How the food you eat (or skip) may be impacting your egg quality By Dr Aashita Jain, Fertility Specialist, Birla fertility & IVF, Surat

When it comes to women's fertility, egg quality is the absolute key but apart from the impact of age on it, multiple other factors tend to receive less attention when it comes to discussion about declining egg quality.

While age significantly affects egg health, nutrition is equally significant, and in fact a modifiable factor.

The two to three months prior to attempting natural conception are a sensitive period.

This is the time period when the egg destined to ovulate begins its developmental journey and hence, the nutrients taken during this period are responsible for determining the health of those eggs.

Micronutrients such as folate, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and CoQ10 enhance egg maturation by inhibiting oxidative stress, improving mitochondrial function, and facilitating normal chromosomal development.

These are optimally obtained from food that is high in leafy greens, legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains, and oily fish.

Dietarily, however, pro-inflammatory patterns such as high consumption of processed foods, added sugar, and trans fats can induce chronic inflammation and interfere with insulin regulation – both states compromising hormonal equilibrium and ovulation.

Over time, this can undermine egg quality and make conception less likely to succeed.
Restrictive dietary patterns are also risky. Skipping meals or consuming very low-calorie diets can disrupt the hormonal communication between the ovaries and brain, resulting in irregular periods or delayed ovulation.

Moreover, gut health, commonly underestimated, has a critical position to play in reproductive well-being in modulating nutrient uptake and oestrogen metabolism.

It’s important to understand that nutrition alone cannot reverse age-related decline or treat all causes of infertility. But it is one of the few levers within a woman’s control – one that directly supports the cellular health of her eggs.

Taking note of what the body is exposed to during the months leading up to attempting conception can make a significant difference, not only to egg quality, but to the general environment conducive to fertilisation and early embryonic development.