By Sue Bedford (MSc Nutritional Therapy)

Egg quality over egg quantity is key in the over 35’s. As a woman ages, both egg quantity (the number of eggs a woman has available for fertilisation, also known as ovarian reserve) and egg quality (the eggs that are genetically normal) decrease. This decline begins to accelerate between the ages of 35 and 37, and then begins to decline dramatically after the age of 40.

A decrease in egg quality means that, while eggs are still available after the ages of 35 and 40, a higher percentage of them may be damaged. As a result, the chromosomes are defective and incapable of producing a normal pregnancy and a healthy baby.

This means that, despite having thousands of eggs, most women are no longer able to become pregnant naturally by their mid-40s.

Lifestyle and good nutrition are important

Consuming a healthy, nutrient-dense, colourful balanced diet (along with taking some key supplements) is crucial in producing and maintaining healthy eggs, to help conceive and raise a healthy baby. The increasing demands of a modern lifestyle can have a substantial impact on our nutritional health and fertility. Smoking, environmental toxins, poor gut health,  lack of sleep, alcohol, lack of exercise, dieting, and poor nutrition all can affect the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients necessary for optimal reproductive health. For as little as three months before trying to conceive, improving nutrition and lifestyle can make a considerable improvement to Egg Health. To fertility, following a Mediterranean-type diet, supplemented where necessary, is key to optimal nutrition pre-conception. When preparing for conception, nutrients are vital for optimising egg health and for establishing optimum conditions for conception and implantation. These nutrients play an important role in the development of the egg, womb and hormonal system. Each month, the reproductive and hormonal cycle develops an egg cell and prepares the womb (lining), and a range of other processes need to happen to create the right fertile balance. Without these nutrients, this delicate balance can be disrupted.

Can nutrition really make a difference?

Yes! Recent research has now linked improved nutrition to better fertility outcomes, such as improving egg and embryo quality as well as higher rates of implantation. A healthy, colourful balanced diet containing seafood, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can lead to better fertility outcomes in both men and women.

What are the key nutrients needed for healthy eggs?

The key important nutrients needed for healthy eggs include folate/folic acid: (ideally in the form of methyl-folate), antioxidants including co-q10, omega 3, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

Folate (Vitamin B9)

Folate is found naturally in many foods such as leafy greens, seafood, poultry, nuts, and seeds and is extremely important for foetal development. It is water soluble and so passes out of the body in the urine thus needs to be replaced daily.  Folate is important as it helps to prevent spina bifida in the developing foetus, and it works closely with vitamin B12 to manufacture DNA and RNA (genetic material). Vitamin B6 is also linked to improving fertility so it is important that your chosen fertility supplement contains the B vitamin complex in it.

Take folate in the form of Methylfolate wherever possible when choosing a supplement as it’s the already-converted, most active form of folate the body can use.  It is recommended to take at least 400mcg of folate while trying to conceive or while undergoing fertility treatment.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant that can aid with egg quality. Otherwise known as CoQ10, this supplement has been proven to increase the amount of eggs retrieved, and the quality of eggs and embryos, and in one study it was shown to increase the amount of positive pregnancy results for those undergoing IVF- ‘One small randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 76 women undergoing IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatment found that CoQ10 supplementation significantly increased the chance of getting pregnant compared to controls’. In this study, it was found that women receiving CoQ10 were nearly 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant after IVF than the control group. Some researchers say this is due to CoQ10’s ability to regenerate eggs’ mitochondrial function, which can be a major cause of declining egg quality. However, research is limited and further is required in this area.