5 Nutrients That Can Enhance Fertility

What Impacts Your Fertility?

Fertility can sound like a daunting word. After all, it’s not something that you’re really taught to think about. Fertility simply refers to your natural capability to conceive or induce conception. This process is impacted by a number of biological factors that can change fertility outcomes for both men and women. These factors include the production of healthy eggs and sperm, if sufficient eggs and sperm are produced, and more.

Nutrition, diet, weight, and hormones can make it easier, or harder, to successfully conceive a child. Proper nutrition, a balanced diet, and maintaining a healthy weight can increase fertility in men and women. 

Patients should understand that the male and female reproductive systems rely on an internal balancing of hormones to function. Factors that negatively impact the reproductive system include an unbalanced diet, lack of certain nutrients, being underweight or overweight, and more. These factors can increase bodily stress on someone’s reproductive system, which negatively impacts fertility in men and women. 

That said, there’s no need to worry! The team at SpNod is here to help. In this blog, we will break down five nutrients that can enhance the fertility of both men and women. 

Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. Contact the team at SpNod or other relevant medical professionals for personalized advice about how to improve your fertility. 

Coenzyme Q10: Improve Egg Quality with this Nutrient

Coenzyme Q10, also called CoQ10, is a nutrient that converts food into energy within cells. It is also an antioxidant, which is a substance that acts as a protection against unstable molecules, called “free radicals,” that have the potential to damage cell membranes, damage DNA, and even cause cell death. 

This nutrient is able to reduce sources of biological stress within the body, and this is associated with a reduction in potential sources of infertility for females. Coenzyme Q10 is an essential nutrient for individuals who are undergoing fertility treatments, such as artificial insemination treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). It is recommended that they take Coenzyme Q10 to improve support fertility by increasing egg quality for the most optimal IVF outcomes. Coenzyme Q10 can also help improve sperm quality and sperm motility, which refers to its energy level for movement.

You’ll find Coenzyme Q10 in foods such as meat, fish, and nuts, but these foods do not provide sufficient amounts of this nutrient. Patients should take over-the-counter multivitamins to receive sufficient doses of this nutrient. 

Folic Acid: Metabolism Booster

The natural form of vitamin B9 – known as folic acid – is an essential nutrient for the formation of healthy red blood cells, DNA, RNA, and more. It helps boost function within cells by breaking down homocysteine, a chemical that can harm the body if present in high levels. 

Folic acid is an essential nutrient for females who are trying to expand their family. It increases the presence of hormones and the development of healthy ovarian follicles. These follicles release the eggs needed to become pregnant. Folic acid is associated with a higher likelihood of being able to get pregnant naturally, as well as increased rates of success among those who are undergoing fertility treatments, such as IVF. 

Likewise, folic acid is associated with fertility benefits in males. Folic acid increases the health and quality of sperm. 

Patients can find folic acid in food and over-the-counter multivitamins to receive safe and recommended daily doses of this nutrient.

Vitamin B: Prevent Ovulatory Infertility

For females, Vitamins B6 and B12 can improve egg health and prevent ovulatory infertility. Ovulatory infertility refers to conditions or disorders that prevent the release of eggs from the ovary during monthly menstrual cycles. These vitamins help individuals who plan on conceiving in multiple different ways: these vitamins are associated with an increase in fertility in those who conceive naturally and for those who undergo IVF and other fertility treatments. 

Those benefits aren’t just for females! Academic studies suggest that Vitamin B6 and B12 can improve sperm quality by increasing sperm count and mobility. 

If you are not reaching the recommended daily doses of Vitamin B, you can supplement your intake with over-the-counter multivitamins.

Vitamin D: Build Strong Bones

Vitamin D is a nutrient that is essential for maintaining bone health. This vitamin helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus (both are important for building bone), reduce cancerous cell growth, control infections, and reduce inflammation. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. 

Lower levels of vitamin D are negatively correlated with fertility and a person’s ability to conceive. Having the proper amount of vitamin D is essential for getting pregnant and carrying a pregnancy to term – people who have higher levels of Vitamin D tend to have higher rates of live births, whereas individuals who have lower levels of Vitamin D tend to have more premature births and smaller babies.   

Unsurprisingly, Vitamin D has a direct impact on semen quality. Vitamin D levels are positively associated with sperm motility (the movement of the sperm), which increases male fertility. 

Vitamin E: Important for Geriatric Pregnancies

Vitamin E is a nutrient that prevents cell membrane damage and protects cells from other types of harm within the body. These qualities may not seem important or relevant, but it does matter. 

This quality of Vitamin E grows in importance for older patients (patients who are 35+ are considered “geriatric,” even though the term itself is disputable), and have a harder time with maintaining their fertility. Low levels of Vitamin E are associated with infertility among both men and women. High levels see improvements in overall reproductive health, egg quality, and developments in the endometrial lining.  

Vitamin E boosts sperm quality and movement for males. For the fertility-related benefits of Vitamin E to be maximized, it is recommended that this nutrient be paired with Vitamin C. 

Let SpNod Help You Along Your Fertility Journey

SpNod works with your doctor to help you along every step of your fertility journey. From preconception to post-pregnancy, it doesn’t matter what stage of the journey you’re in – SpNod provides day-to-day support to ensure that you always have trusted, reliable information.