The Top 11 Fertility & Pregnancy Supplement Mistakes To Avoid In 2023 and Beyond

THE TOP 11

FERTILITY SUPPLEMENT MISTAKES TO AVOID IN 2023

1. 2. The Secret No One’s Talking About You Are?

Want in on a little-known secret to healthy fertility, a healthy primemester, healthy pregnancy, and healthy postpartum?

It is five specific nutrients together.

At the fertility & pregnancy institute, we call them the 5 essential fertility, primemester (the 120+ days days leading up to conception), pregnancy, & postpartum nutrients because everyone needs them:

1. A prenatal formula with the right blend of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients

2. Vitamin D3 with K1 and K2

3. Omega 3 Fatty Acids

4. GlycerophosphoCHOLINE (+ other key members of the B Family of nutrients)

A. The converted folinic acid form of methylated folate

B. Methylated B12

C. Methylated B Complex

5. Probiotics

You need the 5 Essential Fertility, Primemester, Pregnancy, & Postpartum Nutrients nutrients IF YOU ARE:

a. Starting to think about getting pregnant

b. Trying to get pregnant

c. Having difficulty getting or staying pregnant

d. Providing egg, sperm, and/or uterus for a pregnancy

e. Providing sperm for a pregnancy

f. Not preventing pregnancy

g. Already pregnant

h. Postpartum

i. Breastfeeding

3. 4. You Want?

You need the 5 Essential Fertility, Primemester, Pregnancy, & Postpartum Nutrients nutrients IF YOU WANT:

a. Healthy eggs

b. Healthy sperm

c. A healthy uterus

d. A healthy biological clock

e. Healthy fertility

f. To get pregnant

g. To stay pregnant

h. A healthy baby

i. To heal from childbirth

j. Healthy hormones and mood postpartum

k. Ample breast milk for your baby

l. To prep for your next baby

Slashing Common Fertility, Pregnancy, & Childhood Risks

Here are just a few examples from science of the benefits that the 5 Essential Nutrients are known to confer and the risks the 5 Core Nutrients have been shown to reduce:

a. Prenatal formula (with the right blend of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients)

i. Phytonutrients in cord blood have been linked to healthier neural tube, brain, and spinal cord development.

ii. Suboptimal nutrient status has been linked to infertility as well as other diagnoses that increase the likelihood of infertility, including endometriosis and PCOS.

iii. Suboptimal nutrient status during pregnancy has been linked to fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and adverse health outcomes in offspring from birth to the end of life (including autism, depression, diabetes, ‘infertility,’ cardiovascular disease, obesity, and shorter lifespan).

b. Vitamin D3 with K1 and K2

i. Vitamin D functions as a hormone.

ii. Lower Vitamin D levels have been linked to infertility.

iii. Higher Vitamin D levels are protective against adverse pregnancy outcomes (e.g., preterm birth) and adverse health outcomes in children, including a lower likelihood of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions.

c. Omega 3 Fatty Acids

i. A higher ratio of omega 3s to omega 6s reduces inflammation, which helps to keep eggs, sperm, and the biological clock younger.

ii. Omega 3s (and especially DHA) are linked to better brain development in utero and longer-term neurocognitive protection for babies.

iii. Omega 3s safely support digestive health during the primemester, pregnancy, and postpartum and breast milk production,

ci. GlycerophosphoCHOLINE (+ other key members of the B Family of nutrients)

i. GlycerophosphoCHOLINE provides crucial support for baby’s brain: Prime GlycerophosphoCHOLINE is a major component of cellular membranes and is needed for cell division and growth—particularly in the fetal brain. In fact, scientific studies show that gestational choline deficiency negatively alters the fetal development of brain areas involved in cognition, learning, and memory, with long-lasting consequences throughout life. On the flipside, GlycerophosphoCHOLINE supplementation during pregnancy has been linked to lower likelihood of attention problems and better social engagement in children as they grow.

ii. GlycerophosphoCHOLINE supports gut and cardiovascular health and liver function, which, in turn, supports healthy hormone balance and systemic detoxification.

iii. GlycerophosphoCHOLINE supports healthy male and female fertility through homocysteine levels and the composition of semen

