Is dairy bad for TTC?

[CC2018]

Hi all, I just wondered if anyone had the answer to this question- sorry if it sounds daft but I've seen conflicting views and i' m not sure if giving up dairy could be worth a shot. TIA x

[Hidden]

I have lots of milk and cheese and 4 bfp’s out of 7 transfers in my 40s so in my opinion it doesn’t affect Fertility adversely but there is a debate re inflammation. Unless you have any allergies I can’t see a problem. A good, healthy balanced diet is best xxx

[CC2018 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you- we are about to start our first ivf due to unexplained infertility and although I know my diet is by no means the best it isn't the worst either. We're caffeine free, no alcohol and fairly good bmi with ok cholesterol levels. We eat a mostly balanced diet however my biggest weakness is my sweet tooth which i' m trying very hard to curb.

[Hidden in reply to CC2018]

Sounds great! I’ve got a mega sweet tooth too 😋 and it hasn’t done any harm 😉. I wish you the best of luck!! I think you’re in great shape for success 🙏🏼🤞🏼😘

[CC2018 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[jengi]

When it comes to dairy in the diet, everyone and their mother has a view. Dairy is infact a very nutritious food source full of lots of great things. I’m a huge fan of dairy because they are fullof protein, vitamins and most importantly calcium & iodine. My fertility consultant has just come back from a fertility conference in India and told me the latest science shows the important value of calcium in fertility, especially cell division. I’ve been advised to drink a litre of whole milk daily while on my stimulation injections. And I’ll be doing just that! I love milk! 🥛🥛🥛🥛🥛

[penny24 in reply to jengi]

Blimey 1 litre a day?! Thanks for the advise I start my stims tomorrow.

I was told it’s great for protein etc but buy organic to reduce hormone levels? I have endometriosis so I think there maybe an inflammatory component for me?

[jengi in reply to penny24]

Hi Penny, do you know what hormones levels? There is no advantage of buying organic milk over non-organic milk because cows in EU or UK are not allowed to be given hormones to boost milk yield, unlike in the USA. It’s been illegal in EU for decades. Xx

[CC2018 in reply to jengi]

I love milk too so didn't really want to give it up but I thought I would if I had to. Thanks for your reply

[Lizzielizzielizzie]

Personally I don’t agree with cutting out food groups unless you know it’s specifically not good for you. I do buy organic milk these days though.

[Lilli79]

I don't eat dairy or meat, and I don't think it has affected our fertility either way. At least its hard to prove whether it has or hasn't. I drink soya milk which also has bad press, I don't think any of it has any effect. The only thing I'd say is its important to get protein, calcium etc in your diet when ttc and many plant milks don't have these x

[CC2018 in reply to Lilli79]

Thank you- that's really useful info.

[Hidden in reply to CC2018]

I started eating dairy again when I had transfer because of the calcium but I'm back on nut milk which you can find with added calcium and B vitamins. Xx

[Lilli79 in reply to Hidden]

Yeah I think most have added vitamins and minerals but unfortunately protein is minimal. Protein in a glass of soya milk is about the same as glass of cows milk x

[Hidden in reply to Lilli79]

Gosh that's good. What s shame I'm not a fan of soya milk! Hopefully I'm getting enough protein through other sources, I do try to have a varied balanced diet in general but I haven't a clue how much protein I should be consuming! X

[Lilli79 in reply to Hidden]

It's about 0.85 grams per kilo of body weight (per day) but normally anywhere between 45-55 grams is fine. If you eat meat & fish you're probably fine. It always puzzles me that nut milks don't have more protein as nuts are a good source normally. With rice milk etc you may as well be drinking water!

[Hidden in reply to Lilli79]

Oh thanks for that. I do eat meat, fish, eggs and nuts so I'm sure I'm more than covered.

[Kari55]

I have noticed that when I eat diary (organic full fat yogurt or a bit of cheese), my cycles tend to be longer so I ovulate a bit later. I I don’t eat diary, my cycles are shorter so I decided to carry on eating yoghurt. I think proteins are very important for egg quality and you get a lot of it from dairy and it’s easily absorbable.

[Saya85]

Dairy in some people can cause inflammation (depends on health conditions and allergies) and of course there is the element of hormones in the dairy industry (another debate point)

But as others have said calcium and other minerals are very important and good fats are also important. So it has benefits and cons- important point is if you do reduce or cut it out you don’t eliminate the good things.

Have good fats and proteins in your diet and a source of calcium (caution: do not supplement calcium tablets wise though as calcium blood levels have to be in a very tight range). Increasing some vit D and magensium to absorb better calcium from foods will be very beneficial and for fertility too.

[2-shades-of-hope]

I drank only almond milk for a year and didn’t get pregnant and then only organic full fat dairy milk for the following year (and still didn’t get pregnant!) We are unexplained and I think for me personally whatever problem there is must be bigger than my diet. I enjoy eating healthily though because it gives me a weird sense of some control over this. You’re doing what you think is best for you and your chances and that is all you can do. Good luck x

[CC2018 in reply to 2-shades-of-hope]

Thank you- well after 2 years 8 months with 6 of those waiting to start our ivf we have finally been given the go ahead today to start our first cycle. I'm so excited and it sounds sad but it's the best early birthday present I could have gotten.