The Essential Fertility Supplement You May Be Missing

Cedar.Kennedy.Lac

The Essential Fertility Supplement You May Be Missing

6 reasons to re-examine this one supplement

It’s not just your fertility that’s challenging. Sleep, depression, anxiety and ability to manage stress are all part of the story.

You’re on this journey of trying to get pregnant. You’re stressed and depressed and it’s keeping you up at night. Maybe you’re already taking metformin or inositol. Maybe you’ve changed your diet, you’re exercising more. So, what’s missing??? Why isn’t it working??


It’s time to take a closer look at B-12

B-12
B-12  is one of the most important supplements in your fertility journey.

It’s an essential nutrient that the body needs for a multitude of reasons. It’s water soluble which means what you don’t need, you eliminate via the urine.

For women with PCOS, B-12 is a tricky multi-edged sword because some other common factors can impact – and be impacted by, B-12.

It’s important to get the right amount in the right form in order to improve your chances of conceiving and sustaining a healthy pregnancy and in addition, it will help make the journey more gentle.

  • 1. Detox Excess Hormones

Short Version:

B-12 helps to get rid of excess hormones by supporting the detox pathways.

Longer Version:
PCOS is a condition of ‘excess’. Whether it’s excess hormones or acne or hair growth, PCOS is largely about ‘too much’ and in order to get rid of these excesses, you need a multi-pronged approach. One part of the strategy is a clear pathway out. 

The body requires B-12 (and a few other substances) to do the work of removing these hormones. Imagine if instead of TAKING MORE hormones (like progesterone) or pharmaceutical drugs (like Letrozole) in order to achieve balance, you could DECREASE the excess and achieve balance from the root.

And it’s not just the hormones your own body produces, it’s also the chemicals that mimic hormones like pesticides and the chemicals in plastics, some of which you simply cannot avoid so it’s important to support an efficient pathway out. 

  • 2. Stress, anxiety, sleep

Short version:
B-12 will help you manage stress including sleep and fatigue

Longer version:

The B-vitamins are commonly called, “Stress vitamins” because they play such an important role in mood, sleep and mental health. A B-12 deficiency can therefore lead to a wide range of symptoms including:

  • anxiety
  • constipation
  • depression
  • diarrhea
  • fatigue
  • gas
  • generalized weakness
  • heart palpitations
  • insomnia
  • loss of appetite
  • memory loss
  • numbness
  • pale skin
  • panic attacks
  • shortness of breath
  • tingling
  • vision problems

And let’s be totally honest here: Fertility challenges are extremely stressful and upsetting. Many women shoulder the burden mostly alone, sometimes overwhelmed with grief and worry. B-12 won’t remove life stressors, but it will enhance your ability to manage them. Imagine feeling less anxious, less depressed and being able to sleep better at night. Fine tuning your vitamins can go a long way. In my course you’ll learn about many more pieces to this puzzle including the impact that sleep has on your hormones and weight loss, the power of the mind and how to nurture your relationships as you navigate this path.

Which brings us to…

  • 3. Why you might be deficient in B-12?


Short version:
There are many reasons why you might be B-12 deficient and taking a little extra is probably a good idea. If you’re on metformin, or have any digestive issues,  you should assume it’s reducing how much B-12 you’re absorbing from your vitamins.

Longer version:

So you’re taking a prenatal, you eat a good burger now and then and overall your diet is pretty good. Why might you still need a little extra B-12?

There are many reasons including some that are very specific to women with PCOS.

Metformin is a common drug of choice given by many doctors to help women with PCOS to regulate ovulation and menstruation. And guess what metformin has been shown to do? You guessed it – it lowers B-12 by interfering with the body’s ability to absorb it.
In fact, any disruption in the digestive tract can reduce B-12 absorption which is part of the reason why most B-12 supplements are designed to be absorbed under the tongue.
Other reasons that we may have reduced absorption include the use of antacids, antibiotics, Crohn’s disease, alcoholism, a poor diet generally, or a vegan diet, weight loss surgery and the two big ones for us PCOS people: Gut health and a genetic mutation called MTHFR.
Studies have shown that women with PCOS have fewer types of gut bacteria. The reasons why are not yet fully understood,  but what’s important to know is that gut bacteria play a role in manufacturing B-12. If they’re not there or not doing their job, a little supplementation may be necessary.
Finally, MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) is a genetic condition that decreases the body’s ability to absorb B-vitamins. The link between PCOS and MTHFR is emerging although still unclear. But when you look at the big picture, it makes sense which is exactly why the research is currently being done. Because B-12 is water soluble and safe,  it won’t hurt to err on the side of caution and make sure you’re getting the right amount.



