If you are struggling to conceive, it may be worth looking at diet in the hope of improving fertility. This is the opinion of gynecologist Bjarne Stigsby, who together with dietician Charlotte Hartvig published the book "Spis dig gravid" in 2009. 

Bjarne Stigsby is the owner of the fertility clinic Gynækologisk Klinik in Taastrup, and he believes that the right diet is just as important as having sex at the right times if you want to get pregnant. 

Hormonal disturbances and infertility 

If you eat food that contains large amounts of sugar and starch, blood sugar will rise, and when blood sugar rises, the body produces insulin to lower blood sugar again. But when the body turns up the insulin hormones, it can affect the function of the ovaries and thereby reduce fertility, as seen in women with PCOS. Read more about PCOS here: What is PCOS? Symptoms and what you can do if you want to get pregnant – Gravidtid

According to the Danish Health Authority, 5-10% of all Danish women of childbearing age have PCOS, which is a hormonal disorder that makes it difficult to get pregnant. It has been documented that the KISS diet together with exercise has an effect when it comes to combating PCOS. 

Read more about the KISS diet here: 

Clinical Insulin Lowering diet (KISS) is basically about reducing insulin resistance and lowering the body's insulin level in order to lower blood sugar and insulin production. Here are the 10 tips that Bjarne Stigsby recommends following to increase fertility. 

1: Avoid sugar. 

If you consume more sugar than the body needs, the muscles reduce their sensitivity to insulin. This can lead to too high an insulin level, which, among other things, can lead to changes in the sex hormones. 

2: Cut down on fast carbohydrates. 

Fast carbohydrates increase insulin levels, so you should preferably avoid white bread such as pasta, oats, and rice 

3: Eat slow carbohydrates. 

About a third of the day's calories should come from carbohydrates -preferably the slow ones such as vegetables, nuts, rye bread and whole grains. One piece of fruit daily and the rest as vegetables. A total of approximately 600 grams per day 

4: Eat more protein. 

A third of the day's calories should come from protein such as meat, fish, poultry, beans, and lentils. Protein gives the body energy without raising blood sugar 

5: Eat more fat. 

A third of the calories should come from fat. Especially the unsaturated like avocado, nuts, and eggs. If you eat fewer carbohydrates, you burn fat more easily. Fat does not affect blood sugar and thus helps to give the body energy without increasing blood sugar 

6: Eat fish. 

Fish contributes protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and Omega-3 

7: Eat a varied diet. 

Eat different types of meat, fish, slow carbohydrates, fruit, and poultry 

8: Eat breakfast. 

It is the most important meal of the day. Get plenty of protein. For example, from eggs and meat 

9: Drink water. 

Preferably 1-1.5 liters per day. Avoid getting sugar from, for example, juice and soft drinks 

10: Exercise. 

Adults are recommended 30-40 minutes of daily moderate exercise. 1hour per week of hard activity. 

If you want to read more about how you as a woman and a man can improve fertility, you can read more here: What does the research say we can do to improve fertility – Gravidtid

If you want to see our large selection of ovulation tests, you can see more here link: Ægløsningstests – Gravidtid

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