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Egg Health 101
Many women have fears about their egg quality and want to do everything they can to improve egg quality fast and maximize their chances of a healthy pregnancy. The good news is there are many completely natural ways to improve your egg quality quickly regardless of your age! Before we jump into my top 15 ways to naturally boost egg quality, let’s first cover basic egg health stats. You might already know that women are born with all of the eggs we’ll ever have – between about 1-2 million at birth – and that as we get older we naturally lose many eggs every month even though we only ovulate one egg on average per cycle. An egg is a single cell that contains half of the DNA of your potential future child! That means you want your eggs to be as healthy as possible, especially since DNA damage often means genetic abnormalities or even the inability to fertilize in the first place. Unlike sperm, eggs age with us and are subject to the same cellular wear and tear that impacts all aging cells. In fact, by age 35, it’s expected that half of the eggs a woman has left (or her ovarian reserve) will be abnormal and unable to create a viable embryo. By the time we reach age 40 roughly 80% of our ovarian reserve will be abnormal. While those numbers sound scary, remember that all it takes is one good egg, and we now know that your chronological age does not have to be the same as your biological age! Follow the 15 natural tips below to improve egg quality fast and ensure your eggs are in tip top shape before you start trying to get pregnant.
1. Eat 1/2 to 1 cup of berries every day
Berries contain potent antioxidants without the sugar load of many other fruits, and when it comes to egg health, antioxidants are king. That’s because antioxidants fight cellular damage. Frozen berries are just as nutritionally potent as fresh berries, making it easy to stick with your daily berries habit even in the winter. I like including my berries with my morning breakfast to make sure I eat them first thing, and I rotate berry variety to get different types of antioxidants like A, C, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Just choose organic as often as possible since berries are heavily sprayed and don’t contain a removable peel!
2. Flavor your food with a variety of herbs and spices
Did you know that the highest antioxidant foods on the planet aren’t fruits or vegetables, but herbs and spices? These egg health powerhouses contain dozens of phytonutrients in just a tiny pinch, making them easy to add when you’re cooking throughout the week. If your spice cabinet currently consists of salt, garlic, and onion, it’s time to bulk it up. Rotate between turmeric, parsley, clove, cilantro, rosemary, sage, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, and any others you enjoy. Boosting egg quality is tasty!
3. Watch your caffeine intake
You probably know that overdoing caffeine is no good when you’re pregnant, but you may not be aware of the impact caffeine has on your eggs. Too much caffeine can actually impact the hormones necessary for egg maturation, and immature eggs cannot be fertilized. Stick to one 8-10 ounce cup of coffee per day max, or better yet, swap that coffee for matcha which will give you about 40 times more antioxidants with half the amount of caffeine.
4. Stop smoking!
Cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping, and anything else you might be smoking is highly toxic to your eggs and directly degrades egg quality. While many people are under the false assumption that vaping and e-cigarettes are safe, reality is they contain a cocktail of toxins including VOC’s, formaldehyde, and heavy metals. If you currently smoke or vape the number one way you can improve egg quality fast is by quitting.
5. Replace added sugars with natural sugars
We know that dietary sugar harms egg health by potentially interfering with egg maturation, and that chronically high blood sugar leads to a host of fertility problems. The worst offenders are processed and manmade sugars, also known as added sugars, like table sugar, cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and maltodextrin. These sugars are in nearly all packaged and processed foods, even ones that aren’t sweet, so check labels! Instead, opt for foods that are naturally sweetened with dates, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, monk fruit, stevia, and fruit, and eat these foods in moderation.
6. Reduce your xenoestrogens exposure
Xenoestrogens are a class of endocrine disruptors that interfere with your body’s natural estrogen production and utilization. They can disrupt follicle growth and egg maturation and even increase your risk of miscarriage. Xenoestrogens are all around us, so instead of trying to avoid them entirely I advise identifying the biggest offenders in your life and swapping them with nontoxic products. For many women the largest exposure comes from plastic food storage containers and water bottles, nonstick cookware, conventional beauty and skincare products, and conventional cleaning products.
