Eat right with color

The theme of National Nutrition Month is “Eat Right with Color”. While everyone would agree that better nutrition is good generally, it is particularly good for pregnant women who are eating for two and affecting the health of their babies with every bite they take. Nutrition is no less important when preparing for fertility treatments.

As part of the nutritional awareness this month sponsors, Shady Grove Fertility Centers in Maryland and Virginia have put out a recommendation for moms-to-be undergoing ART. Pre-natal vitamins, balanced diet, abstention from alcohol and limited caffeine all before starting treatment.

“So often patients undergoing treatment for infertility feel like they are at the mercy of the medication and treatment options they’ve selected, but are powerless to do anything themselves to effect a positive outcome,” says Dr. Stephen Greenhouse, a reproductive endocrinologist with Shady Grove Fertility Center. “When it comes to nutrition, women who are hoping to get pregnant in the coming months can take active, specific steps right now to influence a more positive result for their future children.”

Specifically, doctors at Shady Grove recommend a prenatal vitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid daily, limited caffeine from all sources, abstinence from alcohol consumption, and maintaining a healthy BMI weight. “Women who make sound nutritional choices before they become pregnant have a much greater chance of having healthier, less complicated pregnancies and delivering healthier babies,” says Dr. Greenhouse.

Source: Shady Grove Fertility Center, MedicalNewsToday