03.What about conception?
There are several micronutrient formulations for women and men trying to conceive.
For women, a folic acid supplement is recommended for one month prior to conception to reduce risks of neural tube defects. Megafol 0.5 is a 500mcg folic acid supplement that costs $2.99 for 100 tablets, or 3c a day. There is no need for any other special supplement at this stage, although if your diet isn’t as healthy and balanced as it should be, now is the time to start good habits to see you through pregnancy and family life.
For men, small studies with low numbers of live births suggest that antioxidants create healthier sperm, and men with low fertility have been found to have lower levels of antioxidants in semen than fertile men. So antioxidant supplements containing vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, carotenoids, ubiquinol, folate and zinc are promoted to men for increasing the chances of conception. There’s some evidence they can help, however, it’s based on only a few studies, and further work is recommended to confirm these findings.
Humans produce their own antioxidants and also get some from plant foods, especially fruit and vegetables. As well as diet, excessive exercise, alcohol, smoking, drugs, stress and environmental pollution can contribute to poor sperm health, so this might be the time to spring clean your lifestyle!
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