Outstanding Omega 3s for fertility and pregnancy

Research shows that optimising your omega 3 intake can improve your fertility - this applies to both natural conception and for IVF!

Omega 3s are strong antioxidants that can reduce oxidative stress to the reproductive organs and thus protect your eggs against damage.

💫 Less damage = healthier eggs 💫

They are also important during pregnancy to aid foetal growth (vital for your baby’s brain and the central nervous system) AND postpartum for optimising your ongoing baby’s development.

Once the baby arrives, mothers can be quite nutritionally depleted and intake of omega 3s have been found to aid in healing in the 4th trimester and reduce the risk of developing post partum depression.

So, where do we get omega 3s from?

The best sources come two fatty acids called EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) which are mainly found in oily fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, herring and fish oil supplements.

If that all sounds too fishy, there are also good plant based options such as ones made using marine algae oil.

We can’t forget ALA (Alpha-linoleic acid), another omega 3 which is found in nuts, beans and seeds such as walnuts, kidney beans, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds and soy beans.

However, it’s important to know, that our bodies cannot efficiently reap the rewards of ALA and it needs to be converted to EPA and DHA first. There is only a 10% conversion sadly, so not a reliable source.

So these foods should be eaten alongside those wonderful oily fish if possible.

On the flip side, these foods are rich in other nutrients like zinc (which we have already spoken about, click the link), folate, healthy fats and are great little protein boosters so they definitely still have a place in your daily eating patterns.

To find out more about how much omega 3s you should be having on a daily basis and how to add them into your eating patterns get in touch via the contact page.