Getting pregnant & fertility

Can you take nutritional supplements to increase fertility?

Yes, sometimes it can be good to take certain vitamins and minerals to increase fertility and increase the chances of a pregnancy.

Fertility supplements in men and women can contribute to many important functions, including:

• menstruation and ovulation
• thyroid function
• energy production
• immune function
• oocyte (egg) quality and maturity
• Sperm quality

In men, certain dietary supplements can e.g. increase the number of sperm, and their motility, which helps the little Sims reach their goal.

What are the best vitamins for getting pregnant?

The best nutritional supplements for fertility and pregnancy are folic acid , vitamin B12 , vitamin D. But the minerals zinc and iron are also important for fertility, in both men and women. If you choose a dietary supplement with vitamins and minerals, it is of great importance to choose pure dietary supplements, which only contain active ingredients, from a reputable manufacturer. Celloptimum manufactures CLEAN LABEL nutritional supplements, which means that you, as a pregnant woman or for those of you who want to increase fertility, never have to worry that the nutritional supplements contain any other unnecessary ingredient, than ingredients that benefit you.

What are the best minerals for fertility and pregnancy?

Iron and zinc are important minerals for pregnancy and fertility.​

Does an ashwagandha supplement improve sexual function in women?

A dietary supplement with ashwagandha may benefit women experiencing sexual dysfunction. Ashwagandha has been shown to contribute to increased arousal, orgasm and satisfaction. Ashwagandha also significantly improves the number of successful sexual encounters and improved measures of anxiety around sex life and sexuality, in studies done.

Does an ashwagandha supplement increase fertility and testosterone levels in men?

A dietary supplement with ashwagandha has reproductive benefits in men. Ingestion of ashwagandha in men has been shown to significantly improve sperm quality by balancing reproductive hormone levels . After a study that was done, 14% of the male patients' partners became pregnant.

In another stress-related ashwagandha study, researchers found that the herb increased testosterone levels in male participants. Another study testing ashwagandha's effect on muscle strength in men also measured a significant increase in testosterone.

Can you take nutritional supplements when you are pregnant?

Yes, you can and should take certain specific nutritional supplements during pregnancy and before planning to become pregnant.

Women planning to become pregnant are recommended, among other things, to eat 400 micrograms of folic acid supplements a day to reduce the risk of spina bifida in the fetus.

Which food supplement with folic acid is best during pregnancy?

The best dietary supplement with folic acid during pregnancy is a dietary supplement containing methylated folate - Quatrefolic® .

How do you know if you are deficient in folic acid?

Symptoms: Mental symptoms such as impaired cognition, depression. Anemia with fatigue, dizziness, headache, etc. In case of severe anemia, shortness of breath, possibly

Do you have to take folic acid when pregnant?

Pregnant women are advised to take tablets with 400 micrograms of folic acid every day until the twelfth week of pregnancy, to reduce the risk of spina bifida in the fetus. The Swedish Food Agency recommends continued folic acid supplementation up to and including week 12.

Which vitamins are most important when pregnant?

One of the most important vitamins to get enough of is folic acid - or vitamin B9 and folate as it is also called - at least one month before becoming pregnant, according to the Swedish Food Agency.

Can you get too much folic acid when pregnant?

There is no known risk of overdose with folic acid due to its water solubility. However, doses above 1 mg/day may mask a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Are vitamin B12 and folic acid the same thing?

Folic acid turns into the B vitamin folate in the body and is most important for those who are or plan to become pregnant. The Swedish Food Agency has a general recommendation that all women who might become pregnant or are planning a pregnancy should get the right amount of folic acid and vitamin B12 , which are two different types of B vitamins.

How much vitamin B12 does a pregnant woman need every day?

To avoid vitamin B12 deficiency, the Norwegian Food Agency recommends a daily intake of vitamin B12 of 2.0 mcg for pregnant women and 2.6 mcg for breastfeeding women.

Can you eat collagen when you are pregnant?

Yes, it is perfectly fine to take collagen when you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

Collagen is a natural protein, and it can even be beneficial to eat during pregnancy as the protein contributes to elastic skin.

Can collagen peptides prevent stretch marks on the stomach during pregnancy?

