How to Improve Fertility and Prepare for Pregnancy With Nutrition

Fertility is a rising topic of concern in America today.  In most cases, there are often contributing factors including poor nutrition, environmental chemicals/toxins along with a stressful lifestyle. Fertility is one of the biggest indicators of nutritonal vitality in the body. With proper nutritional fortification and lifestyle changes, fertility can be optimized. Below are the most important nutrients to have a direct impact on fertility and reproduction. 

Vitamin E - This vitamin is also known as the fertility vitamin. Researchers dubbed the name tocopherol from Greek, meaning "to beget or carry offspring." Sounds like a pretty important nutrient for fertility! Vitamin E is required for a healthy placenta, aids sperm motility, and has been shown to help prevent miscarriage when taken by both men and women for months prior to conception.

Zinc - Zinc is definitely a very important baby nutrient. It is necessary for sex hormone, egg and organ formation as well as sperm health. Zinc aids with folate absorption, which is why the birth defect spina bifida is associated with zinc deficiency. This mineral is also critical for healthy thyroid function.

B vitamins - While the entire B vitamin family is important for libido, egg and sperm production and making sex hormones, the most notable when it comes to fertility are B6, B12 and folate, or B9.

B6 - Vitamin B6 may be used as a hormone regulator, balancing estrogen and progesterone. It also helps to regulate blood sugars, is necessary to help neurotransmitters work properly in both mother and child and may be useful in relieving symptoms of morning sickness.

B9 - Perhaps one of the best known vitamins necessary for pregnancy is folate, also known as vitamin B9. This vitamin helps prevent neural tube defects as well as other serious birth defects in the developing fetus. Folate is now widely promoted for a healthy pregnancy and ideally should be taken for a full year prior to becoming pregnant. B9 is needed to synthesize DNA and RNA, which is incredibly important for proper fetal nervous system development. It should always be taken with vitamin B12, which is also vital for the proper function and development of nerves.

B12 - Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with negative developmental outcomes for mom and baby, including potentially miscarriages, preeclampsia, and low birth weight. An adequate supply of vitamin B12 before conception and during pregnancy cannot be overemphasized, as the vitamin plays an integral role in neural myelination, brain development, and growth. Infants born to vitamin B12-deficient mothers may be at increased risk for neural tube closure defects, impaired growth, psychomotor function, and slow brain development.

Iron - Adequate stores of iron are vital for a healthy pregnancy. Iron is needed to assemble proteins to form all aspects of your baby's body and is required for growth and intelligence. Women who do not get sufficient amounts of iron may not ovulate regularly and may have poor egg health. Common symptoms of low iron are fatigue, hair thinning or falling out, and vertical ridges on your fingernails. Iron is a necessary part of thyroid hormone signal transduction to cells of the body and therefore, any symptom of low thyroid may actually be a symptom of low iron. Since thyroid hormone function must be optimized for a healthy pregnancy, quality iron is a pivotal nutrient.

Vitamin D - Vitamin D is needed to help the body create sex hormones which in turn affects ovulation and hormonal balance. Vitamin D also helps regulate cell growth and differentiation, the process beginning at conception which determines what cells are to become throughout fetal development.

These are just a few of the important nutrients for optimizing fertility and growing a healthy baby. Other key nutrients to consider include selenium, omega-3 DHA, Iosol Iodine and CoQ10 Ubiquinol. In addition, following the guidelines in the Leptin Diet can help improve improve fertility since leptin hormone issues can impact fertility.

With there being so many nutrients that are important for conception as well as a healthy pregnancy, the importance of supplementing your diet with a prenatal multivitamin becomes obvious. The Wellness Resources Daily Prenatal Multi Vitamin contains high quality, highly absorbable forms of nutrients for your health and your baby's development and is excellent to take prior to, during, and after pregnancy. Remember to be selective and eat high quality organic foods along with high quality supplements; you want only the best for your baby!

Also see: Boosting Male Fertility