Other Supplements For When Youre Trying To Conceive
Eating a healthy, varied and balanced diet means you shouldnt need to take any supplements other than folic acid and vitamin D before or during your pregnancy.
However, if you cant get the right foods in your diet, you might end up short on key nutrients like iron, vitamin C and calcium. In this case, your GP might advise that you bulk out your diet with certain foods:
- Iron can be found in red meat, kidney beans, chickpeas, nuts, dried fruit and fortified breakfast cereal
- Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruit, peppers, strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli and potatoes
- Calcium can be found in milk, cheese, yoghurt, spinach, and fortified foods and drinks
It might also help to take supplements for these nutrients, particularly if youre finding it hard to get everything you need through your diet.
If youre taking supplements, just make sure you dont have more than the recommended daily dose, unless told otherwise by your GP:
Should You Take A Multivitamin Instead
Since so many micronutrients may influence fertility, you may find it more convenient to take one high quality multivitamin, rather than purchase a boatload of individual supplements.
I highly recommend a good, quality prenatal vitamin, says Low Dog. For women, she recommends looking for a product that contains:
- 400 mcg folate at minimum
- 300 mg choline at minimum
- 150 mcg iodine
- 18 mg iron
- 600 IU vitamin D, at least
For men, Low Dog recommends looking for a multivitamin with adequate antioxidants that provides roughly 200 percent of the daily value for:
- vitamin C
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Where To Get Pregnancy Supplements
You can get supplements from pharmacies and supermarkets, or a GP may be able to prescribe them for you.
If you want to get your folic acid from a multivitamin tablet, make sure the tablet does not contain vitamin A .
You may be able to get free vitamins if you qualify for the Healthy Start scheme.
Find out more about the Healthy Start scheme.
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What Is Your Family Health History And Why Is It Important Before You Get Pregnant
Your family health history is a record of any health conditions and treatments that you, your partner and everyone in your families have had. Its a good idea to start putting your family history together before you get pregnant so you can share it with your provider at your checkup. Use the March of Dimes Family Health History Form to gather information.
Your family health history can help your provider:
- Identify health conditions that run in your or your partners family or ethnic group. An ethnic group is a group of people, often from the same country, who share language or culture. Certain genetic conditions, such as sickle cell disease and Tay-Sachs disease, are more common in people from certain ethnic groups. For example, people who are Ashkenazi Jews are more likely than others to have Tay-Sachs and other genetic conditions.
- Find the cause of a condition you had in a past pregnancy. Your provider may use tests like blood tests or ultrasound to help find the cause of the condition. Getting treatment can lower the chances of you having the same complication in your next pregnancy.
- Treat health conditions before pregnancy. Some chronic health conditions can lead to pregnancy problems and, sometimes, birth defects. Getting treatment before pregnancy for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus and PKU can improve your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
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Dont Forget These Other Sperm
These other fertility foods may also belong on the menu when youre trying to conceive:
- Oysters. Were not sure if oysters are an aphrodisiac, but we do know that their zinc content pumps up the production of sperm and testosterone. If your partners not a fan, he can get his share of zinc from lean beef, poultry, dairy, nuts or eggs, though oysters have the highest concentration of this nutrient.
- Fruits and veggies. Produce is rich in the vitamins that can help protect sperm from cellular damage. He can get folate from leafy greens men who dont get enough of this B vitamin tend to have sperm with abnormal chromosomes. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and berries provide vitamin C, which can boost sperm quality. Carrots, red peppers and apricots have lots of vitamin A, which keeps sperm from getting sluggish. Sweet potatoes are rich in all three folate, A and C!
- Pomegranate juice may up sperm count and quality, per some animal studies. While it remains to be seen if it has the same effects on humans, you can always try swapping out the usual morning glass of OJ.
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Factors Contributing To Oxidative Stress
Here are just some of the things that can cause your free radical levels to skyrocket:2-4
- Toxins such as bisphenol-A , parabens, phthalates, herbicides and pesticides
- Aging
- Increased temperature in a mans scrotum
- Imbalanced insulin levels due to sugar intake, diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome
- Using a cell phone or other technology or placing it near reproductive organs
When you come in contact with any one or all of these modern-day exposures listed above, it increases your risk of infertility.
Oxidative stress is to blame for many fertility problems as well as factors that lead to miscarriage. Recurrent pregnancy loss, spontaneous abortion, preeclampsia , and fetal death are all linked to oxidative stress.5 Intrauterine growth restriction , a condition where the fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy, is also linked to too many ROS.5 Oxidative stress can play a role in embryonic resorption, where the fetus is reabsorbed back into the body, leading to miscarriage.5
Do I Need To Take Supplements
Its recommended that all pregnant women in Australia take folic acid and iodine supplements.