Collagen peptides play a big role in keeping your skin strong and elastic. Collagen helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but the protein is also important in preventing stretch marks, especially on your stomach when you're pregnant.

Why is it good to eat collagen when pregnant?

Collagen is a protein that is important for, for example, our connective tissue, and can counteract stretch marks on the stomach.

Can you eat vitamin D when you are pregnant?

Yes, it is perfectly fine to eat vitamin D when you are pregnant.

In the latest version of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR 2012), the recommended intake for pregnant and lactating women is 10 µg vitamin D/day. It is the same recommended intake as for women of the same age who are not pregnant or breastfeeding.

Which vitamins should be avoided when pregnant?

Too much vitamin A during pregnancy can potentially harm your baby's development, so avoid taking vitamin A (also known as retinol).

Check the package inserts of any multivitamin you're considering taking to make sure vitamin A isn't added.

Are vitamin B12 and folic acid the same thing?

Folic acid and vitamin B12 are two different types of b vitamins, folic acid is also called vitamin B9 and vitamin B12 is also called cobalamin.

Folic acid turns into the B vitamin folate in the body and is most important for those who are or plan to become pregnant. The Swedish Food Agency has a general recommendation that all women who may become pregnant or are planning a pregnancy should get the right amount of folic acid and vitamin B12, two forms of vitamin B.

Do you need to take extra iron when you are pregnant?

Pregnant women may need iron tablets even if they eat foods that contain a lot of iron .

When you are pregnant, you need more iron per day. Pregnant women may need extra iron even if they eat foods high in iron. It depends on how much iron is stored in the body. Pregnant women should therefore consult their midwife about the need for iron supplements.

Which iron supplement should I choose during pregnancy?

You should choose a food supplement with iron that is partly friendly to the stomach and partly contains vitamin C.

Vitamin C is important for the iron to be absorbed by the body. Iron supplements have the ability to affect the intestine negatively and it is common to become constipated. Some react on the contrary with diarrhea and others may get a stomach ache.

Is zinc good for male and female fertility?

Zinc is one of the minerals that is crucial for both men's & women's fertility. At the same time, zinc deficiency is very common, which means that a supplement of zinc can increase the chance for couples to become pregnant. Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction in both women and men.

Are zinc and folic acid good for sperm?

Folic acid and zinc are important for sperm quality.

Zinc is important for sperm formation, and the natural form of folic acid - folate, contributes to the formation of DNA in the sperm.

What happens if men get too much zinc?

Zinc supplements taken in large amounts can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting.

These symptoms usually appear within 3 to 10 hours of taking the supplements. The symptoms disappear shortly if you stop taking the supplements. Too high a zinc intake can lead to a copper or iron deficiency.

How do you know you have a zinc deficiency?

Symptoms of zinc deficiency can be poorer wound healing and infection defense, circulatory disorders, high blood pressure, anemia, decreased appetite, bad mood, irritability, depression, aggression, learning problems and growth retardation in children.

Hormonal problems can also occur with a lack of zinc .

Can ashwagandha increase male fertility?

Ashwagandha is an effective herbal dietary supplement that can counteract infertility. It improves blood circulation throughout the body and improves sperm quality naturally.

In addition to curing sperm problems, consuming ashwagandha helps improve a person's overall health and well-being.

What to eat to increase fertility?

Eat more nutrient-dense foods, such as fish, shellfish, eggs, offal, meat, dark green vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds.

Choose fish according to the recommendations for pregnant women. Folate or folic acid if it comes from food supplements - is a B vitamin that is important for both women and men.

Can you increase your fertility?

With a healthy lifestyle, the chance of getting pregnant increases.

If you can avoid smoking and alcohol, try to have a balanced diet and reduce coffee drinking, you will improve the conditions, both as a man and a woman. Also, don't wait too long to have children because age is an important factor. Certain dietary supplements can also supplement the intake of important vitamins and minerals in the event of a deficient diet. These include folic acid , iron , zinc , vitamin D and vitamin B12 .

What can be done to increase the chance of getting pregnant?

You have the best chance of getting pregnant if you have intercourse around the time of ovulation. Ovulation occurs approximately two weeks before the start of the next period, or 14 days after the first day of the period.

