Low-Fat Diet Contributing to Anovulatory Infertility

A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in Massachusetts found that keeping a low-fat diet while trying to conceive could be cutting chances of conception.

While drinking semi-skimmed or skimmed milk or eating two pots of yoghurt a day could double the risk of so-called anovulatory infertility, eating full-fat dairy products have just the opposite effect.

The researchers followed the health and nutrition of 18,555 women for eight years. During that time, 438 of the women, who were aged between 24 and 42, were diagnosed with anovulatory infertility. This condition accounts for a third of female fertility problems.

Women who were on a low-fat diet had 85% chances of suffering from this conditions. On the other hand, those who ate as little as one serving of full-fat milk dairy food a day were 27 % less likely to have the condition.
Eating ice-cream at least two times a week increased women’s chances of conception.

The researches could not explain the findings but it is possible that dairy fat or the sex hormones in cow's milk boosted fertility by affecting the balance of hormones involved in ovulation.

The general advice to women trying to conceive is to eat up to two servings of full-fat dairy foods a day. One serving equates to half a pint of milk, an ounce of cheese or half a cup of ice cream. They explain that yoghurt, cottage cheese and skimmed or semi- skimmed milk are classed as low fat, while whole milk, cream, ice cream, cream cheese and other cheeses count as full fat. However, the women should make sure not to increase their overall calorie intake, or their intake of dangerous saturated fat.
Once conception occurred, they should go back to low-fat diary foods.