When you’re trying to conceive, or navigating pregnancy, your body can start to feel like a mystery. You may be doing “all the right things,” yet still feel stuck, inflamed, exhausted, or out of sync. Often, the missing piece isn’t another test or diagnosis, but something quieter happening beneath the surface: inflammation.
Inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system. In the short term, it helps us heal, fight infection, and recover from stress. But when inflammation lingers, day after day, month after month, it can begin to influence health in ways we don’t always connect back to fertility or pregnancy.
Over time, chronic inflammation has been linked to conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and increasingly, to challenges with ovulation, implantation, and pregnancy outcomes. Supporting inflammation through nutrition, lifestyle, and thoughtful supplementation isn’t just about feeling better, it’s a foundational part of supporting reproductive health.
RELATED: The ultimate preconception guide: What to do when you’re ready to get pregnant
The impact of inflammation on fertility and pregnancy outcomes
Inflammation plays a larger role in reproductive health than many women realize. Chronic, low-grade inflammation can interfere with hormonal signaling, disrupt ovulation, and make it harder for implantation to occur. Over time, it can also create a less supportive environment for a developing pregnancy.
While inflammation is a normal and necessary immune response, the body requires a very specific balance during conception and pregnancy. Too much inflammation for too long can tip that balance in the wrong direction.
The encouraging part? Research continues to show that anti-inflammatory dietary and lifestyle changes can help restore that balance and support healthier fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
How inflammation interferes with fertility
Inflammation becomes problematic when it shifts from an acute response to a chronic state. In the reproductive system, this ongoing immune activation can quietly disrupt key processes needed for conception.
Some of the most common fertility-related conditions influenced by inflammation include:
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is closely associated with insulin resistance and elevated inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP). Women with PCOS often experience disrupted ovulation, hormone imbalances, and metabolic stress, all of which are worsened by chronic inflammation. Inflammation likely contributes to ovarian dysfunction and altered sex hormone signaling.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is fundamentally an inflammatory condition. When endometrial-like tissue grows outside the uterus, the immune system responds with persistent inflammation. Over time, this can lead to scar tissue and adhesions that interfere with fertility and implantation.
RELATED: Endometriosis FAQ: Understanding symptoms, testing, fertility & advocacy
Inflammation has also been linked to premature ovarian decline and poorer egg and embryo quality as women age. This concept, sometimes referred to as inflammaging, has become an important area of fertility research, especially as more women choose to try for pregnancy later in life.
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How inflammation affects pregnancy
Inflammation continues to matter after conception. While some degree of immune activation is necessary for implantation and placental development, excessive or ongoing inflammation can increase the risk of pregnancy complications.
Chronic inflammation during pregnancy has been associated with:
- Higher risk of gestational diabetes
- Increased rates of preeclampsia
- Preterm labor and low birth weight
- Altered fetal development and long-term metabolic risk
In fact, research has shown that women consuming higher-inflammatory diets during pregnancy may have up to a threefold increased risk of preterm birth compared to those following lower-inflammatory dietary patterns.
Anti-inflammatory diets to support fertility and pregnancy
One of the most effective ways to reduce inflammation is through diet. The Mediterranean diet is consistently ranked as one of the best anti-inflammatory dietary patterns and it’s also the one most strongly associated with improved fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
This way of eating emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods that naturally support inflammatory balance, including:
- Olive oil
- Fish
- Leafy greens and other vegetables
- Fruits such as berries and citrus
- Whole grains like quinoa and barley
- Legumes such as lentils and chickpeas
- Nuts and seeds
- Herbs and spices like garlic, basil, and oregano
Just as important as what this diet includes is what it also strives to limit. Our nutrition team recommends limiting highly processed foods and blood sugar-disrupting refined carbohydrates as both can drive inflammation.
Studies show that women with high adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet have up to a 44% lower risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Additional ways to reduce inflammation
Alongside a nutrient-rich diet, lifestyle factors play a powerful role in regulating inflammation. Supporting fertility and pregnancy health often includes:
- Regular, moderate exercise
- Stress management through practices like yoga, meditation, or breathwork
- Optimizing vitamin D levels
- Avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol
- Thoughtful use of anti-inflammatory supplements when appropriate
Small, consistent habits add up and they matter.
Why omega-3s are especially important
Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most well-studied nutrients for inflammation, fertility, and pregnancy health. Yet research suggests that up to 80% of women of childbearing age in the U.S. are deficient.
Even with a well-planned diet, it can be difficult to get enough omega-3s from food alone, making supplementation an important consideration, especially when preparing for pregnancy.
Omega-3s, particularly EPA and DHA, support ovulation, progesterone production, egg quality, placental development, and fetal brain and eye development. They also play an important role in immune balance and mood support during the postpartum period.
Research has shown that women who supplemented with omega-3s were more likely to conceive naturally compared to women who did not. DHA has also been shown to support ovulation and improve egg quality.
A note from WeNatal on inflammation and pregnancy
Inflammation plays a meaningful role in fertility, pregnancy, and long-term health, for both women and men. When inflammation is supported through nutrition, lifestyle, and key nutrients, the body is better equipped to regulate hormones, support ovulation and implantation, and create a more stable foundation for a healthy pregnancy.
Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most well-studied tools we have for supporting inflammatory balance during the preconception and pregnancy journey. Yet not all fish oil supplements are created equal. Many products on the market lack the ideal omega-3 ratio, and some are oxidized or rancid which potentially contribute to oxidative stress rather than reducing it.
We created WeNatal Omega DHA+ to offer a higher standard. It is third-party tested for purity and oxidation and formulated to deliver clinically meaningful amounts of omega-3s. During pregnancy, the recommended intake is approximately 650 mg of omega-3s, including at least 300 mg of DHA. WeNatal Omega DHA+ provides 830 mg of total omegas and 600 mg of DHA to help support both maternal and fetal needs.
And fertility is a team effort. Omega-3s also play an important role in male fertility, with research linking higher omega-3 levels to improved sperm count, motility, morphology, and healthy testosterone levels, factors that directly influence conception.
We believe in supporting the basics, consistently and thoughtfully, so your body has what it needs to do what it’s designed to do. Omega DHA+ is one simple, foundational way to support inflammatory balance as you prepare for pregnancy and beyond.
RELATED: Five things I wish all men knew about male fertility and sperm health
References
Bharmal U, Hayasaka M, Saade G, Kawakita T. Association between the dietary inflammatory index and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2025;7(3):101609. doi:10.1016/j.ajogmf.2025.101609
Orisaka M, Mizutani T, Miyazaki Y, et al. Chronic low-grade inflammation and ovarian dysfunction in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and aging. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;14:1324429. Published 2023 Dec 13. doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1324429
Trop-Steinberg S, Gal M, Azar Y, Kilav-Levin R, Heifetz EM. Effect of omega-3 supplements or diets on fertility in women: A meta-analysis. Heliyon. 2024;10(8):e29324. Published 2024 Apr 6. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29324
Xu J, Wang H, Bian J, et al. Association between the Maternal Mediterranean Diet and Perinatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2024;15(2):100159. doi:10.1016/j.advnut.2023.100159
Zhang Z, Fulgoni VL, Kris-Etherton PM, Mitmesser SH. Dietary Intakes of EPA and DHA Omega-3 Fatty Acids among US Childbearing-Age and Pregnant Women: An Analysis of NHANES 2001-2014. Nutrients. 2018;10(4):416. Published 2018 Mar 28. doi:10.3390/nu10040416
