Top 5 Reasons to Improve Your Egg Quality
You’ve been hearing about egg quality, but what’s the big deal? Why should you even be thinking about it?
Well, did you know that when you’re in your twenties you have about 20% abnormal eggs but by the time you’re in your forties that jumps up to having 80% abnormal eggs??
So now that I’ve caught your attention, let’s talk about these five reasons to improve your egg quality!
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the number one top causes of female infertility. If you have infertility and no one has checked you for PCOS, talk to someone right away. PCOS typically shows up as ovulation issues, often irregular cycles or long cycles (ie: you don’t have a period in a few months or a year or two). This is typically caused by too much testosterone or elevated insulin. Because there are different types of PCOS, it doesn’t respond well to a one-size-fits-all approach, make sure you work with someone who provides individualized care.
What is Infertility?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines infertility as not being able to get pregnant within one year of having unprotected sex. And for those who are over the age of 35, not getting pregnant after six months of trying.
What is Egg Quality?
Egg quality refers to the ability of the egg to have the correct number of chromosomes. This is important because if the egg doesn’t have the correct number of chromosomes, then it won’t be able to survive. If the egg isn’t able to survive, then the egg isn’t able to connect with the sperm, implant and make a baby.
To get even more definitive info on egg quality and how it impacts PCOS fertility, jump on over here.
So now that you know what I am talking about when I say egg quality, let’s dive in and talk about my top 5 reasons why it should be a focus for your fertility.
Top 5 reasons to improve your egg quality and your PCOS fertility.
Reason to Improve Your Egg Quality #1: Make Those Eggs Happy and Healthy!
This may be a no-brainer but think about it. The reason you want to focus on improving your egg quality is because you can actively do something to help improve your chances of releasing happy and healthy eggs that are ready to make babies.
Remember that statistic above? By the time you’re in your forties, you have around 80% abnormal eggs. That doesn’t mean pregnancy is impossible, but it means that egg quality needs to be at the top of your list to support your fertility.
The more you focus on optimizing your health and your nutrient stores to improve your egg quality, then the percentage of abnormal eggs that you will release will go down.
Exciting, right?
Reason to Improve Your Egg Quality #2: It Increases Chances of Getting Pregnant
During those months leading up to ovulation, your eggs are actively dividing those chromosomes so they can be ready to be released. Those chromosomes are the building blocks for new life.
If there aren’t enough or way too many, then once the egg meets with the sperm they can’t divide correctly to start building the baby which, unfortunately, leads to miscarriage.
In fact, it’s estimated that 50% of miscarriages happen because of chromosome abnormalities. And that number, of course, increases with age.
Now don’t get me wrong, eggs aren’t the only cause of abnormal chromosomes leading to miscarriage. Those sperm could be carrying incorrect numbers of chromosomes as well. That’s why it’s important to get your partners sperm checked as well to make sure that’s not one of the causes.
Reason to Improve Your Egg Quality #3: Helps With More Than Just Egg Quality
Things that are helpful for egg quality can help with other aspects of fertility.
Here’s why.
Improving egg quality involves antioxidants and other important nutrients like B vitamins and vitamin C that can help with other issues that may be affecting your fertility.
Take, for example, stress and fertility.
If your cortisol (your stress hormone) levels are elevated all day and you’re struggling with adrenal fatigue, well the vitamin C that you take to support your egg quality will also help your adrenal glands.
Did you know that your adrenal glands have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C in your whole body? That’s huge. Because if you are deficient in vitamin C (it’s a water-soluble vitamin so it’s easy to be deficient), then not only are your eggs being affected but also your adrenal glands.
So if low vitamin C levels are contributing to your adrenal fatigue, then that inappropriate stress response can cause insulin levels to rise which then increases testosterone and shuts down ovulation.
You see?
So rest-assured that the support you give to your eggs, also helps in other ways to improve your fertility.
Reason to Improve Your Egg Quality #4: For Your Future Child
I’ve mentioned that eggs without the right number of chromosomes are frequently not able to implant, or they are miscarried. But some are able to make a baby.
Babies born with different number of chromosomes will have chromosomal abnormalities. You may be familiar with Down Syndrome (also called Trisomy 21)? These sweet babies have chromosome abnormalities.
The incidence of having babies that have different chromosomes has been found to increase with the age of the mom when she conceives. In fact, the risk of Down Syndrome has been directly related to advanced age.
For a woman in her forties, she may have upwards of 50% abnormal eggs. Those abnormal eggs, as we’ve been talking about, have the different number of chromosomes which can lead to things like Down Syndrome.
The increase in egg abnormalities as we age has to do with egg quality. Egg quality goes down as we age, but that’s because levels of nutrients go down.
Over time, we have more years of walking around with these deficiencies that we may not be aware of. So the more you can be doing to support your egg quality, despite your age, the better those eggs will divide as they need to.
Now, as people who want to bring babies in to this world, we have to understand that there are things happening beyond our control. Sometimes babies are born with a variety of conditions even if we, as the parents, do everything we can to avoid it. So I can’t say that focusing on egg quality will erase your chances of having a baby with one of these extra chromosomes, but you can help lower your chances.
Reason to Improve Your Egg Quality #5: Saves Time and Money
Fertility treatment is so often like an assembly-line. Here’s how:
You haven’t gotten pregnant and you’ve been trying for a year so you go in to talk to your doctor. They put you on meds for a few cycles. If those don’t work, then they recommend an IUI. If that doesn’t work then you move forward to IVF.
Autopilot and assembly-line. Ugh, it just doesn’t feel right does it?
Do you see how if you jump straight to assisted reproduction (aka IUI or IVF) without first helping your egg quality can be a huge waste of your time and money?
But also want to be sure I’m being clear here - IUI and IVF are not bad. They are incredibly helpful for many families! The point I am making and the issue is that they are being recommended far too early in many cases.
Because if your egg quality isn’t good, it doesn’t matter how many rounds of IVF you do, you are basically throwing spaghetti on the wall hoping that your eggs will be of the right quality so they can make a baby.
If you do one round and you don’t have the right quality eggs, then doing another round without making any changes for your egg quality? Well, that will only be another guessing game!
But imagine if you first focus on making sure the nutrient levels your body needs for egg quality are fully optimized. Then maybe your fertility will open up naturally. Or if you do need IUI or IVF, your chances are at least going to be far better than if you never thought about enhancing your egg quality at all.
Alright, let’s summarize here! The top five reasons to improve your egg quality:
Make those eggs happy and healthy
Improves chances of getting pregnant (and staying pregnant)
Helps with other health issues that could be contributing to your fertility struggles.
Helps lower risk of chromosomal abnormalities
Helps save time and money
Don’t let poor egg quality get in the way between you and your future baby!
If no one has talked with you about the importance of egg quality for your fertility journey, you are missing out on a vital piece of the puzzle.
Don’t let this go on much longer. The longer you wait, the longer it takes to turn things around. Book a complimentary PCOS Fertility Breakthrough Session with me here so you can start getting answers.
During your complimentary session, here’s what you will walk away with:
How to turn around your biggest PCOS frustrations so you can be closer to reaching your fertility goals.
Why what you’ve been doing is actually leading you away from optimal fertility and what actually works.
What’s been missing from your care that’s keeping you from seeing results.
Clear step-by-step guidance for how to move forward
so you can have your best chance at becoming pregnant.
Curious to know more about improving egg quality? Check-out these other helpful articles!