Fertility, Acupuncture and How to Improve Egg Quality
Most fertility patients are concerned about the quality and quantity of their eggs.
As egg quality declines, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant and stay pregnant. Fewer eggs can lower the success rates of fertility treatments such as IVF (in vitro fertilization). Fortunately, there are many things you can do to improve both the quality and quantity of your eggs at any age, including:
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has many benefits for healthy eggs:
- Improves blood flow to the ovaries
- Promotes healthy eggs
- Improves egg quality
- Increases egg quantity
- Reduces stress
Acupuncture has been used for boosting fertility for over 3000 years.
The most important thing acupuncture does is improve your blood circulation, bringing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your body’s organs and tissues. Research has shown that acupuncture successfully increases the blood flow around the ovaries, which improves their ability to support healthy eggs, improving both the quality and quantity of eggs.
Acupuncture is also excellent for relieving stress. In addition, you will get expert advice from your acupuncturist on how to best support your egg health with good nutrition, along with coaching on how to stay on track with your plan.
Supplements to Improve Egg Quality
In addition to acupuncture, there are supplements that have been shown to improve both the quality and quantity of eggs.
These include:
- CoQ10, 600 mg daily
- Vitamin D, 5000 iu daily
- Inositol, 3 grams daily
- Resveratrol, 600 mg daily
- Acai Berry, 2500 mg daily
Please visit our protocol page here to learn more about our recommend supplements.
Diet to Improve Egg Quality
The two most common ways that diet damages eggs are blood sugar issues and inflammatory foods. Both factors disrupt one’s hormonal balance and interfere with the development of healthy eggs.
Blood sugars – maintaining normal blood sugars is straightforward if you follow a diet that focuses on a few simple guidelines:
- High protein
- Low carb
- No sugary or processed foods
Inflammatory foods – what are these, and why are they an issue?
Some foods will trigger inflammation, which is like a fire inside the body. The body uses a hormone called cortisol to put out the fire. High levels of cortisol will suppress the development of healthy eggs. The two most common inflammatory foods are gluten and dairy, and they can trigger inflammation even when you do not have a specific allergy to them.
Eating these foods can make it harder to produce a healthy, high quality egg.
So, what do I eat?
The best all-around diet that supports both healthy blood sugars and limits inflammation is a Paleo diet. Paleo is a whole foods approach that offers a lot of options yet avoids the foods that tend to work against egg quality such as gluten, dairy, and sugar. There are many great resources available if you are new to a paleo diet, including the Whole30, which has books, a website, and lots of recipes available online.
How long does it take to improve egg quality?
Eggs take 3 – 4 months to mature, but even a month of getting acupuncture, taking supplements and eating a healthy diet can improve egg quality, especially when you are preparing for an IVF cycle. Of course, the more time you have, the more your eggs will benefit.
Summary
You deserve a clinician who will take the time to listen, understand your individual needs, and support you during your fertility journey. Someone who has experience. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to work with our clinic, you can book here: https://theoldershawclinic.janeapp.com/
Leslie Oldershaw, L.Ac.
Medical director
Fertility Acupuncturist East Bay
www.TheOldershawClinic.com
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