A bowl of cereal for breakfast like porridge could help a woman conceive. Research has found that eating foods rich in vitamin B6 can more than double the chances of becoming pregnant.

Women who have plenty of B6 in their diet are also only half as likely to miscarry during those critical first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This study adds to the growing evidence of vitamin B6’s role in reproductive health as millions of women already taking vitamin B6 supplements to combat premenstrual syndrome and alleviate morning sickness.

It is thought that vitamin B6 plays a key role in the development of the placenta. The U.S. researchers looked at how levels of vitamin B6 affected the reproductive health of more than 300 healthy young women who were trying for a baby. Scientists measured levels of vitamin B6 in the women’s blood and checked their hormone levels every day for a year. The results revealed a clear link between vitamin B6 and fertility.

Those with the highest levels of the vitamin were 2.2 times more likely to conceive than those with the lowest levels. The women were also half as likely to miscarry in the first six weeks of pregnancy, the American Journal of Epidemiology reported. Earlier work by the same researchers showed that vitamin B6 appeared to ward off miscarriages later in pregnancy and halve the risk of premature birth.

For fertility, it is better to take additional vitamin B6 in supplements, the easiest way to do this is to take a multi-vitamin and mineral which contains B6 along with folic acid and other nutrients which are known to help fertility. The one I use in the clinic is called Fertility Plus for Women.

The guidance replaces existing advice which recommends that pregnant women or women trying to conceive should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week, and should avoid getting drunk. The Department said the new guidance was not based on new scientific evidence but was needed to help ensure that women did not underestimate the risks to their baby.

This message to avoid alcohol completely in pregnancy and when trying for a baby has been a long time coming. In January 2000, research from Queen’s University claimed that the Department of Health (who at that point in time recommended that pregnant women could drink four units of alcohol a week) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (who said that seven units of alcohol a week was not harmful) were offering unsound and dangerous advice.

The study showed that even a tiny amount of alcohol (4 glasses of wine a week) can affect an unborn baby’s brain and central nervous system. Scientists concluded that women who drink throughout their pregnancy will produce children with shorter attention spans, and their children will also find it more difficult to do well at school. At that time, Britain was the only developed country where pregnant women were officially told that they could drink.

The message is simple: avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive.

This month’s case study is a couple – ‘Mandy and Paul’ — who came to the Clinic because of infertility.

Mandy and Paul’s Story:

Myself and my husband had been trying to conceive for 3 years. After numerous medical investigations it was discovered that Paul had a very low sperm count of 1.5 million (needs to be at least 20 million to conceive) with 95% of these being abnormal. The motility of Paul’s sperm was also low at only 27% when it should be at least 50%. Our consultant very bluntly told us that we had no hope of conceiving naturally and that we should go straight for an IVF cycle.

Although neither of us was keen to go down this route we wanted to have a baby so much that it was something we had to do. Because of Paul’s poor semen analysis we had to have an ICSI cycle. This means that the sperm is inserted into the egg rather than allowing the sperm to fertilise the egg within the ‘test tube.’ 14 eggs fertilised and 2 were put back into my womb but unfortunately this didn’t result in a pregnancy.

We both found the ICSI procedure very draining both physically and emotionally and after going through this invasive treatment we were devastated by the outcome. Apart from the stress and invasive procedure it cost us more than £3000.

Shortly after, a friend of mine had seen a review on the book, ‘Natural Solutions to Infertility’, by Dr Marilyn Glenville. I read the book cover to cover and what I really liked about it was how it explained so clearly all the possible causes of infertility and what the options were both medically and naturally.

It was also encouraging because the book wasn’t just recommending one course of treatment. It was made very clear that whether a couple wants or has to go down the assisted conception route, or they don’t want to, they can be supported nutritionally. There were case studies in the book that gave us a lot of hope and inspiration. This is what prompted us to contact the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic.

When we phoned to book our first consultation it was recommended that we perform a Hair Mineral Analysis before hand. The results would then be back in time for our first appointment with the nutritionist. The Hair Mineral Analysis detects whether there are any deficiencies which can have implications on fertility. The nice thing about this test is how simple it is and non-invasive. This was such a relief having had so many blood tests, injections, been prodded and poked over the last 3 years!

