Women wanting to become pregnant are as likely to succeed by giving up alcohol and caffeine as by attending a fertility clinic, a UK nutrition specialist claims.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, of Manchester Metropolitan University, said 32 per cent of those having trouble conceiving became pregnant by giving up stimulants, compared to 33 per cent after IVF treatment.
And she revealed quitting smoking was as important as a healthy diet in improving a woman's fertility.
Dr Derbyshire said couples should tackle their unhealthy lifestyles first before choosing expensive fertility treatment.
"Women wanting to get pregnant stand nearly the same chance of conceiving if they cut out alcohol and caffeine as if they attend an IVF clinic for fertility treatment," she said.
Australian Medical Association state president Andrew Lavender said while a healthy diet was vital for women trying to get pregnant, in some cases it "just isn't that simple".
"The vast majority of people seeking IVF are doing so because there are other underlying health issues and they are eating healthy and doing all of those sorts of things, it's gone beyond that," he said.
Park Holme mother-of-three Karen Cameron, 33, who gave birth to daughter Lilly three weeks ago and has two other children, Jordan, 6, and Hudson, 4, with husband Michael, was not surprised by Dr Emma Derbyshire's comments.
"I drink very little alcohol and stopped when we were trying to fall pregnant. I don't drink tea or coffee and I fell pregnant with each of my children very easily," she said.
"I think that healthy diet definitely played a role in that."
