5 Vitamins to Take if You’re Trying to Get Pregnant

Meeting all your nutritional needs is paramount when you’re trying to get pregnant. But it’s not always easy to get all that you need through diet alone. So let’s look at five of the best vitamins to take if you’re trying to conceive. 

Folic Acid

Folic acid is a B vitamin (B9), and plays a vital role in both your fertility and your baby’s development, but is difficult to get enough of through diet alone. While many foods are fortified with folic acid to help prevent deficiency, it’s still not enough to support a pregnancy.

Research has found that folic acid supplements benefit both male and female partners when trying to get pregnant. For men, taking folic acid helps improve the quality and number of sperm, and women benefit from more regular menstrual cycles. Folic acid is also linked to the production of more antral follicles during fertility treatments. And if you have a gene called MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), folic acid helps your ovaries work better and reduces the risk of miscarriage. At RISE Fertility, we recommend folic acid supplements for both men and women.

When it comes to your baby, folic acid is even more important because it plays a crucial role in your baby’s developing brain. Some parts of the brain develop early when you may not even know you’re pregnant. If you don’t get enough folic acid, these important structures may not develop correctly, resulting in serious birth defects, like spina bifida or anencephaly. 

The CDC recommends that all women of reproductive age take 400 mcg of folic acid every day. If you’ve previously had a baby with a neural tube defect, talk to your doctor about whether you need to take a higher dose.

DHA

DHA is a type of Omega-3 fatty acid that is needed by every one of your body’s cells and is particularly important for your brain, skin, and eyes. In fact, nearly all the fat in your brain and retinas is made up of DHA, making it essential that you get enough DHA to help your baby’s brain and eyes develop. DHA also plays a vital role in reducing the risk of pre-term birth. 

Although your body makes some DHA, it’s not enough to support a pregnancy and it can be tricky to get enough DHA through diet alone. The best sources of DHA are fish and other seafood, but mercury contamination is a serious concern. As a result, pregnant women are advised to eat no more than two servings of low-mercury seafood per week. Because this amount won’t give you enough DHA, taking at least 200 mg of DHA per day is recommended by infertility centers to support pregnancy. 

Vitamin D

We rely on Vitamin D to keep our bones strong and our nerves and muscles working the way they should. Vitamin D also helps us fight infections from bacteria and viruses, a fact specifically highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Your body also really needs Vitamin D to support a pregnancy. A deficiency increases your risk of developing conditions, like endometriosis and ovulatory disorders, that make it more difficult to get pregnant. By contrast, taking vitamin D supplements has been linked to higher success rates for in vitro fertilization (IVF).  

Your body makes some vitamin D from sunlight, but it’s not enough for most people, especially if you live in northern latitudes. And although some foods are fortified with vitamin D, you may not be able to consume enough through your diet, especially if you’re already deficient. In general, pregnant women are advised to take 4,000 IU of vitamin D each day, though it’s best to discuss your specific needs with your doctor at your IVF clinic.

CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is one of the lesser talked about vitamins to take if you’re trying to get pregnant, but this power-packed antioxidant provides a ton of benefits for your fertility.

For women, CoQ10 is linked to better ovulation, greater numbers of follicles, and higher-quality eggs. Men also benefit from taking CoQ10 because it helps prevent sperm damage from free radicals. And for couples pursuing IVF at an infertility center or IVF clinic, CoQ10 is associated with higher success rates, more mature eggs, increased fertilization rates, and better embryo development.

The recommended dose of CoQ10 can vary, so talk to your IVF clinic about how much you need.

Prenatal Vitamin

Did you know you should be taking prenatal vitamins before you get pregnant? Women who’ve reached reproductive age should take a prenatal vitamin every day, regardless of whether they plan to have a baby. This is because birth defects associated with vitamin deficiencies can develop before you know you’re pregnant.

Prenatal vitamins don’t just prevent birth defects. They’re also important for giving your body the nutrition you need to conceive and support a pregnancy. Plus, they contain a variety of vitamins and iron needed to grow a placenta and prevent anemia. 

It’s important to note that although prenatal vitamins contain some of the other vitamins that appear on this list, they don’t always contain the recommended daily amounts. 

At RISE Fertility, we’ll discuss your specific nutritional needs as part of your personalized care plan, so you never need to wonder if you’re taking the right vitamins for your body. RISE Fertility is a concierge infertility center that offers in-house financing to offset infertility and IVF treatment costs. Book a consult today and begin your fertility journey.