Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and IVF success rate among non-obese women attempting fertility

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONIs adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) associated with better IVF performance in women attempting fertility?SUMMARY ANSWERGreater adherence to the MedDiet, defined using the validated Mediterranean diet score (MedDietScore), was associated with a higher likelihood of achieving clinical pregnancy and live birth among non-obese women<35 years of age.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYDiet impacts fertility and certain nutrients and food groups appear to have a greater effect on reproductive health, but there are relatively few published data on the role of dietary patterns, and the MedDiet in particular, on assisted reproductive performance.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis prospective cohort study included 244 non-obese women (22 –41 years of age; BMI< 30 kg/m2) who underwent a first IVF treatment in an Assisted Conception Unit in Athens, Greece, between November 2013 and September 2016. The study was designed to evaluate the influence of habitual dietary intake and lifestyle on fertility outcomes.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSDiet was assessed before the IVF treatment via a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed through the MedDietScore (range: 0 –55), with higher scores indicating greater adherence. Intermediate outcomes (oocyte yield, fertilization rate and embryo quality measures) and clinical endpoints (implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth) were abstracted from electronic medical record...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research