Fertility Supplements

Pure and Natural Ireland

Below I have chosen my favourite supplements to support fertility from Pure and Natural Ireland. You can use my code NBN10 for 10% off and delivery is only €2.50 or free on orders over €75. You will be prompted to register an account in order to place any of the products in your basket. IMPORTANT* make sure you enter the discount code into the box where it asks for the practitioner name or code. The 10% will stay active on your account for any future orders.

Disclaimer

If you are taking any medication or have a medical condition, please check with your doctor before starting any new supplement regime.

Non Negotiables

When it comes to having a healthy pregnancy these are my 3 favourite supplements for reducing pregnancy risk like preterm birth and birth defects. Eating a healthy diet will also compliment your supplement routine. Further down I have included supplements to support eg quality, PCOS and low progesterone.

Fertility Blend Multi Nutrient

This would need to be changed to their pregnancy multi once you get a positive result. Taking a prenatal or multivitamin has been shown to increase rates of successful pregnancy and live birth compared to taking folic acid alone (60.0% versus 25.0%) – PMID: 22138521

When choosing a prenatal, it’s important to choose a folate (real food version) or methyl folate (activated form of folate). The reason for this is that 10-15% of caucasians have a genetic mutation where they cannot convert synthetic folic acid into it’s active form. These people should avoid folic acid as it blocks their folate pathways from working efficiently and can increase their risk of neural tube defects.

Male Fertility Support

I remember the first prenatal I ever got for my partner; he wouldn’t take it as he said it made is tummy sick. In general the food based supplements don’t have a tendency to cause nausea. Sperm has a really high need for anti oxidants as well as energy supportive nutrients to make the journey up the fallopian tubes! It’s vital that both partners take a prenatal to ensure the very best chance of pregnancy.

Fish Oil

Fish contains a component called DHA, which is absolutely vital for baby eye and brain development. So much so that if it’s not available from mom’s diet then baby will take it for her brain. OMEGA 3 is also important for fertility as it forms an integral part of our cell membranes, which is where hormone signalling takes place. Aim for 2-3 portions of oily fish weekly and if you are not reaching this target then it’s important to supplement. The below supplement is a very pleasant tasting lemon flavoured liquid and you just need to take 1 teaspoon to get the same amount of fish oil as 3 large capsules.

Female Probiotic

This probiotic contains strains of bacteria that have been proven, that when taken by mouth will colonise the vagina. The lactobacillus family is especially effective at protecting against infections in that region that can increase risk during pregnancy including BV and StrepB.

I would also recommend including fermented foods in your fertility diet for like; kombucha, kefir, live yoghurt and sauerkraut to not only support over all gut health, but also to support the immune system and help reduce inflammation. Kombucha is a lovely refreshing alternative to wine if you are trying to reduce alcohol.

Vitamin D Test

I am definitely a believer in test don’t guess when it comes to vitamin D. This is because some people have a genetic tendency to be slow metabolisers of vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is so, so important for fertility health. A lot of GP shave stopped doing vitamin D. For this reason I am linking an at home vitamin D test below. It’s more important to get your levels tested during the winter than the summer for obvious reasons but I do recommend 10-15 minutes of bare-skinned sun exposure before you put any sun tan lotion on to optimise your vitamin D production. September is a good month to test as it will tell you what your supplies are like after the summer. These supplies have to last you until the following April! If you have a tendency to get blue or very tired during the darker evenings you might have the gene where you don’t make enough vitamin D and I would definitely recommend testing. I am happy to give a recommendation once your results come back.

Egg Quality

Choosing a good quality prenatal is the first step in ensuring egg quality. For males and females over the age of 35 egg quality begins to reduce so it’s very important to ensure diet is very ‘clean’ and that you reduce your toxin exposure and endocrine disruptors as much as possible. The supplements below have been proven to improve both egg and sperm quality.

