Top 5 Vitamins for Conceiving That You Can’t Miss Taking
Fertility Diet, Nutrition
We all are in the habit of taking multivitamins on regular basis, but if you are trying to conceive then give special importance to them now. These supplements play a vital role in the conception process and should be taken in appropriate dosage under an expert guidance.
Here are Top 5 Nutraceuticals for Infertility.
1. L-Leucine & Its Impact on Eggs
It is a known fact that the female babies are born with fixed number of eggs at the time of birth and no new eggs are made during the lifetime. When a girl reaches to puberty then her menstrual cycle or period begins so this indicates the female eggs are released from the ovary and this process is on hold until puberty begins.
At the time of puberty, generally girls have between 300,000 and 400,000 eggs. After starting the menstrual cycle, a woman loses about 1,000 (immature) eggs every month. A woman’s fertility declines more rapidly as the age progresses and by the time, she reaches 40 only 3-5% of her egg supply remains.
Older eggs are known for their poor quality and high levels of abnormalities. This is why the chances of having a baby decrease as the age progresses. Some young women are also known to have poor quantity and quality of eggs and this is the important reason for infertility or lower pregnancy rate and higher pregnancy loss.
The recent scientific data have demonstrated that L- Leucine has a role in metabolism, maturation and improving quality of female eggs. The L-leucine is an important essential amino acid and a nutrient required for growth, maturation and survival of female eggs.
Food sources includes eggs, tofu, chicken, protein rich and diary foods. L-leucine can be prescribed as an oral supplement and studies have proved that 3 to 4 months of supplementation have improved egg maturation process and egg quality which contributes in better pregnancy rate.
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2. Astaxanthin and its Anti-Oxidant Properties
During reproduction the sperms need to travel and fuse with the female eggs and for this fusion the sperm must undergoes a series of structural alterations, known as capacitation.
Astaxanthin (Asta), a photo-protective red pigment belonging to the group of chemicals which is carotenoid family, is recognized as having anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. Known for its antioxidant activity, Astaxanthin is also recognized to improve capacitation.
Non- Veg, seafood and eggs are the main source of Astaxanthin but oral supplement of Astaxanthin markedly improves capacitationand it also has positive effect on semen quality, improved fertilization and embryo development during IVF
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3. Vitamin D & Impact On Male Infertility
The couples who experience infertility, almost 40% are due to male partner causes. The semen analysis is the most commonly used test for assessing male fertility. The semen analysis is done to check the number of sperms and motility of sperms. During reproduction, the sperms need to travel and fuse with the female eggs and therefore sperm motility is crucial.
Deficiency of Vitamin D is related to poor count of sperms and poor quality of sperms. Infertile men with vitamin D deficiency have significantly lower sperm production and lower sperm motility compared with men having normal vitamin D status. The available scientific data proves that the Vitamin D supplementation improves sperm count, sperm motility and function. The oral Vitamin D supplementation improves sperm quality and aids in improving fusion with female eggs and increases successful pregnancy chances.
4. Selenium and its impact on DNA
Sperm DNA fragmentation is a term used to denote abnormal genetic material or DNA damage within the sperm. The other major cause of poor quality of sperm is damaged sperm DNA. There are many tests available in the market to check the sperm DNA damage. There are many causes of sperm DNA damage including oxidative stress.
The DNA within sperm can be protected by antioxidants. It has been scientifically proved that the patients who took antioxidant therapy have shown improved pregnancy rates in their partners. Certain vitamins and minerals play an essential role here, especially selenium, and coenzyme Q10.
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Improving your diet by including plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds is a good practice to start with. However, additional supplementation with Selenium helps in restoring sperm DNA damage and improved pregnancy rates. It is recommended to take oral selenium supplementation for 3 to 4 months for improved results.
5. Coenzyme Q10 and DNA Fragmentation
Oxidative stress and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) or sperm DNA damage are contributing factors for male infertility. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been reported to be effective in the treatment of male infertility, owing to its antioxidant properties. Sperms are extremely vulnerable to oxidative stress and anti-oxidants within the male reproductive tract act as scavengers to balance the oxidative stress.
There are a large number of clinical studies that proved the beneficial effects of antioxidant oral administration on sperm physiology and sperm function and fertility. The coenzyme Q10 is known to tackle the oxidative stress and improving sperm motility, and reducing sperm DNA fragmentation.
Vegetables and fruits like Oranges and strawberries, Soybeans, lentils and peanuts are the source of coenzyme but the clinical studies have shown that oral supplement also help in reducing sperm DNA fragmentation and fertility rates. It is recommended to take oralsupplementation for 3 to 4 months for improved results.
These top 5 vitamins help in optimizing the chances of conception, ensures a healthy pregnancy and foetal development. In addition, couples should also focus to make some necessary changes in their eating and lifestyle patterns. Research shows once you start supplementing the right fertility vitamins and nutrients, the egg quality improves and sperm motility increases.
About the Author
Shield Healthcare is one of the most respected and trusted pharmaceutical company in India. With their continuous scientific research and expert discussions, they have prepared several therapeutic segments. They understand how lifestyle and social economic factors affects the couples physiologically and psychologically. With science and innovation they have formulated the product portfolio to cater to this segment.
*This article is contributed by Shield Healthcare as part of #FertilityAwareness initiative organized by #FertilityDost
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