No doubt many a mom-to-be who’s had difficulty conceiving has fantasized about taking a magic pill to ensure a speedy path to pregnancy. One pill a day for a month, and voilà, conception achieved!
Unfortunately, such a fertility supplement is still far from reality. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth taking any pills in your quest for conception.
For one thing, taking a prenatal vitamin is crucial for a developing baby’s health and can get your body ready for baby. These supplements are full of important nutrients like folic acid, iron, omega-3s and more — and they may even cut your chances of infertility and make it easier to conceive while ensuring baby is protected against certain birth defects.[1]
Some research shows that there are also some natural fertility supplements (usually in the form of vitamins and minerals) that may help give you an extra edge in your pregnancy efforts.
If you’re interested in fertility supplements, be sure to talk to your practitioner before taking any of them and learn which ones to avoid.
Herbal fertility supplements
Many holistic practitioners (and happy parents) swear by the baby-making benefits of these herbal fertility supplements:
- Chaste tree berry is thought to reduce prolactin levels in women who produce too much of this hormone (a condition linked to certain types of infertility) and to help balance progesterone and estrogen levels in order to regulate the menstrual cycle.
- Lady’s mantle is thought to help regulate the menstrual cycle.
The caveats: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t fully regulate herbal fertility supplements (or any herbal supplements at all) before they go to market, so it’s impossible to know whether the herbal remedy you buy at the store is effective or safe. Some products are even contaminated.
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Also very important: Some herbal supplements can interfere with fertility and traditional fertility medicine — including St. John’s Wort and Echinacea — and many aren’t safe to take during pregnancy. Be sure to discuss any supplements with your doctor. You can also visit the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health website to look up individual herbs and read more about each supplement’s background and safety.
Omega-3 fatty acid fertility pills
This nutritional supplement is quickly becoming accepted as good for overall health, and some research shows that it may even be helpful in regulating menstrual cycles and boosting fertility.
What’s more, omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to enhance mood, which may reduce the risk of infertility (stress is a known fertility buster).
Even more good news: Once you do get pregnant, omega-3 fatty acids may help decrease your chances of miscarriage and preterm labor, and help promote the development of your baby’s brain, eyes and nervous system.
The caveats: There’s no established optimal dose for omega-3 fatty acids — especially in the preconception period, which means it can be tricky to figure out how much you really need to take. Many prenatal vitamins (the ones you should be taking already if you’re trying to conceive) contain omega-3 fatty acids, so you could be getting enough as it is.
Talk with your practitioner to see if you should take extra omega-3s as fertility supplements or if you should simply add more omega-3-rich foods to your diet. You can find these fatty acids in fish oil supplements, which contain two types of omega-3s — EPA and DHA. Studies have shown that EPA and DHA are important for baby’s development, including immune function.
Here are a few omega-3-rich foods:
- Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and herring
- Shrimp
- Scallops
- Omega-3 enriched eggs
- Omega-3 enriched yogurt
- Omega-3 enriched milk
If you're a vegetarian or vegan, you can find a type of omega-3 called ALA in algal oil supplements (derived from algae) and foods like:
- Flaxseed
- Walnuts
- Soybean oil
- Canola oil
- Tofu
- Omega-3 enriched pasta
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a home remedy often used to kick the common cold — but there’s some (albeit, limited) research showing that it may also help boost fertility levels.
The theory: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps fight off DNA-damaging molecules called free radicals — and too many free radicals in the body may lower fertility levels in both men and women. Free radicals also damage cells and may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Pre-pregnancy, you’ll need about 75 milligrams of vitamin C a day if you’re 19 years old or older, and once you get pregnant, you’ll need 85 mg. To put that into perspective, one large orange contains close to 100 mg of vitamin C, so you’re likely getting enough from your everyday diet.
This all-important vitamin can boost your immunity and improve your ability to absorb iron, while also helping to build baby’s bones and teeth.
The caveats: Many prenatal vitamins also contain vitamin C as ascorbic acid, so you could be consuming enough as it is, and the National Institutes of Health does not recommend large doses of vitamin C supplementation during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor before taking a supplement.
Vitamin C is also found in plenty of healthy foods that you’ll want to eat before (and during) your pregnancy, including:
- Red pepper
- Oranges and orange juice
- Grapefruit
- Kiwis
- Green and red peppers
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Potato
- Spinach
Vitamin E
Like vitamin C, vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals, a process that might help you get pregnant.
Other research has found that men with infertility were more likely to have low levels of vitamin E, and that when men with infertility took a vitamin E and selenium supplement, they saw an improvement in sperm motility (i.e. the ability of sperm to move through the reproductive tract).
The caveats: Men and women need 15 mg of vitamin E a day, but if you’re on a low-fat diet, you might have trouble meeting this goal.
You can find vitamin E in foods like:
- Sunflower seeds and sunflower oil
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Peanuts and peanut butter
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Mangos
Vitamin D
Studies have found that women who have low levels of vitamin D may have more trouble getting pregnant than those with higher levels of the vitamin. What’s more, other research shows that getting enough vitamin D may boost the chances of IVF success.
Vitamin D is found in some foods and is added to others (think: fortified milk, which helps with the absorption of calcium, another important vitamin). The skin also produces vitamin D during exposure to sunlight. Your doctor will likely recommend a vitamin D supplement if you don’t get enough sun or food containing the vitamin, or if you have darker skin. (Darker skin contains more melanin, a pigment that lowers a person’s ability to produce vitamin D from the sun.)
