Could a Vitamin Deficiency be Affecting your Fertility?
How to boost fertility
I often get asked how to boost fertility. Sadly, there’s no straightforward answer, as it’s so individual. Fertility is complex, but if you have been trying for a baby and are struggling, then assessing your nutritional status is really important. There are some nutrients that are vital for fertility and producing healthy babies, and we’ll look at three of those here today.
Vitamin D
I LOVE vitamin D (summer baby here) and you can read my full post on Vitamin D and Fertility here.
The reasons why it’s so important is that:
- It improves egg quality (especially when undergoing IVF)
- It increases the chances of conceiving by helping the body to create sex hormones, which in turn affects ovulation and hormonal balance.
Good sources:
Oily fish, fortified eggs, cod liver oil and sunlight.
Iron
So many women complain of low energy, and a lot of this has to do with poor iron levels. Remember that we lose iron when we have our periods!
We need good iron levels so that our bodies can carry all of the important nutrients around our body. This is so important for the uterus as we need to ensure it has a good, thick lining to enable a fertilised egg to grow.
We also need iron for good egg health and to help with ovulation, so if you’re struggling with either, it’s worth getting your levels checked.
Good sources:
Lean red meat, spinach, lentils, pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Folate
Not to be mistaken with the synthetic form, folic acid. You need folate (or the natural, active form, 5MHTF) to help prevent birth defects. It is especially important to take a natural form of folate if you have the MTHFR gene, where your body can’t convert folic acid into its usable form.
Good sources:
Leafy greens and legumes
If you have any questions, as always, please ask. X