Navigating the veganism fertility puzzle – these are the micronutrients to chase

Whether you’ve just switched over or you’re a lifelong vegan, scrapping animal products from your diet can have significant implications – positive and not so positive – for various aspects of health, including fertility.

Many of us have opted for a vegan diet for its ethical, environmental, and health benefits, but it’s important to understand how this plant-based lifestyle may impact reproductive health. In this round-up – with expert fertility nutritionist Kirsten Oddy as our go-to for detailed support – we’ll explore the relationship between a vegan diet and fertility, examining both the potential benefits and drawbacks.

Keep reading for Kirsten’s 101, and we’ll delve into how a vegan diet can enhance fertility through improved nutrition and hormonal balance, as well as the challenges it may pose, such as nutrient deficiencies. By understanding these pros and cons, you can make informed decisions to support your fertility while maintaining a vegan lifestyle.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet is a plant-based eating regimen that excludes all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey.

Instead, it focuses on a variety of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. To ensure adequate nutrient intake, ideally a vegan diet will emphasise whole, unprocessed foods – it’s also often chosen for its ethical considerations regarding animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and potential health benefits.

By eliminating animal-derived ingredients, a vegan diet aims to provide all necessary nutrients through plant-based sources, promoting a balanced and compassionate approach to nutrition.

What should we know about veganism and fertility?

On the one hand, a vegan diet is often filled with a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes -in an ideal world, at least. And while this does have a place in a fertility diet, there are some considerations.

When you’re planning ahead for pregnancy, you’ll want to opt for a diet that is rich in specific nutrients to increase your chances of conception, optimise fetal development and meet your nutritional needs. And, some of these key nutrients are only found in animal foods.

If you’re fully excluding animal foods, you’ll need to intentionally structure your dietary choices to compensate. Luckily, with some careful consideration it’s easy to get the nutrients you need for optimal fertility health whilst also sticking to the principles of plant-based eating.

How to optimise your vegan fertility diet

So, we’re working with a few nutritional challenges here. But on the plus side, veganism throws focus onto the whole foods, fresh produce and my number one habit – eating the rainbow – so beneficial for optimised fertility nutrition.

The key is being open to a few small tweaks to your diet and supplementation – these will help you successfully combine veganism with fertility and – ultimately – pregnancy.

Here are the micronutrients I get all my vegan clients to consider, and the swap-ins (and outs) to get you on track.

1. Vitamin B12

This one is vital for reproductive health. For men, it impacts sperm health and for women, it plays a role in endometrial lining quality, and normal ovulation. But, a whopping 86 per cent of vegans are deficient in this important nutrient.

As with folate, it plays a vital role in fetal development and reduces the risk of neural tube defects. These can occur very early in pregnancy, making B12 an important micronutrient to factor in well ahead of conception, if you can, and during the two week wait.

Unfortunately B12 is most readily available from animal sources like red meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs and is not found naturally in plant-based foods.

Vegan B12 sources

A good option here, alongside supplementation, is nutritional yeast. Easy to get hold of online or in almost any health food shop, it’s a top source of vitamin B12, delivering well over the daily requirement in just a couple of tablespoons.

You can sprinkle nutritional yeast on all sorts of dishes for a nutritious boost – I love adding it as a parmesan or cheese replacement to pasta, and on top of warming soups.

Aside from nutritional yeast, some plant milks and cereals are fortified with vitamin B12 – just make sure you’re going for quality sourcing.

2. Iron

Maintaining ample iron stores is especially crucial when you’re trying to conceive, as your requirements for iron significantly increase to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Women who do not get sufficient amount of iron are at an increased risk of lack of ovulation and poor egg health, inhibiting pregnancy at a rate 60 per cent higher than those with sufficient iron stores.

Check your iron levels prior to conception and keep them closely monitored throughout pregnancy. As a vegan, you may be advised to take an iron supplement by your midwife or doctor. Signs of deficiency to look out for include fatigue, lack of energy, palpitations and paler than usual skin.

Plant foods do deliver a certain amount of iron, but it’s important to remember that in its non-heme form, iron is less bioavailable to the body. Making sure you also consume vitamin C-rich foods with non-heme iron will help to enhance absorption.

Vegan iron sources

Top options include leafy greens – spinach is queen here, but kale can also support – dark chocolate, legumes – particularly lentils, black beans and chickpeas – pumpkin seeds, quinoa, tofu and raisins.

If you’re keen on superfoods, spirulina is a fantastic option when boosting up your iron intake – it packs a punch on the protein and vitamin C front, too.

3. Vitamin D

An important nutrient for fertility, vitamin D is vital for cell growth, metabolic and hormone function and has been associated with IVF outcomes.

Dietary sources mainly include animal products like dairy, eggs and fish, however, vitamin D is primarily known as the ‘sunlight’ vitamin and is synthesised through sun exposure on the skin. This means that it is difficult for anyone to get enough vitamin D from diet alone, and many people in the UK are deficient in this vitamin throughout the winter months.

The NHS recommends supplementation, particularly during pregnancy and preconception.

Vegan vitamin D sources

A quality supplement will be a real support here, and plenty of safe sun exposure, when you can get it. Senior editor Jessie Day loves the Bare Biology Vitamin D3 + Vitamin K2 spray for a 100% vegan go-to.

4. Calcium

An important nutrient for fertility and throughout pregnancy, calcium affects sperm maturation and embryo development.

Whilst calcium is well-known for its place in dairy produce, it’s easy to consume enough of this nutrient through plant-based sources alone – you just need to give extra consideration to ensure you’re staying topped up.

Vegan calcium sources

Pack in your leafy greens – spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts are great – and pair with tofu, legumes and seeds for a plant-based protein punch.

5. Omega-3

Omega-3 essential fatty acids (namely EPA and DHA) are vital for both male and female fertility. In particular, low DHA levels have been associated with infertility in both males and females and a study on preconception found that couples eating more seafood were pregnant sooner than those who rarely did so.

Oily fish is our most bioavailable source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and while vegans can consume some plant-based sources, they’re not converted as efficiently into EPA and DHA.

Vegan omega-3 sources

Go for a quality supplement here – team favourites at The Ribbon Box include the Bare Biology algae-based stash – and top up with Brussels sprouts, walnuts and lots of different seeds.

6. Iodine

Essential for thyroid function, a deficiency in iodine during pregnancy can have serious effects on infant development, so ensuring your levels are stable prior to conception is important.

One recent study showed that up to 80 per cent of vegans are deficient in iodine, so in nutrition-planning terms,  it’s important that your levels – as well as your thyroid hormones – are evaluated prior to trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy, to minimise risks.

Iodine is primarily found in seafood and dairy products, but small amounts are also found in plant-based foods.

Vegan iodine sources

Go for sea vegetables in place of seafood – think kelp, wakame and nori – plus good-quality iodised salt.

Wrapping it up

There’s no doubt about it – the vegan movement is increasing – 40 per cent of all consumers are trying to include more plant-based foods into every meal and with this number steadily on the rise, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re consuming the right nutrients.

If you’re vegan and looking at fertility, it’s extremely important that you work with a nutritionist to ensure you meet your dietary needs and optimise your chances of a healthy conception.

Next on your list: Seeds for fertility – pop these chocolate pumpkin seed butter cups in your lunch bag