There are a number of herbs that have an influence on fertility. We present a few that have been studies, but there are many more that are effective. A diet of fish and fish oils can help with fertility.

Diet
Men who eat healthier diets also have healthier sperm. Dr. Jaime Mendiola of the University of Murcia, had previously investigated the relationship between consumption of certain foods and semen quality, and found that men who ate more dairy products and more meat, and less lettuce, tomatoes, and fruit, were more likely to have poor semen quality. Dr. Jaime Mendiola and his team compared the nutrient content of the diets of 30 men with poor semen quality and 31 men with normal sperm. The men with poor semen quality had low sperm counts and relatively high percentages of abnormally formed sperm. After controlling for cigarette smoking, age, body mass index, and exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace, the researchers found that diet remained an important factor. The men with normal semen ate more carbohydrates, fiber, folate, vitamin C and lycopene than the men with poor semen quality. The men with healthy semen also ate less fat and less protein. Fertility and Sterility, May, 2009.

Trans fats and fertility
Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston says the more trans fats a woman eats, the more likely she is to have fertility problems. To maximize fertility, women should avoid foods that list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

L-Carnitine and Acetyl-l-Carnitine
Combined treatment with L-Carnitine, a popular dietary supplement, and Acetyl-l-Carnitine, a related chemical, appears to improve sperm motility in men with fertility problems, according to a new study. In the study, 60 infertile men between the ages of 20 and 40 years were randomly selected to take a combination of L-carnitine and L-acetyl-carnitine or an inactive "placebo" for 6 months. In the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, researchers at the University of Rome led by Dr. Andrea Lenzi report that 2 months after the completion of therapy, men who took L-carnitine and L-acetyl-carnitine had increases in sperm concentration, forward movement, and total movement. The most significant improvements in sperm motility, both forward and total, were observed in men who had the lowest levels of moving sperm when the study began. The researchers note that four spontaneous pregnancies were achieved during the study by men who had taken the combination therapy.

Arginine
Adjuvant L-arginine treatment for in-vitro fertilization in poor responder patients.
Battaglia C. University of Udine, Italy.
Hum Reprod. 1999 Jul;14(7):1690-7.
The objective of the present study was prospectively and randomly to evaluate the role of L-arginine in improving uterine and follicular Doppler flow and in improving ovarian response to gonadotrophin in poor responder women. A total of 34 patients undergoing assisted reproduction was divided in two groups according to different ovarian stimulation protocols: (i) flare-up gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) plus elevated pure follicle stimulating hormone (pFSH) (n = 17); and (ii) flare-up GnRHa plus elevated pFSH plus oral L-arginine (n = 17). During the ovarian stimulation regimen, the patients were submitted to hormonal (oestradiol and growth hormone), ultrasonographic (follicular number and diameter, endometrial thickness) and Doppler (uterine and perifollicular arteries) evaluations. Furthermore, the plasma and follicular fluid concentrations of arginine, citrulline, nitrite/nitrate (NO2-/NO3-), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were assayed. All 34 patients completed the study. In the L-arginine treated group a lower cancellation rate, an increased number of oocytes collected, and embryos transferred were observed. In the same group, increased plasma and follicular fluid concentrations of arginine, citrulline, NO2-/NO3-, and IGF-1 was observed. Significant Doppler flow improvement was obtained in the L-arginine supplemented group. Three pregnancies were registered in these patients. No pregnancies were observed in the other group. It was concluded that oral L-arginine supplementation in poor responder patients may improve ovarian response, endometrial receptivity and pregnancy rate.

Shilajit and sperm production
Shilajit is a substance found in Asia. It has the ability to make new sperm. See shilajit for more info.

Protein and Fertility
Eating a high protein diet may make it more difficult for women to conceive,. Dr David Gardner, of the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine in Englewood, said diets containing 25 percent protein disrupt the development of early mice embryos and may have a similar impact in humans. "Although our investigations were conducted in mice, our data may have implications for diet and reproduction in humans," Gardner told a fertility meeting. In mice the high protein diet seems to interfere with a genetic process known as imprinting, which controls the activity of genes inherited from the father and mother.

Chemical pollutants are harmful
High exposure to certain now-banned industrial chemicals lead to fewer female births. Two groups of related chemicals -- polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) -- affect human reproduction. PBBs were once widely used as flame retardants in plastics, electronic and textiles, while PCBs were used in everything from appliances and fluorescent lighting to insulation and insecticides. While the chemicals were banned in the 1970s as potential health hazards, they remain a public-health concern because they linger in the environment and accumulate in the fat of fish, mammals and birds. Environmental Health, online August 15, 2009.

FertilityBlend effective for fertility problems in some women
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Fertilityblend: a nutritional supplement for improving fertility in women.
Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2006;33(4):205-8. Westphal LM, Polan ML, Trant AS. Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
 FertilityBlend for Women is a proprietary nutritional supplement containing chasteberry, green tea, L-arginine, vitamins (including folate) and minerals. Women, aged 24 to 42 years, who had tried unsuccessfully to conceive for six to 36 months, completed the study. FertilityBlend was found helpful in about a third of the women after sis months.

Fertility drugs, do they work?
Women who take two commonly-used fertility treatments, including the Sanofi Aventis pill Clomid, do not have a better chance of getting pregnant than those who try naturally. Doctors should rethink giving women Clomid, known generically as clomiphene citrate, to stimulate the ovaries or administering a particular type of artificial insemination.

Fertility Research Update
Role of environmental estrogens in the deterioration of male factor fertility.
Rozati R/ Mahavir Hospital and Research Center, Hyderabad, India.
Fertil Steril. 2002 Dec;78(6):1187-94.
To evaluate the role of the environmental estrogens, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and phthalate esters (PEs) as potential environmental hazards in the deterioration of semen parameters in infertile men without an obvious etiology. Twenty-one infertile men with sperm counts <20 million/mL and/or rapid progressive motility <25% and/or <30%. normal forms without evidence of an obvious etiology and 32 control men with normal semen analyses and evidence of conception. Semen and blood samples were obtained as part of the treatment protocol. Evaluation of semen parameters such as ejaculate volume, sperm count, motility, morphology, vitality, sperm chromatin stability, and sperm nuclear DNA integrity. PCBs were detected in the seminal plasma of infertile men but not in controls, and the concentration of PEs was significantly higher in infertile men compared with controls. Ejaculate volume, sperm count, progressive motility, normal morphology, and fertilizing capacity were significantly lower in infertile men compared with controls. The highest average PCB and PE concentrations were found in urban fish eaters, followed by rural fish eaters, urban vegetarians, and rural vegetarians. The total motile sperm counts in infertile men were inversely proportional to their xenoestrogen concentrations and were significantly lower than those in the respective controls. PCBs and PEs may be instrumental in the deterioration of semen quality in infertile men without an obvious etiology.

Does tongkat ali herbal supplement help with fertility?
    We have not seen such research in humans.