Prenatal vitamins effect fertility?

[Jess125]

Does anyone know if prenatal vitamins have any effect on fertility? I've been taking the cheap Walmart brand Spring Valley vitamins for about 3 months now. I just ran out 2 weeks ago so I switched to Nature Made Prenatals with DHA. According to Fertility Friend I ovulated 3 days after I made the switch, on CD77! Is it possible that the DHA in the vitamins caused me to ovulate??

 

[Dani402]

That's a good question. I started taking Spring Valley a few months before we started TTC...and we're not pg yet... may switch over to something else... :-\

 

[cfox]

My guess (I'm not an expert but have a bit of knowledge on the subject) is that the DHA could very well have helped.
Our bodies need Essential fatty acids before we conceive as well as throughout pregnancy. I take Nordic naturals DHA and a bunch of other goodies - for my health and then secondly for the health of Foxy junior when he or she is conceived.
Hoping you get a soon.

 

[Jess125]

@Dani402 - I would probably switch, it couldn't hurt. I was taking prenatals with DHA for the first 4 months TTC and I'm pretty sure I was ovulating every month, then I switched to Spring Valley and didn't ovulate at all for 2.5 months, and then once I switched to Nature Made with DHA I ovulated 3 days later. That can't be coincidence!

@Cfox - I'm glad you seem to think the DHA helped. I don't know that much about the fatty acids. Which ones should we be taking and how much?

Best of luck to both of you. Hope we all get our soon!

 

[cfox]

I get my Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) from Baby Spinach, Kale, sesame seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seed oil and some supplements too.
I take Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) capsules, Cod liver oil capsules and Salmon Oil capsules.
I don't think you can overdose on any of the foods and I generally take a couple of each of the oil capsules when I have a cup of tea - easier to metabolise than if you just have then with water. I avoid the combination 3-6-9 capsules and those are the ones that tend to give me those nasty fish oil burps that are oh so appealing.
Happy to answer any more questions you might have!

 

[Gingersnaps]

Oh that is interesting that fish oil is easier to metabolize with tea!

I have taken spring valley before but switched as it is one of the poorer quality synthetic vits. Nature made is better. I take their fish oil. I think for prenatals a food based vit is much better than synthetic. They are more expensive but are absorbed better by your body. Whole foods has their own brand that is reasonably priced. I give my partner the Whole foods brand men's multi. I order on amazon New chapter organics or Rainbowlight. Both food based vits for myself. You can find them in whole foods but they are cheaper online.

 

[Briss]

I get my Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) from Baby Spinach, Kale, sesame seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seed oil and some supplements too.
I take Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) capsules, Cod liver oil capsules and Salmon Oil capsules.
I don't think you can overdose on any of the foods and I generally take a couple of each of the oil capsules when I have a cup of tea - easier to metabolise than if you just have then with water. I avoid the combination 3-6-9 capsules and those are the ones that tend to give me those nasty fish oil burps that are oh so appealing.
Happy to answer any more questions you might have!

Ladies, cod liver oil is an absolute "NO"! Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy (as well as conception). On the other hand, fish oils not derived from fish livers contain lots of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for your baby's developing eyes and brain. there is also an opinion that the fish oils from the fish's liver may contain mercury.

 

[MindUtopia]

I get my Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) from Baby Spinach, Kale, sesame seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seed oil and some supplements too.
I take Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) capsules, Cod liver oil capsules and Salmon Oil capsules.
I don't think you can overdose on any of the foods and I generally take a couple of each of the oil capsules when I have a cup of tea - easier to metabolise than if you just have then with water. I avoid the combination 3-6-9 capsules and those are the ones that tend to give me those nasty fish oil burps that are oh so appealing.
Happy to answer any more questions you might have!

Ladies, cod liver oil is an absolute "NO"! Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy (as well as conception). On the other hand, fish oils not derived from fish livers contain lots of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for your baby's developing eyes and brain. there is also an opinion that the fish oils from the fish's liver may contain mercury.

