Supplements for Unexplained Infertility: What I Took to Get Pregnant

I wrote a post a year or so ago about how I got pregnant naturally after unexplained infertility, and I mentioned briefly the vitamins and supplements I was taking.

Now, as I’m struggling to get pregnant again (no, your body doesn’t always just “know what to do” the second time around), I tried to remember all of the supplements I had been taking before and why. I couldn’t remember off the top of my head, so I looked for a post. And that’s when I realized there wasn’t one. So honestly, this is as much a post for me as it is for anyone else! (I was initially convinced the reason I got pregnant was almost solely because of the thyroid medication I was on, but after I wasn’t getting pregnant right away again this time around just being on thyroid medication, I decided that maybe there was more to it.)

These vitamins and supplements were specifically tailored to my own needs based on lots of bloodwork from my functional doctor, so it’s not that I’m necessarily recommending everyone take these things to get pregnant. That said, this information might be useful to someone reading (and if not, like I said, this post is as much for me so I can remember what I was taking!).

So here are all of the supplements that I think got me pregnant after almost three years of unexplained infertility…let’s hope they work a second time!

[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]

[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here.]

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In the morning

1. A prescription thyroid medication

So this isn’t really a vitamin or supplement, but it’s definitely worth mentioning because I still think this played a large role in why I got pregnant. (Read more about that here.) At first, upon noting that my TSH level was consistently around 3.3 or so, my doctor put me on a natural supplement to support my thyroid called Thyrotain. (Ideally, your TSH level should be less than 2.5 when trying to conceive, even though technically up to 5 is considered “normal.”) Ironically, when I got my TSH level tested again a couple months later after being on Thyrotain, it had gone up rather than down. At that point it was 5.2.

My doctor prescribed me a .5 mcg/day gluten-free thyroid medication called Tirosint. (Worth noting that it was the GF version even though I don’t think I have a gluten intolerance — but my doctor said many people with thyroid imbalances have a slight gluten sensitivity.)

I remained on this medication throughout my pregnancy with my son and ever since. I recently had my TSH level checked again since I wasn’t getting pregnant after a few months. It was 2.9, so now I am on .75 mcg/day of Tirosint. My current level is 1.3.

If you do take a thyroid medication, it is best taken first thing in the morning, about 45 minutes or so before breakfast, as it is best absorbed on an empty stomach.

2. Ovasitol

Ovasitol is a powder typically recommended to people who have PCOS. It has been proven to help regulate menstrual cycles and improve egg quality. My doctor said it would take about three months to really make a difference, since eggs take three months to develop.

Although I don’t have PCOS and my cycle is fairly regular, my doctor suggested I take this simply because, according to her, this supplement for unexplained infertility “could only help.”

I take this with breakfast mixed in with a liquid like orange juice or tea, as well as with dinner.

3. NAC

The supplement NAC was recommended to me based on the results of my Dutch Test. According to the test, my glutathione marker (pyroglutamate) was slightly above the normal range. According to this review of recent studies on NAC, “The critical antioxidant power of NAC is due to its role as a precursor of glutathione, which is one of the most important naturally occurring antioxidants.” And interestingly enough: “NAC combination with vitamin E, or vitamins A+E, as well as essential fatty acids considerably reduce reactive oxygen species, leading to pregnancy rate improvement.”

My doctor recommended I take one capsule of NAC in the morning with breakfast and one in the evening with dinner.

4. A B Vitamin

In the results of the same Dutch Test I mentioned earlier, my Vitamin B12 marker (methylmalonate) indicated a deficiency. My doctor thus recommended I take a B-Complex Vitamin. (Although my Vitamin B6 was not deficient, a B-complex vitamin would be good because Vitamin B6 helps make more progesterone.)

I take one capsule of these Active B-Complex vitamins in the morning with breakfast.

5. HPA Adapt

The effects of this supplement are a bit harder to explain, but again, based on my Dutch Test, my adrenal hormones (specifically, my metabolized cortisol) were out of the normal range. This could indicate that my body was not responding well to stressors.

To help my body respond well to stress, I take 2-4 capsules of HPA adapt in the morning before breakfast.

6. Collagen Peptides

I also put a scoop of these collagen peptides into my tea every morning. I don’t take collagen peptides specifically for fertility necessarily, but more for overall health. In addition, these collagen peptides contain arginine, which I started taking to help with my Raynaud’s Disease (which may have an impact on fertility!).

In the afternoon between meals

1. L-Arginine

Speaking of Raynaud’s Disease, I also take one capsule of L-Arginine, which may help with Raynaud’s. (See more on that here.)

In the evening

1. A Prenatal Vitamin

This is the obvious one: a prenatal vitamin. To be honest, I can’t remember which one my doctor initially suggested I take. Now my functional doctor has her own pharmacy I can buy a prenatal from, so I buy that one. However, my doctor did say that she would also recommend these Smarty Pants Prenatal Vitamins. The important thing is that the prenatal vitamin you take has the active form of folate rather than folic acid. Even though I don’t have the MTHFR gene mutation (read more on that here), folate is still better: It is the natural, active form of B9 that is found in food, while folic acid is the synthetic version that your body still has to convert to folate.

2. Omega-3

This is one of the other supplements that is not just good for unexplained infertility, but for overall health. Here is the one I take.

Omega 3 is crucial for pregnancy too: “Adequate consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is vitally important during pregnancy as they are critical building blocks of fetal brain and retina.” See more from that source here.

3. Choline

Learning about this important nutrient was one of the biggest takeaways I got from my functional doctor. Many prenatal vitamins don’t have any of it, and those that do often have too little. My doctor argued that choline is just as important as folate! This study confirms the importance of choline during pregnancy. This is definitely one of the supplements you want to make sure you have for unexplained infertility, too!

I actually just read about this recent study on choline too — turns out it may help even more than we realize.

Choline is also found in liver (couldn’t bring myself to eat that though) and eggs. I have definitely tried to include more eggs in my diet since learning about the importance of choline. Although I haven’t actually done the research on it, my doctor did emphasize the importance of buying quality free range eggs.

4. CoQ10

This is one thing that I started taking even before seeing my functional medicine doctor, simply based on doing my own research about the importance of this antioxidant and fertility. My doctor recommended my husband take it too. So when I had all of my bloodwork done initially, my doctor noted that my CoQ10 levels were great! (Not surprising since I had already been taking this supplement.) So while I typically make sure I buy quality brands of vitamins and supplements my doctor recommends, I have continued to buy a fairly inexpensive brand of CoQ10 that I can find at the local grocery store. This is a good one too, but a little more expensive.

5. Ovasitol and NAC

Lastly, I take Ovasitol at night again (see above) and one capsule of NAC (see above).

My doctor noted that if I were to get pregnant, I should stop taking Ovasitol, NAC, the B Vitamin, HPA adapt, and CoQ10.

I just decided to go on all of these vitamins and supplements again for unexplained infertility. I hope they work a second time! To learn more about my unexplained infertility and how I got pregnant the first time, read my initial post after getting pregnant here.

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