Week 15
Welcome to the Module 4 Week 15 of the Fertile Ground Holistic Fertility Program!
Module 4
Week 15
Module 4 - Week 15 will be focusing on Herbs and Supplements for overall health and optimal fertility.
Recommended Supplements and Dosages
Supplement Ground Rules
Supplements are a vast and often confusing topic! There are literally thousands of brands and products, and it can be very overwhelming to try to figure out which ones are good and then know what to take.
When shopping for supplements, make sure to look for high quality products. They should provide proof that the ingredients work, that there is third party validation and that they have independent certification. You’ll find that the supplement brands I recommend have these certifications.
Here are some additional supplement guidelines to take away some of the confusion:
B vitamins
The recommended dosage of a good B-vitamin complex is usually 1 capsule per day. The recommended dosage for folate is 400mcg a day, and a minimum of 800 mcg a day during pregnancy. It could be more, but that should be determined by a doctor. For clients with known MTHFR mutations, methylated B12 and Folate is recommended, but genetics are nuanced so this is best left to an expert. Generally, one can start with a low dosage of 200mcg of folate a day and slowly increase by 100mcg each week until they reach 800mcg.
Note on methylated B vitamins: The effects of supplementing with different nutrients can vary tremendously due to other genetic defects, dietary and lifestyle choices and environmental exposures. It is important to talk to a physician knowledgeable in MTHFR and other contributing genetic variants to get the best advice for your unique situation, because not everyone tolerates methylated B vitamins well.
Vitamin C
The recommended type is liposomal or buffered vitamin C, and the dosage is 500 mg up to 3 times per day. Vitamin C can cause loose stools at high doses. Recommend they cut back until their bowel movements normalize.
Vitamin D
With this vitamin, people should only supplement once they have been tested and are shown to have low levels. There is no need to supplement unless it is low - below 30. Retest after 3 months to determine current levels to avoid toxicity. The recommended dose is 5000IU per day of a good quality Vitamin D3, or 2000IU as a maintenance dose if levels are within a healthy range. I suggest Seeking Health Vitamin D3 + K2 Liquid or Seeking Health Vitamin D3 + K2 capsules or similar brands.
Vitamin E
The recommended dose is 300 mg to 1000 mg per day of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols, in order to get all forms of vitamin E. This is the most effective form of Vitamin E supplementation.
Zinc
The best way to get enough zinc is through diet. Foods rich in zinc include raw oysters, beef, lamb, and pumpkin and sesame seeds. However, when it isn’t possible to get enough of these in the diet, the recommended dosage for zinc is 15-30 mg a day of Zinc Picolinate right after eating. Recommended brands include Thorne Research Zinc Picolinate or Pure Encapsulations Zinc Picolinate.
Caution: zinc should not be taken on an empty stomach because it can cause nausea.
Magnesium
The recommended dose is 300 mg a day of magnesium glycinate. Another option is 1 tsp of Natural Calm powder (magnesium citrate) in a glass of water before bed. Magnesium threonate is another option. This form of magnesium passes through the blood brain barrier and supports cognitive function too.
Caution: Too much magnesium can cause loose stools. If this happens, cut the dosage in half and work back up to the recommended dosage slowly.
Iron
The recommended daily requirement of iron is 10 mg, twice a day. For pregnancy it is 27 mg per day. While it is best to eat a diet rich in iron, most women are iron deficient and should be digging deeper to find the cause (heavy periods, gut health pathology, etc) and consider supplementing, especially if they are trying to get pregnant. A good choice is iron bisglycinate.
N-Acetyl Cysteine or NAC
This is a precursor to glutathione, the mother of all antioxidants and has been shown to be a very powerful antioxidant. Glutathione protects the liver from damage and it plays a key role in preventing a host of conditions linked to inflammation. It is important for good egg quality and egg DNA, as well as sperm motility, count, morphology and reduction in DNA fragmentation. Two recommended brands are Integrative Therapeutics NAC and Pure Encapsulations NAC. The recommended dose is 600 milligrams, twice daily for 28 days, up to 12 weeks.
Glutathione
The best formulations of glutathione are liposomal or sublingual. It’s available from Liv-on Labs as Lypo-Spheric GSH Glutathione at a dosage of 450mg/day or from Seeking Health as Optimal Liposomal Glutathione. There is also a sublingual version from Raphe Pharmaceuticals that comes as a powder that is dissolved under the tongue. Start with 300 mg daily and increase by 300 mg every week to a dosage of 1500 mg per day.
