How to Improve Egg Quality

Egg quality plays an important role in how quickly or easily you conceive. Ensuring eggs are of optimal quality will not only increase the chances of a pregnancy but also help achieve a healthy pregnancy. 

Several factors affect the quality of an egg including overall lifestyle, hormonal balance, and diet. In this article, we will look at what you can do to improve and maintain the quality of your eggs to ensure a healthy pregnancy. 

Key Takeaways

• Egg quality is a major determinant in female infertility, and it can be affected by everything from lifestyle choices to mental health and genetic predisposition.
• Some of the biggest factors affecting egg quality include diet and exercise, age, and medical history.
• If you have been trying to get pregnant for over a year without a successful pregnancy, it may be time to talk to a healthcare provider about ways to assess and improve fertility and egg quality.

Age and Egg Quality

Egg quality is a term used to refer to the overall health and viability of a female’s eggs. This viability is key in ensuring a successful pregnancy. One of the factors that determine the quality of an egg is age. In fact, it is one of the top concerns for many women considering pregnancy. 

Many healthcare providers believe a woman’s egg quality begins to decline after the age of 35, making it more challenging to conceive and carry a pregnancy to term. Addressing concerns about egg quality is particularly vital for individuals undergoing IVF or trying to conceive naturally, as it directly affects their chances of success.

However, many women can still conceive even past this age. Now more than ever,  research shows the average age of women at childbirth is rising globally. The rising number of women conceiving in their late 30s and beyond has led to increased use of assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination. This is especially helpful for women suffering from conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis. 

Optimizing egg health through lifestyle modifications can significantly improve fertility outcomes, highlighting the importance of focusing on egg quality as a key aspect of reproduction.

Signs Of Bad Egg Quality

While it may be hard to tell sometimes, some indicators indicate that your eggs might not be at their best. These include:

• Trouble conceiving or sustaining a pregnancy
• Hormonal imbalances, especially low levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). 
• Irregular periods or menstrual cycles that are shorter than usual
• Failed IVF cycles as poor egg quality hinders successful fertilization and implantation.
• An abnormal number of chromosomes
• Low antral follicle count (AFC). The AFC measures the number of follicles in your ovaries, each containing a potential egg. 

There are various tests you can test to determine your egg quality like the Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) blood test or the antral follicle count ultrasound. 

How to Improve Your Egg Quality

Even though you may have hit the 35 age mark, there are certain steps you can take to improve the overall quality of your eggs. Having good-quality eggs translates to better chances of conception and pregnancy. Nevertheless, women in their 30s or 40s can still have successful pregnancies naturally or with help from assisted reproduction technology like IVF at facilities such as Ivy Fertility. 

Understand Your Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle is critical in maintaining reproductive health. Understanding how your cycle works will help you know when you ovulate, if your period is regular or irregular, and whether you need to consult a doctor.  

Eat Healthy

Diet plays a big role in reproductive health for women. It is also one of the least invasive ways to improve egg health. One study found that diets rich in high levels of trans saturated fats and highly processed foods could potentially have a negative effect not only on pregnancy rates but ovarian health in general. It recommended a nutrient rich Mediterranean diet for women hoping to get pregnant citing a correlation between polyunsaturated fats, fiber, folate, and starch and pregnancy rates. 

Exercise

Diet and exercise go hand in hand. Countless studies have shown that exercising regularly can help with all manner of health concerns, including things like stress, mental health disorders, obesity, and of course reproductive health. 

A recent 2023 study showed that overweight and obese women, in particular those with polycystic ovary syndrome, experience a significant increase in the likelihood of conception once they incorporate an exercise routine in their day-to-day. 

Conversely, a vigorous exercise regimen could negatively impact fertility as ovulation can cease with intense exercise. For women planning to get pregnant using IVF or IUI, moderation is key and exercise regimens should be assessed with the help of a healthcare professional. 

Quit Smoking

Cigarettes and vapes have a multitude of negative effects on your health, particularly for prospective mothers. The effects of smoking during treatment using assisted reproduction technology results in a 50 percent lower success rate for implantation of an embryo. 

According to a 2023 study, women who use alternative devices like vapes and other nicotine-containing products have similar negative impacts on both ovarian reserve and quality. Therefore, prospective mothers must stop using any tobacco or nicotine substances before the start of their pregnancy.  

Reduce Your Alcohol and Caffeine Intake

Alcohol can disrupt hormone levels and affect egg development, while caffeine can interfere with egg maturation and implantation. Reducing your consumption of these substances gives you a higher success rate of producing healthy eggs and increases the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. 

Manage Stress

Stress in our daily lives can be difficult to avoid and a couple hoping to become pregnant will likely face extreme levels of stress at various points in their pregnancy journey. Therefore, effective stress management can play a big role in the success of a pregnancy. To emphasize this, a 2022 study found that psycho-emotional stress can negatively affect egg health and, in turn, the health of embryos grown from those eggs. 

The study also found that counseling and stress reduction techniques had a significant impact on pregnancy rate, and recommended these techniques for prospective mothers particularly those experiencing difficulties with fertility.

Consider Taking Supplements

While a healthy diet in theory should provide all the nutrients needed for prospective mothers, in some cases it may be advisable to add vitamins and supplements to give the best chances of a successful pregnancy.

Studies suggest that compounds like Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) might improve pregnancy rates for women who have not responded well to ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization cycles, while other compounds like Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and myoinositol have a positive impact on results for some women’s embryological development.

Before taking any supplements, always consult with a healthcare professional while pregnant or in the process of trying to become pregnant.

Finally

Whether you're considering IVF or simply aiming to improve your fertility, the recommendations above can make a meaningful difference in your fertility journey. Generally, if you have been trying to conceive for over a year and you’re over the age of 35, it may be time to consult with a healthcare professional. They will be able to walk with you and lay out the next steps for you.