Fertility Supplements For Your Diagnosis

nataliagardneracup
Aug 31
5 min read

Updated: Sep 1

When we talk about fertility supplements, we are often thinking about egg quality. And although this is a highly important element of getting pregnant and staying pregnant, there are other elements involved. We need to think about individual diagnoses such as PCOS and endometriosis and what part of the fertility process you may need extra support with. For example, if you have a low AMH you would require the blood nourishing and egg quality supplements. If you have a high TSH and recurrent implantation failure, you would need supplements to support the thyroid, the gut and uterine microbiome.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist so this is not a comprehensive list of supplements. Always consult your clinic to confirm if your supplements are suitable whilst undertaking IVF.

My knowledge is based on training from the Advanced Diploma in Fertility Acupuncture. This is written from a Chinese Medicine perspective, so in this article we will refer to conditions such as Blood Deficiency, Kidney Deficiency and Blood Stasis which are Chinese Medicine diagnoses.

Here are some categories of supplements that we will look into:

Supplements to support egg quality
Supplements for PCOS to encourage healthy ovulation
Supplements for implantation
Supplements for the thyroid
Supplements for endometriosis and fibroids
Supplements for pregnancy

Supplements to Support Egg Quality

Everybody trying to conceive would benefit from supplements to support egg quality. Not just women with a low AMH. This includes women with PCOS who classically have a high AMH or women who have produced a large number of eggs after egg collection but few eggs matured or fertilised. This suggests an egg quality issue, which can lead to implantation failure or miscarriage. The following supplements are beneficial for all women trying to conceive and the additional supplements are recommended if the AMH is low.

In Chinese Medicine, a low AMH means Blood Deficiency and Kidney Yin Deficiency. Yin is the feminine element of the organs which relates to sleep, ovulation hormones, follicular development, egg quality and quantity, blood and the uterine lining.

For everyone:

CO-Q10 600mg (split this into two doses and take with food)
Vitamin D 4000iu
Pre-natal Supplement such as Wild Nutrition Fertility or Inessa. These contain methylfolate (800mcg) which is the bio available form of folic acid and therefore better for egg quality.

Low AMH / Kidney Yin Deficiency and Blood Deficiency:
Swap COQ10 for ubiquinol 400mg (2 x 200mg split)
Vitamin D 4000iu
Vitamin E 200-400iu
Some clinics will also prescribe melatonin and / or DHEA. These supplements are prescription only in the UK. Melatonin supports the pineal gland and egg quality. DHEA increases testosterone levels and supports egg quality but should only be taken if recommended by a doctor. It is advised to get a DHEA - Sulphate and testosterone blood test to check your levels.
It is also recommended to get your B12, B6 and Vitamin D levels tested. You can request this from the GP. If your levels are low, this can also be supplemented or your supplement may be increased or changed.
As low AMH relates to Blood Deficiency, it is recommended to also take the below supplements for uterine lining as these support the blood in Chinese Medicine.

PCOS / Spleen Qi Deficiency and Damp:

Include the supplements for egg quality
NAC 400mg - this increases antioxidant protection of eggs and improves ovulation in PCOS women. It modules LH so is useful for women with a high LH or an LH value that is above FSH.
Myo-inositol - this is a natural version, similar to the medication metformin, which is often prescribed for insulin resistance or pre diabetes. If your type of PCOS has an insulin resistance component with high androgens such as testosterone, myo-inositol can lower insulin levels which indirectly supports ovulation. It also has a positive effect on egg quality and pregnancy rates.

Supplements for Implantation:

Implantation can depend on egg quality as detailed above, the environment in the uterus, the gut and uterine microbiome, the health of the thyroid and the uterine lining. Let's look at each one in terms of beneficial supplements and it's Chinese Medicine diagnosis.

Thin Uterine Lining / Blood Deficiency:

Before embryo transfer your uterine lining should measure a minimum of 7-8mm and have a trigeminal layer or triple layer. You can ask your clinic what your lining is measuring at each scan. If you are trying naturally and I have diagnosed you as having blood deficiency, that might indicate that your lining needs support. If you also have a low AMH or have previously produced a low number of blastocysts, you may have Blood Deficiency.

L-Arginine - take this after egg collection and up until frozen transfer. It thickens the lining, but research suggests it may not be beneficial for egg quality.
Spatone - this is a liquid iron supplement that is absorbed better than iron tablets, which can cause digestive issues. Take the apple juice version as it includes Vitamin C. Iron is absorbed better with Vitamin C.
Bone broth or Brewer's Yeast. Bone broth supports the Kidney's role in producing blood cells from bone marrow. It is not vegetarian. Brewer's Yeast is a vegan supplement that supports the blood.

Thyroid Health / Kidney and Spleen Deficiency

A TSH of between 1-2 is considered optimal for fertility. Most fertility clinics will implant an embryo if the TSH is 2.5 or below. The state of the thyroid primarily supports implantation and the health of the pregnancy. When the TSH is high, the pituitary gland in the brain is producing extra thyroid stimulating hormone in an effort to increase the thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid itself. So a high TSH and low thyroid hormones such as free T3 and free thyroxine (T4) mean that the thyroid is underactive, or at least not optimally active for fertility success. Levothyroxine may be prescribed if your thyroid is above 2.5 and you are undergoing fertility treatment or have had recurrent miscarriage.

To support the thyroid naturally:

Zinc (there is enough in most pre-natal supplements)
Selenium (3 x brazil nuts daily)
Ginger
Turmeric (in food or shots only, don't take too much as a supplement)
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Glutathione (NAC is a precursor and you can take NAC for the body to convert it to glutathione, see PCOS section)

The following harm the thyroid:

Mercury and other heavy metals
Stress
Extreme dieting
Plastics
Soya products
Anti-biotics

Uterine Microbiome / Retained Pathogen / Damp:

The environment in the uterus should be optimal for implantation. This means the absence of infections, a healthy microbiome and a warm temperature. We usually diagnoses infections of the fertility organs as a retained pathogen or damp. We can clear these with acupuncture. Probiotics which include the following strains of healthy bacteria help to support an optimal uterine environment for implantation.

Lactobacilis acidophilous (supports vaginal microbiome)
Lactobacilis reuteri
Lactobacilis rhamnosus

Endometriosis, Fibroids,

Reproductive Immunology/ Blood Stasis:

In reality, some aspect of Blood Stasis is experienced by most women and especially on a fertility journey and therefore most women would benefit from the following supplements from a Chinese medicine perspective. Blood Stasis is a pooling of the blood, where it doesn't flow properly therefore causing blockages. It stems from Liver Qi Stagnation, which is where the Liver fails to flow the energy (Qi) of teh fertility organs as it becomes stagnant. These supplements aim to move the blood and Qi.

Blood Stasis symptoms are more pronounced in women with endometriosis, fibroids, polyps and Blood Stasis always plays an important part of immune system issues. With these conditions we always have to move the blood as a primary treatment.

Some other symptoms of Blood Stasis include: