Vitamins That Help You Get Pregnant Faster
Can the taking of any type of vitamin or supplement actually help you
conceive a child faster than those who don’t take vitamins? Can
vitamins actually increase your fertility? The answer is “yes” if you
ask experts at the Texas Fertility Center. According to fertility
specialists, you need a good nutritional status in order to help your
body conceive a child. This seems to hold true of both men and women.
For women, it may mean just taking a good prenatal vitamin. Research
has indicated that taking a prenatal vitamin (in women) can not only
decrease your chances of having a preterm birth and decrease your
chances of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, but it can maximize
your fertility.
In one recent study, women who were trying to get
pregnant through fertility treatments got pregnant faster than women who
didn’t take prenatal vitamins. In fact, the participants who took
prenatal vitamins had a doubling of their chances of becoming pregnant
when compared to participants who just took folic acid prior to
conceiving.
What this means is that it is possible to get pregnant
faster if you take a prenatal vitamin, although research hasn’t been
done on women who aren’t undergoing fertility treatments and who take a
prenatal vitamin. Prenatal vitamins can be purchased over the counter
and can’t hurt you, even if you take them while not pregnant.
These particular vitamins have the ability to enhance your
fertility. You can take them alone or as a part of the total prenatal
pill package:
Zinc
Zinc is good for both the male and the
female trying to get pregnant. Zinc is good to take in women because it
enhances your ability to ovulate (therefore increasing your fertility).
In men, both the testosterone level and semen quality are enhanced when
the man takes zinc as part of fertility treatments. A deficiency in
zinc seems to be related to poor production of semen, according to
research sponsored by the American Pregnancy Association. How much
should you take? Try taking 11 mg zinc (in men) or 8 mg zinc (in
women), according the Office of Dietary Supplements and the NIH. If you
don’t want to take a zinc supplement and rather want to take it in the
food you eat, you should eat a lot of oysters, lobster, crab, grains,
dairy products and beans—all good sources of zinc.
Folic acid
This
is one of the most important vitamin a woman should take, even if she
is just trying to get pregnant. According to the American Pregnancy
Association, if you happen to be a woman of childbearing age, you need
to take in about 400 mcg of folic acid per day. Folic acid is one of
the B vitamins used to make red blood cells inside the body. If you
take folate in early pregnancy (or have it already in your body at the
time of conception), your chances of having a neural tube defect are
much less. Neural tube defects include anencephaly and spina bifida—two
conditions that happen when the neural tube fails to close in early
gestation. Folic acid or folate can be taken in prior to pregnancy so
your stores of these vitamins are higher when you conceive. Folate and
folic acid are similar: folate acid is the natural form of the B
vitamin, while folic acid is the synthetic form. Both folate and zinc
supplements have been found to maximize fertility in men. If you don’t
want to take a supplement, try getting your folate from leafy green
vegetables, whole grains, and citrus fruits.
Coenzyme Q10
This
is isn’t technically a vitamin, but is a good supplement to take if you
are trying to conceive a healthy child. Research has been done on
animals indicating that adding Coenzyme Q10 to female, older mice,
helped to improve their egg quality. Similar research studies are
currently being done in human participants. Men seem to benefit from
taking extra coenzyme Q 10 as well. A study by the Mayo Clinic revealed
that, when men take a supplement containing this substance, the sperm
count can be increased, thereby improving their chances of helping a
woman conceive a child. Normal recommended daily allowance of folate is
about 30 to 200 milligrams, taken all at once or several times per day.
Omega 3 fatty AcidsThis is a type of fatty acid you can take in by eating a lot of cold
water fatty fish, taking a supplement of fish oil, or eating certain
oils obtained by nuts or other plants. It has been found to be
especially helpful in women undergoing in vitro fertilization
treatments. One study out of the Netherlands looked at embryo quality
in women undergoing in vitro fertilization found that the embryos were
of better quality if the woman took a supplement of omega 3 fatty acids
while undergoing the procedure.
Iron
You need to be taking
iron before you get pregnant in order to have adequate stores of the
vitamin at the time of conception. It is recommended that non-pregnant
women take 18 milligrams per day of iron, while a woman who is pregnant
should take about 27 milligrams per day of iron. Iron is important in
both the pregnancy and non-pregnancy states as it is vital in making
hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the molecule that carries oxygen from the
lungs to the peripheral tissues as part of cellular metabolism. You can
take supplemental iron in pill or liquid form, or you can get it
through the eating of iron-rich foods, such as leafy green vegetables,
tofu, and red meats.
Calcium
Calcium is recommended for
all women of childbearing age. Nutritional experts say that, in order
to get pregnant, you should take in about 1,000 milligrams of calcium
per day. This enhances your calcium stores and will help your baby in
its growth and development after you conceive. Calcium can be taken as a
separate supplement or as part of a prenatal vitamin. If you don’t
like these large, chalky pills, try getting your calcium through leafy
green vegetables and milk—both of which are high in calcium.
Vitamin B6
This
vitamin has been found to reduce unwanted symptoms in early pregnancy
if you take it prior to conception. Try taking 10 milligrams of vitamin
B6 daily when trying to conceive because this has been shown through
research to decrease the frequency of morning sickness.
Antioxidants
This can be a vitamin that is also an antioxidant or a non-vitamin
that is also an antioxidant. Vitamins C and E are both vitamins that
also have antioxidant powers. One research study showed that men who
didn’t get enough antioxidants in their diet had semen quality that was
poorer than men who got enough antioxidants in their diet. There are
supplements that are high in antioxidants but you can also take in
antioxidants in your food. Sunflower seeds and almonds are high in
vitamin E, while oranges and strawberries are high in vitamin C.
L Carnitine
This
is a good thing to take if you are a man trying to conceive a child. L
carnitine seems to be important in the metabolism and maturity of
sperm. Men who take L carnitine might be able to better enhance their
sperm motility and will be able to conceive a child when compared to not
taking L carnitine.
Men’s Vitamins
Conception depends on healthy nutritional
states in both the male and female. For men trying to achieve a
pregnancy in their partner, the addition of oysters, fruits, and
vegetables can provide the right kinds of vitamins for the enhancement
of male fertility.
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