If you've started looking for nutrition support on your fertility journey, you've probably noticed there's no shortage of people offering it — dietitians, nutritionists, coaches, advisors and accounts on Instagram all using similar language. It can be hard to know where to start or how to tell who's genuinely going to help.
Here's what I'd actually look at.
What are they qualified to advise on?
In the UK, "dietitian" is a legally protected title — to use it, someone must hold an accredited degree, be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and demonstrate that they keep up with ongoing professional development. It's worth checking a dietitian's registration on the HCPC's public register, and the BDA's Find a Dietitian service is a good way to find dietitians working in private practice. I’m a Registered Dietitian so if you look me up on these platforms, you’ll find all my details there so my clients know I’m registered.
"Nutritionist" and “nutritional therapist” isn't a protected title, which means it covers a genuinely wide range of training, from postgraduate nutrition science degrees to short courses. That doesn't mean every nutritionist is under-qualified — plenty are thoughtful, well-trained practitioners. It just means the title alone doesn't tell you much.
Nutritional therapists and nutritionists typically hold a genuine qualification but sit on a voluntary register (commonly BANT or CNHC) rather than a legally regulated one like the HCPC. These offer a different tier of oversight but they don’t necessarily mean a different level of care. Coaches may hold a nutrition-specific qualification and some focus more on motivation and behaviour change. Registration and accreditation is basically there to protect you as the client so that you know that this practitioner has had a high standard of training and met criteria set by the governing body to practice effectively and efficiently within the therapy modality that they are trained in.
Registration and accreditation is there to protect you as the client — it tells you a practitioner has met a recognised standard of training and is accountable to a governing body for how they practise. Don't be afraid to ask professionals directly: Are you accredited? What training have you had? Can I see evidence of it? A legitimate practitioner will be able to point you to their registration or send you their certificate.
What are they basing their advice on?
Fertility nutrition is full of conflicting information — restrictive protocols, expensive supplement stacks, "cut this one food out" claims that don't hold up to scrutiny. A good practitioner, whatever their title, should be able to explain the reasoning and evidence behind what they're recommending, not just the recommendation itself. If something is genuinely uncertain in the research, they should be comfortable telling you that too.
Do they specialise in this area?
General nutrition knowledge and fertility-specific nutrition knowledge aren't the same thing. Someone who works broadly across weight management, sports nutrition, general wellbeing etc may know less about the specifics of how fruit and vegetable intake can benefit egg quality¹, how a low GI diet can reduce insulin resistance in women living with PMOS², than someone who works in this space day to day. Ask how much of their caseload is actually fertility-focused.
Does their approach feel right for you?
Some practitioners lean toward strict protocols and long lists of foods to avoid; others focus on what you can add and what actually matters, without turning your relationship with food into another source of stress. Neither is inherently wrong, but one will suit you better than the other. If a first conversation leaves you feeling more anxious about food than before, that's worth paying attention to.
It's worth having a trial consultation before committing further — get a sense of their experience, whether it's sufficient for what you need, and whether they understand your situation and offer an evidence-based approach to it. Reading Google reviews can help too, giving you a sense of other people's experience with that practitioner.
Practical fit matters too
Online or in person, one-off sessions or ongoing support, cost, availability — these aren't small details. The "best" practitioner on paper isn't much use if the format doesn't actually work for your life.
Wherever you land…
None of this is about finding a "correct" answer — it's about finding someone whose training, approach and manner genuinely fit what you need right now. There’s a lot to think about and it’s not always just about finding a practitioner and getting started. For some people it might work like that, but I’m hoping this give you a pathway you can follow to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.
If there’s anything you want to ask, you know that you can contact me. My email is hello@theseedclinic.com or you can use the Contact form on the website and my booking page if you want to get in touch to arrange an initial chat for free. Whether it's me or someone else, I hope the questions above make the search a bit easier.
References:
Panth N, Gavarkovs A, Tamez M, Mattei J. The Influence of Diet on Fertility and the Implications for Public Health Nutrition in the United States. Front Public Heal [Internet]. 2018 Jul 31 [cited 2026 Oct 7];6:211.
Kazemi M, Hadi A, Pierson RA, Lujan ME, Zello GA, Chilibeck PD. Effects of Dietary Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load on Cardiometabolic and Reproductive Profiles in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr [Internet]. 2021 Jan 1 [cited 2026 Oct 1];12(1):161–78.
