If you’re struggling to get pregnant, then one of the most important things you can do is improve the quality of your eggs. Improving your egg quality means that your eggs are more likely to fertilise, implant and avoid miscarriage.

Most Eggs Can’t Make A Baby

The true figure for miscarriage is much higher than you think. 70% of natural pregnancies result in miscarriage and 70% of IVF embryos fail to implant. The main reason for miscarriage, failed IVF and pregnancy taking a long time is chromosomal abnormalities in eggs.

It used to be thought that eggs declined with age and that there was nothing you could to improve your eggs. We now know that it is the final stage of maturation, ninety days before ovulation, which is the time when most of the chromosomal abnormalities occur in eggs.

Chromosomal Abnormalities In Eggs

Three months before an egg ovulates, it goes through its final stage of maturation, called meiosis. During meiosis, an egg cell divides and reduces its number of chromosomes. Chromosomes cross over and exchange genetic material to create genetic variation. If the chromosomes break, get deleted or become inverted then chromosomal abnormalities occur.

The body normally recognises chromosomal abnormalities and stops the pregnancy through miscarriage. Occasionally the body doesn’t recognise chromosomal abnormality and the pregnancy continues. This happens in Downs Syndrome where there are 3 copies of chromosome 21 instead of 2.

It takes a lot of energy for an egg to mature and produce the correct chromosomes. Mitochondria are the part of the egg cell that produces energy to sort chromosomes. They are a bit like a battery. Over time, or if the mitochondria are damaged, then they don’t produce enough energy, they don’t do their job properly and chromosomal abnormalities occur.

Egg Cell Damage

Eggs can get damaged by free radicals that create oxidative stress. All cells including egg cells have an inbuilt protection system of antioxidants, (including vitamins A, C and E) that neutralise the free radicals and protect the cell from getting damaged. The problem is free radicals increase as we get older and they build up over time, particularly if we smoke, drink alcohol or eat fried food. Mitochondria are particularly prone to oxidative stress and when this happens chromosomal abnormalities occur.

6 Steps To Improve Egg Quality And Plan Yourself Pregnant

Recent research shows that you can stop chromosomal abnormalities occurring in your eggs by eating the right food, getting the right nutrients and changing your lifestyle.

1. Get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Try to fall asleep and wake up at the same times throughout the week. Dim the lights and turn off electric devices by 9pm to ensure that your body can create the right levels of melatonin (the hormones that make you sleepy). This will not only help you to sleep better, but it will also help protect your eggs because melatonin is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamins C and E. Antioxidants are substances that neutralise free radicals and protect cells from being damaged.

2. Eat food that contains antioxidants, such as vitamins E and C. Vitamin E can be found in food that contains fat, like nuts, seeds avocados and oil. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant and can be found in many fruit and vegetables, including broccoli, peppers, kale, kiwi, strawberries, grapefruit and oranges.

3. Even if you’re eating a good diet there may still be nutrients that you’re deficient in. To make sure you’re eggs are getting all the nutrients they need, take a good quality prenatal multivitamin and multimineral.

4. If you are over 30 or have had a miscarriage, then you could also consider taking Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). It is a molecule that naturally occurs in the body. It is an antioxidant that helps protect egg cells from free radical damage. It also provides the mitochondria in your eggs with energy and helps to reduce chromosomal abnormalities. CoQ10 comes in two forms, ubiquinone and ubiquinol. Ubiquinone is not very soluble and not easily absorbed by the body. It is better to take ubiquinol because it is easier to absorb and you will need less of it.

5. Toxins damage egg cells, create inflammation and disrupt sex hormones. It’s impossible to completely eliminate toxins because they are everywhere, but you can control the amount you consume and have in your house. Reduce toxins in cosmetics and cleaning products by buying organic. Check the EWC website and Think Dirty App to see how safe your products are. Stop using plastic containers and drink bottles. Try to buy food without packaging. Reduce toxins you consume by stopping smoking, fried food, alcohol, coffee, and non-organic food.

6. If you take your temperature every day, then you can understand your cycle, hormone levels and determine when you ovulate. This can help to work out if your egg is getting the right hormones and conditions for pregnancy. For example, if you have a consistently short follicular phase (first half of your cycle), then your egg doesn’t have enough time to mature properly. It is likely that you will have higher temperatures. When you know this information you can reduce the heat in your body, extend your cycle and this will help to produce a mature egg at the right time for fertilisation and implantation.

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