Both men and women need to get 15 micrograms (or 600 IU) of vitamin D a day.
The caveats: It can be difficult to find vitamin D in foods that haven’t been fortified with it. Talk to your doctor about whether you should take a supplement. Many prenatals contain vitamin D, but you can find it in foods such as:
- Fortified milk
- Fortified cereal
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Light, canned tuna fish
- Cheese
- Egg yolks
- Carrots
- Apples
B vitamins
You’ve probably already heard of folic acid — specifically vitamin B9, or folate, when it’s found in food. As the most sought-after pregnancy vitamin, folic acid will work overtime by helping to build your baby’s heart and circulatory system and reduce the risk of birth defects such as neural tube defects, which can cause spina bifida (a spinal cord defect) and anencephaly (a brain defect).
But there’s also some evidence that folic acid may help increase pregnancy rates and lower the risk of infertility related to ovulation.[2]
Before you get pregnant, you’ll need 400 mcg of folate a day. That number jumps to 600 mcg daily once you’re expecting.
Folic acid is found in prenatal vitamins, which you should start taking a few months before trying to conceive. You also can find folate in foods like:
- Spinach
- Fortified breakfast cereal
- Asparagus
- Romaine lettuce
- Avocado
- Kidney beans (which are also a good source of fiber)
- Cantaloupe
- Milk
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Your body already produces CoQ10, a type of antioxidant that helps convert food into energy. It’s naturally found in meat, fish and nuts, and also available in supplement form (capsules, chewable tablets, liquid syrups, wafers and by IV).
Some research suggests that taking CoQ10 supplements can help women who don’t respond well to fertility medications have more successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes, while other findings show that, in men, CoQ10 can help boost sperm count.
The caveats: It’s not known whether it’s safe to take CoQ10 once you get pregnant, so it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor and stop taking the supplement if you get a positive pregnancy test result.
While CoQ10 is found in foods including meat, fish and whole grains, you won’t be able to eat enough of those foods to boost the amount that’s in your body very much. Discuss supplementation with your doctor and remember to look for a seal or label certifying the item as having been tested before you buy it.
L-carnitine
L-carnitine (also known as carnitine) is a chemical that’s produced in the liver and kidneys and stored in the skeletal muscles, heart, brain and sperm. Its main job is to help convert fat into energy.
Research shows that L-carnitine can help with disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and painful menstruation.
The caveats: Unless you have an underlying medical condition, you probably don’t need to take carnitine supplements. It’s found naturally in animal foods like meat, fish, poultry and dairy. Our liver and kidneys also make enough of it. So be especially cautious when considering supplementation, and be sure to discuss it with your doctor first before making any unnecessary and potentially harmful purchase.
Calcium
Calcium is a mineral needed for strong bones, teeth and tissue. It’s found in foods such as yogurt, milk and cheese, added into other foods, and is also in certain medicines, such as antacids.
Not much is known about whether calcium can boost fertility. Some research has shown that consuming higher amounts of calcium is linked with a lower rate of endometriosis, a condition with no known cause in which cells grow outside the uterus, often making it harder to get pregnant.
The caveats: Calcium's effect on fertility isn’t well studied, and there’s a good chance that you already get enough of it in your diet. If you don’t, however, you’ll want to discuss taking a calcium supplement with your doctor once you get pregnant to help lower your risk of preeclampsia, a condition that only happens in pregnancy and is characterized by high blood pressure.
Men and women aged 19 to 50 should aim to get 1,000 mg of calcium a day. You can find calcium in prenatal vitamins and foods such as:
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese, especially mozzarella and cottage cheese
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Pinto beans (which are also a great source of fiber)
- Canned salmon
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral that occurs naturally in certain foods. Researchers note that it may play a role in boosting male fertility. Zinc is abundant in sperm, which suggests a link to sperm quality. The combination of zinc, vitamin E and vitamin C may improve sperm motility. Other research suggests that men who are deficient in zinc might be more likely to have fertility problems.
The caveats: While a review of the literature shows that zinc deficiency can negatively affect the reproductive system, the research on zinc’s role in fertility is limited, particularly in regard to female fertility.
Men aged 19 and older need 11 mg of zinc a day, whereas women need 9 mg. Once you get pregnant, that number jumps to 12 mg. You can find zinc in foods such as:
- Lobster
- Baked beans
- Fortified cereal
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cashews
- Chickpeas
- Blueberries
- Lentils
Selenium
Selenium is a trace element that’s found naturally in many foods including seafood, meat, poultry, dairy, bread and even mushrooms. It’s also added to food and available as a supplement.
Research shows that it plays a lead role in fertility and reproduction, helping promote healthy follicles in the ovaries, which develop and release the eggs, and helping sperm cells grow in size and shape. The recommended amount for both men and women is 55 mcg daily.
For men, being deficient in selenium (which is rare in the United States) can cause infertility. There’s also some evidence that women who don’t get enough selenium take longer to conceive. One study found that women with low blood levels of selenium were 46 percent more likely to take 12 months or longer to get pregnant.
The caveats: There’s a good chance that you’re already getting enough selenium in your diet and you won't need to take a supplement. You can get selenium from foods such as:
- Brazil nuts
- Ham
- Shrimp
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Cottage cheese
- Baked beans
- Hard-boiled eggs
Even though many of these nutrients are found in prenatal vitamins — not to mention good-for-you foods like fruits and vegetables — always be sure to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.
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