EndoAxis Clinical Team
Infertility affects about 15% of people of reproductive age in the United States and roughly 1 in 6 people worldwide. While some causes of infertility are beyond our control, many are influenced by modifiable lifestyle factors – nutrition being one of the most powerful and often overlooked.
Over the last 50+ years, researchers have been digging into how diet, supplements, body weight, and even food packaging can impact reproductive health. What they’ve found is both fascinating and complex: the way we eat and live doesn’t just affect sperm or egg quality—it ripples out to influence conception rates, pregnancy outcomes, and even the long-term health of future generations.
From the nutrients we consume to the endocrine-disrupting chemicals that leach from food containers, the interplay between diet, environment, and fertility is anything but simple. And although science has made huge strides in understanding these connections, there are still many unanswered questions.
Body Weight and Fertility: The Goldilocks Zone
Being either overweight -OR- underweight are linked to reduced fertility.
Females: Obesity is linked to anovulation, PCOS, and increased miscarriage rates. While being under 16% body fat is associated with reduced hormone synthesis and hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Males: A 10 kg increase in weight is associated with a 10% increase in infertility risk due to hormonal disruptions and increased scrotal temperature.
Bonus fact: Adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ, producing estrogen and inflammatory cytokines that interfere with reproductive hormones.
Sperm Health and Diet: What You Eat Shows Up in Your Semen
- Antioxidant-rich diets (high in vitamin C, E, selenium, zinc) are associated with higher sperm motility and morphology.
- Western diets high in processed meats and refined carbs linked to lower sperm count and increased DNA fragmentation.
- Impact statement: One study found that men consuming a traditional Western diet had 25% lower sperm concentration compared to those on a Mediterranean-style diet.
Environmental Exposure Through Diet
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates found in plastic packaging, can liners, air fresheners, dryer sheets, makeup, and nonstick cookware are linked to lower fertility in both sexes. Phthalate exposure is also linked to both endometriosis development and severity, as well as lower IQ’s in baby!
Impact statement: Women with higher BPA levels were 2x as likely to experience implantation failure during IVF.
Cooking at high heat in nonstick pans may release perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) associated with longer time-to-pregnancy and altered hormone levels.
Key Nutrients
- Folate:
- Mechanism: Crucial for DNA synthesis, methylation, and oocyte maturation.
- Vitamin C
- Mechanism: Potent antioxidant that protects sperm and egg DNA from oxidative stress.
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
- Mechanism: Supports mitochondrial energy production in oocytes and sperm.
- Selenium
- Mechanism: Protects against oxidative stress, improving sperm morphology and motility, and helping to maintain egg quality and ovarian reserve.
