Multivitamins for conception

[poppymango]

I’ve been taking the Pregnacare conception multivitamin for the past few months, but no luck so far. Does anyone have a recommendation for something more affective? I’ve just turned 40 so need all the help I can get!

Two I’ve been looking at are Proceive Max and Naitre, though they are pricey the marketing makes them sound worth it.

I’m also considering acupuncture, and might give up alcohol and caffeine entirely for the time being. I definitely need to lay off the sugar and eat more vegetables as well.

Any thoughts? What worked for you guys?

There's no decent evidence to support any vitamin making any difference whatsoever. Ditto stopping caffeine and alcohol - small amounts within government guidelines are fine. Same for acupuncture, no decent evidence to support it. No harm doing any of the above but reality is they don't change outcome. Personally I wouldn't bother with the ones that cost money. Folic acid and vitamin d are all that is recommended for those TTC. The other supplement that comes up a lot (but evidence doesn't support it) is ubiquinol. I took it for years during IVF and can't say it did anything although my hair and nails were great on it. After 8 years of fertility treatment with 1 child from it I conceived naturallly having relaxed diet back to normal, drunk more alcohol and caffeine than I had for the best part of a decade and stopped anything perceived to 'help' fertility. There will be plenty of anecdotal stories of things that have supposedly helped but the reality is the science doesn't really support anything lifestyle wise beyond a usual healthy diet, maintaining a healthy BMI and regular exercise. Good luck.

A multivitamin will not make you conceive. It's not a magic conception pill, it's just a vitamin.

CoQ10 is often recommended but again, it will not make you conceive.

These things are just supplements. It's not that they're 'not working' when you don't get pregnant - that's not what they are meant to do. They just nourish your body, that's all.

Have you had any fertility investigations at a clinic?

No I know that, but my doctor asked if I was taking anything and I realised the cheaper one from Boots might not be the most helpful thing. I am getting blood tests and a scan soon but just wanted to do something proactive in the mean time. I know there's no "magic pill", but if I'm deficient in something then the right supplement should help.

OP doesn't have 8 years, @SErunner

@poppymango we took Zita West but I'm not sure if it was optimal for the price. I also ate really well, avoided caffeine and alcohol, and tried to get plenty of fresh air and exercise (moderate for him, lots of running for him). I also moved out of what had been a stressful job.

Read "it starts with the egg" and imagine it's called "it starts with the egg and sperm".

Thank you - I've never heard of the book you mentioned but it sounds like exactly what I need 🙂

Hey op, I'm 39 and have been trying three years with 2 failed ivf transfers and one spontaneous pregnancy that ended in missed miscarriage.

Obvs there's no magic pill, but you're absolutely right in thinking that to nourish yourself properly you will at the very least make your body more likely to receive a pregnancy. Looking after your general health and making sure you eat well will definitely help.

I've only just started proper supplement taking (I was just multivitamin and vitamin d with folic acid before, although I eat sort of healthily naturally). We didn't stop alcohol until 1.5 years in. I now stick to 2 teas a day with the occasional coffee as a treat, and a glass of wine very very rarely. I also gave up running :( I wasn't told to, but I honestly couldn't imagine all that impact helping anything.

It takes three months for eggs to mature into what gets ovulated, so it takes three months for any changes to take effect on egg quality.

As it's getting late, I'm trying anything now! I was already pretty much eating a Mediterranean diet, but am way more conscious about it now. Avoiding processed foods. Avoiding all toiletries that have bad rep on the Yuka app (things that contain endocrine disrupters, carcinogens, or things that can alter dna). Taking ubiquinol (ok yes, maybe it's unproven, but it also won't hurt. It's meant to give more power to mitochondrial processes. Older eggs have slower power supplies, so in my mind anything that helps cell mitochondria is good). A recent consultant shrugged his shoulders at it but said it wouldn't hurt. And it makes me feel like I'm helping, and I don't have much time left. That same consultant recommended me taking inofolic alpha (or rather, myoinsitol) I don't have pcos (who it's intended for) but he said it supports ovulation and egg quality and that it is a proven supplement. I haven't researched this myself, but might as well trust him, so ordered some.

If you want specifics on what I bought once you've done your own research I'm happy to share. There are threads specifically about certain supplements which I've found helpful. Oh also, a thread for those who are trying for their first child and are over 35. I'm on that and it's nice to discuss things with other women in the same boat.

Oh also (sorry) i read "things every BODY should know" which is about the importance of nutrition and a lot of the book is about "the first thousand days" of a child's life including conception, and all about the nutrition we as hopeful mothers (and fathers) can already be giving our offspring. It's also really important for the sperm to be healthy and lifestyle/food choices absolutely affect that.

Different things suit different issues, so you'd need testing to know what to focus on. Doctors with additional training in functional medicine and nutrition can investigate and make personalised recommendations.

For IVF I was taking things for PCOS and it made a huge difference in the response. I have homozygous MTHFR and take methyfolate and choline. I also take a high dose of Omega 3/EPA DHA, Vit D3 and K2, Vit C, and Ubiquinol/CoQ10. They help my health and I feel lot better on them so I've continued until I return for embryo transfer.

What a crass comment. I didn't really have 8 years either, nor did I want to go through what I did. Doesn't change the science that they make no difference. The book you mention has been robustly rubbished by leading reputable fertility researchers. What I have said is accurate, OP can take it or leave it. I firmly believe people should do what's right for them, just in an informed manner. As I said, none of it will do any harm.

I wouldn’t take proceive because of the L-arginine in it and the naitre looks good but the CoQ10 is not enough, it needs to be around 200mg.

Ovum has more CoQ10 and some helpful antioxidants, but if you take it, it needs supplementing with more vitamin E (stop taking after positive test) and omega 3.

I take naitre, I’ve seen people supplement with extra COQ10 also

Hey how did you end up getting on?