Methyltetrahydrofolate: the converted, usable folinic acid form of methylated folate

a. Methyltetrahydrofolate is protective against neural tube defects; may reduce risk in the case of previous known or suspected abnormalities; & may reduce miscarriage risk.

b. Methyltetrahydrofolate is correlated in most studies with reduced risk of autism and autism spectrum disorders.

c. Methyltetrahydrofolate supports DNA methylation and is protective against adverse fertility and pregnancy effects of higher-risk MTHFR genetic polymorphisms: C677T and A1298C.

a. Methylated Vitamin B12 supports healthy homocysteine levels in follicular fluid and sperm and protects against homocysteine-related pregnancy loss, an overlooked contributor to recurrent pregnancy loss

b. Methylated Vitamin B12 supports red blood cell production and blood health status, including protecting against certain anemias during pregnancy.

c. Methylated Vitamin B12 is protective against PCOS, obesity, and insulin resistance—all of which increase risk of infertility.

Methylated Vitamin B12

Methylated B Complex

a. Methylated B vitamins support healthy progesterone production, and they reduce risk of anovulation and other ovulatory disorders.

b. Methylated B vitamins are linked to better IVF outcomes.

c. Methylated B vitamins reduce depression and anxiety.

e. Probiotics

i. Probiotics improve female fertility and pregnancy outcomes by strengthening the vaginal microbiome. They also improve male fertility by increasing sperm concentration and motility.

ii. Probiotics support the ‘Mother’ of fertility (i.e., digestion) and the second genome (i.e., the microbiome) by improving the richness and diversity of intestinal microbial flora.

iii. Probiotics reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which undermine egg health, sperm health, uterine health, fetal health, and in utero programming of adult health and longevity.

5. Nutrigenomics

If you are in the know about the Fertility & Pregnancy Pyramid, then you know that nutrients are only part of the healthy fertility and pregnancy equation—but they are a very important part because:

1. nutrients are the #3 input affecting our genetic expression (i.e., the epigenome), after only psychological habits and sleep

2. most people have critical fertility and pregnancy nutrient deficiencies (despite having plenty of food to eat)

3. supplements are low hanging fruit because most people who care about their fertility and pregnancy health are already supplementing (and making mistakes with the quality, dosing, and timing of supplements)

6.

Supplement Mistakes

Most people today are supplementing for fertility and pregnancy, but not all supplements are equal. Here are a few things to know:

a. Supplements are not a replacement for food. They are a supplement to food.

i. Use your supplements on top of a nourishing diet to fill in the gaps left by our modern agriculture and lifestyle.

b. Food-based supplements are always better than synthetic supplements.

i. Your body is designed to use food for nourishment; it is not designed to use chemicals for nourishment.

d. Supplements can be full of unhealthy fillers, heavy metals, and other toxic compounds that are known to cause reproductive harm.

e. You cannot ensure the integrity of supplements when shopping on third-party marketplaces

f. For all of these reasons and so many more, your fertility and pregnancy supplements are not the place to bargain shop (or even convenience shop). Fertility and pregnancy supplements are an area where specialty shopping is warranted.

7.

Bioavailability

Your supplements should be made from foods, not from synthetic materials. If your supplements are like most (i.e., synthetic), they are not made for bioavailability. And, if supplements are not made for bioavailability, they are nothing more than expensive urine. Note. B vitamins in their naturally-occurring, activated (i.e., methylated) form are especially important.

a. We hear a lot about methylated folate (v. folic acid) in the fertility and pregnancy world—especially in discussions of variants of the MTHFR gene.

b. Even among methylated folate, there is a hierarchy of forms that make the strongest positive impact for fertility, the primemester, pregnancy, and postpartum.

c. Methyltetrahydrofolate (i.e., the converted, usable folinic acid form of methylated folate) is the best available form for fertility and pregnancy.

8. Dosaging

Sometimes the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is actually too low to see clinically-relevant impacts of supplements. RDAs are generally established to prevent deficiency, not to achieve optimal ranges.

a. We don’t have enough scientific data about all supplements, but we do have ample scientific data about the 5 Essential Nutrients.

b. It is important to use scientific data, including sensitivity analyses, as a guide in the proper dosing of supplements for fertility and pregnancy.

c. Important note. RDAs are different from upper limits, which are important to be aware of with fat soluble vitamins, iron, zinc, and other nutrients that can be toxic if taken in excess.

