Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and Minerals for Fertility

Certain vitamins and minerals can help balance hormones, nourish the endocrine glands like the adrenals, thyroid, ovaries, and pituitary, and support healthy liver detoxification.  Most are safe to use along with fertility treatments and to continue throughout pregnancy.  Multivitamins in my experience do not work to fix a deficiency.  Why? Because they contain too many different vitamins and minerals, often at too low a dose, that are all competing to be absorbed.  I find it far more effective and efficient to target the specific vitamins and minerals that my individual patients need.   Vitamins and minerals also have a significant impact on the health of your future child.  Conditions like ADHD and autism have been linked to deficiencies of B vitamins and minerals like magnesium, environmental toxins, and hormone imbalances in the mom.

Once you are pregnant, I would recommend only the best quality prenatal multivitamins, fish oil, and vitamin D3.  Check your prenatal, if it doesn’t contain ACTIVE folic acid, called 5MTHF, then you should switch to one that does.

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Pamela Frank

A Sample of the Vitamins and Minerals for Fertility Research

1. Apart from lowering the malformation risk by periconceptional supplementation of folic acid, substitution with different micronutrients, particularly folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, iodine, selenium, iron, and DHA might have a positive impact on infertility treatment: Buhling KJ, Grajecki D. The effect of micronutrient supplements on female fertility. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Jun;25(3):173-80. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0b013e3283609138.
2. Low concentrations of folate in seminal plasma may be detrimental for sperm DNA stability: Boxmeer JC, Smit M, Utomo E, Romijn JC, Eijkemans MJ, Lindemans J, Laven JS, Macklon NS, Steegers EA, Steegers-Theunissen RP.Low folate in seminal plasma is associated with increased sperm DNA damage. Fertil Steril. 2009 Aug;92(2):548-56. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.06.010. Epub 2008 Aug 22.
3. Total cobalamin (vitamin B12) concentration in seminal plasma was significantly correlated with the sperm concentration: Boxmeer JC, Smit M, Weber RF, Lindemans J, Romijn JC, Eijkemans MJ, Macklon NS, Steegers-Theunissen RP. Seminal plasma cobalamin significantly correlates with sperm concentration in men undergoing IVF or ICSI procedures. J Androl. 2007 Jul-Aug;28(4):521-7. Epub 2007 Feb 7.
4. Infantile zinc- and magnesium-deficiency and/or toxic metal burdens may be critical and induce epigenetic alterations in the genes and genetic regulation mechanisms of neurodevelopment in autistic children: Yasuda H1, Tsutsui T. Assessment of infantile mineral imbalances in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013 Nov 11;10(11):6027-43. doi: 10.3390/ijerph10116027.

Other Natural Nutritional Supplements for Fertility

There are a number of substances found naturally in food that can be used in more concentrated doses to balance hormones, nourish the endocrine glands, help with liver detoxification and enhance fertility.