12 replies to this topic

[Hopeful Cdn]

From research online and on here, I have found:

 

Royal Jelly (not taking yet) 

COQ10 (currently taking 200mg daily)

Prenatal Vitamins with Folate

DHEA (will have to get it shipped from India)

 

 

Currently at 40 yrs old, I have normal day 2 FSH (not elevated), normal LH, normal estradiol, but slightly low AMH. AMH falls in the 'low normal' range on some scales and just into the low range on others (albeit at the top of the low range).  So I have not lost hope yet.

 

What are the doses for Royal Jelly, and COQ10 I should be taking?

 

Any other good supplements I should know about?

 

Another I came across was Maca... but don't know anything about it. 

 

Thanks for any info!

[hs4816]

I'm not an RE, but just want to mention that DHEA is controversial. In some women it may reduce egg quality. If you read about it on Dr. Sher's blog, I found it personally informative. I would caution against starting/taking anything on your own unless your doctor specifically recommends it for you.

[Brokenhearted]

Be sure to ask your RE about any supplements.  I have also heard that melatonin and myo-inositol can also help.  Please know that your eggs start preparing for ovulation three months prior, so for any of these supplements to work, you should be on them for at least 3 months before your next egg retrieval.  Good luck.

[Hopeful Cdn]

DHEA was actually prescribed prior to the last IVF cycle... so it was on my RE's advice. 

 

Rest were what I found online... the royal jelly and COQ10 (neither of which I can see doing any harm as COQ10 is a heart protectant and antioxidant, and royal jelly is also antioxidant / vitamin rich)

 

I am looking online for the Ubiquinol version of COQ10 (its like 4x the price as the regular one!)

And also Royal Jelly is not cheap either! 

 

I did find on ebay a seller that has both from USA at reasonable prices, but their shipping is outrageous! Like 90 USD to send 3 small bottles to Canada? By POST even! That's not even courier!

[returnable]

We get our ubiquinol from Costco. I think it's 100 pills in the bottle and is around $35. Because supplements are not as well regulated as medicine, my personal choice is to go with a well known brand hoping that the company has integrity to preserve the brand name, rather than a rock bottom price for a product from a company hat could be here today and gone tomorrow. Just personal preference.

[Hopeful Cdn]

does Costco have royal jelly too? I never thought to try there! I do have a card...

[amp77]

For IVF I took:
Melatonin, Vitamin D, Omegas, Pre-Natal, Royal Jelly and CoQ10 (Ubiquinol) and hubby took Folic Acid, Ubiquinol, Vitamin A, Omegas.  It isn't cheap, I think I spent probably $500 or so in a few months.  I got all high quality variants from a health food store.  Fertilaid is also supposed to be very good for men.  I also did fertility acupuncture (recommend 10 sessions which I believe were $65 for the first session, $50 for subsequent and $250 for the day of transfer) and ate brazil nuts during the cycle and then pineapple and walnuts after transfer.

 

For FET, I am taking Vitamin D, Omegas, Pre-Natal and liquid Iron (Floradix) because last pregnancy my iron was a bit low and I heard it can help with lining.  It isn't cheap either (maybe $50 a month, can't recall).

[Hopeful Cdn]

For the COQ10 I read that if you can't get the ubiquinol version you can use the regular but just double the dose is this correct?

Like are they the same supplement where the ubiquinol is more concentrated or are they two different things?

I found the regular COQ10 in 600 mg doses but the ubiquinol I found in only 200 mg max (locally anyway). The dose I read online for fertility and egg quality is 600 mg so are they talking about the regular COQ10 or is there also a 600 mg version of the ubiquinol??

[returnable]

Best if you check with your RE. Mine has me on 100 mg ubiquinol three times a day. Costco has both and health food stores will carry as well. I'm not sure what the conversion is.

[hs4816]

Your body can convert one form back and forth to the other form. Most likely the "hype" about ubiquinol being better is being driven by marketing and profits. If you do a search, here is one study that compared the two, although there are many others that support this finding - you just have to look beyond the hype.

https://www.usana.co...usUbiquinol.pdf

 

And unfortunately, nobody knows for certain if this supplement enhances egg quality or not. What we do seem to know is that there is no evidence for harm, and that's why many of us take it. I've seen dose recommendations ranging from 100-900 per day.

 

Take what your RE recommends and decide how much your pocket-book can afford and go with that.

[Hopeful Cdn]

Hmm I found at Sobeys Ubiquinol version was on sale for 26.00 for 30 but its only 100 mg so I got two bottles and will try two a day (200 mg ubquinol which I read some of you have taken) I am more in contact with the embryologist than the RE. Embryologist is a personal friend... he said same thing, take what dose you can afford. There has been some promise with using it, but not enough evidence to prove it. So if you go by subjective evidence it seems it can help... so I'll give it a try.  I also picked up D3, and melatonin. I can't find royal jelly.  But I have not checked GNC yet.  Shoppers and Sobeys both dont have it though.

[amp77]

Hmm I found at Sobeys Ubiquinol version was on sale for 26.00 for 30 but its only 100 mg so I got two bottles and will try two a day (200 mg ubquinol which I read some of you have taken) I am more in contact with the embryologist than the RE. Embryologist is a personal friend... he said same thing, take what dose you can afford. There has been some promise with using it, but not enough evidence to prove it. So if you go by subjective evidence it seems it can help... so I'll give it a try.  I also picked up D3, and melatonin. I can't find royal jelly.  But I have not checked GNC yet.  Shoppers and Sobeys both dont have it though.

For dosing, I forget what I took.  Whatever dose was recommended here and I did take the Ubiquinol version.  Royal Jelly I got at a health food store, they won't have it at big box stores or chains, I don't think.  You can also order it online.

You will need to take them for 3 months because an egg takes 3 months to develop.

[Kim2]

Has anyone received advice on whether or not you should continue CoQ10 if you get pregnant? I stayed taking it about a month ago. I was taking 200mg on the advice of my ND, but my RE said to up the dose to 900mg/day.