How To Improve Egg Quality After 40
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If you're a woman in your 40s and hoping to start a family, egg quality is likely one of the big concerns you have. Egg quality is a big differentiator between women in their 40s and younger women, and it plays a significant role in fertility challenges. But what exactly is egg quality? And what can you do to improve it?
In this blog post I will discuss egg quality and its importance for fertility and pregnancy. Here, I will share some of my recommendations for improving egg quality through lifestyle and dietary changes as well as supplements.
What is Egg Quality?
Egg quality refers to an egg's potential to be fertilized, develop into a healthy embryo, and subsequently a healthy baby. Egg quality is impacted by DNA and chromosomal abnormalities, which are the leading cause of miscarriage. Chromosomal abnormalities are the result of premature follicles becoming recruited and matured four months prior to ovulation. During this time, a lot can go wrong due to energy and mitochondrial damage.
Women over the age of 40 have about 50% of their eggs potentially abnormal due to the decline in the percentage of chromosomally normal eggs over time. So, egg quality is a crucial factor for women in their 40s and why it is necessary to pay attention to ways to improve egg quality.
How to Improve Egg Quality
To improve egg quality, I would recommend making lifestyle and dietary changes and taking certain supplements for at least six months before trying to conceive. Let’s discuss what those supplements and dietary changes are!
Lifestyle and Dietary Tips
I recommend eliminating alcohol, environmental toxins, and plastic from your diet. Specifically, BPA, dioxin, phthalates, and parabens can all be harmful to your ovarian reserve. Dietary-wise, I would suggest following the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, omega-3 sources, monounsaturated fats, whole grains, and minimizes refined sugars and carbohydrates.
You can read more about the Mediterranean diet and its positive impact on fertility here: Fertility Diet: A Naturopathic Approach to Food, Supplements, and Lifestyle.
Supplements for Egg Quality
Egg quality can be significantly improved by taking various supplements. These supplements include:
High-quality multi-vitamins that contain methylated folate, high doses of vitamin D, selenium, and zinc
Ubiquinol, a form of CoQ10 that is more bioavailable, and is the primary source that fuels the mitochondria
Fish oils with a high amount of DHA, a fatty acid found in cell membranes that are critical to brain and eye development
Resveratrol, a strong antioxidant derived from red and purple fruits
Acetyl-L-carnitine and acetylcysteine, which are essential for egg quality
R alpha-lipoic acid, which is a great antioxidant for egg quality
All these supplements can be purchased through Fullscript - an online dispensary. Here is the link to my ‘Fertile at 40’ supplement protocol: Fertile at 40.
If you're considering in vitro fertilization (IVF) or have a low ovarian reserve, I also suggest taking DHEA, pregnenolone, and melatonin.
If you want to find out more about fertility in your 40s I suggest reading my blog post How To Boost Fertility and Get Pregnant Naturally In Your 40s
Final Thoughts
Egg quality is crucial for women in their 40s who want to start a family. Improving egg quality is possible by making lifestyle and dietary changes and taking specific supplements. As with any dietary or supplement regimen, be sure to consult with a healthcare provider before starting to ensure it is right for you.
Book Appointment
Naturopathic medicine offers a holistic approach to improving egg quality and boosting female fertility. By addressing the underlying causes of fertility issues, such as hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and stress, naturopathic doctors can help optimize reproductive health. Through personalized treatment plans, incorporating dietary changes, lifestyle modifications and supplements, naturopathic medicine aims to enhance egg quality.
Booking an appointment for naturopathic medicine is beneficial for those seeking a natural and comprehensive approach to fertility.
Book an appointment with one of our providers at Simplicity Health Associates by clicking the link below.
FAQs
How long does it take to improve egg quality?
I recommend making these lifestyle changes and taking these supplements at least a minimum of 3 months prior to trying to conceive. However, ideally you would implement these changes 6 months before trying to get pregnant.
What are other factors that affect egg quality?
Other factors that negatively affect egg quality are: endometriosis, ovarian cysts, obesity, chemotherapy and drug use.
Can you take a test to find out how viable your eggs are?
Yes there are a few tests that can be done to determine the state of your fertility. These are usually performed at fertility centers and include testing hormones such as Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and estradiol. If both of these hormone levels are abnormal, this can indicate poor egg quality and quantity. Anti-Mullerin Hormone can also be tested to discover the state of your ovarian reserve. Another test that can be performed to determine fertility levels is a transvaginal ultrasound which looks at the number of resting follicles on your ovaries. A large number of follicles indicates that ovarian reserve is good while a small number of follicles indicates lower egg quality and quantity.
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