Fertility Research Library
Welcome to our collection of evidence-based research on lifestyle factors affecting fertility. Explore studies on nutrition, supplements, stress management, sleep, and exercise to support your journey.
Nutrition for Fertility
These studies highlight the impact of dietary patterns and specific nutrients on female and male fertility, emphasizing evidence-based approaches like the Mediterranean diet.
Female Fertility and the Nutritional Approach: The Most Essential Aspects
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: Published in 2021, this review explores the link between diet and female fertility, showing that diets high in trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars negatively affect fertility, while the Mediterranean diet—rich in dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and plant-based proteins—has a positive impact. It underscores the importance of dietary choices in preconception health.
Dietary Patterns and Fertility
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: A 2024 review that analyzes how dietary patterns influence fertility in both men and women. It confirms the Mediterranean diet’s protective role against infertility and highlights the negative effects of Western diets high in saturated fats and high-glycemic-index carbohydrates.
Optimizing Fertility Part 1: Evidence-Based Lifestyle Changes
Source: British Columbia Medical Journal (BCMJ)
Description: Published in 2020, this article examines lifestyle factors, including diet, on natural and IVF fertility outcomes. It notes that diets similar to the Mediterranean diet, favoring seafood, whole grains, and vegetables, improve pregnancy rates and sperm quality.
Diet and Fertility: A Review
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: This 2017 review summarizes evidence linking preconception dietary patterns to fertility outcomes. It reports that healthy diets (high in plant proteins, full-fat dairy, and monounsaturated fats) are associated with a lower risk of ovulatory infertility and improved IVF success rates.
The Influence of Diet on Fertility and the Implications for Public Health
Source: Frontiers in Public Health
Description: A 2018 narrative review that discusses the public health implications of diet on fertility in the U.S. It finds that diets high in unsaturated fats, whole grains, vegetables, and fish improve fertility in both genders, advocating for nutrition counseling in clinical guidelines.
Effect of Omega-3 Supplements or Diets on Fertility in Women: A Meta-Analysis
Source: ScienceDirect
Description: Published in 2024, this meta-analysis demonstrates that omega-3 intake significantly improves women’s pregnancy and fertilization rates by enhancing uterine function and hormonal regulation, supporting dietary interventions for fertility.
Enhance Your Fertility Through Nutrition: A Guide to Conception Success
Source: RMA of Michigan
Description: A 2025 guide that outlines how a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats (like the Mediterranean diet) can improve fertility outcomes for both partners, emphasizing omega-3s and antioxidants.
Fertility and Diet: Is There a Connection?
Source: Harvard Health Blog
Description: A 2020 article from Harvard Medical School reviewing studies on diet and fertility. It identifies positive effects from folic acid, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet on women’s fertility.
Supplements for Fertility
These resources focus on the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements in supporting female fertility, identifying key ingredients with clinical evidence.
Dietary Supplements for Female Infertility: A Critical Review of Their Composition
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: A 2021 critical review of supplements marketed for female infertility in Italy. It identifies eight ingredients with clinical evidence of efficacy (e.g., melatonin, folic acid, myo-inositol), but notes many products contain ineffective doses or unproven substances, urging caution and informed choices.
Fertility Supplements Effectiveness: Evidence-Based Safety Insights
Source: Inovi Fertility Blog
Description: Published in 2025, this article reviews research on fertility supplements, highlighting effective ingredients like melatonin (for egg quality), folic acid (for fetal development), vitamin D, Coenzyme Q10, and omega-3s, while emphasizing the need for clinical evidence and professional guidance.
The Role of Nutrient Supplements in Female Infertility: An Umbrella Review
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: A 2024 umbrella review that finds multiple micronutrients and antioxidants (e.g., L-carnitine, CoQ10, melatonin, myo-inositol, vitamin D) increase clinical pregnancy rates in women with PCOS or undergoing assisted reproduction, though evidence certainty is often low.
Female Fertility Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide
Source: Extend Fertility
Description: A 2020 guide reviewing evidence for common fertility supplements. It notes DHEA may improve pregnancy rates in women with low ovarian reserve, while results for vitex and inositol are mixed, advocating for cautious use based on research.
The Impact of Preconceptional Multiple-Micronutrient Supplementation on Female Fertility
Source: SAGE Journals
Description: Published in 2019, this review shows that multiple-micronutrient (MMN) supplements, especially those with B vitamins like folate, reduce the risk of ovulatory infertility and improve pregnancy rates in healthy women and those struggling to conceive.
Stress Management for Fertility
These studies and articles explore the relationship between stress and fertility, offering evidence-based strategies to reduce stress and potentially improve outcomes.
The Relationship Between Stress and Infertility
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: A 2018 study confirming that women with infertility report elevated anxiety and depression, and that stress may impact treatment outcomes. It highlights the efficacy of psychological interventions in lowering distress and increasing pregnancy rates.
