Sperm production and egg development are quite complex and
energy-dependent processes that depend on or require adequate micronutrients.
Human gametes (sperm and egg) follow a specific 90-day growth and maturation
cycle. During this time many interactions and structures depend significantly
on micronutrients that are difficult to find in the body.
Lifestyle changes, limiting alcohol consumption, quitting smoking and
adopting a healthy diet are the starting point for the journey of conception.
However, in the complex equation of fertility, micronutrients come to fill nutritional
gaps that the body cannot otherwise fill. As is well known, vitamins play an
important role and are essential for many functions related to conception, such
as:
• sperm quality
(quantity, motility, morphology, DNA fragmentation)
• Menstruation and
ovulation
• Thyroid function
• Energy production
• Immune system and
anti-inflammatory function
• Egg quality and
maturation
Therefore, an adequate
intake of vitamins and minerals is extremely critical when trying to form the
right environment for a healthy pregnancy. Additionally, certain nutrients may
even reduce the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis, which
are underlying causes of infertility at a young age.
Some of the most popular dietary supplements that can promote fertility
are the following:
• co-Q10
This coenzyme is produced
normally in our body, but its levels decrease after the age of 30 years.
Reduced levels can affect the quality and quantity of eggs in women, as well as
all the basic parameters of sperm in men.
• Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is aimed at
women and men alike and helps improve ovarian stimulation and sperm quality.
The results of various studies have identified vitamin D3 or “Vitamin of
the Sun” deficiency with infertility in both women and men, in whom it
significantly affects spermatogenesis. Women who take Vitamin D3 regularly are
four times more likely to conceive, based on the existing literature.
• Omega 3
Taking supplements rich
in Omega 3 delays the aging of the ovaries, due to the strong anti-inflammatory
effect they have.
• Vitamin B
Vitamin B contributes to the
promotion of egg health, the normalization of ovulation in women, while in men
it can lead to improved sperm quality. The most common vitamin B is folic acid,
or otherwise vitamin B9, which is considered totally necessary during
conception and pregnancy.
• Vitamin C
Vitamin C is mainly aimed
at men, as it increases the quantity, quality and motility of sperm. This
vitamin is a powerful antioxidant and can reduce cell damage and help increase
iron absorption.
• Myo-inositol
It can normalize blood
glucose levels and reduce insulin resistance, which affects ovulation in
polycystic ovary syndrome by up to 70%.
• Zinc
It contributes
significantly to the synthesis of sperm DNA and boosts testosterone levels when
taken in the right doses, thus improving sperm quality.
Find out more about
nutritional supplements that enhance fertility by the Obstetrician-Gynaecologist Melina Stasinou.
Egg donor