What are the chances of getting pregnant after 30?

At the age of 30, the chance of getting pregnant starts to decrease drastically.

Age is the most important single factor affecting women's fertility. The most fertile age to get pregnant is in women 18–25 years and in men under 35 years. Fertility clearly begins to decline after the age of 30, and at the age of 35 the possibility of conceiving is significantly less than before.

How do you check your fertility? Are there blood tests to check fertility?

Through a blood test, you can see different values ​​that can demonstrate fertility.

In women, a blood test is taken to examine the ovaries, the egg reserve and the body's conditions for becoming pregnant. A common way to test fertility is through the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test. For the male body to be able to produce sperm, FSH is needed, among other things. A blood test can also show nutritional deficiencies and other hormonal abnormalities. Celloptimum collaborates with BLOODKOLLEN and can offer two different blood tests for fertility : LILLA FERTILITESKOLLEN , which analyzes vitamins and minerals, and FERTILITY COLLEGE, which analyzes hormones as well as vitamins and minerals.

Fertility and pregnancy

Are you or are you thinking about getting pregnant? Then there are options to increase the chances of getting pregnant, and which are also relatively simple: with your diet or via nutritional supplements.

And more specifically the vitamins and minerals you get through the food or dietary supplements you take.

Below we list the most common vitamins and minerals for you/you who are thinking about getting pregnant.

Why are vitamins and minerals important for fertility?

Fertility is a complex equation, and each person's body is different, and knowledge of the role of vitamins and minerals is still in its infancy.

However, there are promising studies that have begun to shed light on the role of vitamins and minerals in getting pregnant and staying pregnant.

Vitamins and minerals play important roles in women's and also men's health. They are important for many functions, including:

• menstruation and ovulation
• thyroid function
• energy production
• immune function
• oocyte (egg) quality and maturity
• Sperm quality & motility

So an adequate vitamin and mineral intake is essential when trying to create the right environment for a healthy pregnancy. Certain nutrients can even reduce symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)*, a common underlying cause of infertility.

*PCOS is caused by an imbalance of hormones from the ovaries. This can, among other things, cause you to have irregular or missed periods, increased hair growth on the body and make it difficult to get pregnant. You can also have PCOS without having any problems. PCOS is sometimes discovered when you are trying to conceive but are unsuccessful. The fact that you do not get pregnant is probably due to the fact that you rarely or never ovulate.

In men, studies have shown that certain supplements can increase sperm count and motility, helping the little swimmers reach their goal.

However, it is important to remember that more research is needed.

We have included in this article some of the most effective nutritional supplements for fertility and pregnancy.

B VITAMINS (OTHER THAN FOLIC ACID/FOLATE)

B vitamins contribute to fertility in both women and men.

Claimed Fertility Benefits: Helps promote egg health/egg quality and prevent ovulatory infertility* in women, and may boost sperm quality in men.

*Ovulatory infertility - anovulation - is when an ovulation disorder is the cause of your infertility; Anovulation is when an egg is not released from the ovary during a menstrual cycle. It is not uncommon for this to occur occasionally. You may have an anovulatory cycle one month and then ovulate normally the next.

You can have an anovulatory cycle without knowing it, as it is possible that you will still get your period as usual. Until you miss your period, you may not know you're not ovulating, or you may only discover it when you use an ovulation test that doesn't detect your LH surge. Irregular periods can also be a sign that you may not be ovulating.

Anovulation can be chronic, meaning that a woman does not ovulate for many of her cycles.

Anovulation is the cause of infertility in about a third of all couples attending fertility clinics, and polycystic ovary syndrome accounts for 90% of such cases.

You've probably heard that folic acid/folate (vitamin B9) is important both before and during pregnancy (we'll get to that below). But other B vitamins also play a role in fertility.

In a large, long-term public health study – a higher intake of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 ​​(pyridoxine), and B12 (cobalamin) was associated with a lower risk of ovulatory infertility.

Some studies have linked low levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) to female infertility. Additionally, one study found that higher levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and folate/folic acid (vitamin B9) may improve fertility in women undergoing infertility treatment.

More research is needed, but some studies show that B vitamins can also help boost sperm quality.

VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID)

Vitamin C contributes benefits to male fertility.

Claimed Fertility Benefit: Supports sperm count and sperm motility in men.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C can reduce cell damage throughout the body and increase iron absorption.

One study found that a vitamin C supplement along with vitamin E improved the number, motility, and sometimes DNA integrity (in other words, quality) of men's sperm.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D contributes benefits to both women's and men's fertility.

Claimed Fertility Benefits: Improves ovarian stimulation in women, and sperm quality in men.

Some studies have shown that a lack of vitamin D can be linked to infertility in women.

One study found low levels of vitamin D in women who were infertile due to PCOS. (However, this was not observed in women with unexplained infertility.)

Research has shown that vitamin D deficiency can be associated with infertility in both men and women so it is important to be tested for vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D has been shown to increase sperm motility (movement) in men with idiopathic infertility.

FOLIC ACID/FOLATE (VITAMIN B9)

Folic acid/folate (vitamin B9) contributes to women's fertility.

Claimed Fertility Benefits: Helps achieve pregnancy and improves the results of fertility treatments.

Getting enough folic acid/folate (vitamin B9) is not only a smart choice during pregnancy. It may also be wise to supplement with this B vitamin when trying to conceive.

A dietary supplement with folic acid/folate (vitamin B9) before conception has been associated with a greater chance of becoming pregnant, improved success with fertility treatments, and reduced risk of neural tube defects in the child(ren).

In addition, women planning to become pregnant or who may become pregnant are recommended to take a daily dose of folate/folic acid (vitamin B9) of 400 mcg to 800 mcg per day, at least 1 month before the desired pregnancy.

IRON

Iron contributes to women's fertility.

Claimed fertility benefit: Prevents iron deficiency anemia in women.

Ovulatory infertility, which is a potential obstacle to conceiving, can be caused by iron deficiency. A 2006 long-term study of more than 18,000 women found that a dietary supplement with iron appeared to reduce the risk of ovulatory infertility.

If you know you have an ovulation disorder, find out how to get more iron, mainly through diet. If you have a confirmed iron deficiency - checked via a blood test - then a food supplement with iron may be right for you.

SELENIUM

Selenium contributes benefits to both women's and men's fertility.

Claimed fertility benefits: Improves sperm quality in men, and reduces risk of miscarriage in women.

Selenium may not get much attention, but it is an important mineral that can play an important role in the reproductive system.

Research reports that a selenium deficiency can be a factor in miscarriage, low sperm quality and poor sperm motility.

According to one study, selenium may also help maintain the health of the follicular fluid that surrounds a woman's eggs.

Since selenium is necessary for the male body to produce sperm, research has shown that a combination of selenium and vitamin E can improve sperm quality and sperm motility.

ZINC

Zinc contributes benefits to both women's and men's fertility.

Claimed Fertility Benefits: Aids fertilization and egg development in women, and improves sperm quality in men.

Zinc is important for the formation of sperm. A handful of studies have suggested that a zinc deficiency can lead to low-quality sperm.

When it comes to zinc and female fertility, one study found that lower levels of this mineral in the blood were associated with women taking longer to conceive.

IN SUMMARY

When you're dealing with infertility, there are so many factors you can't control: your genetics, your age, an unpredictable menstrual cycle, just to name a few.

But giving your body the best possible nutrition - including vitamins and minerals - is one way for you to influence what you can control.

Are you or you thinking of getting pregnant, or have you been trying to get pregnant for a long time? Then it can be a good start to check for possible nutritional deficiencies via a blood test.

• LILLA FERTILITETSKOLLEN is a blood analysis for both women and men, where five different values ​​are measured in your blood, to get a first insight into possible causes of infertility due to vitamin or mineral deficiency.

• FERTILITY COLLEGE is a blood test for women - In this package we look at the most important hormones related to your fertility and menstruation. What does your hormone picture look like? As metabolic disorders affect our body on many different levels, hormones related to this are also included in packages. Parameters related to repeated miscarriages are also investigated.

The blood tests are a step in the process of investigating and finding possible causes of involuntary childlessness. The analyzes include follow-up recommendations/comments, in case of deviating values.