Ubiquinol - CoQ10

CoQ10 has been shown in studies to increase egg health and pregnancy outcomes. Ubiquinol is the nost bioavailable for of CoQ10 and it’s little more expensive but it means you can use less. I recommend 2 capsules and combining with NAC for optimising egg quality. This is also a very good supplement if any issues show up with the sperm.

NAC

NAC is the shortened abbreviation of N-Acetyl cysteine. Although it sounds complex it’s simply a sulphur compound bound to an amino acid that provides strong anti oxidant support to increase both egg and sperm quality. It supports the liver so it protects our cells against toxins. I would recommend 3 x 600mg (1 with each meal).

Myo Inositol

Myo inositol is a member of the B vitamin family and is especially beneficial for women who have PCOS with high testosterone. It can help support ovulation and improve quality of eggs by lowering blood sugar and high male hormones that can block ovulation. High blood sugar is not healthy for egg quality. Because of its action on testosterone it can also help other high testosterone symptoms including unwanted hair growth and male pattern baldness in females. Start with 1 scoop with breakfast and after one week if you are feeling good you can increase to 1 scoop morning and evening.

Progesterone Support from Natural Dispensary

I am using the sister company of Pure and Natural in the UK called the Natural Dispensary for the recommended Progesterone herbs, simply because it has a broader range of products and I was finding it very difficult to source some of the supplements in Ireland without using multiple websites. The duty is paid in advance, they simply remove the UK duty and add on Irish VAT so you won’t be paying any more for your supplements bar a little extra for shipping. You can use the code NBN010 where it asks for practitioner name or code to get 10% off added to your profile.

Low Progesterone can occur for various reasons and if it’s due to stress it is really important to try and support yourself during difficult times by cutting down on caffeine, which can increase the stress hormones, eating regular healthy meals and including some stress relieving activities. I have also included a link for my progesterone masterclass in module 5, which will go into more detail on testing and targeting low progesterone.

Herbs and Pregnancy

It’s important to stop any herbs once you get a positive pregnancy result

Stress Reducing Herbs

This formula contains Ashwagandha and Rhodiola to help reduce stress and anxiety while supporting balanced female and thyroid hormones. The adrenal glands pump out the stress hormones and the adrenal herbs can help calm them down and support reduced stress and better sleep. As extra prolactin maybe released during times of stress this supplement can help reduce stress-induced high prolactin.

Maca

Maca has been shown to increase fertility hormones in both men and women. Evidence indicates that Maca is the most effective in supporting healthy fertility when it’s combined with other fertility supplements. In one study of women with menstrual disorders, 103 women were given a combination of Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree), Maca extract, and active folate over the course of 6 months and at the end of the study the number of women who were ovulating increased from 10% prior to supplementation to 42.9% by the study’s conclusion and there were was a successful pregnancy rate of 37%. Add 1 teaspoon to a smoothie, kefir or stir into yoghurt.

Vitex Berry / Agnus Castus

Vitex may improve female fertility due to its ability to lower prolactin levels and increase progesterone. It can help lower FSH while increasing LH and this can help lengthen the Luteal Phase of the cycle to support better chance of implantation. Herbs are much slower at reacting than medicines so I recommend at least 3 months before retesting your progesterone. Take 28 drops 1-2 times daily.

B6 in the form P5P

I absolutely love B6 for reducing PMS symptoms and supporting good mood. B6 is essential for the production of the corpeus luteum and the prodcution of progesterone. B6 can also reduce PMS related stress and anxiety due to it’s ability to support the body in making our feel good hormones dopamine and serotonin and the way it supports healthy oestrogen metabolism. Take 1-2 capsules daily

Gentle Vitamin C

This vitamin C is in the form magnesium ascorbate so it is very gentle on the tummy. It’s not flavoured and it won’t fizz up but it will dissolve slowly into water and has very little taste. One study showed that women who took 750mg of vitamin C daily increased their progesterone levels by 77%. Take 1 scoop in water morning or evening

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