Ovulatory infertility accounts for about 25% of all infertility cases. This is when ovulation fails to occur or occurs irregularly and is most common in women experiencing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome aka PCOS. A 2008 study* that followed 18555 women over 8 years found that the more meat in the diet, the greater the incidence of ovulatory infertility. And further, women who ate mainly vegetarian sources of protein where half as likely to have fertility issues as their meat eating counterparts. The authors concluded that focusing on mainly vegetarian sources of protein may enhance fertility.

I don’t think we should use this as a basis to completely toss all animal meats during preconception for most people. Organic, grass fed meat is an excellent source of essential minerals and fats that you need when making a baby, and traditional chinese medicine recommends building the blood with animal meats when wanting to conceive - albeit meat was much rarer for most of the world’s population in the past due to expense and availability, and so wasn’t consumed every day and at most meals, like it commonly is nowadays. Everybody would do well to have a couple of vegetarian days per week.

Conversely if you would like to continue your preconception and pregnancy journey as a vegetarian, all the power to you, you can absolutely do this with excellent nutrition and health.

There’s a few issues that may have impacted the results of this study. People with vegetarian diets tend to eat a wider variety of plant foods overall and therefore tend to enjoy better health. Those that eat a lot of meat are not only consuming less vegetables, but are perhaps more likely to be consuming fast and convenience foods such as from the local takeout, rich in unhealthy fats that contribute to inflammation and your glycemic index. The diet data was collected via survey four years prior to the study’s conclusion, so there’s plenty of time for individual diet choices to change and more rigorous and thorough study is required to clarify the results.

However, the association with meat eating and ovulatory infertility was significant so it’s worth considering. It was found that high intakes of chicken and turkey had the biggest association with ovulatory infertility, and red meat to a lesser extent. Eggs and fish didn’t have a negative effect. Consuming foods rich in vegetable protein had a slightly positive effect however. Vegetarians who ate more carbohydrates and less vegetarian protein also had higher incidence of ovulatory infertility. The consumption of good quality vegetarian protein seemed to be the ticket. And importantly, the positive effects of eating vegetable protein and negative effects of eating animal protein was more prominent in women over the age of 32. For younger women the types of protein didn’t seem to have an effect.

As always, moderation is key. This study is saying that with women who exhibit problems with ovulation - which was only 20% of the entire 18555 person study, meat eating tends to make it worse. It’s not saying that meat makes everyone infertile. If you are planning on a pregnancy and are otherwise in excellent health, 1 – 4 serves of red or white meat a week is completely fine and nothing to stress about.

If you would like support on your preconception journey you can book in for a discovery call here. If you have been diagnosed as PCOS or see to have irregular periods, there is so much naturopathy can do to relieve your symptoms so please seek assistance.

*Chavarro, J. E. et al. (2008) ‘Protein intake and ovulatory infertility’, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 198(2). doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.06.057.

I love a richly cooked, ripe eggplant that’s absorbed all the fertility friendly polyunsaturated fatty acids of the olive oil it was baked in. This is a recipe inspired by Imam Biyildi, a turkish dish where eggplants are stuffed whole and simmered in tomatoes. Roasted or sautéed eggplants go perfectly with bolognaise sauce and are a great gluten and grain-free alternative to zucchini noodles or pasta.

Tomato Garlic Roasted Eggplant

2 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion

4-5 baby eggplants

4 garlic cloves

6 ripe tomatoes diced or 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes

1 cup of vegetable stock

parsley, basil or other garden herbs of choice to serve

Cut Eggplants in half lengthwise and sprinkle the cut surfaces with salt, leave for 20 minutes and then rinse in water. This drawers out bitterness.

Preheat oven to 190C

Meanwhile, Add the oil to a casserole dish that is suitable for both stove top and oven. Slice the onion and sauté in olive oil for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the eggplants to the onions with the tomatoes, stock and the garlic and simmer for 10 minutes. Season the vegetables. Turn the eggplants over and place the casserole dish in the oven for 40 minutes.

Top with herbs, bolognese (see below) and a little cheese of your choosing if you like. Mozzarella would work well, as would parmesan, and even feta.

Simple Bolognese

Olive oil

1 onion

1 garlic clove

4-500g of beef mince

tin of tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

2/3 cup of stock

Add olive oil to a skillet and sauté the onion until brown and golden - about 5 - 7 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to the onion and then the mince, stirring until browned. Add in the tomato paste, tomatoes, garlic and stock. Simmer for at least 10 minutes but up to 40. The longer you simmer the sauce the sweeter and more robust the flavour. If simmering for longer be sure to add extra liquid so it doesn’t dry out.

Variations: Add vegetables of choice. Grated carrot, zucchini and cauliflower work well.