  • 4. B-12 improves implantation and reduces early miscarriage

Short version

B-12 has been shown to improve implantation rate and reduce miscarriage and, it helps with male fertility too.

Longer version:

It is well established that women with PCOS who undergo IVF have lower rates of implantation and higher rates of early pregnancy loss than women without PCOS, even when using high quality embryos selected by fertility specialists. This suggests that the problem may be in the uterine lining. Of course, hormones play an important role as well (see item #1 above), but so does B-12.

In addition to decreased rates of implantation, a B-12 deficiency has been linked to fetal birth defects, low birth weight and poor egg quality. 

It should be noted here that B-12 also improves male fertility by boosting both quality and quantity of sperm, reducing damage to the sperm’s DNA and reducing the presence of a substance called homocysteine which can be toxic to sperm.

  • 5. B-12 builds blood


Short version

Blood is life, you and your baby both need lots of it and B-12 builds it.

Longer version:

Blood is the root of life. Blood is what nourishes a growing embryo. It supplies oxygen throughout the body, carries nutrients and wastes to where they need to go. It regulates temperature, pH and the water content of cells. We can even donate it in order to save the lives of others.
Blood cannot be overestimated whether in quantity or quality.

In Chinese Medicine, we call blood one of ‘the 3 treasures’ and one of the ‘5 vital substances.’ In this worldview, blood nourishes and lubricates. It is governed by the heart and supports the spirit. When we think about fertility in Chinese medicine, blood is one of the most important factors. To use a metaphor, we think of the uterus as a garden and the embryo as a seed. As with any garden, the soil must be moist, soft, and rich in nutrients in order to sustain new life.

We have a whole category of herbs called. ‘blood tonics’ that we use to address what we call ‘blood deficiency’. Things like, hair loss, dry flaky skin, dull headaches, short, scanty periods or no periods at all, dry brittle nails and a pale complexion can all be signs of blood deficiency. The number one Chinese herb used in the treatment of blood deficiency is Dang Gui and you may have guessed it already – it’s high in B-12.

B-12 helps to build the blood that will sustain your life and the life of your fetus. Rich, moist and sufficient blood cannot be overestimated when it comes to boosting your fertility. 

  • 6. Forms of B-12 – which one is right for you?


Short vesion:

You want to make sure you’re taking METHYLCOBALAMIN also known as Methyl B-12. It’s the naturally occurring form, it’s the most clean and usable by the body.

  • 1000 mcg a day is a good amount, but the range is huge and you don’t have to worry about taking too much.

Check your prenatal and make sure it’s methylcobalamin (not cyanacobalamin).

Long version:

The two main forms of B-12 to be aware of are Methylcobalamin and Cyanacobalamin.

Methyl is the form found in nature and cyana is synthesized in a lab.
When cyana is absorbed in the body it is converted into the methyl form in the liver andsome studies have shown that the conversion rate can be as low as 1%.
And even if you’re converting at a higher rate, taking cyanacobalamin still puts unnecessary stress on the liver (that’s already working hard to remove the excess hormones).

Cyana is less expensive but methyl is more bioavailable, so at the end of the day, you will get more of what you paid for by taking methyl B-12 making methylcobalamin the best form of over-the-counter supplementation that money can buy.

How much should you take?
The recommended dose has a huge range! But, because it’s water soluble and has extremely low chance of toxicity and because there is no established upper limit, I recommend a

  • 1000 mcg per day is fine.

I’ve seen OBGYNs prescribe up to 20,000mcg per day for patients with MTHFR. 

* note, these numbers are micrograms, not milligrams.


So what’s in your prenatal? Is it metyhlcobalamin or cyana?

I would recommend you find one that has methylcobalamin in addition to methylfolate (or folate, but not folic acid)


Another useful strategy is to take a B-complex with all of the B-vitamins, including methyl B-12 and methylfolate because there are other B-vitamins that also play a vital role in some of the things mentioned above.

So there you have it!

6 big reasons to re-examine your B-12. If you aren’t taking the right form (methylcobalamin) at the right dose (at least 1000 mcg daily), you’re missing an opportunity to:

  • boost your fertility,
  • improve your egg and sperm quality,
  • quiet anxiety,
  • reduce depression and
  • improve your sleep and energy.

By fine tuning your B-12 intake you can increase the efficiency of your liver and

  • help stabilize your hormones and
  • build quality blood that will help
  • support implantation and
  • reduce the risk of early miscarriage

B-12 is just one piece of the puzzle. PCOS is complicated and everyone has unique challenges in managing it. If you’re in the Tri Cities Washington area and would like to work with me on fertility or your whole health, call or text Float Euphoria at 509-940-1888