Best Supplements for Egg Quality

Although women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have, there is a little room for improvement once you are TTC (trying to conceive). Preconception care is important for both men and women trying to conceive, and it is recommended that couples start this about one year before they want to have a child. Some studies point out that the 3 months leading up to that desired date of conception is the most important, as the finishing touches are put on the egg during its final months of development before it is selected to be the one (or ones) to ovulate eventually.

So what supplements are the best for enhancing egg quality? The number one supplement is CoQ10, or Co-enzyme Q 10, and in its highest quality, most absorptive form it is known as ubiquinol. CoQ10 is a type of enzyme that humans start to lose the production of around the age of 30, and it is used for ATP energy production. The good news is that the ovary absorbs this substance very well. The bad news is that if you’re late to the game and are taking it for just a week before an embryo transfer with your own egg, this substance probably won’t help much. Try to take it for at least 3 months before a scheduled transfer or time you want to conceive, and if you can start taking it 6 months beforehand, or more, then please do. Egg cells have almost 200 times more mitochondria than other cells, and this phase of development just before recruitment is very delicate and vulnerable as the DNA is copying so many times, so there is a huge need for help in this department! Studies on mice and in cows showed that the egg health improved dramatically, and hopefully there will be human studies soon to help show what this supplement really does to ovaries, eggs and follicles.

If you are starting to look into fertility treatments and preconception care, talk to your fertility provider, fertility doctor or fertility acupuncturist about CoQ10 and what other supplements and foods you can be taking to improve your egg quality and your chances of conception, and having a happy healthy baby!