In this episode, you’ll discover 5 things that you can do today that can help to improve your egg quality.
If you’re anything like me, you’re an impatient person and want things to happen like yesterday. I totally get it.
So I have put together 5 things that you can start doing today that can help to support your egg quality.
The great news is that some of these things won’t even cost you a cent to start implementing.
The first thing you can do to help boost your egg quality today is in regards to sleep.
Getting enough sleep and in a dark environment helps to promote the secretion of melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone that is released in response to darkness.
Melatonin is important for egg quality because it has some really powerful antioxidant properties.
These antioxidant properties can help to protect egg cells from free radical damage.
If your room isn’t very dark you may have to make a few adjustments.
For example, you may need to turn some electronics off at the powerpoint to avoid any glows.
Whatever you need to do to make your room nice and dark, do it. Your egg quality will thank you for it.
So tonight, try to go to bed at a reasonable hour and aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep in a dark environment to help boost your melatonin levels and support your egg quality.
The second thing that you can do today to help support your egg quality, is prioritise folate rich foods.
Folate plays an important role in egg and embryo development.
It’s needed for making new DNA and proteins and for the role it plays in detoxification.
There is research to show that women who take folate before IVF have been found to have higher-quality eggs.
Dietary sources of folate include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, peanuts, liver, sunflower seeds, lentils, beans and oranges.
Aim for at least 400 micrograms of dietary folate per day.
Some simple and easy ways you could try to include more folate today are…
- Adding spinach to your morning smoothie or egg scramble
- Drizzling an avocado dressing over your salad for lunch
- Adding in some legumes to your beef burrito mixture for dinner and…
- For a tasty snack, reaching for a juicy orange and a handful of peanuts
The third thing that you can do today is get a dose of vitamin D from the sun.
Research has demonstrated that optimal vitamin D levels can positively influence follicular fluid which is the fluid that surrounds the ovaries and eggs and provides nourishment to the immature eggs.
Vitamin D can also help to support fertilisation, implantation, lowering the risk of miscarriage and help to support IVF outcomes.
Vitamin D is primarily sourced from direct sunlight exposure.
Little disclaimer, it’s essential to balance sun exposure with the risk of sunburn and skin damage. I know you know how to be sunsmart. Be sure to apply sunscreen before you start to burn.
Research has shown that between the hours of 11am and 2pm, is the best time of the day to get a dose of Vitamin D from the sun.
This is because the sun is at the highest point and the body most efficiently converts vitamin D into its active form within the body.
This essentially means you need less time out in the sun to make sufficient vitamin D.
The fourth thing you can do to help boost your egg quality today is avoid drinking water from a plastic bottle.
Most plastic water bottles are made with BPA.
BPA is toxic to your developing eggs.
BPA can make its way into your bloodstream via your skin and via the food and drink you consume.
This endocrine disruptor can:
- Interfere with hormone production
- Interfere with chromosome processing in your developing eggs
- Interfere with fertilisation with sperm
- Impair uterine receptivity
- Result in fewer embryos (IVF)
- Decrease chances of getting pregnant
- Increase miscarriage risk
So one really simple and easy way that you can minimise your BPA exposure and help to boost your egg quality today is by ditching plastic water bottles and swapping them out for glass or stainless steel.
The fifth thing you can do today to boost your egg quality is ensure you are getting enough dietary protein.
Protein is essential for egg and embryo development. It acts as the structural building blocks of your eggs.
Protein can come from either animal or plant-based sources.
You want to be aiming for 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight daily.
There is some research that I want you to be aware of when it comes to sourcing your dietary protein.
A study published in 2011 that included over 18,000 women with a history of infertility who were followed as they attempted to get pregnant during an eight year period found that by replacing animal sources of protein with vegetable sources of protein, helped to reduce ovulatory infertility risk.
Ovulatory infertility is when ovulation fails to occur and it is one of the leading causes of infertility.
Thankfully this study found that fish and eggs were unrelated to ovulatory infertility as they are great sources of protein. PMID: 18226626
The takeaway from the research is that you don’t need to give up protein rich meat sources all together by rather try and include more plant based protein sources in your diet.
So there you have it, 5 simple and easy ways you can start boosting your egg quality today.