Selenium
The best source of selenium is organic Brazil nuts - 1 to 2 nuts per day. If your clients prefer, they can take 200 micrograms per day of a good quality selenium supplement in the form of selenomethionine.
Saw Palmetto
The recommended dosage is 400 mg per day.
Probiotics
Start with a low dose of a good quality probiotic like Megaspore. See guidelines in the gut health protocol.
Omega-3 fatty acids
There’s no standardized dose, but the recommendations are to try to get about 450mg of DHA and 650mg of EPA daily. Sources for this include Cod Liver oil, Fish oil and Algae oil. While it is possible to get alpha linolenic acid from flax, walnuts, chia and other plant sources, this is not converted by the body to DHA and EPA very well.
Di-indole methane (DIM), and Sulforaphane Glucosinolate (SGS)
Start with SGS for 28 days, and then move onto the DIM. I like Thorne Research Crucera SGS. The standard recommendation is to take 100 milligrams every other day for 28 days. I like Designs for Health DIM Evail, and it’s typically recommended to take 200-400 milligrams a day for 28 days.
Handouts:
Supplements are a vast and often confusing topic! There are literally thousands of brands and products, and it can be very overwhelming to try to figure out which ones are good and then know what to take.
When shopping for supplements, make sure to look for high quality products. They should provide proof that the ingredients work, that there is third party validation and that they have independent certification. You’ll find that the supplement brands I recommend have these certifications.
Here are some additional supplement guidelines to take away some of the confusion:
- If you choose to use supplements, please consult with your doctor first to be sure that they will not interact with any medications you might be taking.
- I recommend adding 1-3 supplements at a time to see if you have any adverse reactions.
- Supplements should be used medicinally, not as a crutch for a crappy diet and an overstressed life. Obviously, we all have times in our lives where they will be the crutch, but the goal is to make sure this doesn’t become a permanent situation. In a nutshell, supplements should be used for filling in the gaps of our food, as opposed to doing all the nutritional work.
- If possible, one should be tested for deficiencies before beginning supplementation, especially for things like vitamin D and certain minerals because there is the chance of over-supplementing and toxicity. Copper, iron, B12 and B6, Vitamin A (which is stored in your body fat), calcium, and zinc are some of the ones that can be problematic.
B vitamins
The recommended dosage of a good B-vitamin complex is usually 1 capsule per day. The recommended dosage for folate is 400mcg a day, and a minimum of 800 mcg a day during pregnancy. It could be more, but that should be determined by a doctor. For clients with known MTHFR mutations, methylated B12 and Folate is recommended, but genetics are nuanced so this is best left to an expert. Generally, one can start with a low dosage of 200mcg of folate a day and slowly increase by 100mcg each week until they reach 800mcg.
Note on methylated B vitamins: The effects of supplementing with different nutrients can vary tremendously due to other genetic defects, dietary and lifestyle choices and environmental exposures. It is important to talk to a physician knowledgeable in MTHFR and other contributing genetic variants to get the best advice for your unique situation, because not everyone tolerates methylated B vitamins well.
Vitamin C
The recommended type is liposomal or buffered vitamin C, and the dosage is 500 mg up to 3 times per day. Vitamin C can cause loose stools at high doses. Recommend they cut back until their bowel movements normalize.
Vitamin D
With this vitamin, people should only supplement once they have been tested and are shown to have low levels. There is no need to supplement unless it is low - below 30. Retest after 3 months to determine current levels to avoid toxicity. The recommended dose is 5000IU per day of a good quality Vitamin D3, or 2000IU as a maintenance dose if levels are within a healthy range. I suggest Seeking Health Vitamin D3 + K2 Liquid or Seeking Health Vitamin D3 + K2 capsules or similar brands.
Vitamin E
The recommended dose is 300 mg to 1000 mg per day of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols, in order to get all forms of vitamin E. This is the most effective form of Vitamin E supplementation.
Zinc
The best way to get enough zinc is through diet. Foods rich in zinc include raw oysters, beef, lamb, and pumpkin and sesame seeds. However, when it isn’t possible to get enough of these in the diet, the recommended dosage for zinc is 15-30 mg a day of Zinc Picolinate right after eating. Recommended brands include Thorne Research Zinc Picolinate or Pure Encapsulations Zinc Picolinate.
Caution: zinc should not be taken on an empty stomach because it can cause nausea.
