8 Vital Vitamins You Should Take While Conceiving
Are you thinking about starting a family? Are you not sure what all vitamins and minerals could help you in conceiving? Do you know that even before planning for a baby, you can start taking vitamins to ensure a healthy baby?
If your answer is yes, then you have come to the right place. This post will help you understand the importance of vitamins & what essential vitamins to take when trying to conceive. So are you with us? Then let’s get started.
What Are Vitamins?
Vitamins are organic amalgams that are required by all living organisms to maintain their healthy state. But vitamin supplements should be taken only after consulting a doctor. Although, many food items that we eat on a daily basis also provide us with vitamins, at times the quantity is not sufficient or due to some health issue you might need vitamin supplements. [1]
What Vitamins To Take When Trying To Conceive?
Many doctors suggest that planning for pregnancy should begin even before you guys decide on conceiving, that ensures a healthy baby and a good health for you as well. If your body is fit and healthy, even conception will happen soon, and you would have easy days during your pregnancy. One of the best methods to kick start planning is vitamins supplements. However no supplements should be taken without consulting your doctor, but if you know beforehand about the vitamins you could be prepared during the appointment and clear all your queries. Here is the list of vitamins vitamins to help get pregnant that you can try. [2]:
1. Folic Acid:
Folic acid, which is an essential vitamin once you are pregnant, could also help you in conceiving quickly. Studies have shown that women who took folic acid had a greater chance of conceiving then women who were not taking folic acid.
During pregnancy also folic acid helps in preventing birth defects that may erupt within first few weeks of new life. Some of the good sources of folic acid are – black beans, spinach, garbanzo beans, liver, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, and asparagus. So make sure to include a daily dose of folic acid in your diet for faster conception [3].
2. Vitamin C:
Vitamin C is important for men as well as women as it increases fertility and improves hormone levels in women. At the same time, vitamin C has shown results that it increases sperm count and receptivity in men. Further studies have shown that vitamin C also protects the sperm from DNA injuries, reducing the probability of chromosomal disorders in babies and prevention against miscarriages. Vitamin C also improves motility in men, meaning providing necessary movement to the sperm and allowing it to travel the path to meet the egg for fertilization. You can find Vitamin C in many plants and fruits like citrus fruits, broccoli, cabbage, cranberries, potatoes, tomatoes and red peppers [4].
3. Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is another vital nutrient helpful for both men and women. For men, it helps in protecting the sperm and DNA veracity as its an antioxidant by nature. For women, it helps in regulating her ovulation cycle. As once the cycle is regular, you would know the best time to plan an intercourse, and that defines a better chance of conceiving. Food sources that are rich in Vitamin E are Sunflower seeds, spinach, almonds, papaya, olives, and dark leafy greens.
[ Read: Vitamin E Rich Foods During Pregnancy ]
4. Zinc:
Zinc is another crucial nutrient required by both male and female to improve the chances of conception. Zinc helps in the division of cells properly. If you [, read it as a women] are deficient in zinc your estrogen and progesterone counts can reduce drastically affecting your reproductive system functioning. And low levels of zinc, during early days of pregnancy have resulted in the abrupt abortion of the fetus.
For men, a healthy level of zinc indicates a good sperm count and adequate testosterone levels, also giving enough room to the point that the sperm will be able to fertilize the egg.
Food sources that are rich in zinc are – yogurt, green peas, oysters, venison, turkey, shrimp, sesame seeds, beef and pumpkin seeds. Also note that, zinc in the food items could get destroyed if heated, hence try to eat it in raw form.
5. Vitamin B6:
Vitamin B6 is one of the vital vitamins to take while trying to conceive. Vitamin B6 helps in regulating the ovulation cycle in women. It helps in lowering the amount of Prolactin in our body, which hinders or disrupts and make the ovulation cycle irregular. A daily dose of 100 mg is good enough o reduce the Prolactin quantity in our body. Vitamin B6 is also named as hormone regulator as it aids in regulating your sugar levels, quite useful in relieving from morning sickness and alleviates PMS. Food that are a rich source of vitamin B6 is spinach, turnip greens, bell pepper, garlic, mustard greens, asparagus. Also, some other sources are broccoli, mustard greens, chard, tuna, kale, cod, liver, Brussels sprouts, and celery.
6. Selenium:
A nutrient beneficial for men is a must to in your diet chart. Selenium is known to be an antioxidant that improves the sperm number and its health. It aids in protecting the eggs and sperm from free radicals. These radicals could cause chromosomal disorder and may also lead to birth defects and miscarriages. Studies have shown that a men who is low in selenium would also be low in sperm count. Food sources that are rich in Selenium are shrimps, mushrooms, liver, cod, tuna, salmon, snapper, and turkey.
7. Iron:
Iron is an important nutrient which prevents you from being anemic, which may in a way affect your ovulation cycle and make them irregular. It may cause poor egg health reducing the chances of you conceiving successfully. However, before taking any iron supplements its best to consult your doctor. Also note that iron supplements can lead to constipation, hence make sure to have enough water while you are on iron supplements. Food sources that are rich in iron are tofu, spinach, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds, and lentils.
8. Essential Fatty Acids:
Omega -3 acids also act as hormone regulators and aids in fertility by promoting ovulation and improving the quality of uterus by enhancing the blood flow to the reproductive organs. They constitute of two good acids DHA and EPA; both helps is fighting against depression and mental illness. Also, a body deficient in DHA could constitute to low birth weight and the premature birth of a baby. Food sources rich in fatty acids are walnuts, shrimp, chia seeds, sardines, flax seeds and snapper.
A healthy diet with proper workout would go a long way in keeping you healthy and avoid any complication during pregnancy days. But make sure to consult your doctor before starting any supplements and adhere to recommended dose.
Hope you like our post on best prenatal vitamins before pregnancy. Would you like to share your story of conceiving with us? Feel free to share your views in the comments section below.
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