Can You Reverse Poor Egg Quality?

When you were born, you had 7 million eggs. At puberty, that number dwindled to 300,000, and at menopause, it would be nearly zero.  A lot of emphasis is placed on anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), a hormone that correlates to egg quantity.  However, egg quality is more relevant if you aim for a natural pregnancy on your own (without treatment).

While trying to conceive, you might ask, "Can you reverse poor egg quality?" Common wisdom claims that egg quality may be difficult to reverse.  By the time you are ready to conceive, whether that is in your 30s or 40s, your eggs are already decades old and have been exposed to decades of oxidative stress from factors like poor nutrition, including a diet of processed foods and foods high in trans fat or saturated fat, lack of exercise or leading a sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep, drinking alcohol, and smoking. The good news is that while you can't change your previous lifestyle, age, or genetic factors, you can employ several strategies to improve egg quality.

Understanding Egg Quality

Before diving into how to improve egg quality, it's essential to understand what it means. Egg quality refers to the health and viability of a woman's eggs. High-quality eggs have a better chance of fertilizing and developing into healthy embryos. Poor egg quality, on the other hand, can lead to difficulties in conceiving and an increased risk of miscarriage.  Egg quality is influenced by what happens on a cellular level and factors that impact the chromosomes found in eggs, such as antioxidant intake, free radical formation, and oxidative stress.  You have complete control over all those factors through nutrition and lifestyle modifications.

Factors Affecting Egg Quality

Several factors influence egg quality, some are modifiable and others are not:

1. Age: As women age, the number and quality of their eggs decline.

2. Genetics: Genetic factors play a role in determining egg quality.

3. Lifestyle: Nutrition, exercise, and stress levels can impact egg health.

4. Environmental Toxins: Exposure to harmful chemicals can negatively affect eggs.

How to Improve Egg Quality

While factors like age and genetics are beyond our control, you can take several actionable steps to improve your egg quality.

Nutrition and Supplements to Improve Egg Quality

1. Eat antioxidant-rich foods: Berries, bright vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, carrots) and leafy greens help combat oxidative stress.

2. Consume healthy fats: Avocados, olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish provide essential fatty acids

3. Increase protein intake: Lean meats, beans, and legumes support overall reproductive health.

4. Focus on folate-rich foods: Strategic foods can improve egg quality and overall health.  Eating folate-rich foods such as edamame, sunflower seeds, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, asparagus, and eggs.

5. Take strategic supplements: Certain supplements are known to improve egg quality, the premiere supplement being Coenzyme Q10.  If using this supplement, purchase the more bioavailable form, ubiquinol (not ubiquinone). Some studies suggest that DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) supplementation may improve ovarian function. Folate is also essential for DNA synthesis and repair.

Environmental Toxins and Effects on Egg Quality

Minimize exposure to harmful chemicals found in plastics (BPA), pesticides, and household cleaners by opting for natural alternatives whenever possible. Reducing items in your environment that contain harmful phthalates, also known as endocrine disrupting, can regulate hormones and improve egg quality.  Common culprits are plastics, fragrances, nail polish, and hairspray.

Lifestyle Modifications to Enhance Egg Quality

Exercise and regular physical activity improves blood flow to the ovaries and helps maintain hormonal balance. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. Manage stress since chronic stress can negatively impact fertility by disrupting hormonal balance. Incorporate stress-reducing activities such as yoga, meditation, or deep-breathing exercises into your daily routine.  Quit smoking since it has been shown to accelerate ovarian aging and reduce the number of viable eggs.

Medical Interventions to Combat Egg Quality

In some cases where lifestyle changes alone may not be sufficient, medical interventions might be necessary. Treatments such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) can assist in achieving pregnancy despite poor egg quality. Doctors may prescribe hormonal treatments like Clomid or Letrozole to stimulate ovulation and improve the chances of producing high-quality eggs.

While reversing poor egg quality entirely may not be possible due to factors like age or genetics being beyond our control, adopting a healthy lifestyle with proper diet, supplementation regular exercise, managing stress, avoiding toxins, quitting smoking along with medical interventions when necessary significantly improves chances of conceiving healthy pregnancy journey towards motherhood.

References

Fett, Rebecca. It Starts with the Egg. New York, Franklin Fox Publishing, 2019.