Is it too late to improve your egg quality?

A few days ago, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts. Hosted by fertility doctors (aka Reproductive Endocrinologists), each episode discusses recent scientific publications relevant to the field of fertility. In this episode, the doctors discussed supplements and the average number of supplements an IVF patient takes alongside their fertility drugs. Usually, patients are taking these supplements to help improve their egg quality and improve their chances of a successful pregnancy.

Here’s what one of the doctors said (I’m paraphrasing):

“I tell my patients they are born with all of the eggs they will ever have, and those eggs are exposed to damage over their lifetime. Do you really think taking a few supplements for a few months will reverse thirty years of damage?” 🙈

So many clients I work with in my clinical practice have been told this by their doctors, so it was time to share my opinion.

I disagree with his statement, and here’s why: 

An egg goes through a four-month maturation process before ovulating that is incredibly energy and nutrient-intensive. For everything to happen optimally, it requires a whole host of vitamins, antioxidants, fatty acids, and more. The quality of the ovulating egg is greatly influenced by conditions during the months before ovulation, which means there is an opportunity to positively affect egg quality through diet, herbs, supplements, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, and movement.

Countless studies support this. 🤓

I do, however, understand where this statement is coming from. Statistically, the age of the ovulating person is the number one factor for IVF success. So age does matter. And a whole industry built around supplements often prey on people’s hopes and fears… and isn’t always rooted in science. You can support your egg quality during the three to four-month window that an egg is maturing. Can you turn back time and completely reverse all the aging and possible damage your eggs may have incurred? No, but you can certainly support your eggs in their final stages of maturation to give your egg its best chance.

Without help from a qualified practitioner, people may end up taking a long list of supplements and herbs that may not be indicated for their particular situation. I see this all the time with the people I work with. On average, my clients end up taking fewer supplements and herbs after working together than they were before… but the ones they take are more targeted and specific to them. 🙌

You can support your egg quality during the 3-4 month period when an egg matures. So the changes you make today will affect the egg that is ovulated approximately four months from now. 🥰

Ready to do more? Reach out! I would love to help. You can schedule a free 15-minute discovery call to see if we are a good fit to work together. ❤️