There are many foods women trying to conceive are told to avoid, and I’m sure you’re familiar with them all. I’m also sure you’re avoiding them where you can, so keep up the good work!
The problems are caused, however, by the fertility-damaging foods that doctors, books, and guides fail to mention to you. Most of the time this is through neglect. After all, the majority of couples are lucky enough to have such high fertility levels that it doesn’t matter if they make a few mistakes.
For infertile couples, though, these small mistakes can be the difference between getting pregnant and not.
Right at the top of the list of foods to avoid is peas. Yep, the humble little pea. It’s hard to believe they can cause so much damage to your chances of pregnancy, isn’t it?
Well, it was back in the 1940s that scientists noticed that Tibet was home to one of the most stable populations on Earth. Researchers began to theorize, based on the popularity of the pea as a food source there, that this vegetable had anti-fertility properties.
It wasn’t long before there was scientific fact to back up the theories. Researchers found a natural chemical in peas, m-xylohydroquione, that appeared to have contraceptive effects. Further studies found that the pregnancy rate dropped by 60 percent in women taking the natural chemical in capsule form. The sperm count in men who took the capsule was found to plummet by 50 percent.
More recently, studies carried out in the United States confirmed the anti-fertility effects of pea oil.
With such fertility-damaging properties, peas should be avoided by all couples attempting to get pregnant. Ideally, stop all pea consumption 3 months before trying to conceive. This 3 month layoff is particularly important for the male partner, since his sperm takes 72 days to fully mature. Anything he consumes in those 72 days will affect his current fertility levels.
If couples currently trying to conceive have been eating peas, they should be cut from the diet immediately. As each week passes without peas being consumed, fertility levels will rise in both the male and female partner.