Drinking Milk to Increase Fertility

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins are organic molecules vital to every day life functions but are not directly produced by the human body. Vitamins come in two general categories: water soluble and fat soluble. Benefits of fat soluble vitamins are credited for their role in increased fertility in milk drinkers. Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K dissolve in fat and are absorbed from the small intestines along with dietary fat. Their benefits include but are not limited to:

• Vitamin A - supports male and female reproductive processes and bone growth.
• Vitamin D - helps maintain calcium levels even if dietary intakes are not optimal.
• Vitamin E - maintains integrity of cell membranes throughout the body and protects fats in low density lipoproteins from oxidation.
• Vitamin K- helps in the activation of bone proteins and enhances calcium-binding properties of the bones.

Drinking Milk to Increase Fertility

The issue of drinking milk to increase fertility is still controversial. Some studies say that the consumption of dairy products improves ovarian function. But, others claim that the process of pasteurization kills the beneficial nature of the vitamins because cooking changes the molecular structure in such a way that the body no longer can absorb them.

However, unpasteurized products like raw milk may be dirty if not processed correctly. Dirty milk may be infected with listeria which can cause miscarriage or premature birth. If you find yourself torn between the two camps of information, talk with your doctor to learn about the benefits of unpasteurized milk vs. drinking pasteurized milk.

Low Fat Dairy Products

In this day when low-fat is touted as the way to stay healthy, some research attributes the consumption of low-fat dairy foods to a higher risk of infertility. According to these statistics they claim that women who eat two or more low-fat dairy products per day increased their chances for anovulatory infertility by two. However, based on studies in the past, it is suggested that further research be conducted before women begin eating high-fat diets to increase fertility.

Conflicting Findings

Experts from both sides of the issue of drinking milk to increase fertility make it hard to know the right thing to do. Dr. Jorge Chavarro, whose research focuses on the role of diet and other modifiable lifestyle factors on reproductive function, says that at this time there is a clear picture of the role of dairy food in fertility, while a study cited in Reproductive Medicine says milk drinkers are five times more likely to have twins. For the twinning study, the milk drinkers were compared to women who followed vegan diets. This study actually attributes the stimulation of ovaries to a protein found in the livers of animals called the Insulin-like Growth Factor. According to their claims, this protein increases the number of eggs produced by the human ovaries and results in an increased number of twins.

Anovulatory Infertility

As you consider the intake of whole-fat dairy products to increase your chances of getting pregnant, be aware that the studies which claim that more fat improves fertility are referring to one type of infertility called anovulatory infertility. This means a woman has a menstrual cycle in which ovation does not occur. The most common causes for anovulatory infertility are:

• Hormonal imbalances
• Eating disorders
• Long-term use of certain medications

Once the real cause of the infertility is determined, you and your doctor can find the best way to treat the underlying cause. Nutritional modifications are used in tandem with medications for treatment of infertility. Who knows, perhaps your doctor will also recommend drinking milk to increase fertility.