The findings showed that couples who ate seafood more than twice a week had sex more often- an average of 22% more than the couple who consumed less fish.
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"Our study suggests seafood can have many reproductive benefits, including shorter time to pregnancy and more frequent sexual activity," said study author Audrey Gaskins, from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
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The findings also showed that 92% of the couples who ate seafood more than twice a week were expecting a baby by the end of the study, compared to the 79% of the couples who ate less amount of seafood.
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The researchers noted this link between seafood intake and pregnancy and concluded that this couldn't be justified solely by more frequent sex the couples were having. That suggests that seafood intake might affect semen quality, ovulation or embryo quality.
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Author Audrey Gaskins from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston also said that their results stress not only on the importance of females but also the male diet at the time of pregnancy and suggested that both partners should incorporate more seafood into their diet for the maximum fertility benefit.
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Dr Tomer Singer who directs reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said "What is sure, is that this study will help encourage couples who are avoiding seafood due to fear of high mercury to consume seafood two to three times a week, as most seafood in the US has low mercury levels."
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Fish is rich in protein and other nutrients that are beneficial for pregnant women and those trying to conceive, but many expectant mothers limit their intake due to fears about mercury exposure.
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For the study, Harvard researchers recorded the outcomes of 500 couples in Michigan and Texas for one year. All the couples were trying for a pregnancy. They kept a record of the amount of seafood that they ate and kept daily journals of their sexual activity.
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