Development of a nutrition screening tool to identify need for dietetic intervention in female infertility

Abstract

Background: One in seven couples are impacted by infertility in the UK, and female infertility is often associated with several health conditions impacted by nutrition. Despite many studies aimed at identifying the critical role of nutrition in infertility, there is currently no screening tool that identifies nutritional risk factors for infertility. Aim: To propose a self-administered screening tool to identify women who would benefit from nutritional intervention to promote fertility. Methods: A narrative review was carried out to identify and summarise modifiable nutritional risk factors that can influence female fertility, including comorbidities that can influence nutrition intake, absorption, and metabolism. Key Findings: A nutrition screening tool outlining modifiable nutrition risk factors potentially improving female fertility has been proposed, comprising of BMI, medical history and quality of diet and lifestyle which would aid in designing evidence based dietetic services for female infertility.