How soy in the diet affects fertility is much debated. There are studies that it can help fertility. There are studies that show it can harm fertility. How can you decide what is the truth? Well, your best bet is probably a common sense approach. So look at how much soy you are eating and what form of soy it is.

 

Soy should not be the basis of your diet. Although it has many good properties, it is not a wonder food. You and your partner should focus more on fruits and vegetables if you want to conceive. Protein bars, soy burgers, and three glasses of soy milk a day is too much.

Including soy in a diet likely has no effect on women fertility, but some women with infertility problems may be more likely to be adversely affected by soy. That's because soy contains phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived estrogen. In soy, it's called isoflavones. Although this can lead to fewer menstrual cycles, a normal level of soy won't affect a health woman's chance of conception.

 

For men, the role of soy in fertility is even more complicated. Originally, scientists thought there might be evidence that soy could increase men's fertility. One reason for that is its high level of zinc, which is a necessity for reproductive health.

More recent studies, however, show that soy can cut a man's sperm levels. One showed that even a moderate amount of soy food in a diet can halve sperm levels. One portion of soy consumed every two days resulted in 41 million fewer sperm in a milliliter of semen. While it is one of the most recent studies to be published on this subject, it only studied 99 men so more studies need to be conducted before we can say what the true role of soy is in male fertility.

 

One thing to remember is that soy has been consumed for centuries in countries such as China, and it hasn't led to widespread infertility in that country, for either men or women. If you are having trouble conceiving, consider cutting back or removing soy from the diet temporarily, especially the male partner.