Fat content of dairy foods influences fertility

Question: Women sometimes have trouble conceiving because of problems with ovulation. Might the foods they eat - specifically, the fat content of dairy products, thought by some to affect ovulation - alter women's odds of becoming pregnant?

The study: It analyzed medical and diet data on 18,555 married women, most in their early 30s, who had no history of fertility problems and who had tried to conceive or had become pregnant. During an eight-year span, infertility caused by an ovulatory problem was diagnosed in 438 of the women. This type of infertility was 85 percent more likely among those who consumed two or more servings a week of low-fat dairy products (such as skim milk, yogurt, sherbet, cottage cheese) than among women whose low-fat dairy intake was less than a serving a week. By contrast, women who consumed at least one serving a week of a high-fat dairy product (whole milk, ice cream, cheese) were 27 percent less likely to have ovulation-related infertility. Analysis of specific foods indicated that eating ice cream at least twice a week lowered the risk of infertility by 38 percent; adding a serving a day of yogurt increased the risk by 11 percent.
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Who may be affected by these findings: Women trying to conceive. Fertility is generally questioned when couples have been trying to conceive unsuccessfully for a year. Problems with ovulation are the source of infertility among women about a third of the time.

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