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Ten ways to boost your fertility

 The thing we can't have is the thing we crave the most. This aphorism is never more true than when it comes to having children.

Alarming new research, showing that a woman's fertility begins to decline atage 27 - rather than 35 as had long been believed - has brought new urgency to the debate as to 'right' age to have a baby.

But given the fact that we live in an era where women put careers first and try for children later - later in fact than at any time in modern history - it is not surprising to discover a burgeoning interest in natural ways of prolonging fertility.

The statistics show that while one in six couples has trouble conceiving, the most common cause is 'unexplained infertility', rather than hard medical reasons, such as blocked Fallopian tubes or ovulatory failure.

However, a study by the University of Surrey gives hope that 'unexplained infertility' is not as inexplicable as previously believed.

It shows that couples with a history of infertility, can achieve a phenomenal 80 per cent success rate if they alter their lifestyle, diet and take nutritional supplements.

Here, then, are 10 tips on diet and lifestyle gleaned from the experts to help women safeguard their fertility.

Have your nutritional status assessed
A visit to a nutritional therapist will set you back £50 to £80, but it is money well spent as it is thousands of pounds cheaper than the IVF route, and may do away with the need for IVF altogether.

A nutritional therapist will assess your unique vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and advise you on a tailor-made programme of food supplements to bring your nutrient levels back to normal over a four-month period.

Load up on supplements
Because food isn't as nutrient rich as it once was, a balanced diet is not enough, and so you will need supplements.

For women unable to get a personalised nutritional programme, the following is recommended by experts: 1,000 mg of linseed or flax oil a day; 1,000 mg vitamin C a day; zinc citrate or amino acid chelate (total of 30mg of zinc a day); and a multivitamin designed for pregnancy.

Read labels and cut out incorrect fats
Not all fats are bad. The body needs essential fats - namely Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils - which are contained in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herrings and mackerel.

Elise Schlosberg, a clinical nutritionist, says that these are critical for both female and male fertility; regulating fluidity of cell membranes and allowing cells to function efficiently.

Conversely, hydrogenated oils and partially-hydrogenated oils (found in crisps, margarines), as well as saturated fats (contained in meat and dairy) are to be avoided, she adds, as they block the absorption of the essential fats.

The message is: read the labels so you know whatyou are buying.

Weight is a fertility issue
When it comes to fertility, too thin is as bad as too fat. Being excessively underweight or overweight significantly reduces your ability to conceive.

Fat is essential to fertility and is necessary in order to ovulate. The advice of fertility experts is to eat healthily and to exercise regularly, and to aim for a body mass index (BMI) - your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres - of between 20 and 25.

For exercise, a combination of aerobics and resistance work, such as weight training, is recommended.

Cut out smoking
Smoking causes high levels of cadmium, a toxic metal, in the blood, which depletes the body of zinc.

Smoking

Losing weight can
boost your fertility

has been associated with early onset of menopause in women and reduced sperm count in men.

Cut down on alcohol and caffeine
Studies have shown that the more you drink, the less likely you are to conceive.

One study showed that women who drank more than five units of alcohol a week (five glasses of wine) were half as likely to fall pregnant within six months as those who drank less.

There is also evidence that caffeine (even one coffee a day) significantly reduces your chances of conceiving.

Take a holiday
Many women fall pregnant on holiday. Why? Because this is when they relax.

Stress is an enemy of fertility and anything thatrelieves it is encouraged. Alternative therapies - such as reflexology, homeopathy, acupuncture and yoga - can help achieve the desired emotional and psychological state.

Be patient
It takes three months for an egg to travel from a group of follicles to be selected as the egg that is released on a cycle. It also takes three months for a man to generate a completely new batch of sperm.

Expect to wait four months before lifestyle and dietary changes have an effect.

Better sex
All this focus on dietary and lifestyle changes can leave you forgetting that however healthily you eat and live, the most important element is sex. But not every night.

Around ovulation, sex is best undertaken once every 48 hours, so as to maintain the high quality of the sperm.

Just remember, sperm are likefootball players - you have to give them a rest, otherwise you end up having to field your reserve team.

You are what you eat
The most important mineral for female (as well as male) fertility is zinc, yet according to a 1995 National Food Survey, nine out of 10 people are grossly deficient in this essential mineral.

This is because many foods are stripped in the process of being refined, and because of depletion of the soil due to intensive farming.

Wheat, for example, contains zinc, but 80 per cent is removed in the manufacture of bread to extend its shelf life.

Marilyn Glenville, a nutritional therapist and author of Natural Solutions to Infertility, says that good nutrition is the foundation of fertility.

Glenville's advice is to buy organic food - because it's more nutrient rich and because harmful pesticides are eliminated - and to eat a variety of foods, including fish, nuts, seeds,fresh fruit and vegetables.

Food rich in zinc includes mangoes, pumpkin seed and fish. Oysters, esteemed for their aphrodisiac qualities,are particularly high in zinc.