Another Dietary Connection to Fertility: Fish Oil

Add another notch to the belt of fish oil purveyors. A study recently published in Human Reproduction found that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids were less likely to develop endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a common, painful, and very demoralizing female medical condition. Long before it causes infertility in many patients, the "stray" endometrial tissue that is the hallmark of the disease makes everyday life a cycle-related struggle. Very painful periods are a common sign of endometriosis, and unfortunately, the related complaints of many teens and young women are dismissed.

Untreated endometriosis can continue undiagnosed for years until a woman finds out as a result of infertility. Accurate diagnosis is only accomplished with diagnostic laparoscopy. Many times during that diagnostic procedure itself, treatment can also be performed, in the form of removing the endometrial growths.

Research to learn more about the beginnings of endometriosis is ongoing. With this new information about links between diet and the disease's occurrence, women may be able to take a more active role in preventing this and other potential debilitating conditions.