There's a lot of talk on the board about which vitamins & supplements to take and how much. Some women take a bunch, some take only a prenatal. I figure that since I've got the time I might as well take them so that later if I do not succeed I don't look back and think "what if" I'd taken this or that.

A while back Michaela (our resident fertility guru) recommended the book Perfect Hormone Balance For Fertility by Dr. Robert Greene [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307337405/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0307337383&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1JZ4T3Q6C7YQP921CXP6[/url]

I bought a copy and his recommendations are great. He explains different vitamins and supplements and their effect on hormones and fertility. He also explains the importance of eating healthy and organic, getting exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Based on the book, as well as other posts about some supplements not mentioned in the book, below is a list of what we are taking. We'll be on them for 6 months prior to cycling. Even a month or two can help, though from what I've read the longer the better.

By the way, I asked Dr. Potter about vitamins and supplements and he said for sure a prenatal and extra folic acid. As for Royal Jelly & Pollen and Propolis, he said he had heard of women taking them but he had not read any clinical studies about them. He said if I know of any studies (I couldn't find any online) to please pass them along as he would like to learn more.

One note - check your local drugstore for specials on vitamins & supplements. I bought most of mine at a CVS when they were offering buy 1 get 1 free. That saved a lot of money! The RJ-BP, Propolis, and Pycnogenol I could not find at the drugstore. I bought those at a Vitamin Shoppe. Others have found the RJ-BP at Whole Foods.

Another note: If you are breastfeeding you may want to wait to start the RJ-BP, Propolis, Pycnogenol, and CoQ-10. I read some stuff online that indicated it had not been studied in BF women. And apparently the bee items could potentially cause an allergic reaction in a BF baby (not to mention in you if you are allergic to honey).

One other supplement I'm not adding is DHEA (not to be confused with DHA, which is totally different). This is something that has been shown to help women with decreased ovarian reserve. If my pretesting shows that I have decreased ovarian reserve (through high FSH, etc.), then it's something I'll certainly consider adding.

Final note: if anyone reads this and thinks I'm missing something, or taking too much or too little of something, please let me know!

Our Vitamins & Supplements

DH: Fertility Blend for Men [url]http://www.fertilityblend.com/[/url] (he gets off REALLY easy. I know others add Zinc and a few other supps for DH, but I'm lucky to get mine to just take this one)

Me:

Morning:

1200 mg Fish Oil (a source of DHA) -- 1 pill

600 mcg Folic Acid (with fish oil and Vit. B-12) -- 1 pill

50 mg Pycnogenol (pine bark extract, an anti-oxident) - 1 capsule [url]http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=VS-2167[/url]

Royal Jelly & Pollen in Honey - 1 teaspoon [url]http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=RJ-1034[/url]

Propolis 1000 - 1 capsule [url]http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=RJ-1036[/url]

Evening:

Prenatal One (Rainbow Light brand): 1 pill [url]http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=RN-1429[/url]

400 IU Vitamin E - 1 softgel

Super B Complex & C - 1 caplet [url]http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=300260&productId=300260&navAction=jump&navCount=3[/url]

100 mg Coenzyme Q-10 - 1 softgel

1200 mg Fish Oil (a source of DHA) -- 1 pill

Royal Jelly & Pollen in Honey - 1 teaspoon

Propolis 1000 - 1 capsule