Women's Health Vitamins: Part 2

Hey! As promised, here is more info about the best kinds of vitamins to take to help your body be healthy and balanced.

Today’s focus is on vitamins/supplements I’ve found to help with PCOS and infertility. I’ll write more posts about other women’s health issues, Endometriosis, Thyroid problems, low estrogen, hair loss, hirsutism, male infertility, general infertility, etc., in the future :)

Disclaimer: what I've found to work for me may not work with your body and symptoms. It's essential to research what works for your specific body and interact poorly with any current meds or vitamins you are taking.

Prenatal DHA, 830 mg Omega-3 + 400 IU Vitamin D-3: Omega-3 fish oil is beneficial, even if you’re not pregnant, since it helps lower blood pressure, reduces triglycerides, slows the development of plaque in the arteries, reduces the chance of abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack and stroke. It can also help prevent pre-term labor and delivery during pregnancy, lower the risk of preeclampsia, increase birth weight, and help with postpartum mood disorders. It is crucial to start taking it before you get pregnant, so your body is ready and prepared with the right vitamins for early pregnancy and beyond.

Side effects can include: a fishy taste in your mouth, fishy breath, stomach upset, loose stools, and nausea.

As a regular adult, it is recommended to take a minimum of 250-500 mg of combined EPA and DHA Omega-3 a day. If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, the recommended dosage is 830 mg of Omega-3 per day. The kind I take also happens to have 400IU of Vitamin D-3, which is fantastic since you need a lot of Vitamin D-3 in your life.

Vitamin D-3 2,000 IU: Speaking of which, Vitamin D-3 is essential for your body since it helps you absorb calcium and phosphorous to build and keep strong bones. It also helps with ovarian follicular development and luteinization through AMH signaling, progesterone production, egg quality, menstrual regularity, anovulation, cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance. It can also help with energy levels, and depression and reduce excess testosterone levels and blood pressure in PCOS women. Vitamin D-3 can also help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, preterm labor, pregnancy-related high blood pressure, or preeclampsia. 

Side effects of too much Vitamin D-3 can include: elevated blood levels, elevated blood calcium levels, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation or diarrhea, bone loss, or kidney failure. However, it is tough to overdose on Vitamin D-3, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

The daily recommended dose of Vitamin D is 600 IU, but if you have PCOS or are trying to get pregnant, anywhere from 1,000 - 4,000 IU is recommended. Vitamin D-3 is one of those essential vitamins you’ll want to be sure to add to your daily vitamin regime since it is so versatile and has so many health benefits. No matter your health goals, we all could use more Vitamin D-3 in our life. :)  

CoQ10 200 mg: CoQ10 helps lower blood pressure, supports heart health, cellular energy production, fertility, healthy egg quality, help with energy levels and exercise performance, improve sperm quality for males, help with vitamin B-6 deficiency, improve healthy skin, reduce headaches, help with insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels, and potentially even help with mitochondria and reduce the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Side effects can include: upper abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, insomnia, rashes, dizziness, light sensitivity, irritability.

I’ve been taking this for over a year now and haven’t had any side effects. My husband and I are actually both taking this vitamin for different reasons, and it has helped us both. 

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 1,000 mg: N-Acetyl Cysteine is essential for antioxidant production, immune health, and fighting cellular damage, diminishes kidney and liver damage, helps with depression, respiratory conditions, and boosts brain health. It also helps PCOS by reducing insulin resistance, lowering high testosterone levels, improving fertility, regulating your period, spontaneous ovulation, restoring hormone balance, and fights inflammation.

Side effects can include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, but only when you take it in high doses.

I’ve only been taking it for a few months and haven’t seen any visible results, but it can several months to see results.

L-Carnitine, 1,000 mg: L-Carnitine helps improve glucose tolerance, insulin function, and sensitivity, fatty acid metabolism, feeling more energetic, help alleviate aging and disease on the mitochondria, improve exercise tolerance, overactive thyroid, increase ovulation, infertility issues, hair growth, kidney issues, and prevent gestational diabetes. It also helps the body to produce energy and improve blood sugar levels, brain function, heart and brain function, and muscle movements. 

Side effects can include: nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and diarrhea. Taking it during pregnancy can help with gestational diabetes, and is most likely safe while breastfeeding. Be careful if you are currently taking any thyroid hormone since it can interact weirdly. Do your research to see if it will work with your kind of thyroid problems.

I’ve only started taking this supplement for the past few weeks, but have already seen a difference in energy levels and hair getting slightly thicker. We’ll see over time if it helps increase ovulation and improves insulin resistance.

Myo-Inositol & D-Chiro Inositol, 40:1 ratio, (2,000 mg of Myo-Inositol and 50 mg D-Chiro Inositol): There are several types of inositol, but our fertility specialist recommended a combination of Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro Inositol with a 40:1 ratio as the ideal amount your body needs. Myo-Inositol is a member of the vitamin B8 family and helps promote female fertility through improving hormonal balance, healthy ovulation and ovarian function, regular menstruation, and pregnancy rates. D-Chiro Inositol is a chemical signal chain that tells your body how to dispose of sugar. So D-Chiro Inositol helps improve insulin sensitivity, heart health, reduces anxiety and depression, improves healthy moods, gestational diabetes, and metabolic health. So, you can see why a combination of Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro Inositol can be so beneficial for PCOS since it helps with both hormonal balance and insulin resistance.

Side effects can include: stomach pains, upset stomach, and flatulence. 

I get nauseous when I take it, but once I get some food in me, it usually goes away. Inositol is another supplement that was specifically recommended by our fertility specialist, as a potential natural substitute for metformin, minus the nasty side effects, to help with insulin resistance, as well as promote ovulation.

Prenatal Vitamin: If you are pregnant or currently trying, you should start taking a prenatal to prepare your body and make sure you are healthy and have the right amount of nutrients in your body to grow a new little one. It can also be beneficial to take a multivitamin instead of a prenatal if you’re not trying for kids yet but want your body to be healthy and have all the vitamins it needs. There are a million different prenatal vitamins out there, but the one that I found works best with the closest amount of correct vitamins and without costing a fortune, is the Nature Made Prenatal Multi. It contains 770 mcg of Vitamin A, 85 mg of Vitamin C, 25 mcg of Vitamin D3, 15 mg of Vitamin E, 90 mcg of Vitamin K, 1.4 mg of Thiamin, 1.4 mg of Riboflavin, 18 mg of Niacin, 1.9 mg of Vitamin B6, 1,330 mcg of Folate (with 800 mcg of it being Folic Acid), 5.2 mcg of Vitamin B12, 30 mcg of Biotin, 6 mg of Pantothenic Acid (d-Calcium Pantothenate), 250 mg of Calcium, 27 mg of Iron, 150 mcg of Iodine, 45 mg of Magnesium, and 11 mg of Zinc.

Side effects can include: Nausea if taken without food.

Hopefully, you can benefit from taking these vitamins as well, and be on your way to having more balanced hormones, and feeling healthier and happier!

What vitamins have YOU found to work and help you be healthy? :)

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