When it comes taking fertility supplements to aid an infertility diagnosis, it can get overwhelming quickly, especially when there is conflicting information on the internet. Before you know it, you can find yourself spending hundreds of dollars and taking 20-30 pills a day and this can sometimes be dangerous at the most and ineffective at the least. Our body has a simple, and profound natural intelligence that when given gentle assistance in the right direction can manifest incredible turnarounds when it comes to assisting fertility.
One of the most important nutrients during pregnancy is folate. The body derives folate from folic acid and it is a known fact that pregnant women need folate to prevent birth defects. Surprisingly, there are many men and women who have a common genetic mutation known as MTHFR without even knowing it. The MTHFR gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. This enzyme plays a role in hundreds of biochemical reactions and is involved in a very important chemical reaction involving turning folic acid into folate (also called vitamin B9). If a person has this genetic mutation, it can reduce the ability of this enzyme to turn folic acid into the form the body can use.
It is not necessary to know your MTHFR status before pregnancy but it is important when choosing a pre-natal vitamin or even a multi-vitamin to supplement with during pregnancy, to look for a product with L-Methyl 5 Folate rather than folic acid to ensure this very important nutrient is available in a form the body is ready to use.
