As we learn more about how influential the gut is over women’s health, it’s clear that what we eat matters for so many functions, potentially including conception and overall gynaecological health. And once again, it’s the Mediterranean diet that seems to come out on top when it comes to helpful ways of eating.

“As egg and sperm quality are both important, gut health has the potential to affect fertility in both men and women,” said Kerrison. “A 2024 systematic review showed adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet had positive effects on sperm concentration, count and motility.”

And, according to a 2022 review in Current Opinion In Clinical Nutrition And Metabolic Care, the Mediterranean diet is the closest thing we have to a proper ‘anti-inflammatory diet’. That’s important because inflammation is a huge issue when it comes to gut health and fertility. Dr McMicking explains: “Poor gut health can place the body in inflammation mode, which can track from the gut to the reproductive organs. In addition, our ovulatory cycle is especially sensitive to body changes. Stress, for example, can ‘switch off’ ovulation mode, because of the impact it has on the hypothalamus [the part of the brain responsible for maintaining homeostasis] and gut.”

Is your gut health status impacting your fertility? Experts explain the link (and what to do about it)