HOUSTON – Camy Portuondo's adventure into motherhood began almost five years ago. Along the way, there were times when she wondered if her journey would have a happy ending.
“As a woman, you have that fear of what’s going on and I tested myself and thought, oh this might be a possibility, and it didn't happen,” she shared.
Portuondo even traveled to a fertility clinic in Barbados with no success. Then she met Marta Montenegro, a nutrition and fertility specialist.
“What you eat, what you don't eat and other lifestyle factors can affect your fertility,” Montenegro said.
Montenegro uses a metabolic assessment to uncover a woman's overall nutritional health.
“It’s very important to check on your glucose, your lipids and certain nutrients like Vitamin D, B12 (and) folic acid,” she added.
Foods that can negatively affect fertility include sugar and red meat, which lead to weight gain and inflammatory reactions. Montenegro says the only high-fat food in your diet should come from Greek yogurt, which has protective probiotics.
Last October, Camy gave birth to her son, Juan Diego. She credits not just the science of IVF but the power of good nutrition.
“Since day one, I have to say that since day one, I started feeling different,” Portuondo recalled. “I don't think I would have done it without that part.”
Whether you're trying to get pregnant naturally or with the help of in vitro fertilization, avoid caffeine. It's related to both pregnancy loss and implantation failure.