9. Are Your Supplements Really Working?

How do you know if your supplements are really working and how you should feel after taking them? Here are a few sample questions that you can ask yourself to be sure that you have selected a quality of supplement that can actually do its job:

a. THIRD-PARTY TESTED. Are your supplements third-party tested to ensure that they contain what they say they contain and that they don’t contain harmful compounds that you don’t want (see list below)?

b. NECESSARY COFACTORS. Do your nutrients come with the proper cofactors that make them work and aid in their uptake and absorption into the bloodstream?

c. AVOIDING INTERFERENCE. Are you avoiding things that inhibit the uptake or function of nutrients from your supplements?

i. Examples: taking supplements apart from fiber or other binders; taking supplements in the form that is most bioavailable for that nutrient (e.g., capsules, liquid, methylated); and avoiding processed foods that are fortified with synthetic versions of the nutrients you are taking and competing with your high-quality nutrients for space in cell receptors

d. PLACENTAL TRANSFER. Do the specific nutrients that you’re taking cross the placenta? If so, how readily?

10. What Your Supplements Should NOT Have

What is NOT in your supplements is just as important as what is in them. Here are a few key examples of things that SHOULD NOT be in the 5 Essential Fertility, Primemester, Pregnancy, & Postpartum Nutrients (but often are!).

a. PREFORMED VITAMIN A-FREE. Many Vitamin D supplements are formulated with preformed Vitamin A. Your Vitamin D should be formulated WITHOUT preformed Vitamin A because preformed Vitamin A supplementation should be limited during the primemester and pregnancy. If your Vitamin D supplement contains Vitamin A, it is very likely that you will not be able to meet your body’s need for Vitamin D while keeping preformed Vitamin A at a safe upper limit.

b. OMEGA-6-FREE. Our modern diet is highly imbalanced in favor of far too many Omega 6s. Omega 6 intake needs to be reduced in order to improve the ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s, which in turn, reduces inflammation. (Reducing inflammation is critical for egg health, sperm health, uterine health, immune health, cardiovascular health, and mental health). As the majority of people already get too many Omega 6s and need to actually reduce Omega 6 intake, it is counterproductive for most people to supplement with Omega 6s.

c. OMEGA-9-FREE. Omega 9s may exert a prostaglandinergic effect which can promote uterine contractions, and, therefore, are not recommended for fertility and pregnancy.

d. ONLY GOOD THINGS. Your supplements should be free of and/or tested for:

i. Heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium

ii. Polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs)

iii. Talc, magnesium silicate, and other harmful fillers used to inflate the number of pills/units you need to take

iv. Titanium dioxide

v. Synthetic nutrients

vi. Dyes

vii. Artificial colors

11. The Unpopular Truth

When it comes to fertility and pregnancy, nutritional nuance matters. If your fertility and pregnancy supplements aren’t made by experts who have actually dedicated their life to understanding scientific data on fertility and pregnancy, this nuance could be missed entirely. At The Fertility & Pregnancy Institute (FPI), we are the world’s leading educational and training institution dedicated to the science and epigenetics of fertility and pregnancy. We are here to help spread this education and information because, to us, your fertility and baby are too precious not to have them. Everyday, we see the cost of not women not having this important information. We are here to change that for your family and for millions of beautiful families just like yours, present and future.

NEXT STEPS

Step 1. Need help becoming a Mama?

We’re here for you. Apply to work with us: support@fertilitypregnancy.org

Step 2. Go here to learn how to revamp your supplement regimen for your best fertility, primemester, pregnancy, & postpartum.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

**The information in this document is for educational purposes only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor for dosing, safety, and contraindications before starting any supplement or other health regimen.

***What to know what a superbaby is?

No, it doesn’t mean that one baby is better than another baby. When you get to have your superbaby, it means that you have intentionally laid the epigenetic foundation through primemestering to have the happiest, healthiest, brightest, most well-adjusted baby you can have given your genome and your epigenome + that of the other person providing DNA for your baby.

Want to learn more about having your superbaby?

Apply to work with us at The Fertility & Pregnancy Institute where we have helped women ages 23 to 48.5 on 6 continents in 32 countries have their superbabies.