Wheat Germ & Fertility

If you're trying to conceive, you may be looking for foods that will help boost your fertility. While eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important prerequisite to conceiving, and can increase your chances of doing so, there are no guarantees with regard to conception. Wheat germ can be part of a healthy pre-conception diet, however.

Fertility

If you're trying to get pregnant and are less than 30 years of age, you have about a 15 to 25 percent chance of getting pregnant during any given cycle. If you're actively trying to conceive and are making sure you have intercourse during your fertile days each month, you have about an 85 percent chance of conceiving during your first year of trying, explain Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting. 1"

Wheat Germ

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Wheat germ consists of the growing portion or "seed" of the wheat plant. A wheat kernel has many parts. The outer coating, called bran, contains fiber. The inner portion, or endosperm, contains energy-providing carbohydrate. The germ is rich in fat and protein, and also contains many minerals, explains AmericanPregnancy.com. In particular, wheat germ is rich in B-vitamins and vitamin E. It also has iron in it, which you need to make extra blood during pregnancy.

Wheat Germ For Fertility

There's no scientific evidence to suggest that wheat germ has any unique properties that will help enhance fertility. However, because it contains many nutrients that promote health, you can certainly incorporate it into your pre-conception diet. According to Dr. Miriam Stoppard in her book "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth," eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet will improve your chances of conceiving and having a healthy pregnancy by ensuring that you have plenty of stored nutrients and are at a healthy pre-pregnancy weight 2.

Considerations

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If you're considering adding wheat germ to your pre-pregnancy diet, talk to your obstetrician or primary care physician for guidelines on how to do so in a manner that will augment your diet without adding too many calories. Wheat germ contains healthy oils, but it also contains many calories, so you may need to remove other foods from your diet in order to add wheat germ if you're trying to lose or maintain your weight.