A survey of 500 couples from Michigan and Texas suggests that couples who enjoy seafood regularly are more inclined to have frequent sex and conceive faster.
The study found couples who eat more than two servings of seafood weekly while trying to conceive have a significantly higher frequency of intercourse and get pregnant in the fastest time compared to other couples. It also linked eating more seafood to many reproductive benefits.
Seafood, Fish, Sex, And Pregnancy
The researchers from Harvard followed the lives of the 500 couples for the duration of one year. The participants were given daily journals where they recorded the amount and rate of their seafood intake within the 12 months of the study. The couples also logged the intervals of their sexual intercourse within the period.
The study revealed that 92 percent of couples who ate seafood more than twice a week got pregnant at the end of the year. Meanwhile, only 79 percent of the couples who ate seafood at irregular intervals have gotten pregnant.
The study published in the Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism also found that wives of men who consumed two or more 4-ounce servings of fish a week were 47 percent faster to conceive. The women who themselves consumed the same portion of fish had 60 percent faster time to get pregnant compared to women who ate fewer servings of fish.
The couples who regularly had fish in their meals engaged in sexual intercourse 22 percent more frequently compared to other couples who had fish sporadically. The researchers noted that the link between seafood and faster time to get pregnant is not entirely attributable to the frequency of having sex.
They concluded that seafood may have possible effects on semen quality, ovulation, or even on the quality of the embryo.
"Our results stress the importance of not only female but also male diet on time to pregnancy and suggest that both partners should be incorporating more seafood into their diets for the maximum fertility benefit," explained Audrey Gaskins from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
Gaskins also looked into the possibility that the couples who are fond of seafood tended to spend more time together, hence the higher level of intimacy. If this is the case, then the study could still suggest that eating more seafood bring couples closer together. In return, it could mean that seafood has a causal effect on couples' sex life at a behavioral level instead of biological one as proposed by the original study.
Seafood, Mercury, And Pregnancy
The study noted that seafood is proven to be an important source of protein for women, particularly to those who are expecting to get pregnant. Women's consumption of seafood, however, is hindered by their fears of mercury contamination. Instead of taking in the required amount, women resorted to eating fewer amounts of fish.
A 2017 press release from Food and Drug Administration has already assured the public that 90 percent of the fishes consumed in the country is low in mercury and is safe to eat. Nevertheless, an FDA analysis of fish consumption revealed that 50 percent of pregnant women consumed less than 2 ounces a week. This portion is lower than the recommended fish intake.
FDA recommends eating 2-3 servings or 8-12 ounces of lower-mercury fish on a weekly basis.
