Keto diet OH

[IVFgotthis37]

Hi all, I've been reading all the very useful posts, both past and present as I am about to embark on our first IVF treatment in March.

I'm 37. Have been told I have PCOS based on blood results. OH has very low (some 0%) morphology results.

I just wondered if anyone knew anything about Keto diet for him? I am following 'clean eating' with lots of fruit/veg/nuts, but he doesn't eat any at all - just protein/cheese/dairy.

Has anyone come across studies related to this or been given direct advice about eating fruit/veggies for males?

Thanks in advance

[Livinginoz]

Hi,

My OH has very low sperm count and was advised that the best diet for general sperm health is a Mediterranean diet. It was also suggested he takes a men’s fertility supplement. Hope that’s helpful 🙂 good luck!

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to Livinginoz]

Thank you. I've read this lots, but he wants the medical papers to back it up and I can't find anything. He's taking Proxeed too. The clinic didn't mention anything about diet frustratingly, just to cut out alcohol/caffeine/pre workouts. I think he feels he can control his weight better with Keto, but I'm wondering if it is having other negative impacts.

Good luck to you too on your journey 💓

[Livinginoz in reply to IVFgotthis37]

I don’t know about individual studies but that was info given by an NHS consultant. I’ve read lots of books (I have anxiety and a need to feel in control 🙈) and listened to podcasts etc and I always hear the same thing about the Mediterranean diet so there must be something in it. At the same time, weight is important - could he try and factor in some aspects of the diet? Like including tomatoes, cutting down on red meat etc? I know red meat was a definite one to cut down on!

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to Livinginoz]

Thank you. Very much appreciated. I know type feeling of being in control- I've wanted to know every minor detail.

He's actually not overweight, but was at one point and think he doesn't want to go back there and feel negative about himself. I totally understand that.

He's stopped eating red meat too. He was practically living off it for months before his samples. I'll keep trying to encourage some fruit and veg 🙈

Thanks so much for your reply!

[PeppyMiller]

Hi,

First of all, best of luck on your coming treatment! About the keto diet, my husband has been loosing weight for about 4 years, has tried all the diets, all the groups, you name it. At the end, what worked for him was learning and understanding nutrition a bit better, rather than focusing on losing weight. So he ended up losing an impressive amount without starving, or pushing his own body to the limit and then binge eat because he had a cheat day.

If your husband is not even trying to lose weight, healthy eating is more than enough. The Mediterranean diet is basically that, healthy eating! I'm from Spain so I can assure you that's all there is 😂, and olive oil of course for healthy fats!

So yeah, if his weight is alright and he just wants to boost his chances, eat healthy (unfortunately that means greens instead of chocolate, it's so annoying!) and don't try to follow diets that he doesn't need.

Again best of luck to you and your husband 😊 x

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to PeppyMiller]

Hi there. Thank you so much for your reply.

Well done to your hubby. Amazing!

He has a really good understanding of nutrition in general already, it is just this particular diet has worked for him so he has a positive view of it.

He also says he feels much better in himself when he is following it. I think it may be a control thing, whilst everything else feels out of control.

Thanks again for the advice.

Best of luck x

[Clayhugs]

my husband doubled his numbers by losing weight, eating nuts every day, taking supplements, finishing his showers by turning it cold to reduce his temperature, going to the gym, doing accupunture and increasing his protein intake.

I read a lot about walnuts and Brazil nuts being very beneficial for fertility so maybe you could look into that and show him - very easy addition to diet.

Don’t know which out of all that made the difference of if it was all of it.

Best of luck 😘🤞

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to Clayhugs]

Hi there. Thanks for your reply.

Amazing news for your husband.

I've mentioned this to him and he has agreed to having both the Brazil and walnuts as this fits keto.

His job is very physical so he's always doing something.

He's on Proxeed too

Thanks again! X

[BearPanda]

Hello! I just had a quick look and here is a peer-reviewed article from 2023 which includes a sub-section on keto: link.springer.com/article/1... Looks like it has a positive impact. By the time this makes its way to any official NHS guidance it will be 2050 😅

Keto can be interpreted in many ways, but it can be rich in veggies like broccoli and green beans which are within the carb threshold for keto it's important to watch out for correct levels of fiber; if it's too low the diet can be a bit strenuous on the intestines. Hope this helps!

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to BearPanda]

Hi there. Thank you for your reply and for finding this paper. It is a really interesting read!

He's agreed to having broccoli too haha.

[BearPanda in reply to IVFgotthis37]

I am glad I could help! haha, best of luck to you both!

[Wishinandahopin]

fibre, fruit and veg and nuts are absolutely vital for sperm health (not to mention general life health!). Adding these things won’t affect his weight, if anything may improve it. High fat diets are not great for sperm and if he’s only eating meat and cheese that can be high fat.

This is a compilation of all the things studied for sperm health. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....

However any lifestyle and diet changes take 3 months in men to really affect their sperm beneficially.

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to Wishinandahopin]

Hi there. Thank you for this link. The summary is great! We are due for March treatment so I'm hoping we get the changes right now for the countdown.

[Eloquentia]

Hi! PCOS and low morphology respectively for me and my husband too. Our clinic recommended using Proxeed for men and women, we added CoQ10 in the form of ubiquinol, inositol for my PCOS, as well as vitamin D spray and probiotics. We weren't given any specific dietary advice but you might want to look at 'It all starts with the egg', which has useful lifestyle fertility tips. Very best of luck!

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to Eloquentia]

Hello! We are both on Proxeed too. I haven't tried the others.

I've heard of that book. I'll take a look!

You too. Thank you.

[Eloquentia in reply to IVFgotthis37]

Thank you We have a baby girl from that round of stimulations and a few embies in the freezer. I hope your first round goes really well!

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to Eloquentia]

Congratulations. Positive stories instill hope! I have everything crossed we have a successful journey xx

[TiramiSuSu]

Hi! This has been a problem for me since we started TTC (naturally so far). My OH only eats burgers and sandwiches, I can't make him eat a single fruit! Luckily he accepted the vitamins our clinic recommended

The spermogram came ok so far, so I believe it'll be ok in the long run. I'lll be the only one in a healthy diet in this house...

[IVFgotthis37 in reply to TiramiSuSu]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I'm slowly encouraging the OH to eat more, without him feeling like I'm trying to control him 🙈

My OH came back borderline the first time so they weren't worried, then reduced significantly!