It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF

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Choline is an essential prenatal nutrient that supports the baby’s brain development. In that sense, Choline is similar to Folate. Furthermore, Choline is a part of a neurotransmitter that supports the functions of brain cells. The adequate intake for choline for women who are pregnant is 450 mg per day and 550 mg per day if breastfeeding. There are some studies that suggest an even higher amount of Choline may be beneficial. So if you’re struggling to conceive, timing sex right is only part of the picture. Taking steps to optimize egg quality is equally, if not more, crucial. One of the best options for sunscreen in UK. Not available in US. Active ingredients are isoamyl P-methoxycinnamate (excellent UVA-filter, 1 rating by EWG) and titanium dioxide. Think Dirty rate of 4/5 based on old formulation. Recommend for anyone trying to get pregnant and especially for women who are looking to have their eggs frozen and/or do IVF (or IUI) OR if you are female and having period issues or other physical issues or symptoms that are going undiagnosed.

However, women in their 40s do face particular challenges when it comes to reproductive health. Studies show that it becomes progressively harder for women to get pregnant after about age 35, and once pregnant, complications become more common with age. As high-achieving planners, many women who pursue a pregnancy in their 40s do everything they can to prepare for a healthy pregnancy. The BPA chapter in the 2019 edition is pretty good. I’m sure it was a lot crunchier and cringier in the first edition, but the edition I read gives practical tips for how to reduce your BPA exposure while also assuring you that BPA isn’t in every plastic, and that it’s impossible, and unnecessary, to stay away from BPA entirely. To me, even if BPA wasn’t bad for your fertility, replacing your plastic cups and Tupperware with glass is better for the environment anyway. It’s a win-win situation. It is important to know when and where you are more at risk for exposure to these harmful toxins from many everyday products. Being mindful of what you put in or near your body can help maintain proper reproduction health. Look for at least 6% zinc oxide AND at least 5% titanium dioxide, as a bare minimum, or around 20% zinc oxide.Right off the bat, Fett misleads her readers. She talks about how she was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) in her mid-20s, right before she underwent IVF. She claims she was told she would be “unlikely to conceive with her own eggs.” Determined to prove the medical community wrong, she ate really healthy, exercised a lot, and did a bunch of research on which supplements could improve her egg quality. And yay! She got 20 eggs at egg retrieval. (This is an average number, btw.) And she and her husband got 19 embryos. They “set a fertility clinic record” with their unusually high amount of embryos. We love the book It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett. In this article, we provide a summary of the book and some key takeaways. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the growth and development of babies. Additionally, Vitamin D works with Calcium to maintain and support the growth of bones and teeth, for both the mom and the baby. It is important to ensure you get enough Vitamin D to maintain your body's functions, especially when pregnant. What simultaneously disappoints me and excites me about the book is that I believe there could be many more chapters on this topic. There is a whole follow-up to this book, just waiting to be written. Based on the notion that boosting mitochondrial functioning leads to higher quality eggs, it appears to me that any other measures that could impact mitochondria could also affect egg quality. Various healthy lifestyle practices such as stress reduction, sleep, and exercise have been shown to have a positive impact on mitochondrial functioning and none of these are even mentioned in this book. In my mind, the list of possible pathways to influence egg quality could be quite extensive. CoQ10 can help boost mitochondrial functioning which helps eggs produce more energy and can result in better egg development and embryo growth.

Let’s talk about the book, and hear from an Ovaterra community member who shares her "It Starts with the Egg" success story. Rebecca Fett is a science writer, former attorney, and mom. At 26, she was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserves and told she had an incredibly low chance of conceiving with her own eggs. She put her molecular biotechnology and biochemistry degree to work to understand the science of egg quality and fertility, reading every clinical study that could possibly be relevant. That research laid the groundwork for her book, It Starts with the Egg, which provides an evidence-based approach to how to get pregnant with diminished ovarian reserve, improve and preserve fertility, and prevent miscarriage. Five important takeaways from It Starts with the Egg I went through the egg freezing process a while later, and although my ovarian reserve wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I was able to freeze enough eggs to give me a good chance of having my own kids down the road.

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CoQ10 is both an antioxidant and an energy booster for our cells. It’s most known for its role in the function of mitochondria, the batteries in our eggs. With aging, mitochondria can become damaged and CoQ10 levels decline. We tend to lose that “battery power,” which affects egg quality. Anyone who is trying to conceive could benefit from taking a CoQ10 supplement, but it’s especially helpful if you’re over the age of 30, have subfertility or a diminished egg reserve. What is CoQ10—and Why Do I Need It? → Reduce overall carbohydrate intake and increase overall protein intake, but do not do "low carb" ideally 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein strongly limit starchy vegetables (sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, winter squash) and potatoes, cereals, white rice, and corn should be avoided

When choosing a sunscreen, there is always a trade-off to be made. The active ingredients that are the least toxic are unfortunately not the most effective. Although the science behind DHEA and ovarian health still remains controversial, based on a review of scientific literature, Rebecca concludes that DHEA is “one of the most powerful tools we have” to support reproductive health for women after 40. Since DHEA is a hormone and have a potential for side effects in some women, Rebecca’s first recommendation is to have your DHEA-S and testosterone levels tested, then discuss adding DHEA to your preconception routine with your doctor if you are below the lower half of the normal range. (Here’s our explanation on why doctors test DHEA-S, not DHEA, when women take DHEA for reproductive health.) For instance, the chapters on BPAs, phthalates, and supplements were incredibly enlightening. However, I will literally never give up carbs, so I appreciated that she shared the science behind it, but frames the information in a way to empower the reader to choose what works for them, and not obsess over perfection. Men to take a daily antioxidant supplement or a multivitamin (good to have selenium and methylfolate in it) take it 2-3 months before trying to conceive. Co-q10 and omega 3s also good for repairing sperm damage.There are two forms of active ingredients in sunscreens: chemical and mineral. Chemical sunscreens include oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Mineral (also called physical) sunscreens are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It Starts with the Egg” was written by Rebecca Fett. Rebecca Fett is a best-selling author who shares essential information about prenatal supplements and fertility, especially for women 35 and above. She received her degree in molecular biochemistry from the University of Sydney, Australia. She has also received her law degree from Sydney Law School and NYU.