How Stress Affects Fertility
Source: Fertility Clinic San Diego
Description: A 2024 article explaining how elevated cortisol levels from stress can disrupt reproductive hormones, affecting ovulation and sperm production. It emphasizes the importance of stress management during fertility journeys.
Perceived Stress Reduction Through an Infertility Coaching Program
Source: Nature Scientific Reports
Description: A 2023 study demonstrating that an infertility coaching program significantly reduces perceived stress in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques, with potential improvements in oocyte count and pregnancy outcomes.
Stress Management Tips for Couples Trying to Conceive
Source: ART Fertility Clinics Blog
Description: A 2024 resource providing stress management strategies like open communication, relaxation techniques (meditation, yoga), healthy lifestyle choices, and acupuncture, which can improve blood flow to reproductive organs.
Preconception Stress Increases the Risk of Infertility: Results from a Couple-Based Prospective Cohort Study
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: A 2006 study showing that higher stress levels, measured by salivary alpha-amylase, are associated with longer time-to-pregnancy and a doubled risk of infertility in women, supporting the need for stress reduction strategies.
Stress Reduces Fertility in Women
Source: Boston University School of Public Health
Description: A 2018 article reporting on a study that found women with higher stress levels (via perceived stress scale) are 13% less likely to conceive, with stronger effects in younger women and those newer to trying, advocating for mental health integration in preconception care.
Sleep and Egg Quality/Fertility
These studies focus on the relationship between sleep characteristics (duration, quality, timing) and egg quality or fertility outcomes, particularly in the context of IVF/ICSI treatments.
Associations of Sleep Characteristics with Outcomes of IVF/ICSI
Source: PubMed
Description: Published in 2022, this study finds that long nocturnal sleep (≥9 hours) reduces the chance of clinical pregnancy, especially in women under 30. Women sleeping less than 7 hours per night had 11.5% fewer retrieved oocytes and 11.9% fewer mature oocytes compared to those sleeping 7–8 hours. Poor sleep quality and difficulty falling asleep were also linked to lower numbers of mature oocytes and good-quality embryos, highlighting sleep’s impact on egg quality and IVF outcomes.
Impact of Sleep Characteristics on IVF/ICSI Outcomes
Source: PubMed
Description: Published in 2024, this study shows that poor sleep quality results in significantly fewer retrieved oocytes (-22.89%) and mature oocytes (-22.01%). Women sleeping ≥10 hours per night had fewer good-quality embryos (-45.64%), and long daytime napping (>1 hour) was associated with a 73.8% lower oocyte maturation rate, particularly in women with good sleep quality or normal BMI. This underscores sleep duration and quality as critical factors for egg quality in IVF.
Sleep Characteristics Before Assisted Reproductive Technology
Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology
Description: Published in 2023, this study of 893 women undergoing IVF/ICSI found that poor subjective sleep quality negatively correlates with the number of retrieved and mature oocytes. Sleep efficiency below 85% reduced clinical pregnancy rates by 49%, and sleep disturbances lowered fertilization rates, indicating that sleep quality directly affects egg quality and reproductive outcomes.
Sleep Quality and Its Impact on IVF Outcomes
Source: Remembryo
Description: Published in 2024, this article summarizes research showing that women sleeping less than 7 hours per night retrieve 11.5% fewer eggs and 11.9% fewer mature eggs compared to those sleeping 7–8 hours. Poor sleep quality reduces fertilization rates by 20%, and long sleep (9–10 hours) decreases clinical pregnancy rates by 35%. Optimal sleep duration varies by age, with younger women needing less for better egg quality and implantation, emphasizing sleep’s role in IVF success.
Exercise and Egg Quality/Fertility
These studies explore how physical activity influences egg quality, ovarian reserve, and overall fertility, with a focus on moderate exercise benefits.
Exercise Benefits for Egg Quality and Fertility Explained
Source: Oasis India
Description: Published in 2025, this article explains that exercise improves egg quality by enhancing blood flow and oxygenation to the ovaries and reproductive tissues. Iron-rich blood and proper hydration support an optimal environment for ovum health, while regular activity aids nutrient absorption and prevents deficiencies, all contributing to better egg quality and fertility.
The Effect of Moderate Physical Activity on Ovarian Reserve Markers
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: Published in 2017, this cross-sectional study of 162 women aged 19–42 demonstrates that moderate physical activity is associated with improved age-specific levels of ovarian reserve markers like AMH, particularly in women under 30. This suggests that moderate exercise positively influences egg quality and reproductive potential, independent of BMI changes.
The Effects of Voluntary Exercise on Oocyte Quality in a Diet-Induced Obesity Model
Source: PubMed Central (PMC)
Description: Published in 2015, this study on mice shows that voluntary exercise improves, though does not fully reverse, damage to oocyte quality caused by a high-fat diet and obesity. Exercise reduced lipid accumulation and mitochondrial damage in oocytes, indicating a protective effect on egg quality in obese conditions.
The Link Between Exercise and Fertility
Source: Reproductive Science