Magnesium
The recommended dose is 300 mg a day of magnesium glycinate. Another option is 1 tsp of Natural Calm powder (magnesium citrate) in a glass of water before bed. Magnesium threonate is another option. This form of magnesium passes through the blood brain barrier and supports cognitive function too.
Caution: Too much magnesium can cause loose stools. If this happens, cut the dosage in half and work back up to the recommended dosage slowly.
Iron
The recommended daily requirement of iron is 10 mg, twice a day. For pregnancy it is 27 mg per day. While it is best to eat a diet rich in iron, most women are iron deficient and should be digging deeper to find the cause (heavy periods, gut health pathology, etc) and consider supplementing, especially if they are trying to get pregnant. A good choice is iron bisglycinate.
N-Acetyl Cysteine or NAC
This is a precursor to glutathione, the mother of all antioxidants and has been shown to be a very powerful antioxidant. Glutathione protects the liver from damage and it plays a key role in preventing a host of conditions linked to inflammation. It is important for good egg quality and egg DNA, as well as sperm motility, count, morphology and reduction in DNA fragmentation. Two recommended brands are Integrative Therapeutics NAC and Pure Encapsulations NAC. The recommended dose is 600 milligrams, twice daily for 28 days, up to 12 weeks.
Glutathione
The best formulations of glutathione are liposomal or sublingual. It’s available from Liv-on Labs as Lypo-Spheric GSH Glutathione at a dosage of 450mg/day or from Seeking Health as Optimal Liposomal Glutathione. There is also a sublingual version from Raphe Pharmaceuticals that comes as a powder that is dissolved under the tongue. Start with 300 mg daily and increase by 300 mg every week to a dosage of 1500 mg per day.
Selenium
The best source of selenium is organic Brazil nuts - 1 to 2 nuts per day. If your clients prefer, they can take 200 micrograms per day of a good quality selenium supplement in the form of selenomethionine.
Saw Palmetto
The recommended dosage is 400 mg per day.
Probiotics
Start with a low dose of a good quality probiotic like Megaspore. See guidelines in the gut health protocol.
Omega-3 fatty acids
There’s no standardized dose, but the recommendations are to try to get about 450mg of DHA and 650mg of EPA daily. Sources for this include Cod Liver oil, Fish oil and Algae oil. While it is possible to get alpha linolenic acid from flax, walnuts, chia and other plant sources, this is not converted by the body to DHA and EPA very well.
Di-indole methane (DIM), and Sulforaphane Glucosinolate (SGS)
Start with SGS for 28 days, and then move onto the DIM. I like Thorne Research Crucera SGS. The standard recommendation is to take 100 milligrams every other day for 28 days. I like Designs for Health DIM Evail, and it’s typically recommended to take 200-400 milligrams a day for 28 days.
Handouts:
Herbs for Hormone Balance
There are some excellent herbal remedies that can be extremely helpful for hormone imbalances. Here’s a quick overview of five commonly used herbs and how they help your clients to maintain hormonal balance.
● Maca
● Vitex
● Wild Yam
● Black cohosh
● Evening primrose or GLA
Handouts:
● Maca
● Vitex
● Wild Yam
● Black cohosh
● Evening primrose or GLA
- Maca is a cruciferous root native to Peru. Its an adaptogenic compound, meaning that it supports the hypothalamus and pituitary during stressful times, which helps balance the female sex hormones. It’s loaded with zinc, B vitamins, and iron, which are necessary for hormone production. It is also known as an aphrodisiac, especially for women. So it’s a great choice for women whose sex drive has disappeared. It helps to restore the estrogen:progesterone balance, which benefits fertility, PMS symptoms, and PCOS. Dosage: It comes as a powder that can be added to smoothies and juices or as a capsule. The preferred form is gelatinized maca, which is more bioavailable. It is best to start with a lower dosage of 2000mg a day or about ½ a teaspoon, and work upwards from there. Caution: Contains glucosinolates - excessive and prolonged treatment may cause goiter. At high dosages, it can act as a goitrogen, which may suppress the thyroid, which is not good for already suppressed thyroid function (hypothyroid).
