Fertility Supplements

The desire to search for a fertility supplements that will help enhance fertility and improve the chances of conceiving a baby is forefront on the minds of couples who may not have conceived within the first two to three months of trying. As more and more women are putting off their family-planning in an effort to launch their careers, there are also more women who are seeking the advice and care of reproductive specialists after they are unable to conceive for six months or more.

Obstetricians and reproductive specialists recommend that a couple younger than 30 try to conceive for 12 months before seeking the advice of their physician. Those couples over the age of 30 may try for six months before seeking the advice of their doctor. This is because although becoming pregnant seems natural and normal, it is actually a process that requires minute orchestration of hormone release in order to control the entire reproductive system.

Trouble with conception can result from a variety of reasons, some of which can be helped with some alternative medicine. The question of whether fertility supplements work or don\’t work is not a realistic question because of the variety of different reasons that women have trouble becoming pregnant. Trouble with conception can stem from structural abnormalities, abnormal hormone release, too little or too much fat in the body, poor egg quality or poor sperm quality as well as a host of other issues. It is unreasonable to expect that fertility supplements will be able to address all of these issues, but it is reasonable to expect that fertility supplements can address some of these issues.

Fertility supplements for the male are a little bit more straightforward. In one study men who took a combination of acetyl l-carnitine and l-carnitine showed increased sperm motility. (1) Another study using men who had low sperm counts and were given vitamin E. They had a higher rate of fertilization than those who took a placebo. (2) A few other studies have suggested that coenzyme Q10 and folic acid can also improve sperm count or motility.

Fertility supplements for women are a bit less encouraging. Women who have ovulation disorders may be able to use vitamin C to improve their fertility along with improving their diet, removing alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs from their system and including enough rest and exercise in their daily regimen.

According to standard Western medicine there is no current compelling evidence for herbal therapy or supplements as a treatment for infertility in women. And, because herbal and nutritional supplements are subject to limited regulation by the FDA, women are not always assured of the quality and quantity of the supplement in the bottle.

Women who are interested in using fertility supplements should use them separate from any conventional hormone or drug treatments for infertility. This is because those drug treatments are complex regimens and it is not known how herbal supplementation will interact with these treatments.

One such fertility supplement is FertilAid and is sold online having been developed by Dr. Grumebaum. This particular supplement is a combination of vitamins, antioxidants and herbal ingredients and has both the men\’s and women\’s formula to assist in improved sperm quality and quantity as well as ovulation and improved uterine environment.

However, as recommended, Dr. Grunebaum does not recommend that women who are currently taking any fertility prescription medication also use his product. As much as we like to believe that herbal supplementation is always safe and natural they are nothing more than chemicals being introduced into the body, much like any other medication we may take. The difference is that these herbal supplements have been harvested from plants directly and not manufactured through a chemical combinations in a test tube. However, because they are chemical combinations they can also interact with any other medication the woman or man is taking.

Fertility supplementation is a personal choice for a couple who may be struggling to conceive. It is often the first line of defense for couples who are less than 35 years invade each and have been trying to conceive for up to six or seven months.

(1) Fertility and Sterility: A placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial of the use of combined l-carnitine and l-acetyl-carnitine treatment in men with asthenozoospermia

(2) Journal of Andrology: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/