Natural Fertility and Zinc
photo credit: jaxzin
Zinc is actually one of the most studied nutrients when it comes to fertility. And the reasons behind that most likely stem from the fact that it is an essential component of genetic material. A deficiency in zinc therefore can cause chromosomal changes in either partner which in turn causes reduced fertility and greater risk of miscarriage.
What is Zinc?
Zinc is basically an essential mineral that your body uses in all sorts of ways, and is needed daily to replenish your bodies supplies. It’s so essential that it’s found in every cell of our body. It helps in the production of DNA, wound healing, and even helps your immune system to name just a few.
It also directly effects your fertility.
Zinc also helps in supporting our a balance of our blood sugar. When low or deficient in this mineral, our bodies insulin response slows and our blood sugar becomes harder to stabilize. (Very important for those of us with hormone balance issues!)
For women, zinc is important in helping your body utilize your reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. A deficiency can lead to hormone imbalance, abnormal ovarian development, and menstrual irregularity. When your body is low on zinc it also inhibits the metabolism of protein, which in turn lowers egg quality.
For a man, it can greatly impact the sperm count since zinc is found in high concentrations in the sperm. It is also needed to make the outer layer and the tail of the sperm.
Unfortunately zinc is not stored in the body well so you must keep up a constant consumption of it. The best ways to get zinc naturally are to eat plenty of:
- beef, venison, and poultry
- eggs
- whole grains
- whole fat dairy products
- seeds like sunflower and pumpkin
- molasses and maple syrup
The recommended daily allowance is only 11mg for men and 8mg for women. Though these amounts may be to low to help boost fertility and may only work well for those who already have an ample supply of zinc. For boosting fertility I’ve seen amounts anywhere from 25 mgs to 50 mgs per day. Although long term use above 40 mgs has also been shown to cause deficiencies in other minerals (like copper), so if you plan on taking large doses, I’d talk to your doctor or get tested to see if you have a deficiency first.
Making sure you eat a diet full of whole foods can go a long way in supplying your bodies needs for certain vitamins and minerals, but if you still can’t get enough you may want to think about taking a good supplement or multivitamin. Head to your local health food store for some help in that area!
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About donielle
Donielle is an amateur herbalist and natural momma to two littles (with another babe in heaven) after dealing with infertility. She has a passion for nourishing nutrition, natural living, and spreading the word on how food truly affects our health. Her blog Naturally Knocked Up focuses on fertility and reproductive health and her book on natural fertility will be available in June 2012. She also runs a local blog (Grand Rapids Natural Living) and is active the local community in order to provide the area with resources and information for natural families.
Do you take a prenatal vitamin???
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When TTCing and breastfeeding I do take a prenatal vitamin plus a B-complex vitamin since I don’t feel the normal prenatals have enough in them to do anything. It helps with my energy level and helps balance out my hormones a bit.
Now that I’m pregnant I still take a prenatal but am not as diligent with my B-complex. I don’t want to take to much of it at the moment, but I still get it in a few times a week. Plus I find that not only does it help with my energy level, it helps with nauseousness during the first trimester.
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