However, its better to get the other nutrients you need from a healthy diet rather than from supplements. In most cases, eating a variety of nutritious foods should meet both your needs and those of your baby. Check the Australian Dietary Guidelines for more advice.
If you have a known deficiency, your doctor might advise you to take a supplement. For example:
- if you are vegetarian or vegan and not getting adequate vitamin B12
- if you dont consume enough dairy foods and are not getting much calcium, which is vital for bone health
- if you have a vitamin D deficiency
If youre not sure whether you need a supplement, talk to your doctor.
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When Do I Need To Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins
Start taking folic acid at least 1 month before you start trying to get pregnant. The first few weeks of pregnancy are a really important time for fetal health and development. Taking folic acid and other prenatal vitamins can help reduce the risk of some birth defects. Keep taking prenatal vitamins throughout your entire pregnancy.
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Vitamins That Help You Get Pregnant Faster
Can the taking of any type of vitamin or supplement actually help you conceive a child faster than those who dont take vitamins? Can vitamins actually increase your fertility? The answer is yes if you ask experts at the Texas Fertility Center. According to fertility specialists, you need a good nutritional status in order to help your body conceive a child. This seems to hold true of both men and women.
For women, it may mean just taking a good prenatal vitamin. Research has indicated that taking a prenatal vitamin can not only decrease your chances of having a preterm birth and decrease your chances of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, but it can maximize your fertility.
In one recent study, women who were trying to get pregnant through fertility treatments got pregnant faster than women who didnt take prenatal vitamins. In fact, the participants who took prenatal vitamins had a doubling of their chances of becoming pregnant when compared to participants who just took folic acid prior to conceiving.
What this means is that it is possible to get pregnant faster if you take a prenatal vitamin, although research hasnt been done on women who arent undergoing fertility treatments and who take a prenatal vitamin. Prenatal vitamins can be purchased over the counter and cant hurt you, even if you take them while not pregnant.
These particular vitamins have the ability to enhance your fertility. You can take them alone or as a part of the total prenatal pill package:
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How Much Folic Acid Should I Take
Most healthy women should supplement their diet with 0.4 mg of folic acid daily. You can usually find it in a daily multivitamin.
Some women may need a higher daily supplement. These are women who:
- have a family history of NTDs ,
- have diabetes, epilepsy, advanced liver disease or inflammatory bowel disease,
- have had gastric by-pass surgery,
- have a history of over-use of alcohol, or
- have had a previous liveborn or stillborn infant with a NTD.
If you are not certain which dose you need, talk to your doctor.
If you are already pregnant, it is a good idea to keep taking a multivitamin with folic acid throughout your pregnancy.
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Dont Rely On ‘dr Google’
While itâs easy to jump online to find instant answers to any questions you have, âthe Internet is full of myths regarding pregnancy and prenatal care,â Fiorentino says. âMany ⦠opinions broadcast by social media storm can quickly turn from myth to âfact.â â
Before you take what you read online to heart, ask your doctor about it.
Show Sources
Sherry Ross, MD, OB/GYN and womenâs health expert, Providence Saint Johnâs Health Center, Santa Monica, CA.
Randy Fiorentino, MD, OB/GYN, St. Joseph Hospital, Orange, CA.
G. Thomas Ruiz, MD, OB/GYN, MemorialCare Orange Coast Memorial Center, Fountain Valley, CA.
Postgraduate Medicine: âThe Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Male Fertility.â
CDC: âTobacco Use and Pregnancy,â âPlanning for Pregnancy,â âAlcohol Use in Pregnancy,â âFact Sheets — Alcohol Use and Your Health.â
BMJ Open: âEstimating the number of quit attempts it takes to quit smoking successfully in a longitudinal cohort of smokers.â
American Journal of Clinical Medicine: âPreconception Counseling to Prevent the Complications of Obesity During Pregnancy.â
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology: âMaternal obesity and risk of neural tube defects: a meta-analysis.â
BioMed Research International: âMaternal Obesity and Recurrence of Fetal Macrosomia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.â
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research: âVitamin D deficiency and pregnancy: from preconception to birth.â
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Risks Of Taking Fertility Supplements
As mentioned above, fertility supplements can interact with other medications that a person might be taking. Taking fertility supplements, especially in high doses and for too long can affect your reproductive health as well as overall health negatively. Stated below are the side effects that may occur because of taking high doses of supplements
When You Decide To Try For A Pregnancy
Ready to start a family? In addition to scheduling a well visit with your gynecologist, quitting birth control, and cutting out unhealthy behaviors like smoking, you should start taking prenatal vitamins.
