Fertility Supplements
How popping a pill or two may help your belly pop!
No doubt many a mom-to-be has fantasized about taking a magic pill that would ensure a speedy path to pregnancy. One pill a day for a month, and voila, conception achieved! Unfortunately, a magic pregnancy pill is still far from reality. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth taking any pills in your quest for conception. For one thing, prenatal vitamins usually come in pill form and everyone agrees that popping one daily can get your body ready for baby (and possibly even make it easier to conceive). And research shows that there are also some natural fertility supplements that may help give you an extra edge in your pregnancy efforts. If you’re interested in fertility supplements, be sure to talk to your practitioner before starting any of these:
Herbal Fertility Supplements
Many holistic practitioners (and happy parents) swear by the baby-making benefits of these herbal supplements:

Chaste tree berry is thought to stimulate luteinizing hormone (LH) production and to help balance progesterone and estrogen levels in order to regulate the menstrual cycle.

Red clover is also thought to help balance hormone function. Plus, it contains isoflavones (estrogen-like compounds), which may promote estrogen production and enhance fertility.

Siberian ginseng is believed to regulate hormones and support uterine function.

Lady’s mantle is thought to help regulate the menstrual cycle and tone the cervix.

Black cohosh is touted as improving hormone function due to its phytoestrogens (plant estrogens).

The caveats: The FDA doesn’t regulate herbal fertility supplements (let alone any herbal supplements), so it can be hard to know whether the herb you buy at the store is either effective or safe. There are some reputable brands of herbs on the market, and German products tend to be reliable because German regulations on herbal supplements are stricter than those in the US, but you should talk with your practitioner before you start popping any kind of fertility supplements. Also very important: Some herbal supplements can interfere with fertility and traditional fertility medicine (including the popular herbs St. John’s Wort and Echinacea), and many of them aren’t safe to take during pregnancy. So you’ll definitely want some expert advice before you go this route.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fertility Supplements
This nutritional supplement is quickly becoming widely accepted as good for overall health, and some research shows that it may even be helpful in regulating the menstrual cycle and boosting fertility. What’s more, omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to enhance mood, which may improve fertility (stress is a known fertility buster). Even more good news: Once you do get pregnant, omega-3 fatty acids may help decrease your chances of miscarriage and preterm labor, and help promote the development of your baby’s brain, eyes, and nervous system.

The caveats: There’s no established optimal dose for omega-3 fatty acids — especially in the preconception period, which means it may be tricky to figure out how much you really need to take. Many prenatal vitamins (the ones you should be popping already if you’re TTC since they contain essential nutrients like folic acid) contain omega-3 fatty acids, so you could already be getting a good amount. So talk with your practitioner to see if you should take extra omega-3s as fertility supplements or if you should simply add more omega-3-rich foods to your diet. The foods below are especially baby-making friendly:

Omega-3-rich foods:

•Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and herring
•Shrimp
•Scallops
•Flaxseed
•Walnuts
•Tofu
•Omega-3 enriched eggs, yogurt, milk, and pasta