Known as the nectar of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, from whom aphrodisiacs got their name, honey is about as sensual as aphrodisiacs get. Honey is also mentioned in the Karma Sutra and the Arabian love manual The Perfumed Garden where it is recommended that a glassful of thick honey or honey mixed with spices be drunk by a man to make him more attractive and to give him the energy and endurance for sex. Nutritionally, honey is rich in energy boosting carbohydrates, which will help give you more stamina for love making and vitamins, minerals and amino acids and antioxidants which can help fight the damaging effects of free radicals. Plus, ever since Cleopatra started the trend, it’s been used as a skin softener to enhance beauty and is still used as an ingredient in moisturizers today. Steer clear of heavily sweetened and processed honey though and go for organic, instead bearing in mind that generally the darker and clearer the honey the richer it is in health and libido boosting antioxidants.

Discovered in 1922 during experiments on rats, this powerful antioxidant contains tocopherols, a Greek word meaning to bear children. Scientists discovered that rats without vitamin E in their diet became infertile. In a preliminary human trial, infertile couples given vitamin E (200 IU per day for the female and 100 IU per day for the male) showed a significant increase in fertility.  Vitamin E’s beneficial role in female reproductive health has since been backed up by more recent research and it has even been suggested that it may reduce age related ovarian decline (where the numbers of eggs are less because the woman is older).

For men, like other antioxidants, vitamin E combats free radicals. High levels of free radicals can lower sperm count, so it is important to ensure adequate intake of antioxidants, especially vitamin E. Research suggests that the antioxidant activity of vitamin E may make sperm more fertile. An interesting study looked at men with good sperm counts but low fertilisation rates during IVF treatments. These men were given vitamin E each day. One month after starting treatment the fertility rate increased from 19 percent to 29 percent.

 

If you have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility I recommend that you and your partner take vitamin E supplements. If you have had a miscarriage you should also both take a vitamin E supplement because it can help prevent abnormal clotting. Studies have shown that giving vitamin E to both partners can result in significant increases in fertility.

 

Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency include irritability and anaemia. You and your partner should take 200-300 ius of natural rather than synthetic vitamin E a day. Normally natural and synthetic vitamins are of equal value but vitamin E is different because the natural and synthetic forms are structurally different. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the effect of giving both natural and synthetic vitamin E and found that the absorption rate of natural vitamin E was more efficient than the synthetic. The natural version of vitamin E is called d-alpha-tocopherol and the synthetic is called dl-alpha- tocopherol.  (The Fertility Plus for Women and Fertility Plus for Men supplements I use in the clinic both contain 240ius of natural vitamin E – see the Resources Page).

Previous studies have shown that vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin which is produced from sunshine and found in oily fish and eggs is important for a healthy pregnancy, but a new study shows that a deficiency may also affect sperm.

The research found that almost a third of men experiencing fertility problems had low levels of vitamin D. The University of Sydney findings presented at the Fertility Society Conference investigated DNA fragmentation of sperm, a significant factor in male infertility. DNA fragmentation of sperm is most often the result of cellular damage resulting from infection, smoking or advanced paternal age. 58% of the men had high levels of DNA fragmentation.  (If you are interested in this test, please see the Resources Page).  These findings add weight to a European study earlier this year that shows women’s vitamin D levels strongly correlate with their ability to conceive.

The results of this study once again show how beneficial for both male and female fertility positive diet and lifestyle changes can be. For most people just spending ten to twenty minutes outside in natural day light every day and eating two to three portions of oily fish a week is enough of a boost to vitamin D levels.