You wont be able to predict how long it will take you to get pregnant it could be weeks or months and you wont know youve been successful until a few weeks after conception. Prenatal vitamins are an important part of preconception care.
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Vitamins You Should Take To Get Pregnant
06 March, 2022
Vitamins are substances of vital importance for our health Theyre responsible for the regulation of many of the functions of our bodies. For this reason, its not surprising that the lack of these nutrients in the body decreases fertility. With that in mind, we want to tell you about the 7 vitamins you should take to get pregnant.
We must pay attention to this issue, because our body can only produce vitamin D naturally, and always through exposure to sunlight. The other vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body, so they must be ingested through foods or supplements.
You must be careful about the nutrients you eat and emphasize those that are an essential part of a balanced diet when trying to conceive a baby. Some vitamins are of vital importance when pursuing this goal.
What vitamins should you take to get pregnant? What foods should you include in your diet if you want to conceive a baby? Youll get all these answers below.
Which Vitamin D Products Do You Recommend
Shady Grove Fertility recommends Theralogix, a line of evidence-based, independently tested and certified fertility products for men and women. All Theralogix products are NSF tested for content accuracy, purity, freedom from contaminants, and proper disintegration.
Nutritional supplements can be an important complement to your fertility treatment but they do not replace fertility evaluation and care. You should have your fertility evaluated if you are under 35 years old and have been having unprotected intercourse without conception for 1 year, after 6 months if you are between the ages of 35-39, and after 3 months if you are 40 and over. Women should consult their reproductive endocrinologist before beginning any vitamin regimen.
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Prenatal Vitamins Vs Fertility Supplements
Prenatal vitamins are taken during pregnancy to support the growth and development of a fetus in the womb. Prenatal vitamins dont improve fertilitythats not what theyre intended to do. While prenatals are recommended for IVF patients, thats because its best to start them about 3 months prior to pregnancy, and IVF patients are typically hoping to get pregnant within that time frame.
PS: The most important ingredient in prenatal vitamins is folic acid or folate, which has been shown in many, many studies to prevent fetal neural tube defects which can be devastating. The reason neural tube defects are so rare in the developed world is almost exclusively due to the widespread use of prenatal vitamins along with folate enrichment in foods like bread and cereal.
What Is A Pre
A pre-pregnancy checkup is a medical checkup you get before pregnancy. It helps your health care provider make sure youre healthy and that your body is ready for pregnancy. The checkup helps your provider treat and sometimes prevent health conditions that may affect your pregnancy. For example, your provider checks to make sure your vaccinations are up to date and gives you any you need before pregnancy.
If you can, get your pre-pregnancy checkup with the health care provider you want to take care of you when you do get pregnant. You can get a pre-pregnancy checkup any time. Get one even if youve already had a baby. Your health may have changed since you were last pregnant.
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Are Fertility Supplements Evidence
An evidence-based practicewhether it be a medication, intervention or therapy, complementary treatment, or even the way a provider communicates about careis a practice thats been thoroughly examined via appropriate research and found to make a significant difference in patient outcomes. Evidence-based is the gold standard in healthcare. Are fertility supplements evidence-based? Overwhelmingly, no.
Fertility supplements, like all nutritional supplements, are not regulated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other regulating body. That means that no one is keeping track of whats in these supplements, let alone checking that they actually do what they claim to do. Unlike over-the-counter or prescription medications, fertility supplements are not required to prove their effectiveness via clinical trials .
In one review of 39 womens fertility supplements available on the market, researchers found that not a single manufacturer provided any reasonable scientific substantiation that its products help women become pregnant. To quote those researchers:
So, whats a savvy consumer and hopeful parent to do? Remember that, when it comes to fertility supplements, you and/or your doctor will need to do your own research into the evidence to support the use of particular ingredients. This guide is a great place to start.
Do Prenatal Vitamins Have Side Effects
A lot of people wonder about about prenatal vitamins side effects. Some people get nauseated or constipated from taking prenatal vitamins. If this happens to you, talk with your doctor about changing brands or the types of vitamins youre taking.
Prenatal vitamins come in tablets or capsules, so finding the kind that works best with your body can help ease side effects. Your doctor or midwife can help you find a prenatal vitamin that will work best for your body.
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How To Increase Chance Of Conception
Your menstrual cycles often reflect your health ingeneral. By following some simple lifestyle tips, including proper diet, sleep,stress reduction and exercise, you can boost your fertility naturally andbalance your hormones, increasing your chances of conception and healthypregnancy.
A Harvard study on 17,544 women, showed that women whofollowed a combination of five or more lifestyle factors experienced more than an 80% lower riskof infertility due to ovulatory disorders compared to women who engaged innone of the lifestyle changes.
These tips are of particular interest to women who:
- Do not ovulate
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