Fertility Supplements and Egg Health

I am almost out of the follicular phase of this cycle…and something peculiar has occurred.

Typically, my follicular phase ranges from 10-12 days. Which is actually quite short, but that is the way it has been since I have started tracking using the Creighton Model. Combine that with a luteal phase defect and it means that my cycles are chronically short.

I’ve come to realize that this matters…because it takes time for the egg to reach full maturation…and if you ovulate before the egg is ready, conception probably won’t happen.

But, in this cycle, my follicular phase has been extended by several days . Initially, I panicked because I thought something was wrong…my signs of fertility didn’t show up when they normally would. Did I miss the signs? Was this an anovulatory cycle? But they showed up…just later than normal.

And I’m taking it as a good sign…that between the consistent hormonal support and the fleet of supplements, that my cycle is starting to normalize. And hopefully this also means fully mature and healthy eggs too.

Supplements are something I wish I could skip. They aren’t covered by insurance and they are breathlessly expensive…because you typically need high quality and high quantity. But after a conversation with my doctor, and after reading It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett, I was convinced that it was worth the investment. In the fertility journey, there are so many things that are out of my control, but taking supplements and supporting my egg health was something that I could do.

So, I thought I would share what I’m taking…because finding the right brand can be overwhelming and this might give you a good starting point. Also, a disclaimer! I am not a doctor, and I am taking these supplements under the supervision of my own doctor. Talk to your doctor, read It Starts with the Egg, and decide what is good for you.

THORNE BASIC PRENATAL – I love this prenatal for a couple of reasons…it doesn’t break the bank and it has folate. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to find folate (not folic acid) in a basic prenatal. If you have had recurrent miscarriage and the MTHFR gene mutation might be a factor, you have to switch to folate.

BLUEBONNET ALPHA LIPOIC ACID – an antioxidant that helps egg health and reduces inflammation.

THORNE VIT D – I would highly suggest getting your vitamin d levels tested…and then supplementing accordingly. We are all typically deficient in this vitamin, so it is worth screening for. I was obviously wildly deficient and so I’m on a regimen of 10,000 iu a day until I’m back in normal range.

SOLGAR VIT K2 – if you are taking vitamin D, you need to take it with vitamin K.

BLUEBONNET BUFFERED CHELATED MAGNESIUM – This particular compound (buffered chelated) of magnesium is gentle on the body and easily absorbed. It has amazing benefits for fertility, but also when you take this at night, you will have wonderful sleep.

SOLGAR INOSITOL – There is so much research on the power of inositol and egg quality. It also aids in insulin resistance in case PCOS is the presenting problem.

WHOLE FOODS COQ10 – There is so much happening at the cellular level when it comes to egg health and maturation. COQ10 gives the eggs the energy that they need to grow.

ASPRIN – this is a special part of my fertility cocktail because of recurrent miscarriage. Sigh. I got the chewable ones because they kind of remind me of the Flintstone vitamins from back in the day!

I hope this gives you a good starting point. Again, do some research and talk to your doctor. But it really is worth the investment! I staggered my purchases, buying supplements as I could every pay period…it has been helpful because they haven’t run out all at the same time. And hopefully, based on what I’m seeing in my follicular cycle, the hormones and the supplements are starting to make a noticeable difference.