- Vitex is also called chasteberry or chaste tree. It’s made from the berries of a Mediterranean tree. Its main hormonal effect is to tell the pituitary to make less prolactin. This encourages ovulation - since prolactin inhibits ovulation. It also helps to improve PMS symptoms, correct luteal phase defect, and increase breast milk production. Dosage: The recommended cycle for using it is to start on day 5 after the period begins and end on the first day of the next period. For women who are not menstruating, they can follow the moon cycle - starting it 5 days after the new moon, and ending it on the next new moon. It should only be used for 3 months at a time. Take 60 drops of the tincture, or 500 mg in capsule form, daily in the morning. Caution: Vitex is a very powerful herb, and should be used with caution and only under the care of a licensed health practitioner or herbalist. It may cause mild nausea, itching, acne, increased menstrual flow and cramps.
- Wild Yam is a tuberous plant that has been used in folkloric medicine for hundreds of years. The active ingredient is called diosgenin. It is also rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium and zinc. It is known for its ability to soothe menstrual cramps, improve mood, and relieve arthritis pain. It also increases bile flow and supports the liver, so it is a good support for detoxification. Do not confuse wild yam extract or cream with the bioidentical progesterone creams that are produced chemically from the main ingredient of wild yam. There is no progesterone in wild yam extract. It does contain phytoestrogens, although they do not appear to be particularly active. Dosage: It is available as a cream, powder, or capsules. 250 mg 1-3 times per day as needed for symptoms. Caution: For women with a history of breast, ovary, or uterine cancer, it is best for them to discuss wild yam with their licensed health practitioner.
- Black cohosh is a flowering plant found mostly in North America. The medicinal part is the roots and underground stems. It has long been used to relieve menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, racing heart, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and irritability. There’s a lot of speculation about how it works, but no one is exactly sure. It does contain some weak-acting phytoestrogens, as well as a variety of glycosides - plant sugars that may have beneficial effects. Dosage: Gaia Herbs makes a good preparation, available as tincture or capsules. One 400 mg capsule twice a day for capsules. For the tincture, 30 drops three times per day.
- Evening primrose oil (EPO) is a rich source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is an essential fatty acid - meaning the body doesn’t make it. GLA is not commonly found in food, and it’s one of the few omega 6 fats that is anti-inflammatory. EPO is produced from the seed of the primrose plant, which grows in Europe and North America.
Although initially used by Native Americans as food for a few hundred years, it’s been used to relieve PMS symptoms, such as bloating, water retention, acne, depression, breast tenderness, and irritability. It also can be helpful for the hot flashes and night sweats of menopause. Another benefit of evening primrose oil is decreasing production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the byproduct of testosterone that can cause hair loss. And last but not least, it can be helpful with fertility, helping the body to produce fertile mucus, which helps the sperm get to the egg more easily. Dosage: 500mg three times a day. - Rhodiola Rosea: Rhodiola is a green flowering plant that has been cultivated as a ground cover. It grows all over the northern arctic, including North America, Europe, and Siberia. The roots are the active part of the plant. It is a powerful adaptogen that is incredibly useful for surviving during times of stress and pressure by regulating the immune and neurological response to stress. It also improves memory, cardiac function, and speeds muscle recovery. Dosage: Recommend that you start slow with Rhodiola - and look for a brand that sources their Rhodiola from Siberia like Gaia Herbs. Make sure you are getting Rhodiola Rosea that is standardized to contain rosavins and salidrosides. Start with 200mg once a day and then increase to two times a day.
Handouts:
Handouts:
- Vitamins
- Minerals and Trace Elements
- Supplement Recommendations
- Herbs
- How to Use Fertility Herbs to Enhance Your Fertility Naturally
- What's the Deal With Vitamin D?
- B Vitamin Deficiencies
- Key Nutritional Strategies for Hormone Balance
- The Great Substitutes
- Low Fructose Veggies and Fruits
- Love Your Liver Bitters Tonic
- Ginger Lemon Green Juice
Action Items:
- Download each of the handouts and resources above
- Continue to fill out the information in the 4 Phase Symptom Tracker - and tracking your cycle
- Start to implement the information in the downloads
- Continue to do affirmations, gratitudes, journal entries and food diary
- Do the Meditation for the Pelvic Bowl - you can use the MP3 or print the handout to use
- Do the Yoga Nidra Fertility Meditation 3 at least a couple of times this week or more-use this meditation for weeks 13-16
- Try Some of the Recipes Above
- Continue to do the Fertility Pelvic Massage routine, Fertility Yoga and Acupressure for Fertility - three times this week
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Join our Women's Health Facebook group and get extra support, ask questions and join in on the live Q&A sessions each month! We hold classes frequently on women's health where you can gather information on many topics.
