Nutritional Fertility Boosters
Today the evidence is in: nutritional supplements have beneficial effects on both female and male fertility. Some of these supplements help to balance your hormones and all of them improve a couple's overall health, which is a vital state of being for a successful conception. It's important to note that even the best diet will not contain everything you need to give you the best possible chance of conceiving a child.
Folic acid prevents spinal bifida in children, and should be taken before and during pregnancy. This supplement is one part of the important B complex vitamins which are necessary fuel for the production of DNA and RNA. In conjunction with vitamin B12, folic acid helps to keep your baby's genetic codes intact. In addition, giving B6 to women with fertility problems can increase their fertility and giving B12 to men can improve low sperm counts.
Zinc is one of the essential building blocks for genetic material. A zinc deficiency may cause chromosomal damage in either you or your partner and lead to fertility problems and increased chances of miscarriage. Zinc is important because it helps the body to develop and use the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. In men, studies have shown that a reduction of zinc is linked to lowered sperm counts.
Antioxidants: Selenium, Vitamins, E, C, and A
Antioxidants help to protect your body against free radicals. That means they can prevent chromosomal breakage, a known cause of birth defects and miscarriages. Also, a deficiency in any of the antioxidant supplements can lead to lowered sperm counts.
For instance, men who take vitamin E prior to undergoing IVF with their partners have an increased success rate of 19-29% for producing healthy sperm. Some researchers think that vitamin E may make sperm more fertile.
Vitamin C has been shown to help keep sperm from clumping together, which has the effect of making them more mobile. Also, vitamin C may enhance the effects of the fertility drug known as Clomiphene.
The animal form of vitamin A, known as retinol, can cause birth defects when taken in large amounts. Beta-carotene, a vegetable form of vitamin A carries no such risks.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Essential fats are crucial to the proper function of hormones in the body. Sperm is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from such fats. Most times, poor sperm quality, abnormal sperm, poor motility of sperm, or a low count can be attributed to a deficiency in fatty acids.
L-Arginine and L-Carnitine are essential for proper functioning of the sperm cells and increase both sperm count and motility.