prenatal supplements / preparation for possible IVF

[Daiseh]

Hello everyone

Hoping you are all well

We have been ttc for well over a year now and discovered a few days ago that OH has pretty much no sperm count He had surgery for an undescended testicle as a child and apparently this can cause blockages/problems etc later in life, which we weren't aware of until this week. It's a been a rollercoaster of emotions this week!

We are waiting for more tests to work out exactly what is going on and what our options are.

However, whilst I am waiting I thought I would try to get myself as healthy as possible, in the hope that ICIS IVF is an option for us (natural conception is looking unlikely). I am 36 and want to get moving as soon as possible as tick, tock, the clock is ticking for me.

I have been taking AC for about 3 months as thought the issue was me and pregnacare (preconception) and wondering how others feel about this supplement? Or are there any others that you might recommend instead?

I am also thinking of trying Maca root and Royal Jelly for me and OH and wondering if anyone has any thoughts on these? I read Maca can help with hormones and royal Jelly with egg health, which with being over 35 is something I am worried about.

I would be interested and grateful to hear from anyone who have tried the above or if you would like to share other supplements that you could recommend.

And if you have been or are in this situation, i'm wondering what you are doing? Please get in touch if you are - might be helpful to share these difficult times!

Thank you

A rather desperate feeling Daisy x

 

[Charlotte9]

Hi. Sorry to hear your oh has low sperm count. You only need one to get PG. To improve his sperm he needs to take high dose of zinc and also folic acid.

Royal jelly is nice but bee pollen is better for fertility and eggs.

I take: vitamin C,D,B complex, zinc,, garlic, bee pollen large 2 table spoons a day.

I havent tried ac or maca. Ac is good if your cycle is irregular.

Feet massage is really good for fertility.

All the best x

 

[Daiseh]

Thanks, Charlotte9 I am rooting for that 'one'!

I hadn't heard of Bee Pollen so thanks for that - i will investigate.

Although my cycle is regular i was told when I was 14 that I 'might' have PCOS so I tried AC as recommended by my cousin who also has PCOS - and to be honest I no longer have horrific PMT (i am usually a nightmare ). So I am sticking with it for a bit haha.

I have been looking at reflexology (is that what you mean by massage?) - and trying to decide whether I should add another expense.

Take care x

 

[Charlotte9]

Reflexology is very nice. I bought deep tissue massager for my feet. I use it for 15 min a day.

xxxxx

 

[snowbee]

Hello and welcome

Do you have your oh on a male conception vitamin? I've heard that they can help out with sperm issues and our clinic really rate taking them. My oh also had the same op as yours, he was much older than was recommended but luckily his samples haven't been too bad and our issues are with me.

There is an IVF thread in the long term section, you might want to have a look there as there is lots of advice on supplements etc.

I've taken pregnacare and had no issues with it, I am on Seven Seas version at the moment (and have been for a few years now) as they are cheaper. Some ladies find some of the vitamins disagree with them so as long as you find one that is right for you that is great.

 

[Syd43]

Hi Daiseh, I'm in my 40s and ttc my first. I've done a lot of research on vitamins etc and one that is recommended for egg health is ubiquinol, this is the more easily absorbed version of coq10. Might be worth you having a look. Best of luck.

 

[lisey]

Hiya,

If your OH isn't on the wellman conception vits then I hightly recommend them, helped my OHs results loads.
I take AC (think its great) and have started maca this cycle, so can't comment on that just yet. Something else thats worth looking into is coq10, its supposed to prevent the aging of eggs. Fertility wise you need a high dose though, around 600mg. I am also taking turmeric capsules as is a good antioxidant and prevents free radicals etc. I take the pregnacare conception and have never had any issues with them. Lots of luck, it can still happen, only one of those little fellas need to get to the egg xx

 

[Daiseh]

Thank you Snowbee. Yes OH is about to start taking Fertilsan M and we are just trying finalise a list of further supplements which is getting rather pricey! I will definitely take a look at the IVF thread so thank you for suggesting that.

 

[Daiseh]

Hi Daiseh, I'm in my 40s and ttc my first. I've done a lot of research on vitamins etc and one that is recommended for egg health is ubiquinol, this is the more easily absorbed version of coq10. Might be worth you having a look. Best of luck.

Thank you Syd43 - I had not heard of ubiuinol - we will look into it! How much do you take a day?

 

[Daiseh]

Hiya,

If your OH isn't on the wellman conception vits then I hightly recommend them, helped my OHs results loads.
I take AC (think its great) and have started maca this cycle, so can't comment on that just yet. Something else thats worth looking into is coq10, its supposed to prevent the aging of eggs. Fertility wise you need a high dose though, around 600mg. I am also taking turmeric capsules as is a good antioxidant and prevents free radicals etc. I take the pregnacare conception and have never had any issues with them. Lots of luck, it can still happen, only one of those little fellas need to get to the egg xx

Thank you Lisey. He is definitely starting some Fertilsan M - he has the Wellmans but Fertilsan M seems to have higher concentrations I think (I am getting so confused now!). Could I ask what your OH's results were before and after?

And yes CoQ10 is definitely on our list now, although Syd43's suggestion of Ubiqinol is now rattling around my brain too.

I hadn't considered Tumeric so will look into that too.

Good luck with the Maca root and would love to hear how you get on xx

 

[Syd43]

There's so much information out there on dosage it's hard to know what to do. I'm on 300mg a day at the moment and will probably reduce that to 200mg once I've been on it a month. I read an article that said you need a higher dose to start with. Everything I've read says you need less ubiquinol than coq10 as it's absorbed more easily. I would have a good Google and see what you think. I'm currently doing some research on Royal jelly and bee pollen - supposed to be excellent for men and women. This is how I now spend my Sunday evenings, researching fertility supplements...

 

[lisey]

I will let you know how I get on with the maca. I have had more ewcm, I don't know if thats why.
I can't remember my OH's exact numbers but on his first test the motility was low (16%, I think). Everything else was ok, started vits, a month or so later had another SA, motility had gone to borderline (40%) so some improvement and then a few months later had another SA and rapid motility had gone up to 80-90% so amazing results. Everything else did improve too, big increase in numbers overall.
Its true that you don't need as much ubiquinol as coq10, it is more expensive to start with though and I have read that there isn't a huge amount of evidence to prove it is more easily absorbed than the regular coq10. There are always conflicting things online though of course xx