Keto Diet And Fertility – Is It Safe During Pregnancy?

The keto diet, aka ketogenic diet, has really gained a great reputation in recent times for being more than just a diet that helps you lose weight.

Several studies have found that the keto diet has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects. Many people with type 2 diabetes are following the ketogenic diet to reverse their condition. In fact, people have claimed that this type of low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet has helped them to conceive.

In the United States, infertility affects at least 10 percent of men and 11 percent of women.

According to Ali Miller, a functional medicine dietician, the keto diet could be one of the natural alternatives to people who are seeking fertility treatments. Millers told MindBodyGreen that this kind of diet might influence fertility and boost the ability to conceive.

Miller wrote that the ketogenic diet could help with four issues related to fertility, which include insulin resistance, pituitary dysfunction, body composition, and hormonal imbalances.

Speaking to CCRM Fertility, Will Cole, a chiropractor and a functional medicine expert said, “The standard American diet, filled with refined carbohydrates and sugar, has been associated with poor sperm health, negatively impacting sperm motility, morphology [shape] and shape count. Conversely, diets rich in healthy fats, like nuts, seeds, and omega fatty-acid-rich fish, have been shown to improve sperm health.”

Is the keto diet safe during pregnancy?

It is imperative to understand the pros and cons of following the keto diet while you are pregnant because the fetal development is at stake. Unfortunately, there is no human study with conclusive evidence proving the positive effects of the keto diet or ketosis on a pregnant woman.

A 2013 study conducted on pregnant mice found that the mice who were fed keto-friendly diet 30 days before and after pregnancy had embryos with a smaller brain and larger heart.

Dr. Michael Fox, a prominent fertility specialist and founder of Jacksonville Center for Reproductive Medicine, explains that it is best to check with a fertility expert when there is no adequate research about the safety of following the keto diet during pregnancy.

Dr. Fox says that excessive intake of carbs during pregnancy could expose the fetus to hypoglycemia. And increased secretion of insulin can affect fetal brain development. He believes that carbs are the real culprit.

“I would characterize carbohydrates as a metabolic poison and that ketogenic nutrition is the only way to prevent the above,” says Dr. Fox. Dr. Christine Greves, a board-certified ob-gyn from Orlando Health, said, “For obvious ethical reasons, we do not have any studies that say it is safe to be on the ketogenic diet during pregnancy, so I can’t really advocate for it.”