Dreaming of growing your family but having difficulty conceiving? Reproduction is complex and involves the interrelationship of genetic, biological, environmental and behavioral processes. Infertility is diagnosed as the inability to become pregnant after one year of unprotected sex.

If you are struggling to conceive, there can be many causes some of which are diet and lifestyle related. Nutrition is an important treatment intervention for infertility because it can address proper body fat, help incorporate necessary antioxidants which protect egg and sperm from damage, and provide necessary vitamins and minerals which are needed for proper metabolic and hormone function.

A clinical nutritionist can provide patients with preconception and fertility counseling based on a

Anorexia of aging is a geriatric wasting disorder which involves the ability to compensate energy needs and satiation. A person with this disorder experiences a decrease in energy expenditure, metabolism and also muscle mass.¹ Other aging issues play a role in this disorder such as declines in vision caused by cataracts, macular degeneration or other vision issues, as well as a decline in their sense of smell and also taste that can cause a decrease in the desire to eat food. Medications can also alter the taste of food and make eating less enjoyable. Some elderly people experience a decline in mucus secretions which can affect swallowing. Over a long period of time, the lowered food intake can lead to weight-loss and malnourishment. Around adult middle-age or in the 40’s, people can acquire body fat but beginning in the older adult years or 70’s, a decline in both lean body mass and also fat can occur.²

The primary physiological and pathological factors include

The female athlete triad involves three conditions:¹
1) disordered eating
2) amenorrhea
3) osteoporosis

This combination of conditions can occur among females who are trying to stay lean and slim for various reasons such as sports or ballet dancing. However, in their efforts to stay very lean, not enough calories are consumed to make up for the physical activity, as well as enough protein, healthy fats and nutrients such as calcium.^1,2 This in turn causes a cascade of health problems that are very serious and which can be life threatening.²

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Common symptoms which occur in those with female athlete triad include:²
1) Disordered Eating (This is a temporary or mild change in an eating behavior.)²⁽⁵¹⁴⁾
2) Amenorrhea (Occurs with a 30% deficit in energy intake and is the most prominent red flag for this condition.)
3) Osteoporosis (The more severe the amenorrhea, the greater the negative impact on skeletal bones.)
4) Multiple Stress Fractures (Just a 5% loss of bone mass can increase stress fractures by 40%.)
5) Lean and Low Body Mass
6) Compulsive Behavior
7) Highly Competitive
8) Low Self-Esteem
9) Perfectionist
10) Self-Critical
11) Depression

WHO IS MOST AT RISK?
Young female competitive athletes are particularly at risk but female triad can also occur in young women who are very physically active but not necessarily a competitive athlete.² There is a 25-75%