Research-backed
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One of the major issues that most modern couples face after marriage is infertility. With the hectic lifestyles, most people are unable to spend enough time on ensuring proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Most of us are aware of the important role that diet plays in the overall functioning of the body.
In a similar way, a nutritious diet can play a key role in boosting the libido of a person. The composition of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids in food can help in improving one’s libido. A diet which is beneficial for the heart’s health can also prove helpful by ensuring good blood flow to the genitals.
A study conducted by the Endocrine Society revealed that seafood-rich diet can help couples in conceiving faster by increasing their overall intimacy drive. Having a diet consisting of seafood can increase a couples’ desire to get together, thus increasing the chances of pregnancy (1).
How Does Seafood Help?
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Being an important source of protein as well as other nutrients, seafood is essential for women who are already pregnant or are planning to conceive. However, most women wanting to get pregnant try to avoid fish given the high probability of mercury content in it. If one has this fear, one can look for options where it’s more probable to find seafood with no or less mercury in its composition.
As per one of the authors who worked on the study, Audrey Gaskins, seafood has reproductive benefits which include an increase in the frequency of intimate physical activity. This, in turn, helps to reduce the time a couple will take to get pregnant (2). If a couple intakes more than two helpings of seafood in a week while attempting to conceive, it helps reduce the time to get pregnant substantially.
Research Behind It
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The Harvard researchers conducted the ‘ Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) study’ on 500 Texas and Michigan couples for a duration of one year (3). The study was specially conducted to figure out the relation between the consumption of seafood and time taken to conceive. The couples who participated in the study recorded both, their intake of seafood and intimate physical activity, daily in a journal.
The result showed that 92 percent of the couples, who were consuming two or more seafood servings in a week, had conceived by the end of the year. This was higher in comparison to the 79 percent of couples who had less intake of seafood (4). However, the reason as to why there is an association between the two is still not entirely clear. It can also be attributed to other factors that come into play like the quality of the embryo, semen, or ovulation.
The results of the study emphasize on not just women to consume more seafood during an attempt to get pregnant, but also men. It encourages both the partners to increase their consumption of seafood to see maximum benefits on fertility.
Couples can incorporate other food items into their diet plan to increase fertility benefits as well. One can consume healthy fats, whole grain foods, or even an occasional ice cream to quicken the process of getting pregnant. It is also advisable to steer away from junk food and to include more fruits into their diet routine. Exposure to lead can reduce chances of fertility, so avoid products that have a possibility of lead composition.
We know that it can become a little stressful when you are trying to get pregnant. With each passing day, you can become more and more anxious. Don’t stress. Just start eating a seafood-enriched diet and notice the difference. Not only will it spice up your bedroom life, but will also help you achieve that dream of having a sweet little angel soon!