We met two weeks later with our nutritionist who spent a full hour with us going through our medical and fertility history and finding out where we were at and our plans and goals for the next 3-6 months. This felt really reassuring as it was the first time that someone was taking the time to learn everything possible about us, rather than just having a rushed 15 minutes and feeling like another statistic! One of the first areas she looked at was helping me over the IVF by supporting my body to eliminate the toxins from the huge amount of drugs.

The Hair Mineral Analysis showed that I was low in the mineral zinc and magnesium and Paul low in zinc, selenium and magnesium. The nutritionist explained how important zinc was for both of us, but particularly Paul. For the man, zinc is needed for the head of the sperm to enable it to penetrate and fertilise the egg.

Zinc and selenium are also important anti-oxidants which means they protect the sperm from damage which could account for the high percentage of abnormal sperm. Finally, magnesium which is a mineral that can be used up when stress levels are high and is needed for the motility of the sperm. This all made so much sense and gave us something really positive to focus on.

The practitioner talked about the different reasons why men can have a high percentage of unhealthy sperm and explained the possible link between this and an underlying prostate infection. Aside from this, toxins from poor diet and the environment are also a huge factor.

This had never been mentioned before and it was just put down to ‘one of those things’. The nutritionist referred Paul to see a Microbiologist who performed an infection screen which came back positive. Paul was then referred on to an Urologist who prescribed antibiotics to clear the infection.

Immediately this reduced the percentage of abnormal sperm, but motility and count were still low. Having followed an eating plan to maximise our fertility and take nutritional supplements tailored to our needs, we were asked to come back for a follow up appointment in 12 weeks. Before the second consultation Paul had to arrange another semen analysis so we could see what had happened in this time.

Paul was overjoyed as the percentage of abnormal sperm had dropped to 90% and the count had increased to 6 million and motility to 35%. Although some of these improvements were not dramatic, it was a move in the right direction!

Six months on and still eating well and taking the recommended supplements my period didn’t arrive on time. My cycle had always been a regular 30 days, but without getting too excited I waited. After 7 days and still no bleed I performed a pregnancy test – it was positive! We were so excited but at the same time wanted to keep our feet firmly on the ground as it was such early days. I phoned the clinic to tell them and they advised that I had an early pregnancy scan at 5 weeks. This was very reassuring and I felt in control of the pregnancy.

After 12 weeks of pregnancy we had another consultation to review our progress and repeated the Hair Mineral Analysis so the nutritionist could make the necessary adjustments and talk me through the final two trimesters.

Our beautiful son Ben was born weighing 9lb 3oz and it was such an amazing experience for us both. We feel so fortunate to have produced such a wonderful little boy naturally when we were told so many times that it would be impossible.

Our message to anyone reading this is don’t just look at one option. Take everything into consideration and do the best you can to help yourselves and your fertility. Aside from the fertility, we are both enjoying a healthier way of eating and feeling the benefit in other aspects i.e. more energy and I no longer have recurrent bouts of thrush! We are still taking a basic supplement programme and our plan is to have another consultation to prepare us for trying for our second baby.

Marilyn’s comments:

This is such a lovely example of how powerful nutrition can be. All too often we see couples at my clinics that have been ‘railroaded’ into assisted conception when perhaps other avenues haven’t been fully explored. This is a particularly good example of how male factor infertility is not given enough consideration. Mandy had no reproductive problems at all and because Paul had poor sperm quality and low count and motility it was the easier option to recommend IVF.

However, we know, not just from this case, but from scientific research and years of clinical experience that nutrition plays an extremely important part in sperm health. To have been told that it was impossible to conceive without medical intervention and then to have a beautiful son is wonderful.

I hope Mandy and Paul’s story has inspired you all to really think about the power of nutrition whether you are trying to conceive naturally or planning to have assisted conception.

Follow this link if you are interested in having the Hair Mineral Analysis.