Researchers studied 149 women and 126 men trying to have babies through fertility treatments to see if their eating habits mattered. They found that parents who ate healthier diets had embryos that developed slightly faster in the first few days after fertilization. Interestingly, while diet affected how quickly embryos divided and grew, it didn’t change whether the fertility treatment actually resulted in pregnancy or a live birth. The findings suggest that what parents eat might influence the very early stages of embryo development, though more research is needed to understand if this truly matters for having a baby.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether the foods that parents eat affect how quickly embryos develop during the first few days after fertilization in fertility treatments
  • Who participated: 149 women and 126 men (275 people total) who were being treated at a fertility clinic and were willing to answer detailed questions about what they ate
  • Key finding: Parents who followed a healthy eating pattern had embryos that developed slightly faster in the early stages. For example, mothers eating healthy had embryos that completed one stage about 37 minutes faster than others. Fathers eating healthy had embryos that completed later stages about 1-2 hours faster.
  • What it means for you: If you’re trying to have a baby through fertility treatment, eating a healthy diet may help your embryos develop at a better pace. However, this study didn’t show that diet changed whether people actually got pregnant or had a baby, so don’t expect diet alone to guarantee success. Talk to your doctor about healthy eating as one part of your fertility plan.

The Research Details

This study followed couples who were seeking fertility treatment at a clinic in Rotterdam. The researchers asked both men and women detailed questions about everything they ate and drank over the past few months using a special food questionnaire. They then watched how the embryos developed after fertilization, measuring exactly when each cell division happened. They also looked at whether the couples eventually got pregnant and had babies.

The researchers identified different eating patterns—like a ‘Healthy’ pattern (probably lots of vegetables and whole grains) and a ‘Savory Snack and Alcohol’ pattern. They then compared how embryos developed in couples with different eating patterns to see if there were any connections.

They were careful to only include people who gave realistic answers about their eating habits and excluded anyone whose food reports seemed unrealistic (like someone claiming to eat 10,000 calories a day).

Understanding how parental diet affects embryo development is important because it might help doctors improve fertility treatment success rates. If we know that certain foods help embryos develop better, we could give couples specific advice before treatment. This approach is called ‘periconception nutrition’—making sure parents eat well before and during the time they’re trying to conceive.

This study has some strengths: it measured diet carefully using a validated questionnaire, it looked at both mothers and fathers, and it examined very specific measurements of embryo development. However, it’s exploratory research with a relatively small group of people (275 total), so the findings are preliminary. The study couldn’t prove that diet causes better embryo development—only that they’re associated. People’s memories about what they ate might not be perfectly accurate, and the study only included people at one clinic in one country.

What the Results Show

Mothers who followed a healthy eating pattern had embryos that completed one specific cell division (called S2) about 37 minutes faster than mothers who didn’t eat as healthily. These mothers also had embryos with higher quality scores on day 3 (measured by something called KIDscore D3). On the other hand, mothers who ate lots of savory snacks and alcohol had embryos that divided more slowly—about 52 minutes to 1.5 hours slower at certain stages.

Fathers who ate healthily had even more dramatic effects on embryo development. Their embryos completed later cell divisions (t7 and t8) about 1-2 hours faster than embryos from fathers who didn’t eat as well. Fathers eating healthy also had embryos that completed another stage (S3) about 1.7 hours faster.

Interestingly, fathers who ate a potato-rich diet had embryos that completed the very first cell division (t2) slightly faster—about 27 minutes faster. This suggests that different foods might affect embryo development in different ways.

However, and this is important: even though diet affected how fast embryos developed, it didn’t change the actual success rates. The pregnancy rates and live birth rates were similar regardless of what the parents ate.

The study found that parental diet patterns didn’t affect how many eggs got fertilized, how many usable embryos were created, or whether couples got pregnant and had babies. This is a key finding because it suggests that while diet influences the microscopic timing of embryo development, these small timing differences don’t translate into better or worse fertility treatment outcomes. The study also showed that both mothers’ and fathers’ diets mattered, which was somewhat surprising since most fertility research focuses mainly on mothers.

Previous research has suggested that diet affects fertility and pregnancy outcomes, but most studies focused on whether people got pregnant, not on the detailed timing of embryo development. This study is unique because it looked at very specific measurements of how embryos develop hour by hour. The findings fit with the general idea that nutrition matters for reproduction, but they suggest the connection might be more subtle than previously thought—affecting the pace of development rather than the final outcome.

This study has several important limitations. First, it’s relatively small (275 people) and exploratory, meaning the findings are preliminary and need confirmation in larger studies. Second, people reported what they ate from memory, which isn’t always accurate—people might forget foods they ate or misremember portion sizes. Third, the study only looked at one fertility clinic in the Netherlands, so results might not apply to other countries or populations. Fourth, the researchers couldn’t prove that diet causes the embryo changes—only that they’re associated. Finally, even though the researchers found associations between diet and embryo development timing, these timing differences didn’t affect whether people actually had babies, which raises questions about how meaningful these findings really are.

The Bottom Line

If you’re planning fertility treatment, eating a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is a reasonable recommendation (moderate confidence). Avoid excessive alcohol and processed savory snacks (moderate confidence). However, don’t expect diet changes alone to guarantee pregnancy success—fertility treatment involves many factors. Talk to your fertility doctor or a nutritionist about a personalized eating plan. This study suggests diet may help, but it’s not a magic solution.

This research is most relevant to couples planning fertility treatment who want to optimize every possible factor. It may be particularly interesting to people who prefer natural or lifestyle approaches to improving fertility. However, this study shouldn’t worry people who’ve already had unsuccessful fertility treatment—diet timing differences didn’t affect actual pregnancy rates in this study. People with normal fertility don’t need to change their diet based on this single study.

If diet does affect fertility outcomes, you’d want to start eating healthily at least a few months before fertility treatment, since it takes time for dietary changes to affect your body. The embryo development changes in this study happened within days of fertilization, so the diet effects would need to be established before treatment begins. Don’t expect to see pregnancy results immediately—fertility treatment success depends on many factors beyond diet.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily servings of vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins for 3 months before fertility treatment. Set a goal of 5+ servings of vegetables daily and note alcohol consumption. This creates a baseline and helps identify eating pattern changes.
  • Use the app to plan weekly menus focused on whole foods, set reminders to eat vegetables with each meal, and log alcohol intake. Create a ‘fertility nutrition’ meal plan template that users can customize based on their preferences.
  • Have users check in monthly on their adherence to healthy eating patterns. Create a simple nutrition score based on vegetable intake, processed food avoidance, and alcohol moderation. Track this alongside their fertility treatment timeline to see if they notice any patterns.

This research is exploratory and preliminary—it shows associations between diet and embryo development timing, not proven cause-and-effect relationships. The study did not find that diet affected actual pregnancy or live birth rates. This information should not replace personalized medical advice from your fertility doctor or reproductive endocrinologist. Diet is just one of many factors affecting fertility treatment success. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes, especially if you have existing health conditions or are taking medications. This study involved a specific population in one country and may not apply to everyone.