How To Select The Right Prenatal When You Are TTC

We’re digging into how to select the right prenatal as you prepare for your baby.

As we prepare for pregnancy success, a prenatal is an essential part of our fertility toolkit.

However, not all prenatal supplements are created equal in terms of quality, nutrients, and delivery systems.

There can be a lot of confusion, and buying a prenatal on Amazon is never a good idea.

Should your prenatal have folic acid or methylfolate?

Is iron really a good idea in a prenatal or can it lead to complications?

What about Vitamin A (we discuss the studies) and should your prenatal contain iodine?

So how do we know how to select the right prenatal?

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why it is so important to ensure your prenatal has methylated folate rather than folic acid. (Plus, what you need to know if you have the MTHFR gene variant. Hint 60-80% of the population has it.)
2. How much choline we need when we are TTC
3. The importance of vitamin A during pregnancy (i.e. we discuss testing and why a vegan/vegetarian diet may require supplementation)
4. Does your prenatal contain iodine? Many of us that consume a Western diet and are deficient in iodine (i.e. required for thyroid production, which is essential for pregnancy success)
5. Why we don’t want iron in our prenatal (i.e. supplementing iron in an iron-sufficient or iron-overloaded person can lead to pre-term delivery, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, inflammation, and oxidative stress)

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HIGHLIGHTS:

3:40 WELCOME KATY BRADBURY

4:45 HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS

• Not all prenatals are equal.
• Get Pregnant Naturally | Episode 391: Stop Wasting Time and Money Taking The Wrong Fertility Supplements
• Most of the popular brands of prenatals leave a lot to be desired

6:34 WHEN TO TAKE PRENATALS

• You should start taking prenatal vitamins at least three months before conception
• It’s what we do prior to conception that can have the biggest impact.

8:18 METHYLATED FOLATE VS. FOLIC ACID

• Why you need methylated folate in your prenatal supplement
• The difference between folic acid and methylated folate
• How MTHFR genetic variants can hinder the conversion of synthetic folic acid to methylated folate
• What it means to be homozygous or heterozygous when it comes to MTHFR genes

12:50 FORTIFICATION WITH FOLIC ACID

• What u need to know about fortified foods
• Most of us don’t include enough whole plant foods in our diet
• Folic acid is so widely available in the food world; all you have to do is eat real food
• If it has a health claim on it, run in the opposite direction.

14:41 CASE STUDIES ON FOLIC ACID

• Dr. Ben Lynch’s Book | Dirty Genes: A Breakthrough Program to Treat the Root Cause of Illness and Optimize Your Health
• Case study around folic and multiple failed IVFs
• Homocysteine is a potent marker for inflammation
• Inflammation is a driver for modern disease.
• The immense value that comes with a personalized approach
• It’s always worth getting your genes tested.

17:41 CHOLINE

• Choline is an essential nutrient for fetal development
• Eggs are the best dietary source of choline
• The genetic component of choline

23:37 B VITAMINS

• People are often depleted of B vitamins
• Many prenatals not only have low doses of B12 but also in less bioavailable forms
• How we approach dosing to avoid negative side effects
• Why we look for methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin, or hydroxocobalamin in vitamin B12 supplements
• The role of B6 in fertility and pregnancy
• B6 can be helpful to reduce nausea during early pregnancy.
• It’s really important to look at the B vitamins together because they act synergistically
• Vitamin B2 deficiency is quite common in the Western world
• Stress depletes our B vitamins
• So many menstrual cycle issues can be supported with B vitamins

30:42 VITAMIN A

• There’s a lot of fear around vitamin A and pregnancy.
• Vitamin A is an essential vitamin for fetal development
• Is it okay to eat organ meats?
• How much vitamin A and the best form to take during pregnancy

34:17 IODINE

• Iodine helps reduce the risk of stillbirth and premature birth
• Special considerations for people with autoimmune conditions
• Iodine is a particularly important nutrient for when you’re trying to conceive.
• Many people with Hashimot’s actually have low iodine levels.
• It’s important to monitor thyroid levels for those with Hashimoto's who are TTC

40:30 IRON

• Why we have ot be cautious when it comes to iron
• It’s always food-first when it comes to iron
• Risks associated with too much iron
• Why you need an individualized approach for iron supplementation
• Missed diagnoses due to iron testing

43:58 THE FAB FERTILE APPROACH

• The big difference when you’re looking at the underlying drivers of your symptoms

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Book your Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery call here with your partner

During our call, we’ll be discussing what you have tried so far and where you’ve faced challenges. This can feel stressful but is designed to help us get to the root cause of your fertility issues and will help me to give you the best possible action plan at the end of the call. However, to reassure you – on this call we won’t be digging into the trauma associated with infertility/miscarriage/loss – rather we are focused on solutions and an ACTION PLAN as to how our Fab Fertile Method can help you get pregnant naturally. 

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