This is very true. Stay away from the cod liver oil. It can be dangerous and cause birth defects because of the vitamin A. But anything sold as "fish oil", "marine oil" (made from seaweed/seaplants) or "omega 3" is usually safe. Just check the label to make sure it doesn't contain vitamin A or fish liver. I take the Omega 3 DHA/EPA capsules from Holland & Barrett (I got a ton of them at the penny sale!). I'm not sure they have helped with conception yet, but like the PP said, DHA/EPA is really important for pregnancy (and you'll likely have to take it in a capsule since you can't eat much oily fish). Just made sure to get a really high quality one. The fertility books I read all recommended taking them, along with folic acid and vitamin D, so I figured it couldn't hurt.

 

[Gingersnaps]

Thanks Briss and mindutopia

I get the fish oils confused. I checked my bottles, I have from Nature Made Ultra omega three mini fish oil, that says purified to remove mercury. I also have somewhere from Holland and Barrett a cod liver oil capsule with glucoseamine, so that I should stop. I usually take one or the other thinking they were similar.

 

[Briss]

I get this one Holland and Barrett:

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=146

or this one from boots:

https://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceuticals-Omega-3-Fish-Oil-1300mg-60-Capsules-_1139896/

the boots' one is a bit smelly, my hubby could not take it because of that

the H&B's one also has vitamin E which is supposed to be good if taken together with fish oil.

"There are three reasons patients should take vitamin E with their fish oil:
1. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant, so helps to balance fish oil's oxidizing effect.
2. Vitamin E may actually contribute to fish oil's immune modulating effect. So the vitamin E/fish oil combination may possibly help balance the immune system better than the fish oil taken alone.
3. Vitamin E has been shown to have beneficial effects on pregnancy independent of the fish oil"

 

[MindUtopia]

Also, there was a study that came out last year (or the year before? I forget) that showed that some types of prenatals can improve chances of conception. The ones actually used in the study were the Pregnacare Conception ones (not just the normal Pregnacare for when you are pregnant). Those have some extra stuff in them (amino acids, I think?) so you might think of looking those up or maybe trying to find something with similar ingredients. I personally don't like Pregnacare because the iron in them is really harsh, and I couldn't tolerate them, but you may find they work well for you.

Otherwise, taking prenatals in general for 6 months to a year before conception is supposed to decrease chances of miscarriage and preterm labour, so in that sense, they certainly help too if you can start them well enough in advance (though obviously less less time before is still beneficial, just I think they were specifically looking at women who had been using them a long time).

 

[cfox]

I get my Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) from Baby Spinach, Kale, sesame seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seed oil and some supplements too.
I take Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) capsules, Cod liver oil capsules and Salmon Oil capsules.
I don't think you can overdose on any of the foods and I generally take a couple of each of the oil capsules when I have a cup of tea - easier to metabolise than if you just have then with water. I avoid the combination 3-6-9 capsules and those are the ones that tend to give me those nasty fish oil burps that are oh so appealing.
Happy to answer any more questions you might have!

Ladies, cod liver oil is an absolute "NO"! Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy (as well as conception). On the other hand, fish oils not derived from fish livers contain lots of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for your baby's developing eyes and brain. there is also an opinion that the fish oils from the fish's liver may contain mercury.

Ladies I'm certainly not suggesting that you start gobbling fish oils like there's no tomorrow. Everything I've read, including ongoing consultation with my family Dr here in Canada, midwife (when I was pregnant) and consultation from my own family who has their own naturopathy practice in Oz, says everything in moderation.

Large amounts of any vitamin, supplement and even some foods can create imbalances in your body and can make things complicated for when you're trying to conceive and for your unborn baby. I am selective about the brands of supplements I use, particularly with the oils and many companies will provide details of where the fish came from and how they strict their mercury testing levels are.

I certainly appreciate everyone's concerns about over consumption of any vitamin, mineral, food etc. My best advice is to get some opinions of the professionals (as I always do) and then do your homework to make sure you get the best quality food (whole foods, organic, unprocessed) and supplements for your body and your baby.

I read a lot of online articles, health magazines and I am becoming an American Scientific junkie! American Scientific did an article a few years ago titled '200 chemicals found in newborns umbilical cord blood' which certainly got me thinking about what I put in my body, and I find information on healthy-oil-planet.

Sticky baby dust to you all