7. Get regular exercise – but don’t overdo it
Exercise boosts blood flow to the ovaries and uterus which promotes healthy egg maturation and embryo implantation. However, too much exercise is not good for fertility health. Aim for a weekly balance of moderate intensity cardio, strength training, and flexibility, and take at least one rest day each week. Avoid long duration cardio like marathon training, and be cautious about too much HIIT. Those types of exercise increase stress hormones which can interfere with normal ovulation.
8. Get plenty of omega-3 fats
Found primarily in cold water fatty fish like salmon, trout, anchovies, sardines, herring, and mackerel, omega-3 fats have been shown to delay ovarian aging and improve rates of pregnancy. Aim for two to three servings of the aforementioned low mercury fatty fish per week, and be sure to choose wild caught fish to avoid the inflammatory feed and drugs given to farmed fish. Consider adding plant-based omega-3 fats on a daily basis such as two tablespoons of chia seeds, walnuts, or ground flaxseeds daily.
9. Support a healthy thyroid
Poor thyroid health and high or low TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, can impair egg quality. Most thyroid conditions are autoimmune in nature and autoimmunity starts with impaired gut health. Reduce foods that cause gut inflammation, especially gluten, conventional dairy, added sugars, and vegetable oils, and get plenty of thyroid-nourishing selenium, magnesium, omega-3 fats, zinc, iron, and B vitamins.
10. Supplement with CoQ10
Study after study has demonstrated CoQ10’s ability to boost egg quality and reverse cellular damage. In addition to being an antioxidant, CoQ10 supports mitochondrial (cellular energy) function. Choose an ubiquinol supplement for highest absorption, and consider adding foods rich in CoQ10 a few days per week, like organ meats, fatty fish, meat, broccoli, pistachios, and sesame seeds.
11. Nix the blue lights before bed
Two to three hours hours before bedtime put away your electronics, switch them to night mode, or wear blue light blocking glasses to avoid the blue light from your devices impairing melatonin production. Melatonin is an antioxidant that’s important for egg health. In fact, studies show that women who have low levels of melatonin experience worse outcomes from egg retrieval and IVF cycles. You can also supplement with 3 mg of melatonin before bed, just try taking a night off every week or a week off every month to make sure your body can continue to produce its own natural melatonin.
12. Maintain a healthy weight (not over OR underweight)
Being above or below your healthy weight range creates oxidative stress which harms cell health. Remember, an egg is one very important cell. We already know obesity is a leading cause of infertility, partly because of its negative impact on egg quality and ability to fertilize. And being underweight can be just as harmful to your hormonal and egg health.
13. Keep your blood sugar levels stable
High glucose levels over time can damage many organs and body systems, and it turns out it’s not good for your eggs, either. Diabetics experience lower quality eggs and embryos and lower rates of implantation, as well as hormone shifts that lead to suboptimal fertility. Support healthy blood sugar levels by combining fat, protein, and fiber with all meals, replacing white carbs and processed flours with whole grains and starches, and reducing sweets and sugars.
14. Manage stress
Chronic high cortisol levels create inflammation and interfere with normal sex hormone production, and inflammation is no good when it comes to egg quality. In fact, studies suggest cortisol may impact the function of follicular cells and reduce estradiol production, leading to lower quality eggs being produced over time. Remember to address both the mental and physical stressors in your life – those five weekly all-out spin classes may be producing just as much cortisol as your toxic work environment – and find healthy outlets for stressors that you’re not able to get rid of.
15. Consider supplementing with DHEA
DHEA is an adrenal hormone we produce naturally that helps us make certain sex hormones, including estrogen and testosterone. As we age we produce less DHEA, and it seems lower levels of DHEA is implicated in egg aging. Especially in women with low ovarian reserve, DHEA can help increase the number of eggs retrieved during an IVF cycle and boost egg and embryo quality. It may also increase pregnancy rates and reduce rates of miscarriage. DHEA should be taken under the supervision of your doctor since it’s a hormone precursor.
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