The fertility journey can come with a lot of supplements. There are the general ones, prenatal, omega-3, vitamin D, and then there are case-by-case particulars. For example, we’ll add strategic supplements for egg quality, for endometriosis, for PCOS, etc. based on the current studies and your health goals. Your supplements are only useful if you’re able to absorb them. Are you absorbing your fertility supplements?

Supplements are absorbed through the gut lining, into the bloodstream. From there, your cells take up what’s available and use them for whatever they need (i.e. egg development, sperm development, detoxification, etc.).

The limiting factor with taking oral supplements is whether your supplements can pass through your gut lining.

You can think of your gut lining as a security border. There are only so many “lanes” open to get through, and there are security guards (aka your immune system) carefully checking what’s going in and out. Food that is passing through needs to be small enough to be absorbed and not trigger the security guards – aka inflammation, which causes stress on the entire system. The same thing happens with oral supplements.

When it comes to supplements and maximizing absorption, you want to keep 5 things in mind:

1. Divide them up.

While it may be more convenient to take all of them at once, remember, there are only so many “lanes” in the gut, allowing nutrients to pass through. If you take everything at once, you risk not absorbing all the available nutrients in a given time.

2. Pick supplements in the most easy-to-absorb form.

Certain supplements come in different varieties and impact their ability to be absorbed. For example, let’s take magnesium. Most commercially available magnesium comes in the form of “magnesium citrate” or “magnesium oxide”. These are generally poorly absorbed and meant to stay in the bowel – hence why they’re commonly used as a laxative. Conversely, “magnesium bisglycinate” is a far better-absorbed form.

3. Don’t mix and match supplements that block each other’s absorption.

Yes, some nutrients use the same lanes, compared to others. For example, taking calcium at the same time as your iron is a no-no. Calcium blocks the absorption of iron, essentially wasting that supplement, which we don’t want!

4. Don’t take supplements at a dose that’s higher than what your body can absorb.

For example, Vitamin C. Your body can only absorb around 500-1000mg at a time. Taking more than that means more in your poop.

5. Avoid supplements that will trigger inflammation and stress your system.

There are many health food products out there and they are not all safe. Many contain harmful additives or have gone rancid by the time you take them. My favourite example is fish oil. Fish oils are notorious for becoming rancid, making them inflammatory to your system. Pick a good quality fish oil from a trusted brand that screens for and removed toxins.

Not sure which supplements are the best form? Or when to take them? That’s ok, I got you! This is where having a trusted health care provider who is well versed in nutritional supplementation can be important.

What if I do have irregular bowel movements, loose stools, or digestive concerns?

If there are ongoing digestive issues, this may also impact your ability to absorb your supplements. Your system may be pushing things through faster, not giving your body the chance to maximally absorb your supplements.

IV nutrient therapy can be a huge help here. We’re able to bypass the gut lining completely and administer quality nutrients directly into the bloodstream, for immediate use. We can also generally achieve higher doses through IV because we’re not waiting for nutrients to pass through the gut border. Certain nutrients are more stable and best administered via IV nutrient therapy (i.e. glutathione), which is used in certain fertility protocols. Learn more about glutathione here.