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:

1. It improves egg quality (especially when undergoing IVF)
2. 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

The post How to Boost Fertility appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.

Vitamin D specifically plays a huge role in fertility, and women who have sufficient vitamin D levels are more likely to become pregnant and produce better quality embryos if undergoing IVF than in those who were deficient. This is because the main fertility function of Vitamin D is to help the body create sex hormones. If you are Vitamin D deficient and these hormones become out of balance it is likely you will suffer from PMS, PCOS and sadly, infertility. Given that Vitamin D is essential for the healthy functioning of the body, playing vital roles in everything from the immune system, bone density, dementia and cancer prevention and is necessary for cell division (and therefore important to every single cell in the body), it is no surprise that it plays such a major role in fertility.

Vitamin D Supplementation

We are right in the thick of winter which means dark, shorter days and less sunshine. We typically get our Vitamin D intake from the sun, which is why it is so important to think about your Vitamin D levels right now, especially as so many people are deficient (did you know that 1 in 5 people in the UK are deficient in vitamin D? Last year a government-commissioned report recommended that everybody in the UK should take a Vitamin D supplement in the Autumn and Winter months.)

Dietary wise we can also obtain small amounts of Vitamin D from milk products and fortified orange juice, however, more significant amounts are found in wild salmon and beef liver (although few of us are eating these in the quantities required). This is where supplements play a vital role. I personally take Vitamin D3 drops from autumn onwards, and if you are trying to conceive I would highly recommend a D3 supplement program. Look for supplements containing at least 5000 IUI of D3 as it is the same form that the body naturally produces in response to sunlight. I prefer drops which are convenient, easily absorbed and more bioavailable.

The post Can Vitamin D Boost Fertility? appeared first on Neema Savvides | Fertility Nutrition.