NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR FERTILITY: ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Posted in Women's Health on April 23rd, 2009

The Department of Health recommends that we should all double our intake of Omega 3 oils by eating oily fish two to three times a week. This advice is based on the fact that, as their name implies, these oils are absolutely essential to good health.

Essential fats have a profound effect on every system of the body, including the reproductive system, and they are crucial for healthy hormone functioning. From these essential fatty acids you produce beneficial prostaglandins which have hormone-like functions. Endometriosis, which is a common problem that stops some women conceiving, involves an excess of some negative prostaglandins which can be controlled by adding in Omega 3 fatty acids from fish or linseed oil capsules. It is thought that fibroids (another condition that can affect fertility), also responds well to supplementing with these Omega 3 fatty acids.

For men essential fatty acid supplementation is crucial because the semen is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from these fats. When scientists have compared sperm samples from men with a good semen analysis, to those with problems such as abnormal sperm, poor motility or a low count, the semen in the poor samples lacks adequate levels of these beneficial prostaglandins.

More and more research suggests that it is vital to supplement these fatty acids and not just rely on your dietary intake. Both you and your partner should start supplementing essential fatty acids three to four months before conception.

Because fish oil helps prevent blood from clotting inappropriately, supplementing with fish oil capsules can be beneficial to women who have recurrent miscarriages especially where the diagnosis has been linked to a clotting problem. So important are these essential fats that scientists have also looked at their role in pregnancy. They have found that they are crucial for brain, eyes and central nervous system development in the growing baby.

They are also believed to prevent low birth weight and decrease the likelihood of a premature birth with all its inherent risks, including cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, etc.

As these essential fatty acids are so vital, it is advisable to supplement them in your diet in their most readily absorbable form. You can get GLA (Omega 6) from evening primrose, borage, blackcurrant or starflower. Whichever supplement you choose, read the GLA content on the back of the container and aim for a supplement that gives you at least 150mg of GLA per day. With EPA (Omega 3), aim for a supplement that will give you at least 300mg per day.

If you are vegetarian or prefer not to take fish oil, the other way to get Omega 3 fatty acids is by taking linseed oil capsules. Linseed oil contains both Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.

You should take l000 mg linseed oil or 150mg GLA and 300mg EPA a day.

Your partner should take 1 000 mg linseed oil or 150mg GLA and 300mg EPA a day.

Warning

Don’t supplement with cod liver oil capsules. In the sea, fish can accumulate toxins and mercury, which pass through the liver, the organ of detoxification. Oil taken from the liver is therefore likely to give higher quantities of these toxins than oil taken from the body of the fish. Buy fish oil capsules from companies, like BioCare, that regularly check their fish oil supplements for contamination.

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