Aug 10, 2020

These blog posts titled “What a BFF (Best Fertility Friend) Would Say” are a hodge-podge of random tips to give you strength and assurance as you try to get pregnant.  I hope they help!

With appreciation for inviting me on your journey,

Julie

Are you satisfied?

Find satisfaction along your fertility journey for that’s when you have the best chance of success.

That means do the IVF when it feels like the next logical step, NOT from desperation as a last ditch effort.  Desperation only yields more frustration rather the outcome you seek

Do this one thing today

The foundation to the family you want is your relationship with your partner.  On your fertility journey, make sure that bond is continually nurtured.

What is one small thing you can do today to show how much you appreciate your partner?

Here are some ideas:

• Leave a love note in his lunch box.
• Text a picture of sexy lingerie suggesting what the weekend will bring. 😉
• Surprise him with a real kiss (not just a peck on the lips) when he leaves for work.
• Greet him with his favorite drink when returning from work.

If you’re single, having a strong community of family and friends is vital for your success.

How CoQ10 improves egg quality

One of the reasons why egg quality declines as you get older is because your DNA gets more damaged.  And that’s just a natural byproduct of being on the planet longer.  The longer you live, the more damaged your cells become.  And you see that with your skin cells as they show more sun damage over time. 

There’s another important reason why your eggs lose function.  And that’s due to the mitochondria.  Mitochondria are the power plants of the cells, including eggs and sperm. They provide energy by converting food into ATP which fuels the cell’s activities.

As we age, the mitochondria become less efficient, and fewer new, healthy ones are made. Eggs have about 200 times more mitochondria than any other cell. Egg maturation, fertilization, implantation, and development of the baby require a tremendous amount of energy.

Studies show that the mitochondria of older eggs produce significantly less ATP. In fact, young egg cells have about 75% more ATP than egg cells from older women. This has a significant impact on fertility as the rate of division and successful implantation of embryos has more to do with how much energy the egg has than with your actual chronological age which is great news because even though you can’t change the fact that you’re getting older, you CAN help your eggs make more energy to compensate. 

Within the mitochondria, 95% of all cellular energy production depends on the nutrient CoQ10. As an extra bonus, CoQ10 is an antioxidant which means that it protects the eggs from damage caused by toxins. Deficiency of CoQ10 is thought to contribute to the accelerated egg loss and lower pregnancy outcomes seen with aging.

However, studies show that supplementing with CoQ10 can be helpful when trying to get pregnant. Since CoQ10 is fat-soluble, taking it with fatty food helps with the absorption.

Also, take it in the form of ubiquinol which is the better absorbed form of CoQ10. If the label says CoQ10 without specifying which form it is, then it’s probably ubiquinone which is more commonly found in supplements because it’s cheaper. CoQ10 is called ubiquinone because it is ubiquitous (meaning everywhere) in the body and is so important that it is made by all of your cells. However, Ubiquinone must be converted to Ubiquinol, so taking Ubiquinol will skip this conversion process.

So here’s your takeaway…supplement with ubiquinol 200mg/three times per day or 300mg/twice a day to improve egg quality.

Bone Broth – the oldest fertility superfood

Bone broth is all the rage now.  Pre-made bone broth is in mainstream grocery stores which is really cool to see.  However, it took awhile for people to catch on to it because bone broth has been around since humans first discovered fire. 

I’m bringing it up today because it can be your secret weapon when trying to get pregnant. It’s so beneficial to your fertility that I consider it “liquid gold.”  What is it? Bone broth is simply the liquid made by simmering bones in water.  Why is it so good for fertility and a healthy baby?

• Provides the raw materials for skin, bone, and cartilage formation such as collagen (glue that holds our bodies together), minerals, and amino acids (building blocks of proteins)
• In fact, the most abundant protein in the body, collagen, makes up about 30% of the protein in your body. It’s the main component of connective tissues like cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone, and skin. In addition to providing structure, collagen also plays an important role in tissue development and regulation. The process of simmering bone broth for hours breaks down the collagen so it’s more bioavailable.
• Bone broth is high in nutrients and helps build more blood. Once implantation is successful, the embryo requires a lot of raw materials to grow. Also, besides your baby, you’re actually growing an entire new organ, the placenta. This lifeline to your embryo needs to be well nourished and strong.

Those are just a few reasons why bone broth is so helpful when trying to get pregnant. It is the ultimate superfood!  Making bone broth yourself gives you a far superior product than any store bought. There really isn’t any comparison in quality or price. However, if you truly can’t or won’t make your own bone broth, you have 2 other options.

1. Pre-made bone broth – Buy organic, preferably from pasture-raised cows
2. Bone Broth Powder – ideal for travel

So start adding this fertility superfood to your daily diet.  Drink it freely as you would water.  Add it to your soups and stews and wherever you can.