Fertility Supplements: Not Always the Magic Pill They are Made Out to Be.

There is nothing more cringe worthy to a Fertility Practitioner than when someone asks on a fertility forum “Hey, I found xyz supplement online is it good?”  It’s not because supplements are bad, it’s mostly because supplements can be so powerful and what works for one women may be the exact opposite of what another needs. So when you take the wrong supplement for your needs they end up doing more harm than good.  Let’s look at what supplements are generally safe to take for almost everyone and which ones you should really see a practitioner for before starting.

There are plenty of safe supplements out on the market and the number one thing that every woman should take when trying to get pregnant is a high-quality prenatal vitamin. There are several brands that I personally recommend but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other great brands out there. When looking for a prenatal it’s important to find one that contains methylated B12 and folate. Generally, if you find a brand with these then the rest of the ingredients will likely be well sourced and not synthetic. Why do you want this? Because these forms of vitamins and minerals are more readily absorbed by the body. It’s especially important with B12, Folate, A, and D. You want methylated B 12 and folate especially if you have the MTHFR gene mutation. This mutation causes issues in your livers ability to methylate these vitamins so that they are in their active form. What if you know you don’t have this mutation? It’s still recommended that you take the methylated version because in the toxic environments that we live in today our livers can use all the support they can get.

There are a few other vitamins/minerals that can generally be safely taken in addition to prenatals. These are Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, and CoQ10. If the amount of vitamin D is less than 50mcg or 2000 IUs then you may want to consider supplementing more. The amount of Vitamin C you want to take is up to you as the tolerable upper limits are pretty high as it is a powerful antioxidant and is great at supporting your immune system its worth considering adding additional C. Most women do well with 400-600 mg of Magnesium daily. It’s great if taken before bed to help with sleep too. The most common form is magnesium citrate which can cause digestive issues so glycinate could be better if you experience this reaction. You can also find liquid magnesium which is balanced with it’s cofactor minerals or even just take warm Epsom salt baths as part of your evening self-care bedtime ritual. Zinc is really important for a lot of processes in the body including making our hormones so it may need to be supplemented if the amount in your prenatal is less than 30 mg. Finally, CoQ10 is a power antioxidant and can play a powerful role in egg quality (those with blood pressure medications or blood clotting disorders should consult with their doctor before taking CoQ10).

Let’s take a look at what supplements you should look out for and should definitely work with a practitioner before taking them.

1. Vitex: Vitex can be a wonderful supplement for some women because it works on the pituitary gland in the brain that controls all of our hormones but because of this it is not good for most women with PCOS as it can increase LH levels which are often already out of balance.
2. Maca: Maca is often touted as a hormone balancing supplement but some women have found that it has estrogenic effects that can cause already out of balance estrogen to become worse.
3. NAC: NAC is a powerful antioxidant but if taken in too high of doses for too long can have some serious consequences.
4. Glutathione: Glutathione is considered the master antioxidant in the body and is naturally made in the liver and may be a really important supplement for those with MTHFR gene mutations but it may be too strong for some and can also cause issues with detoxification reactions.
5. DIM: DIM works in the liver to help support the first phase of the estrogen detox pathway. It can be a great addition for those with estrogen dominance but it can make things worse if there are issues further down the line, if you take it during the wrong part of your cycle, or if your estrogen is too low.
6. SGS: SGS helps support phase II of the estrogen detox pathway in your liver and can have similar pitfalls to DIM.
7. Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen and is great for helping to relieve stress and anxiety however it is known for its affects on the thyroid and for helping to induce menstruation when taken in high quantities so it’s important to dose it carefully.  
8. Shatavari: Shatavari is sometimes referred to as the queen of women’s herbs and can be helpful in improving cervical mucus production and libido but since it has strong estrogenic qualities it is definitely not for everyone.
9. Cassava: Cassava seems to work similarly to Maca but at a lower level. The biggest concern for some women with cassava is that it contains phytoestrogens which may cause issues for those with estrogen dominance.
10. Myo-Inositol: Myo-Inositol is great for women with PCOS as it helps to reduce insulin resistance and can help lower LH and raise FSH. It also has been shown to help improve egg quality but may also be an issue when completing IVF as one study found that it tends to reduce the number of eggs collected in those who don’t have PCOS.
11. DHEA: DHEA is often referred to as the master hormone as most of our sex hormones start out as DHEA because of this when it is supplemented in the body there is no way to control which hormones our body converts the DHEA into. This typically ends up causing hormonal imbalances to become worse instead of better.

While these are the most common supplements, I’ve seen people use to help with fertility they are not all of them. In general, it’s best to work with a practitioner to make sure that what you are using is the right supplement at the right dose for your needs. If this is something you would like support working on please reach out. I’d love to help you out I offer free 30-minute consultations here!