I will add another thread on male fertility.

Here is a listing of the most essential vitamins and minerals you will need to take on a daily basis to increase fertility and have a powerful reproductive system!

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is needed to help the body create sex hormones which in turn affects ovulation and hormonal balance. Yale University School of Medicine conducted a study of 67 infertile women, where it was discovered that a mere 7% had normal Vitamin D levels.

Food sources: Eggs, fatty fish, dairy, and cod liver oil. You can also get vitamin D from sitting out in the sun for 15 to 20 minutes per day. But absorption is impacted by the darkness of your skin.

Vitamin E(15mg): Vitamin E is an important antioxidant to help protect sperm and egg DNA integrity.

Food sources: Sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, spinach, papaya, dark leafy greens.

CoQ10: Necessary for every cell in the body having energy to function. It is also an important antioxidant that helps to protect cells from free radical damage. This may impact egg health as well.

Food sources: Found in seafood and organ meats. Amounts in the body decline with age.

Vitamin C(1000mg): Vitamin C improves hormone levels and increases fertility in women with luteal phase defect, according to a study published in “Fertility and Sterility”. It helps to reduce the change of miscarriage and chromosomal problems.

Food sources: Abundant in plants and fruits including red peppers, broccoli, cranberries, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and citrus fruit.

Lipoic Acid: Lipoic acid is a very important antioxidant because it not only helps to protect the female reproductive organs and has been shown to improve sperm quality and motility but it also helps the body to continually re-use the antioxidants in the body.

Food sources: In small amounts found in potatoes, spinach and red meat.

B6(50 mg): Vitamin B6 may be used as a hormone regulator. It also helps to regulate blood sugars, alleviates PMS, and may be useful in relieving symptoms of morning sickness. B6 has also been shown to help with Luteal Phase Defect.

Food sources: Tuna, banana, turkey, liver, salmon, cod, spinach, bell peppers, and turnip greens, collard greens, garlic, cauliflower, mustard greens, celery, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, chard.

B12(50 mg): Vitamin B12 may help to boost the endometrium lining in egg fertilization, decreasing the chances of miscarriage. Some studies have found that a deficiency of B12 may increase the chances of irregular ovulation, and in severe cases stop ovulation altogether.

Food sources: Clams, oysters, muscles, liver, caviar (fish eggs), fish, crab, lobster, beef, lamb, cheese, eggs.

Folic Acid(800 mcg): Perhaps one of the best known vitamins necessary for pregnancy is folic acid. This vitamin helps prevent neural tube defects as well as congenital heart defects, cleft lips, limb defects, and urinary tract anomalies in developing fetuses. Deficiency in folic acid may increase the risk of going into preterm delivery, infant low birth weight and fetal growth retardation.

Food sources: liver, lentils, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, asparagus, spinach, black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, collard greens

Iron: Studies have shown that women who do not get sufficient amounts of iron may suffer anovulation (lack of ovulation) and possibly poor egg health, which can inhibit pregnancy at a rate 60% higher than those with sufficient iron stores in their blood.

Food sources: Lentils, spinach, tofu, sesame seeds, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds (raw), venison, garbanzo beans, navy beans, molasses, beef

Selenium(not more than 200mg): An antioxidant that helps to protect the eggs and sperm from free radicals. Free radicals can cause chromosomal damage which is known to be a cause of miscarriages and birth defects.

Food sources: Liver, snapper, cod, halibut, tuna, salmon, sardines, shrimp, crimini mushrooms, turkey

Zinc(50 mg): In women, zinc works with more than 300 different enzymes in the body to keep things working well. Without it, your cells can not divide properly; your estrogen and progesterone levels can get out of balance and your reproductive system may not be fully functioning. Low levels of zinc have been directly linked to miscarriage in the early stages of a pregnancy, according to The Centers for Disease Control’s Assisted Reproductive Technology Report.

Food sources: Calf liver, oysters, beef, lamb, venison, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, turkey, green peas, shrimp. Zinc can be damaged by cooking so it is important to eat some foods high in zinc in their raw forms.

Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-3 acids have been shown to help fertility by helping to regulate hormones in the body, increase cervical mucous, promote ovulation and overall improve the quality of the uterus by increasing the blood flow to the reproductive organs.

Omega-3 fats also contain two acids that are crucial to good health: DHA and EPA. These two acids have been shown to help many forms of disease. Low levels of DHA have been linked to depression and other mental health issues. During pregnancy, a lack of DHA may be associated with premature birth, low birth weight and hyperactivity in children.

Food sources: Flax seeds, walnuts, salmon, sardines, halibut, shrimp, snapper, scallops, chia seed.

Evening Primrose Oil(1500-3000mg): it increases a woman's fertile cervical fluid. But you have to quit taking it after ovulation. As women take this supplement while pregnant to bring on contraction so it can cause early miscarriages if taken after ovulation. You can also take FertilCM which is the same thing but usually better results and is safe after ovulation.

Maca Root(525 mg): Supports hormonal balance, increases energy, stamina, and mental clarity, supports the thyroid, supports normal sexual function.

Red Clover: It has a high vitamin content that supports the uterus, high in protein to aid the entire body, contains easily absorbed calcium and magnesium (supports the nervous system), also has a high mineral content (due to super deep roots), alkalizes the body, four isoflavones are found in red clover; formononetin, biochanin A, daidzein, and genistein, which have mild estrogenic activity, helps to clear mucous in the body, used as a nerve tonic to calm a person, ans known as a female tonic to strengthen the ovaries.

Vitex: Inhibit follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH): Vitex increases the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH), which in turn increases progesterone, lengthens a short luteal phase: Studies have shown Vitex to be effective at lengthening the luteal phase, increased progesterone levels: Vitex has been shown to stimulate the formation of the corpus luteum, reduces advancement of mild endometriosis, may help prevent miscarriage: Vitex has a beneficial impact on progesterone levels. If miscarriages are due to low progesterone, Vitex may help to normalize or increase progesterone levels, relieves PMS, lack of menstruation (amenorrhea): In a study of 15 women with amenorrhea, 65% had resumed a menstrual cycle by the sixth month of use, irregular menstruation: Vitex has been shown to help balance both an absent menstrual cycle as well as aid a menstrual cycle that is heavy or too frequent, Uterine cysts: Vitex has been found to be helpful at reducing cysts that are growing within the smooth muscle layer of the uterus, Stabilization of menstruation after stopping birth-control pills: After discontinuing estrogen-containing birth control pills, Vitex taken for several months has been shown to help stabilize the cycle and induce ovulation more quickly.

I recommend Fertilaid for Women because it contains the major fertility boosters(Vitex, Maca, Red Clover, etc) with the other listed vitamins and everything a prenatal does. Save time and money!