it helps but I read an article on anti oxidants in relationship to feertility and ended up buying vitamins called vitafem as I was trying to get pregnant via a sperm donor(first time round) so had to get everything right. i bought the vitamins from a website called Pride Angel, thay are supposed to support fertility and address nutritional imbalances (I have attached the link to the website re the article so you can have a look prideangel.com/p50/fertility-pregnancy/Nutrition-Vitamins.aspx) It took 3 months to get pregnant first time and I was 38, trying again now and am 41, must be mad! Hope this helps you, good luck xx

[Squirrel77]

Hi saxony - I have bought two separate teas from H&B (they must be making a fortune off Mumsnetters BTW!). The raspberry one you are supposed to drink until ovulation only, whereas the nettle can be drunk all cycle round. There is a good book called The Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year that I have been referring to in relation to herbs etc. You can get the book secondhand from Amazon, published in the 70's I think!

[saxony]

Thanks squirrel

Will pop down to H&b for a look around..is nettle tea tastier than it sounds!?

[AmyLouise222]

Uglymush I got a digital thermometer it was sold as a basal one but tbh it just the same lol but i'm mid cycle and think i'm ovulating but not 100% when can i start using my BT?? thanks xxx not sure what to look for either?? How good are they??

[Squirrel77]

AmyLouise there are a few of us doing the temping thing over here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1220067-Charters-Anonymous-Volume-7-Charting-and-shagging-our-way-to-victory

Come and join us!

[LibrarianAli]

I got a 'fertility recipes' cookbook out of the Library - I have NO idea at all if it helps (well, I'm not knocked up anyway) but it has some nice ideas for new recipes which is handy if you're bored of eating the same thing all the time.

We've been eating sweet potato fritatta, salmon with sesame seeds, lovely dahls and nice healthy soups and it does feel vaguely helpful to be eating healthy things, which when you have so little control over a situation can only be a positive.

I'm not sure if this is the exact one, but it's near enough

www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Pregnancy-Cookbook-Fertility-Nutrition/dp/074992912X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321034826&sr=8-1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[AmyLouise222]

Can I have the recipe for the sweet potato frittata please?? Sounds lush :) Thanks xx

[LibrarianAli]

2 tbsp mild olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 medium sweet potato, unpeeled and finely sliced.
6 medium eggs
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper

1 Pre heat the grill to medium hot and heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sweet potato and saute for about 15 mins until the potaot softens.

1. Beat the egg with the salt, pour on top of the veggies in the pan and cook until he bottom of the omelette is set
   

1. Pop under the grill briefly to finish cooking the top of the omelette
   

1. Sprinkle with black petter and slice into wedges.
   

We had it with a red onion, tomato, basil and avocado salad and it was yum. I fried the onions really gently for a bit longer than the recipe says so that they were sweet and lush.

[saxony]

So confused squirrel

I went to H & B yesterday to buy the nettle and raspberry tea bags and I mentioned to the assisstant about them helping fertility. She had never heard of this and was concerned about the affects of the raspberry tea on someone who is trying for a baby as it is associated with those at the end of their pregnancy.
I bought them anyway as I had read for myself on the internet that some people had recommended them.

But last night I read quite a few sites that said that nettle tea wasn't recommended either if you were ttc.

So I am a bit wary now but thought I would pass this info on in case it helps you or anyone else. I find that all these sites tend to contradict each other so if in doubt I'm doing nowt!! ( well except for the swi )

[brettgirl2]

Peas are meant to be a natural contraceptive I read somewhere. I was very but stopped eating them and got a bfp so it must be true . I'm not sure I'm so confident as to rely on this after my baby is born tho!