Chavarro JE et al. (2007) Diet and lifestyle in the prevention of ovulatory disorder infertility. Obstet Gynecol 110: 1050–1058

Ovulatory problems are a major cause of infertility. Dietary and lifestyle behavior, such as low intake of animal protein and trans fats, and frequent exercise, can reduce the risk of ovulatory disorder infertility, but to what extent remains unclear. Chavarro et al. conducted a prospective study to evaluate the relationship between diet, weight, activity and ovulatory disorder infertility.

A cohort of 17,544 married women who had no history of infertility and who tried to become pregnant or became pregnant during the study was followed up for 8 years, from 1991 to 1999. Information on dietary patterns and lifestyle was collected via questionnaires. Scores were assigned to dietary risk factors, with the highest scores being assigned to factors of lowest risk, and were used to calculate a 'fertility diet' score.

During follow-up, 416 cases of ovulatory disorder infertility were reported. After adjustment for infertility risk factors, women with scores in the highest quintile had a 66% lower risk of ovulatory disorder infertility than those with scores in the lowest quintile. Furthermore, women who adopted five or more low-risk behaviors—including weight control (BMI 20.0–24.9 kg/m2), vigorous physical activity (30 min per day or more) and a fertility-promoting diet—had a 69% reduction in risk of ovulatory disorder infertility.

These findings suggest that many cases of ovulatory disorder infertility could be prevented in otherwise healthy women by lifestyle changes.