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October 13, 2021

Dates and Fertility: What the Studies Actually Tested

The original title of this post asked whether dates can increase your chances of conceiving a baby. A PubMed search for date fruit, Phoenix dactylifera or “date palm” together with fertility, infertility, conception or sperm, limited to human studies, returned 15 records on 20 October 2026. Three of them are fertility trials in people, and all three gave participants date palm pollen, not the fruit you buy in a box. They measured sperm quality and sexual-function scores. None of the three abstracts reports how many couples went on to conceive.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you are trying for a baby, talk to your GP or doctor before you take any supplement, including herbal ones.

What the fertility trials actually gave people

In a 2024 randomised trial from Iran, 80 men aged 20 to 35 with low sperm count, low sperm motility or abnormally shaped sperm took either 6 g of date palm pollen powder a day or 400 mg of the drug pentoxifylline a day for 90 days. The pollen group ended with significantly better sperm concentration, morphology, count and motility than the drug group. The comparison was with a drug, not with a placebo, and the abstract reports sperm and hormone measurements only.

An older 2015 study of 40 infertile men gave pollen powder in capsules every other day for two months, with no comparison group described in the abstract, and reported better sperm count, motility and morphology at the end.

A 2022 double-blind trial at infertility clinics in Iran enrolled infertile women and their husbands. Its abstract calls the product a “palm date capsule”. The full text says each capsule held 300 mg of date palm pollen, the placebo held 300 mg of starch, and 128 participants were randomised, 64 to each group, for 30 days. Women’s total sexual-function score in the pollen group rose from 21.06 to 27.31, and the men’s scores rose too. Pregnancy was not one of the outcomes.

The reviews point the same way. A 2018 systematic review of male infertility looked at date palm pollen, pit (seed) powder and gemmule extract, which are not the flesh of the fruit, and said the limited number of studies means more research is needed. A 2025 review of 21 studies on women’s health says date fruit products “positively influenced fertility parameters and sexual function” in women of reproductive age. Its own table, in the full text, lists the infertility and sexual-function trials in that age group as date palm pollen capsules, and the reproduction studies it cites include work in mice, rats and rabbits. A 2020 review of 26 clinical trials on date palm found that 80% of them had performance and detection bias, and concluded there is not enough clinical evidence to support the effects described in other reviews and in traditional medicine.

So the honest summary is narrow. Date palm pollen has been tested on sperm and on sexual-function scores in small trials. None of the trials in that search tested whether eating dates helps a couple conceive.

What the NHS says helps before you try for a baby

The NHS page on trying to get pregnant lists what can improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy: vitamin D and folic acid supplements, support to stop smoking, no alcohol, no illegal drugs, a healthy diet, and a healthy weight. It says a weight that is too low or too high can make it harder to get pregnant. It also says that if you are 39 or under and have sex without contraception every 2 to 3 days, you are likely to get pregnant within a year.

The same page advises seeing a GP if you have been trying for a year or more, and also if you or your partner take any herbal remedies. That second point matters for pollen capsules. The NHS infertility page says around 1 in 7 couples may have difficulty conceiving, and that women aged 36 and over should see their GP sooner.

Where dates fit in a diet before pregnancy

Dates can be part of the healthy diet the NHS describes, as one food among many. USDA data for Medjool dates gives, per 100 g, 277 kcal, 6.7 g of fibre, 696 mg of potassium, 0.9 mg of iron and 15 micrograms of folate. The NHS recommends a 400 microgram folic acid supplement every day, because it is difficult to get the amount you need from food alone. Dates do not replace that tablet.

A 30 g portion of dried fruit, dates included, counts as one of your 5 A Day, and the NHS says dried fruit should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a snack between meals, to reduce the impact on teeth. With 277 kcal per 100 g, a 30 g portion is about 83 kcal, which is worth knowing if you are working towards a healthier weight. There is more on the pregnancy side in this site’s post on dried dates in pregnancy.

Comparing dates with other dried fruit

Per 100 g, USDA figures put dried apricots at 241 kcal, 7.3 g of fibre, 53.4 g of sugars and 2.66 mg of iron. Prunes have 240 kcal, 7.1 g of fibre and 38.1 g of sugars. Dark raisins have 299 kcal, 4.5 g of fibre and 65.2 g of sugars, and dried figs have 249 kcal and 9.8 g of fibre. Medjool dates sit at the sweet end with 66.5 g of sugars. None of these fruits needs a fertility claim attached to be worth eating. They are different textures and sweetness levels for different uses in the kitchen.

Buying and storing dates

Every date sold in Malaysia is imported. If you like a very soft date, Mazafati is one: it comes from Bam in Kerman province, Iran, it is dark and very soft, and it is cold-stored and sold year-round. This site groups its posts on the variety under Mazafati dates. For larger orders, one option is stock sourced from a dedicated Mazafati exporter.

Whole dried dates in a small bowl

Mazafati needs refrigeration, so keep it in the fridge once you get it home. Buying in bulk only makes sense if you have room to store the full amount properly. Before a large order, ask a wholesale dates supplier which country the dates come from and when they were packed.

The short version

The fertility trials in that PubMed search all tested date palm pollen, and they measured sperm or sexual-function scores rather than pregnancies. The NHS steps for trying to conceive are folic acid and vitamin D, a healthy weight, no smoking or alcohol, and a GP visit after a year of trying, or sooner if you are 36 or over. Dates can sit in that healthy diet as a sweet dried fruit with 6.7 g of fibre per 100 g. If you are thinking about pollen capsules or any herbal remedy, the NHS advice is to talk to your GP first.

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