5 Supplements for Preconception
If you want to get pregnant or are thinking about pregnancy in the next 6-12 months, you are in the right place.
Pregnancy is an amazing, powerful and precious experience and therefore it is important to optimize the process from the beginning. While most people would like to obtain their nutrients from the food they eat, we also have to be realistic about our depleted soil and food system. So why risk the possibility of a less than healthy pregnancy if you can optimize your conception with supplementation?
Below are five basic supplements that I suggest to all women of child-bearing age if they want to be pregnant in the near future, and to be taken throughout pregnancy and lactation to assure health throughout times of critical developmental and to support mom during pregnancy.
These supplements support male fertility too, especially in the preconception time, because while women carry the baby, it is the health of both partners that create a healthy pregnancy and baby.
Supplements are not totally regulated,
so you must be careful where you get your supplements from.
Before we get to my favorite preconception supplements, it is important to know that quality matters. Supplements are not totally regulated, so you must be careful where you get your supplements from. There are many places to purchase supplements, including large commercial stores and on the internet, where numerous companies have cornered the women’s health and hormone market.
While not all of these companies are dangerous, it is important to know what you’re buying and consuming! You want to be sure that the nutrients in the supplement are well balanced and what your body needs. For example, a prenatal multi-vitamin should include vitamins and minerals, including choline and methyl-folate, in the proper ratios
Additionally, we want to be sure that what they say is in the supplement is ACTUALLY in the supplement! It is up to the supplement company to obtain third party testing and research the supplement constituents. (You’d be surprised how many generic brands don’t actually contain many, if any, active ingredients in the supplements you buy from drug stores). All the supplements that we use in the clinic and recommend to patients are professional brands that engage in third party testing, research and Good Manufacturing Processes.
Okay, now to what your body needs to help prepare and sustain a very healthy pregnancy.
Again, this list applies to both women and men! ⚤
- Prenatal Multi-Vitamin
A prenatal provides what mom and baby need for optimal growth and neural development. Much research has shown that proper prenatal nutrition and vitamins/minerals reduces risk of neural tube defects as well as immune dysfunction and even behavioral concerns as the child continues to grow. Multi-vitamins are also known to increase Clomid assisted pregnancy success rates from 25% to 60%.
- Prenatal DHA
Omega 3 fatty acids, DHA in particular, improve embryo morphology, supports optimal neurological development of baby and research shows that it also supports the health of sperm count, motility and morphology when taken by men. DHA supplementation has also proven to reduce preterm and low-birth-weight babies.
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D receptors are found in the reproductive tissues of both men and women, therefore this vitamin may influence the production of reproductive hormones like estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and support sperm health. For this reason, vitamin D is important for hormone balancing, but it also has shown to improve IVF outcome.
Research also shows that babies with optimal levels of vitamin D throughout pregnancy and infancy have a reduced incidence of allergies, autoimmune disease and Type 1 Diabetes. It is very important to test Vitamin D levels tested in all women of childbearing age in order to avoid hypervitaminosis, which comes with its own risk factors. The proper dose will be recommended based on blood values.
- Probiotic
Oh, gut health, my most favorite topic! There is SO much research out there about probiotics and fertility, from the relationship of gut health to unexplained infertility to recurrent miscarriage and even hormone health. It all makes sense, but what does that me for you? Well, take a GOOD probiotic!
The overall summary of so many research studies show that infertile couples have less healthy gut microbiomes. Whether you have IBS, undiagnosed celiac disease, food intolerances or a leaky gut, it’s all correlated to causes for infertility.
Taking a probiotic not only helps mom have a healthy gut microbiome, supporting regular bowel movements and immunity, but it also reduces likelihood of allergies/eczema in baby by about 50%! The perinatal period is usually when allergy/eczema develops.
5. CoQ10
CoQ10 is an antioxidant that helps your mitochondria make energy, but also protects eggs from oxidative damage and reduces chromosomal abnormalities. It is well known to support the health of eggs and sperm in couples who are aged 35 and older. However, CoQ10 can be helpful for couple of all ages with poor ovarian reserve (high FSH or low AMH) to increase egg and embryo quality and ovarian response. This makes sense because usually eggs or sperm that aren’t as healthy have some sort of oxidative damage or stress.
CoQ10 comes in two forms – Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol. Both can be supportive for fertility, but the dosing does vary between the two forms. Once you are pregnant though, I’d advise to discontinue it’s use, as you don’t want to detoxify during your pregnancy.
