Common nutrient deficiencies that affect male and female fertility in our brisbane naturopathic clinic

Diet: 

When I support a couple for fertility support in my clinic, during our initial consultation we go through the quality of the couples diet – this is to identify any potential dietary insufficiency that can lead to nutrient deficiencies in the body, impacting fertility.

Common dietary insufficiencies I see in clinic impacting fertility are:

• Little omega-3 intake – omega 3 is found in seafood, nuts & seeds – this will add to inflammation affecting fertility (Nehra et al., 2017).
• Lack of quality protein – this will impact amino acids which are essential for cell division and creating a baby. It has been shown that a low protein diet in the mother can also impact the offsprings fertility health later in life (Ajuogu et al., 2020)! 
• Lack of diversity in the diet –  this will affect the balance of many amino acids, fat soluble vitamins and nutrients, micronutrients including zinc and selenium, which are important nutrients for fertility (Ahmadi et al., 2025).

It can also help to identify any excessive intake of certain macro or micro-nutrients, which can also impact fertility. Common issues identify in the demographic who see me include:

• Poorly macrobalanced meal – often diets too high in complex carbs (potato, sweet potato, beans, carrots, rice, wheat products), and refined sugar – this creates excessive insulin which can impact fertility.
• Artificial sweeteners – these sweeteners are harmful to fertility in men and women. Not only do they impact egg and sperm quality, but they can impact the quality of the embryo and affect pregnancy outcomes (Kearns et al., 2022).

Absorption issues: 

Once we go through the diet, the next question is ‘how well is the body doing at turning this food into nutrients’. Symptoms that can indicate absorption issues are varied, but include: reflux, indigestion, burping, excessive flatulence, bloating after eating, nausea, IBS, sticky stools (feeling like you need to wipe a lot or clean the toilet after a bowel motion), fatigue after eating, chronic nutrient deficiencies on blood test such as iron or b12, chronic fatigue, mood changes, & skin disorders. 

If an absorption issue is suspected, there are certain tests we can utilise, such as microbiome mapping tests, and treatment involves working on digestive enzyme capacity, improve the gut microbiome, reducing inflammation at the gut lining to improve absorption, and considering liver health and its role in digestion. 

Utilisation issues:

Following on from ensuring the diet is adequate, and the body is absorbing the nutrients, you have to ensure that there are no utilisation issues. What I mean by this, is ensuring that the body is able to utilise the nutrients correctly, according to fertility. Things that impact utilisation are things that direct nutrients away from the reproductive system – this could be issues like chronic inflammation, chronic stress, chronic disease, other nutrient deficiencies impacting homeostasis, and excessive blood loss during menstruation etc. 

Specific nutrient imbalances affecting fertility:

• Protein – Low protein diets cause deficiencies in various amino acids, impacting male and female infertility by reducing egg and sperm quality, impacting ovulation, and affecting cell replication; often a low protein diet is associated with a higher carb diet, leading to insulin issues and blood sugar imbalances, also impacting fertility (Skoracka et al., 2021). 
• Caloric excess –  Common – caloric excess (overconsumption) will contribute to inflammation & insulin issues impacting male and female egg and sperm quality and fertility. 
• Caloric insufficiency – Not so common, but a diet low in overall ‘calories’ is considered a stress/survival state – and the body, particularly in women – it will ‘shut off’ the pathway to reproduction as it knows it cannot sustain it. Also, caloric insufficiency can lead to many vitamin and mineral insufficiencies impacting fertility. 
• B vitamins – Folate, B12, and B6 – when low, these nutrients affect your methylation cycle. The methylation process is important for ovulation, sperm production, and cell division when making a baby. Issues with methylation due to low B vitamins and/or genetic influences (such as the MTHFR gene) can contribute to sub-fertility and miscarriage (Mocellin et al., 2023). 
• Zinc & copper – Zinc and copper are important minerals, essential for both egg & sperm health, as well as cell division when creating a baby. It is important these two nutrients are in balance with each other – often people are supplementing zinc, without copper, causing imbalances (Kapper et al., 2024).
• Iron – Low iron is common in women, and can impact ovulation, egg development, and contribute to increased miscarriage rates (Tulenheimo-Silfvast et al., 2025). High iron can also be an issue, particularly in men, often due to a condition called hemochromatosis. This can drive inflammation and oxidative stress impacting sperm quality and male fertility. 
• Vitamin D – Low vitamin D is common in men and women in Australia, and it can impact many aspects of fertility – low vitamin D can affect female and male sex hormones, impacting fertility, it can also drive inflammation and oxidative stress, which impacts the quality of both the egg and sperm. Further, low vitamin D can affect gene expression, which impacts cell regulation/differentiation, affecting fertility and neonatal health outcomes (Varbrio et al., 2022).
• Antioxidants – like NAC, selenium, COQ10 – this can drive oxidative stress in male and female bodies, which impact the quality of the egg & sperm, causing fertility issues. 

The naturopathic treatment for nutrient imbalances:

Step 1 is identifying the imabalance – this is done through comprehensive questioning during consultations, diet analysis, as well as comprehensive blood testing.

Comprehensive blood testing and going off ‘optimal’ ranges is integral for fertility. If you don’t know what ‘optimal ranges’ mean, please review this blog post. 

Working with a food as medicine approach is also integral – no point supplementing if you’re not willing to change your diet. 

If you require supplementation, good quality supplements are also integral. Naturopaths use practitioner graded supplements – these supplements are superior to commercial supplements, as they are often formulated using evidence based dosages, they use quality forms of vitamins and minerals, there are quality testing in place, and are often low in fillers and excipients.

I often say that choosing the cheapest supplement is like trying to renovate your home with bargain-bin materials. You might save some cash upfront, but when the paint starts peeling and the floors buckle, you’ll wish you had invested a little more.

Ready to figure out a plan? 

There is nothing more fulfilling than helping couples fall pregnant, and have a healthy pregnancy. I have many long term clients now, whom I have supported to fall pregnant, supported through pregnancy, supported with delivery, supported with post-partum health, and supported their babies health. It truly is a joy. I am so passionate about naturopathy and the lasting impact it has.