Herald Sun - Nature's Medicine

 

NATURE'S MEDICINE

For those who missed last "Weekend's" Edition of the Herald Sun you can check out my article I wrote below.

Some simple and easy tips to increase your Health and Fertility.

Fertility & Vitamin E

Fertility & Vitamin E

There are so many supplements on the market that can improve and increase our fertility. I am going to share with you, what I find is important to improve and increase our reproductive health and wellness.

Our body and reproductive system is made up of million and millions of cells, including our sperm and eggs. Vitamin E is essential in protecting and improving our cellular health. It is an important antioxidant for reproduction and fertility.  Research has shown it can improve the overall health of Men's sperm and in Women can increase our overall egg health. This is great news!

The chemical name of Vitamin E is Alpha-Tocopherol, it comes from the Greek word Tokos which translates to "offspring" and Phero which means to "bear". It literally means to bear children. I love it when we can find naturally produced foods that contain these qualities. Vitamin E is found in foods  such as almonds and other nuts, sunflower seeds, spinach and apricots.

For the Woman!

Women under going IVF cycles who have been found to have  a thin uterine lining <8mm, Vitamin E has been shown to increase uterine activity and can aid in increasing  the thickness of the endometrial lining. A study published by Fertility & Sterility April 2010,  found that Vitamin E could increases uterine radial artery blood flow. Results showed vit. E given at 600mg a day increased uRA in 72% of patients and endometrial thickness (EM) in 52% of patients.
If you are starting an IVF cycle this may be something you might like to consider. It is always important when going for your scan to ask the thickness of your endometrial lining.

For the Boys!

Vitamin E has been shown to increase your overall sperm health and motility. Vitamin E when taken with Selenium increases live sperm rate. This is most important when having to give a sample for an IVF cycle.  Vitamin E has also been shown to reduce sperm defects. The numbers are actually really good, showing that men who take Vitamin E supplements for even just a few months, can see up to a 10% increase in fertility. I recommend you start now!

In another study, males enrolled in an in vitro fertilization program who had previously had low fertilization rates were treated with oral vitamin E for three months. Fertilization rates increased significantly from 19% to 29% after one month of treatment (Geva).

I would recommend a diet rich in Vitamin E foods and a daily dosage of 500mg.

Sources

Takasaki A, Tamura H, Miwa I, Taketani T, Shimamura K, Sugino N (April 2010). “Endometrial growth and uterine blood flow: a pilot study for improving endometrial thickness in the patients with a thin endometrium”. Fertil. Steril. 93 (6): 1851–8. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.12.062. PMID

Geva E, Bartoov B, Zabludovsky N, et al. The effect of antioxidant treatment on human spermatozoa and fertilization rate in an in vitro fertilization program. Fertility and Sterility. 1996;66:430–434

TOP 10 NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS & TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR FERTILITY

 

• Start taking your nutritional supplements at least 3 to 4 months before your IVF treatment or natural fertility cycle commences.  
•  Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Water is vitally important for every cell in the body and helps to remove and eliminate toxins. 
• Vitamin C: 500 mg a day will help collagen production and is vital for wound healing following egg retrieval. There is some evidence to suggest that it may help to prevent miscarriage.  Reduce Vitamin C intake to 250mg before transfer.  
• Folic Acid: helps prevents spina bifida and produce DNA and RNA. 
• CoQ10: May improve blood flow, enrich endometrium, and improve fertilization rates, “mitochondrial nutrients” may improve egg quality and response to ovarian stimulation. Can improve sperm quality. 
• Bromalein: Using Pineapple & pineapple core can help to assist implantation: Pineapple contains bromelain. Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks up proteins that inhibit embryo implantation. Consuming a whole pineapple (focusing on the core as it has the highest concentration of Bromelain) during a fertility cycle can be beneficial.  
• Magnesium: helps improve fertilization rates  
• Zinc: promotes cell formation and wound healing after surgery and is vital for hormone production and implantation, plays a vital role in cell division  
• Selenium: improve fertilization rates, prevents chromosome breakage
• Vitamin B complex: will help your body cope with the stress of invasive procedures