When it comes supplements, there is a plethora on the market – how do you know which is the right one for you? Well, step one is to speak to your healthcare provider or qualified dietitian. Especially if you are looking at using supplements for fertility. Research suggests 20-30% of women will encounter fertility challenges. Reproductive conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis, amongst others, may impact time to pregnancy (how long it take to fall pregnant). Idiopathic infertility and male factory infertility can also play a huge role in time to pregnancy. So there is a market of people out there hoping to conceive. And supplement brands have noticed.
Nutritional supplements certainly have a place. But it is important to choose the right one/s for you. A study of Italian dietary supplements marketed at women experiencing infertility found a substantial proportion of these dietary supplements largely contained ingredients without scientific support of their efficacy (ingredients with no proof of benefit for fertility). And when brands did include specific nutrients proven to be beneficial for fertility, they weren’t always provided at the recommended dose to provide a benefit -ie: there was not enough of that nutrient in the supplement (cheeky).
So how can you navigate the supplement world for fertility? Well, maybe you don’t need to. A dietitian can help you pin-point your dietary nutrition gaps and help fill them with the adequate supplement at the right dose if required. However as a general guide – if you are buying a dietary supplement for fertility, you want to look for ingredients with scientific support. Ingredients such as folic acid, inositols, vitamin D, melatonin, CoQ10 are some of the nutrients with proven benefits in some instances, for some women. It is vital however to take the right supplement, at the right dose for you to see a benefit.
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