Dietary Patterns and The Outcomes of Assisted Reproductive Techniques in Women with Primary Infertility: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective Infertility is one of the most common challenges that women of reproductive age would encounter today. The maternal nutritional status is a particularly important determinant of oocyte quality and embryonic growth. Studies on whether the overall diet can affect reproductive outcomes in infertile women are few. So this study was conducted to assess the relationship between dietary patterns and reproductive outcomes in women with primary infertility seeking assisted reproductive treatments. MaterialsAndMethods This prospective cohort study was conducted on 140 women with primary infertility who had referred to Isfahan Fertility and Infertility center from August 2015 to January 2016. The average number of total oocytes and metaphase II oocytes, the fertilization rate, the ratio of good and bad quality embryo and biochemical and clinical pregnancy were considered as the outcomes of assisted reproductive techniques. A 168-item food frequency questionnaire was used for estimating the dietary intakes during the last year. Factor analysis was used for identifying the dietary patterns and analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), chi-square, and logistic regression analysis were used for assessing the relation between dietary patterns and assisted reproductive technique’s outcomes (ART). Results Three major dietary patterns were identified. The “healthy diet” included high consumption of fruits, nuts, vegetables, red and white meat, dairy, green olive, cream, and legume. The “western diet” comprised of high consumption of sweet drinks, sweets, caffeinated drinks, potatoes, fast foods, whole grains, refined grains, liquid oils, and salt. The “unhealthy diet” contained high consumption of mayonnaise, butter, egg, junk foods and solid oils. Women with high adherence to the “healthy diet” had a higher educational level and were employed. There was a significant increase in the average number of total oocytes (P-trend=0.009) and metaphase II oocytes (P-trend=0.006) in the third tertile of “healthy diet” compared to the first tertile. Also, women with high adherence to the second tertile of “unhealthy” diet compared to the first tertile, had a significantly lower chance of getting pregnant (odds ratio: 0.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.3-0.7). None of these dietary patterns were associated with the fertilization rate and the ratio of good and bad quality of the embryo. Conclusion Based on the results, the nutrition status could affect infertility treatment outcomes. Greater adherence to the “healthy diet” may enhance oocyte quality and quantity and having an “unhealthy diet” could adversely affect the chance of getting pregnant. Due to lack of enough studies on this topic, it is suggested to perform more investigation.