Preparing the body for egg freezing

From a naturopathic perspective whether you are trying to fall pregnant naturally, are going through assisted reproductive procedures or undergoing egg freezing, we will approach your treatment in much the same way. Preconception care and pre-collection care are very similar.

Ideally we would like to see you for pre-collection care for a minimum of three months before starting the egg collection process. The reason we say this is because it takes 100 days for a developing follicle to mature into an egg which will then, hopefully, go on to make a baby in the future. The better the egg quality, the better the chances are of you having multiple eggs to pop on ice. Of course, many women come to us with only a few weeks up their sleeve and that’s certainly better than nothing, however, that three month window is the most ideal for us.

Preconception care is really supporting overall health – making you the healthiest version of yourself.

Firstly, we will look at you as an individual person and what you need rather than giving out a specific protocol to everyone undergoing this process. This includes looking at any underlying conditions that you might have such as Endometriosis, IBS or anxiety. We will treat these things to bring your overall health back up to a nice baseline before going into the egg freezing process.

Alongside supporting your overall health we will likely recommend the following:

Dietary Recommendations

Essential Fatty Acids: It has been shown in research that consuming Omega 3 Fatty Acids improves egg quality and fertility outcomes. For this reason, it is important to include things like oily fish (sardines and salmon), walnuts, flaxseeds, avocado, olive oil and chia seeds in your diet to ensure you are getting an adequate amount of good quality fats. Please note that there is a big difference between different types of fats. You want to really boost the good fats mentioned above and try to avoid over-consuming the not-so-good fats such as fried foods, margarines, and processed foods – things like biscuits, chips and cakes have lots of saturated and trans fats in them but they are not the kind of fats we are looking for in the diet.

Organic/Toxins: Never has our fertility been at such a low rate and it is suggested this is because of the amount of toxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals in our lives. During this three or more month window, if you have the opportunity to, I suggest trying to

consume as much of your produce as possible from organic sources. I know it can be expensive but if you can reduce your toxic load in the body, there is less cleaning up needed inside of your cells, including your developing follicles. Perhaps it is also worth looking at the chemicals used in your home and on your body during this time and trying to choose more low tox options. I have lots of recommended brands for most household items if you are wanting to make the switch.

Protein: Eating enough protein in your diet is important not just for fertility but overall health as it’s needed for every cell in the body including our follicles/eggs. Most women I see are not getting enough protein in their diet so step one is often trying to increase this to the recommended daily amount (approximately 1g of protein per 1kg of your body weight each day). Rather than going out and consuming a lot of meat, I recommend trying to consume more vegetable proteins in the diet – things like legumes, nuts and seeds, and organic tofu. For animal based products, quality is certainly key. If you can afford organic that would be preferable, otherwise look for grass-fed and free range options, including for dairy products.

Antioxidants: These are basically the cleaners of the body. They come in and help to mop up any junk or free radicals in the cells and tissues. Antioxidants are synonymous with colours in our fruit and vegetables. Think about the brightest and deepest colours such as pomegranates, blueberries, kale, mangoes. To ensure you are getting a variety of antioxidants, think about having a rainbow on your plate. Variety is key so I suggest mixing up the colour combinations each day so you are having more than just brown and beige foods in your meals.

Lifestyle Recommendations

Stress: This is a big one! Unfortunately we can’t eliminate stress completely from our lives but we can certainly work towards minimising our exposure and using tools to cope. If you are highly stressed, chances are your hormones may be affected and this in turn starts impacting on your egg quality. Stress looks different for everyone, you could be feeling overwhelmed, having trouble sleeping, over-exercising, not eating enough food, experiencing weight gain or loss, headaches or exhaustion. We are big advocates for mindfulness and meditation here at Halsa and really encourage women to introduce this into their lives. Additional support such as herbal medicine, magnesium, talk therapy, or even a bit of a lifestyle overhaul can also be helpful. Keep in mind, stress is something that we want to work on for your long term health but during the pre-collection window, it is really the time to think about different strategies you can use.

Sleep: If there is one thing you could do today to improve your hormone and fertility health it is to perfect your sleep. Having irregular or poor sleep can reduce your progesterone levels, cause anovulatory cycles (no ovulation), it can lead to insulin resistance and failure to implant (when the time comes to conceive) and lead to a domino effect of hormonal issues. As naturopaths we have wonderful tools such as herbal medicine that can help to recreate a more balanced sleep/wake cycle. Implementing good sleep hygiene is also key – avoiding screens an hour before bed, ensuring your room is cool and dark, perhaps looking into ear plugs, having a warm shower before bed and sticking to a regular bedtime.

Supplements

This is something a lot of women ask about and assume is the key for improving fertility. I do not recommend self prescribing or purchasing supplements off the shelf (you will likely end up wasting your money). The below suggestions are all fairly commonly offered supplements but they are not necessary for everyone. It is really important that you speak with a practitioner before using any of these and clearing it with your fertility specialist as well. We want to be on the same page and working together for the sake of your future fertility.

Prenatal: As a base, most women will be offered a good quality prenatal supplement. This is to ensure you are receiving the right amount of essential nutrients for egg quality. I suggest starting this as soon as you begin toying with the idea of freezing your eggs. It’s important to note: don’t go buying something from the supermarket or chemist.

Ubiquinol: A form of CoQ10, this particular compound has been shown to improve egg quality by helping them grow and mature. The main goal of the medications given to you during the egg freezing process is to grow as many follicles as possible so they can be harvested for the freezer. Ubiquinol can support this process.

NAC: As mentioned above, antioxidants are vital for having healthy cells – including eggs. NAC (n-acetyl-cystine) is a potent antioxidant that has been studied for its benefits in improving fertility and the outcomes of assisted reproductive procedures. NAC is also a wonderful supplement for Endometriosis and PCOS.

The egg freezing process can seem daunting and complicated, however, preparing your body doesn’t have to be. If you would like to discuss ways you can support your overall health and fertility to ensure you have the best quality eggs collected, please book in a session.

As a special offer for our Egg Freezing event on 1st March we are offer $20 off initial consultations with the code: EGGS20

Author

Emma Drady, Naturopath BhSc

Emma is a degree qualified naturopath with a focus on women’s hormonal health throughout the lifespan.

Learn more about Emma here

Book a session with Emma here