If fertility improvement is topping your list of New Year’s resolutions, there is no time like now to start building your tool kit. There are plenty of products and resources out there to assist in making your fertility a priority: ovulation prediction tools to help you identify those few days in your cycle when you are fertile; fertility-friendly lubricants to keep sex pleasurable without harming sperm and your chances of conceiving; healthy diet and exercise plans; and, the star of this show, fertility supplements. When you have plans for a family, fertility supplements can help you reach your goals by supporting the quality of your eggs and getting your cycles on track.

Help, please! There are Just So Many Fertility Supplements

Yes, we hear you, the virtual and real-life store shelves are bursting with supplements these days – it is easy to become overwhelmed with the choices. The last thing you need is more decision fatigue, so here are some tips for choosing the fertility supplement that is right for you.

Start with the Basics

If you aren’t already taking a prenatal vitamin, go ahead and start yesterday. Even if you are eating your vegetables and avoiding the junk food aisle, chances are your diet isn’t meeting the mark in all the important ways. Taking a daily preconception vitamin will help you fill in the gaps in those vitamin and mineral gaps. Choose a prenatal with the key nutrients for pregnancy wellness, such as iron, iodine, vitamin D, and folic acid in its most bioavailable form of methylfolate.

Add in Antioxidants

You’ve probably heard about antioxidants. That’s because, for at least a couple of decades now, researchers have been warning us about the health impacts of free radicals and oxidative stress, and pointing to certain nutrients – antioxidants – that might provide some protection.

Free radicals are the MVPs of certain physiological processes – for example, the immune system depends greatly on free radicals to help fight off infections. And, ironically, free radicals play a role in normal ovulation. But, for many people, keeping up with the rat race means we are stressed to the max, we eat too much of the wrong kinds of foods, we are exposed to toxins all around us, and we exercise too little, all of which leads to excessive production of free radicals, setting the stage for a chronic state of oxidative stress in the body, a physiological condition which can ultimately lead to cellular damage.

Oxidative stress can pose a problem for both male and female fertility because sperm and egg cells are both highly susceptible to free radical damage. For women, this means a reduction in egg quality, which is problematic because we are born with all of the eggs we will ever have, so keeping them healthy for as long as possible is a key to fertility. For men, free radical damage to sperm cells has the potential to reduce sperm count and sperm motility, as well as increase DNA fragmentation, all of which spells trouble when it comes to the prospects of fertilizing an egg.

Turns out antioxidant nutrients are the heroes of this story. Antioxidant nutrients, like CoQ10, vitamin E, Vitamin C, and alpha lipoic acid to name a few, neutralize free radicals before they can harm egg and sperm cells. To help bolster your body’s antioxidant defense systems and protect your egg cells from free radical damage, look for a fertility supplement with a spectrum of nutrients with antioxidant activity. And, don’t let your partner off the hook – there are antioxidant-based fertility supplements for men too.

Inositols are Important

Do your cycles run like the German train system – always on time – or are they more likely to arrive fashionably late? When you are trying to conceive, being able to accurately predict ovulation is key so that you can plan to have sex when you are most fertile. Wait, did you just say, “Plan to have sex”? Yep, we did. Welcome to your new TTC (trying-to-conceive) life. Simply put, if you don’t have sex during your fertile window – those 3-5 days just before you ovulate – you can’t get pregnant. Pinpointing ovulation is a relatively straightforward task when your cycles are like clockwork, but, if you have irregular cycles, ovulation prediction is a challenge, to say the least.

Myo-inositol and d-chiroinositol are carbohydrate compounds that support a balance of the hormones, including testosterone and insulin, that make ovulation happen. Getting these hormones in the right balance helps you ovulate predictably and keep your menstrual cycle on track. A bonus feature is that myo-inositol is also an antioxidant, which means helps to support the health of your eggs. Look for a fertility supplement that includes both myo-inositol and d-chiro inositol.

The Herb or Not To Herb?

So glad you asked, this truly is a question. Herbs have long been used in dietary supplements to support health and well-being, and certain herbs like Vitex and Red Clover are often used to support female fertility. However, herbs don’t agree with everyone, and there are certainly times when you might want to go herb-free with your fertility supplement, like, for instance, if you are also taking a prescription fertility medication.

The Final Challenge

The last hurdle is figuring out how to incorporate these prenatal and fertility nutrients into your daily routine without blowing up your budget or cluttering up your counter with dozens of pill bottles. No worries, we’ve got you covered here too. Check out FH PRO for Women from Fairhaven Health – this convenient and affordable all-in-one fertility supplement will help you get a jump start on your goals.

Learn more about FH PRO and other antioxidant supplements.