Fertility
Are men and women’s prenatals the same? No – and here’s why
Holly Pigache | 14 Oct 2022
Men and women have different fertility goals
Are men and women’s prenatals the same? The goal is the same, right? Well, not exactly. The shared goal is, of course, a healthy baby. But to get there, we need to adjust our mindset, focusing on specific goals for our own fertility – from egg and sperm health to cellular make-up. And when it comes to these aspects, men and women have very different needs, from their fertility supplement.
You can share the Vitamin D bottle, but not the prenatal. Here’s why.
Look closely at the labels of fertility supplements for men and women and you’ll see they both contain different vitamins and minerals (if they don’t, avoid them). To make a healthy baby, men need healthy sperm and women need good-quality eggs. And although fertility supplements improve chances of conception in both men and women, they do so through different nutrients.
Even before trying to conceive, taking a multivitamin can improve overall health (which is linked with fertility health). Not on a multivitamin? Don’t worry, there’s time to ensure your body is getting all the nutrients and minerals it needs before trying to conceive. But it does need to be specifically-formulated for your gender.
Let’s take a closer look at the vitamins and minerals men and women need when TTC, and at what level, potency or dosage.
Whether you’re taking a multivitamin to boost your overall health or taking a prenatal to enhance fertility and get pregnant faster, supplements for men and women are formulated with different ingredients.
3 key reasons men and women need different multivitamins:
- Men are more prone to a hereditary condition that causes excess iron to build up in the organs. Multivitamins for men should be iron-free.
- Men would benefit from added lycopene and phytosterols in a multivitamin. Lycopene is found naturally in tomatoes, and can protect sperm from oxidative stress. Phytosterols may support prostate health.
- Women would benefit from eating specific food-based nutrients like broccoli and pomegranate to support hormonal balance – specifically, oestrogen.
Specific nutrients that have been shown to improve sperm quality:
- CoQ10 (increases sperm motility and improves fertilisation rates)
- Methylated folate (linked to higher sperm count and health)
- L-Carnitine (associated with higher quality sperm and fertilisation rates)
- L-Arginine (essential for quality sperm production)
- Vitamins C, E, B6 and B12 (boost sperm count, motility and morphology)
- Selenium (increases testosterone and improves sperm health)
- N-acetyyl-Cysteine (improves sperm count, motility and morphology)
- Zinc (improves sperm morphology, motility and count)
- L-Taurine (low levels have been linked to male factor infertility)
- Shilajit (increases sperm count, motility and serum testosterone)
All of these nutrients are found in Beli Vitality for Men.
Nutrients to improve female fertility:
- Vitamins C, B6, B12, D, E and K2
- Folate
- Zinc
- Chromium
- Choline
These key nutrients can help to trigger ovulation, improve egg quality and boost the chances of healthy conception and early pregnancy.
Beli Women Prenatal multivitamins contain everything a woman needs when TTC.
Live in the US? Grab 15% off all Beli’s science-aligned prenatal supplements by using code FHH15 at checkout.
Prenatal vitamins for women are specially designed for female fertility so won’t be able to improve sperm quality and boost male fertility. (The same is true for women taking male fertility supplements – they won’t improve female fertility health as they’ve been designed to boost all parameters of sperm health.)
Taking a prenatal vitamin designed for your reproductive system will help boost your fertility and maximise chances of conception. We know it’s tempting to share prenatal supplements. But even if it won’t harm you, it won’t help either.
Based in the UK? head over to Nutri Advanced here and use code TRB20 at checkout to receive 20% off across the whole website.
For our US readers, visit Beli’s website here and benefit from 15% when you use code TRB15 at checkout.
