New research has found that women who follow a "Mediterranean" diet in the six months prior to assisted reproductive treatment have a significantly higher chance of becoming pregnant and having a successful birth than women who did not have that diet.

 The researchers, led by associate professor Nikos Yiannakouris, in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Harokopio University in Athens, Greece, asked women about their diet before undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and found that those who ate more fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish and olive oil, and less red meat, were 65-68% more likely to achieve a successful pregnancy and birth compared to women with less adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

 The study, published in the journal 'Human Reproduction', focused on dietary patterns rather than individual nutrients, foods or food groups. The diet of 244 women was evaluated through a food frequency questionnaire when they enrolled in an Assisted Conception Unit in Athens, Greece, for their first in vitro fertilization treatment. In the questionnaire they were asked about the frequency with which they ate certain food groups in the previous six months; The results gave women a MedDiet score, which ranged from 0 to 55, with higher scores indicating greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

 In the study, women were divided into three groups according to their MedDiet score: the first group scored between 18 and 30, the second group scored between 31 and 35, and the third group scored between 36 and 47 points. Researchers found that, compared with the 86 women in the highest scoring group, the 79 women in the lower scoring group had significantly lower pregnancy rates (29% vs. 50%) and successful births (26.6%) versus 48.8%).

 When the researchers looked at women under 35, they found that each five-point improvement in the MedDiet score was related to an approximately 2.7 times greater chance of achieving a successful pregnancy and a successful birth. Overall, 229 women (93.9%) had at least one embryo transferred to their wombs; 138 (56%) had a successful implantation; 104 (42.6%) achieved a clinical pregnancy (one that can be confirmed by ultrasound) and 99 (40.5%) gave birth to a baby.

 Professor Yiannakouris has commented that: "When it comes to conceiving a baby, diet and lifestyle are as important for men as for women. The previous work of our research group among men associated with our study has suggested that adherence to the Mediterranean diet can also help improve the quality of semen. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of dietary influences and the quality of diet on fertility, and support a favorable role of the Mediterranean diet in the performance of assisted reproduction "

 Researchers have pointed out that their findings show that a Mediterranean diet is only linked to better results in an in vitro fertilization treatment and can not be generalized to all women who try to become pregnant. These results suggest the need to carry out additional research.

SOURCE: Human Reproduction.