Diet for Fertility Part 2 – Hormones

What are Hormones?

Hormones play a crucial role in the body. They are chemical messengers responsible for a huge number of communications between the brain and the trillions of cells in your body. Hormones play a part in controlling many of the body’s systems and functions, and they help make sure that everything keeps working together. Glands in your body’s endocrine system are responsible for producing hormones. The endocrine system is made up of many different hormone-producing glands located throughout the body. Hormones are released into the bloodstream and are then carried to cells where they latch on using a lock and key mechanism which triggers a certain reaction. 

Hormones and Fertility

Fertility diet part 2 - hormones

So what do hormones have to do with fertility? The answer is… everything! For optimal fertility, your hormones should be as balanced as possible. This includes ALL your hormones, not just your sex hormones, although these are particularly important. Your endocrine glands must be working at their best so they produce the right levels of all your different hormones to maintain optimal fertility. You can look after your endocrine system and keep your hormones balanced by eating a healthy plant based diet, and getting enough exercise and sleep. We’ll talk more about this later.

Growth Hormone

One important hormone for fertility in particular, is growth hormone. This is produced by the pituitary gland which lies at the base of your brain. Growth hormone is important because it “plays a role in both male and female fertility, improving the effect of the reproductive hormones and in the production of sperm and eggs”1. The level of growth hormone in the body correlates with the levels of many other hormones necessary for healthy fertility and libido. As the level of growth hormone decreases it seems to trigger a decrease in all these other hormones as well. This is a problem because growth hormone usually starts to decrease with age. Interestingly though, it is not that the pituitary gland stops producing it, it’s just that the pituitary gland releases less of the growth hormone into the body. You can boost the amount of growth hormone that your pituitary gland releases by following a healthy diet and eating patterns, and getting enough sleep and exercise. 

How to Increase Your Levels of Growth Hormone

There are lots of simple things you can do to encourage your pituitary gland to release more growth hormone, which in turn will promote more of other hormones that are also important for fertility.

Diet for Fertility Part 2 - Hormones

Exercise

Exercising triggers your pituitary gland to start producing and releasing more growth hormone. Therefore making sure you maintain a healthy exercise routine will help increase your levels of growth hormone and improve your fertility.

Amino acids

There are many amino acids that can help improve your body’s levels of growth hormone. You can get plenty of amino acids by eating lots of legumes, nuts and seeds, wholegrains and fruits and vegetables. A plant based diet full of these healthy foods is the best diet to nourish your body and optimize fertility.

Diet for Fertility Part 2 - Hormones

Fasting

Fasting can also help boost the amount of growth hormone that your pituitary gland releases. Intermittent fasting is a way of fasting that can be maintained long term, which involves fasting for a certain number of hours then having a window each day for eating. This could be 16 hours fasting then an 8 hour window during the day to eat, or you could fast for longer with a smaller eating window.

Appropriate Body Fat Levels

There is a direct link between your body mass index (BMI) and how much growth hormone your body produces. Having an excess of body fat is one of the biggest reversible obstacles in the way of growth hormone release. There’s also a direct link between your BMI and your fertility in general. Fortunately, following a healthy plant based diet, doing intermittent fasting and getting enough exercise are all things that can help you maintain a healthy BMI.

Diet for Fertility Part 2 - Hormones

Sleep

The anterior pituitary is most active in its production of growth hormone when we achieve our deepest sleep state, about one or two hours after falling asleep. If sleep is broken or fitful, this can lead to less growth hormone being released. This is why getting enough uninterrupted sleep is so important for improving growth hormone levels and in turn improving fertility.

Conclusion

So all in all, by maintaining a healthy lifestyle which includes good sleep, exercise, and a healthy diet you can boost your body’s production of growth hormone, and in turn other fertility hormones, in order to naturally improve your fertility. 

References: 

  1. Karlis  Ullis, MD – Klatz, Ronald (1998) Grow Young with HGH, HarperPerennial, p. 131. 

This article was based off the book “The Fertility Diet” by Sarah Dobbyn

Dobbyn, S. (2008). The fertility diet: And how to maximize your chances of having a baby at any age. Simon & Schuster. 

Leave Comment

Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.