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Fertility

Woman stress free in nature
 

Fertility

Woman stress free in nature

Dr Ro Huntriss

Specialist fertility dietitian

Find out which vitamins, supplements, foods and other activities can help to support your journey.

Support your fertility

If you're trying to conceive, you're probably already following the NHS advice around how often you need to have sex (every two to three days), how often to attend your fertility appointment or otherwise the best way to try to get yourself or your partner pregnant. But there's also a lot you can do to help prepare your body for conception.

Around one in seven couples may have difficulty conceiving,1 so you’re not alone. From all of us at H&B, we wish you loads of luck!

Which vitamins should I take when trying to get pregnant?

“Anybody who’s trying to conceive should take a 400 microgram folic acid supplement from around three months before conception until at least the 12th week of pregnancy, as this can help prevent birth defects like spina bifida.3 If you’re ever unsure, just speak to your GP or midwife.

Ten micrograms of vitamin D throughout the winter months is recommended, but if you have low levels, you may need to take more.3

 

What is the best fertility supplement for me?

“Many people take prenatal supplements4 usually containing folic acid or folate, vitamin D, vitamin, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and zinc.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications or under medical supervision, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional before using supplements. Discontinue use and consult a doctor if adverse reactions occur.

Ideally we want to make sure you’re able to get your vitamins from your diet, but if you feel you’re not quite able to if you have a restricted diet, then consider taking a multi-nutrient supplement. Folic acid and vitamin D during the winter are the two that can support your wellbeing."

 

What should I eat to support my fertility?

“So generally a Mediterranean diet5 is a great foundation to start from.

Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, making sure there’s as much colour as possible, such as:

Other foods to look at are whole grains and oily fish – try to aim for one to two portions per week as they’re the best dietary source of the omega-3 fatty acids.

Finally, unsaturated fats that we tend to see in foods like nuts, virgin olive oil and avocados.”

 

What lifestyle factors might be affecting my fertility?

“Important factors include:

  • smoking6 – this is strongly linked to reduced fertility. It can affect egg quality, sperm count and can lead to early menopause
  • weight – this can influence fertility at both ends of the scale. So whether you have  a low BMI7 or a higher BMI8 it can disrupt hormone levels and ovulation, and can impact sperm production
  • alcohol intake9 – consuming alcohol when you could be in the early stages of pregnancy, leads to heightened risk of miscarriage or health implications on the foetus. Moderate and high levels of alcohol consumption can also affect the sperm quality
  • environmental toxins10 – there’s a growing space where researchers are discussing exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals, BPA, phthalates, parabens and also pesticides in heavy metals. These have all been shown to potentially have a negative impact on fertility
  • stress – does infertility cause stress or distress cause infertility? We don't really have the answer to that, but obviously we would just want to minimise stress just in case it could have a negative impact on fertility”
 

Product support

Eating a healthy diet and getting your five-a-day

This doesn’t mean restricting yourself from the foods that you love – that’s no fun for anyone. Just everything in moderation, try to keep your meals full of colour

 

Having the right vitamins and supplements

We want to make sure we’re getting everything we need from our diet, but when a helping hand is needed we want a good prenatal supplement. Check with your doctor to find out what might be suitable for you

 

Being active and finding ways to relieve stress

Fertility can be a long, difficult journey for some people, so you need to make sure you still give you and your partner space to enjoy life. Fertility can sometimes be all you think about, but that’s not healthy, make sure you take time for your wellbeing by being active, getting outdoors and doing something fun each week

 

Not smoking or drinking alcohol

Both of these can have a negative impact on your mental wellbeing and conception, so we want to avoid them as much as possible

 

Establish a support system for yourself

Let people know how you’d like to be supported also – for example, whether you’d like friends to ask about your journey, or wait until you tell them

 

Learn more

Services

Sources

  1. NHS. Trying to get pregnant [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2020. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/trying-to-get-pregnant/
  2. ‌NHS. Overview - Infertility [Internet]. NHS. 2020. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/infertility/
  3. ‌National Health Service. Vitamins, minerals and supplements in pregnancy [Internet]. nhs.uk. NHS; 2020. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/vitamins-supplements-and-nutrition/
  4. ‌Schaefer E, Nock D. The Impact of Preconceptional Multiple-Micronutrient Supplementation on Female Fertility. Clinical Medicine Insights: Women’s Health. 2019 Jan;12:1179562X1984386.
  5. ‌Showell MG, Mackenzie-Proctor R, Jordan V, Hart RJ. Antioxidants for female subfertility. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020 Aug 27;
  6. ‌Zhu L, Zhou B, Zhu X, Cheng F, Pan Y, Zhou Y, et al. Association Between Body Mass Index and Female Infertility in the United States: Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2018. International Journal of General Medicine. 2022 Feb;Volume 15:1821–31.
  7. ‌Silvestris E, de Pergola G, Rosania R, Loverro G. Obesity as disruptor of the female fertility. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. 2018 Mar 9;16(1).
  8. ‌Fan D, Liu L, Xia Q, Wang W, Wu S, Tian G, et al. Female alcohol consumption and fecundability: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Scientific Reports [Internet]. 2017 Oct 23;7(1):13815. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-14261-8
  9. ‌Pizzorno J. Environmental Toxins and Infertility. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif) [Internet]. 2018;17(2):8–11. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6396757/
  10. ‌Smoking, drinking, drug misuse and gambling - Every Mind Matters [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2021. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/smoking-drinking-drugs-and-gambling/#:~:text=Smoking%2C%20drug%20use%2C%20alcohol%20misuse