Can Dairy be Helpful for Fertility?
In addition to wheat, dairy is another common food that can problematic for a lot of people. This is in part due to lactose intolerance, or a decreased ability to properly break down the lactose sugar.
Symptoms of lactose intolerance include bloating, gas or diarrhea soon after consuming dairy products containing lactose. The amount of lactose people can tolerate differs a lot between individuals, and lactose intolerance tends to get worse as we get older.
Dairy sensitivity is also common, where people can react to the proteins in dairy, most commonly casein. This can result in a variety of symptoms from digestive upset to skin rashes, eczema or headaches.
Dairy allergy is more common in children, but can be seen in adults as well. Symptoms of a dairy allergy can present as anaphylaxis, hives or swelling when exposed to dairy.
So, if you fall into one of the above categories, and really don’t feel good consuming dairy then it makes sense to avoid it during your fertility journey as well. But what if dairy doesn’t seem to bother you - should you still avoid it? Is there benefit to consuming it? Let’s dive into the details.
FEMALE FERTILITY
Women over the age of 35 undergoing fertility treatment who consumed higher amounts of dairy had a higher live birth rate compared to women who consumed the least amount of dairy in the same age group[4]. The effect was not as obvious in younger women. In another study, intake of low-fat dairy was associated with a higher likelihood of ovulatory infertility, whereas consuming full-fat dairy seemed to reduce the risk of ovulatory infertility[5].
DAIRY AND ENDOMETRIOSIS
When it comes to endometriosis, women who consume more dairy in their teenage years have a lower risk of developing the condition[1]. Higher fat dairy seems to be more protective, except for butter which can increase the risk of developing endometriosis[2]. This doesn’t mean that increasing dairy intake will help treat endometriosis, but it’s an interesting association.
MALE FERTILITY
For men, including low-fat dairy as part of a healthy overall diet (lean protein, lots of vegetables, seafood and whole grains) was positively associated with improved sperm parameters (concentration and motility). This effect was seen with milk, and not cheese. Full-fat dairy, on the other hand, was associated with decreased sperm health. This is likely due to the fact that low-fat dairy increases insulin, and spermatogenesis (the process of making sperm) is an insulin-dependent process[3].
To summarize, if you don’t do well with dairy then of course don’t include it as part of your fertility plan. But, if you love a good cheese board, then including some dairy as part of a healthy diet is a good idea, and a great way to help reach your protein requirements.
[1] Nodler et al., “Dairy Consumption during Adolescence and Endometriosis Risk.”
[2] Qi et al., “Relationship Between Dairy Products Intake and Risk of Endometriosis.”
[3] Salas-Huetos, Bulló, and Salas-Salvadó, “Dietary Patterns, Foods and Nutrients in Male Fertility Parameters and Fecundability.”
[4] Afeiche et al., “Dairy Intake in Relation to in Vitro Fertilization Outcomes among Women from a Fertility Clinic.”
[5] Chavarro et al., “A Prospective Study of Dairy Foods Intake and Anovulatory Infertility.”