A Buyer’s Guide for Supplements, Nutritional products, and Detox

Proper nutrition and supplementation is paramount in treating fertility challenges. It helps to maintain proper hormone function, maintain energy levels, and get the body into its happy homeostatic state. Listed are Amazon links to products we likely talked about in your consult, and are high quality products I recommend to patients. Note – these are Amazon Affiliate links, where I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, for recommending products from their site.

Prenatals

  • Thorne Prenatal – My favorite pharmaceutical grade prenatal – it’s the best quality prenatal that I’ve found for the price. Contains the highest quality, nonGMO ingredients, no artificial fillers, and folate as L-5-Methylfolate. Serving size 3 pills/day.

Men’s Multivitamin

  • Thorne Basic Nutrients – My favorite pharmaceutical grade men’s multi. Great levels of antioxidants – Vitamins C & E, zinc and selenium

Vitamin D

  • Thorne Vitamin D 5000IU – We are all deficient! If you haven’t had a VitD lab drawn, I highly recommend it (see Patient Resources page to order your own labs online). Minimum Vitamin D levels are 30 ng/mL, but optimally we should see levels above 60ng/mL for fertility. This is equally as important as your prenatal!

CoQ10 as Ubiquinol

  • Jarrow Ubiquinol – The most absorbable form of CoQ10 is Ubiquinol. Jarrow’s formula uses Kaneka QH®, the leaders in developing a stable supplement grade Ubiquinol. AND they make a 200mg dose. Most fertility specialists recommend 400-600mg/day, so a 200mg dose reduces the amount of pills you’re taking per day. This is good for both egg and sperm health!

Fish Oil (DHA + EPA)

  • Thorne Omega Plus – Fish oil is the acupuncture of supplements for its circulation properties. Important for fetal brain development, and important for sperm health, this can be a life long supplement. Thorne is my go-to brand. Serving size 2 pills. A note about fish oil/prenatal combos – these are not advised, as the metals in the prenatal can cause the fish oil to go rancid. Also they tend to be DHA only, when we really need the EPA Omega 3 fatty acid as well. It is advised to take your fish oil in a separate pill than your prenatal.

Magnesium

  • Magnesium Oil Spray – There are some estimates that 2 out of 3 people are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium chloride is best absorbed transdermally, or through the skin. The benefits of magnesium chloride supplementation include sleep support, cramping and muscle tension relief, headache relief, and blood sugar balance. This should be sprayed either at the bottom of the feet or on the thighs before bed.
  • Thorne Magnesium Citrate – For bowel movement support, Thorne’s magnesium is great. A note about magnesium – there are multiple different forms of mag. This has Mag Citrate, which is in the promote bowel movements category, and Mag Malate, which is good for muscle soreness and metabolism
  • Thorne Cal/Mag Citrate Powder – If you want the added benefit of calcium + magnesium, a powder form that you mix in water is a great way to get both extra calcium and magnesium

Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes

  • Klaire Labs Probiotic –  This is the probiotic that I take most consistantly. It was recommended to me years ago by a nutritionist who was adamant about her patients’ gut health.
    • Only available on my online pharmacy – do not order this from Amazon online unless it’s guaranteed to be shipped in cold packs
  • Thorne Probiotic – This is a great shelf stable (not refridgerated) probiotic option that is safe to order from Amazon
  • Thorne Digestive Enzymes – These are permanant fixtures in my medicine cabinet for when I eat rich or fried foods. These are much better for you than an acid reducer because it actually helps you break down your food. Take these every time you eat foods that typically don’t agree with you. If you consistantly have undigested food in your stool, you should take these with every meal.

 

Iron

  • Floradix – a non constipating liquid iron formula with a lot of good blood building ingredients and B vitamins. Recommended for those with low energy, who bruise easily, or those with heavy periods.

Inositol for PCOS

  • Ovasitol by Theralogix – I recommend Inositols for women with PCOS because they help mediate the insulin response that causes anovulation and excess androgens in the ovaries. A combination Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro Inositol at a 40:1 ratio is what occurs naturally in the body. Ovasitol comes in powdered form with this ratio – all you need to do is dissolve the packet in water. It only comes in a 90 day supply.

Castor Oil

  • Castor Oil – I often recommend castor oil packs for patients with clotty, painful periods, endometriosis, PCOS, constipation, or lining issues with IVF. Read more about how to do castor packs here. It’s also great for your eyelashes, scalp health, and hair growth! Available in a 16oz bottle or 3oz roll on

L-Carnitine for Sperm Health and Egg Health

  • Thorne Carnityl – an antioxidant function as a sperm protector, and because it’s secreted in the testes and epididymis, it plays a key role in maturation and motility. 1000mg/day, serving size 2 pills. This goes in the kitchen sink category for egg health. It shuttles nutrients into the cells, and there has been good research on embryo quality when undergoing IVF

    N Acetyl Cysteine

    • Thorne NAC – There has been a lot of buzz with NAC and its fertility benefits for both eggs and sperm. It is the precursor to the master antioxidant, glutathione, so it’s cellular protective and anti-aging. Research shows that it’s good for blood sugar regulation for women with PCOS, so this would be in addition to your Ovasitol. 1000mg/day, serving size 2 pills