Alcohol, Sugar, Caffeine and Infertility

by Jetta
(Wichita, KS)

Hello Amelia,
Thank you for your beautiful and generous website. I have a question about diet. How much do dietary factors affect fertility. Specifically, does moderate consumption of alcohol, sugar and caffeine affect fertility? What about pesticides and hormones in our meat and dairy?

Thank you,
Jetta

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starstarstarstarstar 		Coffee and Red Wine or Baby?
by: Amelia Hirota

Hi Jetta,
Ninety percent of the IVF patients that I see are consuming coffee and/or red wine regularly. Usually, during our initial consultation, we'll have a big debate about this issue. Many women do not want to give up their coffee and red wine when trying to have a baby. Often they defend these practices by saying that their doctors never told them to stop drinking coffee or alcohol.

This is probably for 2 reasons. One, doctors don't have the time to debate the caffeine/ alcohol issue for a half hour. Two, doctors aren't trained in nutrition and therefore don't put much stock in a healthy diet.

The fertility diet that I recommend to my patients is very simple. I advise both women and men to eat foods that are recognizable as coming from the earth. The less packaging and processing, the better! This means organic foods that don't have hormones, antibiotics, pesticides or herbicides. Also, I recommend eliminating alcohol, caffeine, decaf products, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils and processed foods.

It takes 4-6 months for the eggs in the ovaries to mature before ovulation and 72 days for new sperm to form, which means that all foods consumed during this time will affect the eggs and sperm. Do yourself and your future baby a favor and consciously prepare your bodies for making a baby.

Please respond in the comments section if you have any questions.

Sending Baby Dust Your Way,
Amelia Hirota
Licensed and Board Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist

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