Suffering from fertility problems?

You may be deficient in this mineral

A study conducted during the Corona period revealed that iodine deficiency may cause fertility problems.

How do you get iodine from foods and why is this mineral very important for the health of the mother and fetus?

All the details are inside

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health

08/17/2022

Wednesday, August 17, 2022, 09:46 Updated: 10:21

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Fertility problems are already commonplace.

A woman injects herself with hormones (Photo: ShutterStock)

The topic of fertility is a topic that not only concerns many women and men, but also quite a few researchers who are trying to understand why global fertility is in constant decline, and more and more women need fertility treatments.

A study published in the journal Human Reproduction looked at unexplained infertility, defined as a year of trying to get pregnant without success, by giving an iodine-only supplement to women who failed to conceive after a year of trying.

The findings showed that because the amount of iodine found in their urine was low, their fertility level was correspondingly low, with a decrease of 46 percent.

In addition, women with a low amount of iodine in their body took longer to get pregnant.

When the researchers examined the group of women who received iodine versus the group of women who did not receive an iodine supplement, it was found that 87.5 percent of the women who received an iodine supplement were able to conceive after 12 months, and compared to the women who did not - 72 percent were able to conceive after 12 months.

These data can indicate that iodine deficiency may contribute to success in fertility.

Iodine is a component found in water, but in Israel a significant part of the drinking water is desalinated and this process causes a significant decrease in the iodine content in the tap water.

In addition, due to kosher restrictions, loss of iodine in cooking and other reasons, the majority of the population in Israel (over 80 percent) apparently has an iodine deficiency.

Because of this, over the years we see that more and more women are finding it difficult to get pregnant specifically in Western countries.

"Although Israel is located in the Mediterranean basin, due to the lack of iodized table salt, kosher restrictions and the desalination of a significant portion of the drinking water, in surveys conducted on women of childbearing age and children, a significant lack of iodine was demonstrated in Israel," said Professor Ido Schulte, director of the Maternal and Fetal Medicine Unit at the Ramb Medical Center "M. "A significant lack of iodine can cause severe brain damage called cretinism.

In addition to a moderate lack of iodine, there may be a negative effect on the development of the fetal brain through many mechanisms.

It is now known that throughout pregnancy, from the first trimester until birth, normal iodine levels are necessary for the supply of thyroid hormones, which are essential for the normal development of the fetal brain.

Therefore, the Israeli Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine recommend iodine supplementation during pregnancy and breastfeeding, iodine supplementation can be taken in drops or as part of a multivitamin for pregnancy and breastfeeding."

It is also recommended to take while breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding mother (Photo: ShutterStock)

In addition, iodine is of great importance to the entire population, it contributes to maintaining a normal body weight, helps in feeding the body with the energy it needs and affects the mood.

Iodine deficiency may damage the efficiency of the immune system and in some cases also allow the formation of various types of cancer.

Therefore, even for people and women who have not encountered fertility problems, it is important to check the iodine levels and consult a doctor about taking an iodine supplement.

Can the deficiency be filled through proper nutrition?

Iodine can be found in dairy products and eggs, but the amount of iodine found in these products depends greatly on the amount of iodine in the diet of the cows/chickens.

Since the majority of the population suffers from a lack of iodine, it can be concluded that the diet of the animals will also suffer from a lack of iodine.

Iodine is mainly found in the sea, so iodine can be introduced into the body through foods that originate from the sea, such as fish.

Sea fish must be classified against pond fish, the iodine is found in the sea, so to consume iodine you must eat sea fish and not pond fish.

However, it is not good to eat too much fish because they also contain heavy metals and many toxins, you should eat between 2-3 servings of fish per week.

Regarding vegans, the amount of iodine in a plant is very dependent on the amount of iodine in the soil where they grow.

In light of the lack that currently exists in all sectors today in Israel, it can be concluded that the amount of iodine in the soil in Israel is low and insufficient.

But there are also the algae that grow in the sea and they are considered food for those who seek health.

They can be added to salads, smoothies and various dishes.

You should also be careful with seaweed, most of them contain a large amount of arsenic (a toxic and dangerous metal) which is mainly found in dried seaweed brought from abroad. You should consume fresh or dried seaweed that is grown in Israel and is under supervision.

• health

• Nutrition and diet

• Preventive nutrition

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• The pregnancy

• fertility

• iodine

• minerals

• diet