Diet for Fertility Part 3

Diet for Fertility Part 3 - Foods to Avoid

The foods you eat can have a significant impact on your fertility. While many foods and supplements are beneficial to fertility and can improve your chances of conceiving (see Diet for Fertility Part 1), there are also foods you should avoid. Here is a list of some foods you should aim to steer clear of in order to optimize your fertility.

Diet for Fertility Part 3 - Foods to Avoid

Aspartame

Aspartame is a drug that is used as an artificial sweetener in some foods and beverages, such as diet soft drinks, diet yogurt, chewing gum, low-calorie sweeteners and calorie reduced foods. In the ingredients it will be listed as aspartame or as E951. Aspartame is linked to many health issues including infertility. Once aspartame enters your body it stimulates the pituitary (your master hormone-producing gland) to excrete prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone which inhibits ovulation. 

Animal-Derived and Cooked Fats

Diet for Fertility Part 3 - Foods to Avoid

Animal fat and cooked fats can have a negative effect on reproductive health and hormone levels, whereas raw plant-derived fats boost hormones and improve reproductive health. In women, animal fats can cause oestrogen levels to become excessively high which can cause problems, including increasing your risk of breast and other hormone related cancers. For men, eating a lot of animal and cooked fats can decrease sex drive and sex hormones. Furthermore, having a diet high in fats can lead to impotence, because too much saturated and trans fats lead to plaque building up in arteries, including the arteries to the genitals and eventually blocking them. It’s best for both men and women to stay away from animal fats, and cooked fats, such as in fried food. Raw plant fats are best, such as organic cold-pressed nut and seed oils (for example olive oil).

Diet for Fertility Part 3 - Foods to Avoid

Fish – Due to Mercury Contamination

Mercury can cause infertility in both sexes, and mercury toxicity can cause miscarriage and birth defects. The largest fish who’re at the top of the food chain contain the most mercury, however even small fish contain unhealthy levels and it’s best to stay away from eating fish altogether.

Genetically Modified Foods

Diet for Fertility Part 3 - Foods to Avoid

Genetically Modified (GM) foods present some concerns to reproductive health. One of these is to do with promoters. Promoters are sequences of DNA that regulate the expression of a gene, essentially controlling which gene does what. Whenever a new gene is added to a plant’s DNA it has to be added along with a promoter which is supposed to control what the new gene does and how it influences the plant.

However, scientists have now realized that these promoters may also be influencing other genes that they were not intended to. It also seems as though new genes that are added can mutate in unpredictable ways resulting in proteins that weren’t intended and which have not been tested. Eating GM foods has been linked to lowered fertility in other animals, and since this field of science is relatively new and unpredictable it’s best idea for your fertility to avoid GM foods.

Herbs to Avoid

Some herbs have been suggested to lower fertility in men if taken in to high amounts, including echinacea, ginkgo biloba, and st john’s wort. There are also a few herbs that women should avoid taking (at least in high amounts) in the first trimester of pregnancy as they may increase uterine contractions and the risk of miscarrying at the embryo implantation stage. These include: blue cohosh, raspberry leaf, burdock, chamomile, fennel, sage, thyme and parsley.

Conclusion

Diet for Fertility Part 3 - Foods to Avoid

While some foods support your fertility, others can significantly impact your hormones and reproductive organs making it much harder for you to successfully conceive a baby. Knowing what foods to avoid is an easy way you can naturally increase your fertility and support your reproductive system to be as healthy as possible.

References:

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. 

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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.