Are Prenatal Vitamins Safe for Men? Experts Explain How to Support the Health of a Father-To-Be

When it comes to fertility, there’s an obvious and understandable focus on a woman’s health — but what can men do to increase the odds of a successful pregnancy? What about taking prenatal vitamins? Are supplements formulated for mothers-to-be even safe for men? Common sense dictates that good nutrition is important to reproductive health. But to dig into the specifics, we consulted two experts on the matter. Let’s break it down. A Healthy Lifestyle is the Building Block For starters, both of the doctors we consulted stressed the importance of general health, for both the father- and the mother-to-be. “To conceive successfully, it’s important to optimize your own health as much as possible,” says Dr. Colin Zhu, DO. A board-certified physician in family medicine and also a chef, Zhu also founded The Chef Doc, a lifestyle- and nutrition-focused brand. Important markers on the health journey for prospective parents include “maintaining a healthy weight by consuming a fiber-rich diet; striving for 150-300 minutes of moderately intense exercise per week; drinking closer to 120 ounces of water a day [for men], as per the Mayo Clinic; and sleeping between seven to nine hours a night, as per the American Sleep Association,” he says. Dr. Amos Grunebaum concurs. When trying to conceive, “It’s really important that both parties are equally healthy. Men often don’t want to admit that it can be their problem when she cannot get pregnant,” says the obstetrician, who is also a professor at the Zucker School of Medicine in New York and founder of babyMed, a site designed to facilitate healthy pregnancies. Both the quality and the quantity of a man’s sperm are key to conception, Grunebaum points out. Therefore, his initial advice to men who are trying to become fathers: “No smoking, no alcohol, no being overweight. Eat healthy food, manage stress.” All of these factors, he says, can affect a man’s sperm. A Man’s Diet Affects His Sperm Health One study, Zhu notes, “found a correlation with improved semen parameters with improved omega-3 fatty acid intake, whether by supplementation or from foods rich in omega-3s.” On the flip side, a poor diet has the opposite effect: “Poor semen quality was observed with higher intakes of processed meats and dairy, and improved semen quality with higher intakes of fruits and vegetables. This was confirmed in another study, when the intake is more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.” It’s important to understand that men’s reproductive health cannot be improved overnight, Grunebaum points out: “Sperm can take nine to 10 weeks to be produced. Anything that happens over that period can affect sperm quality and count. So it’s not just doing something the night before or the week before.” A good diet is key, Grunebaum stresses. His recommendation? “The best diet is the Mediterranean diet: a lot of fish, low-fat meat or no meat, and a lot of vegetables.” Do Supplements Help with Conception? Both experts agree that improved nutrition makes a difference—and supplements can help. “Take a daily multivitamin and an antioxidant supplement,” says Grunebaum. “Studies have clearly shown that men can improve their fertility by adding a daily supplement. That should include selenium, co-enzyme Q10, L-carnitine, and folic acid. Those are specific male fertility supplements that can improve his sperm count. Again, it takes about three months to achieve that.” Grunebaum shared a meta-analysis of several smaller studies to support this recommendation. He also recommended a supplement he designed: Fertilaid for Men, which combines the recommended nutrients. (Fertilaid also makes a formula for women.) Zhu suggests a slightly different combination for men trying to conceive a baby. “My general recommendations would be having a high-quality vitamin B12 and omega-3 supplementation from a plant-based source, and vitamin D3,” he says. Regarding co-enzyme Q10, Zhu notes that your body is able to produce it on its own, under the right circumstances. Eating leafy greens—such as spinach, swiss chard and kale—and getting enough sunlight causes “a chemical reaction where we are able to naturally reactivate levels of CoQ10. So, it’s not necessary to supplement if you are able to eat more chlorophyll-rich diets, like a whole foods plant-based diet.” Not sure what a chlorophyll-rich diet looks like? In that case, it can help to work with a registered dietitian or certified nutrition coach for guidance. RELATED: Diets Decoded: Plant-Based Diet Are Women’s Prenatal Vitamins Safe for Men? Both experts agree there’s no clear danger for men taking a prenatal vitamin, even if it’s formulated for women — but they also don’t recommend it. “There’s no reason to do that, because there are specific supplements for men that will help their sperm,” says Grunebaum. “In general, a simple prenatal women’s vitamin is not unsafe for men, but it does not usually have the optimal amount of vitamins and supplements for men.” And of course, as Zhu points out: “If you have specific questions about infertility, contact your urologist, OB-GYN, and/or fertility specialist.” (Image: Shutterstock)

4 Reasons You Lost Your Period (Besides Pregnancy)

By Karla Walsh It’s not just pregnancy and menopause that can cause your period to go MIA, and I know from experience. The first month I went without mine, it was a relief, honestly. No need to scramble for a tampon or worry about leaks? All right! But as the months—and, eventually years—progressed, it was clear something was wrong with my body. Very wrong.  After finally regaining enough weight and balancing my hormones with a kickstart from medication from my ob-gyn, my flow returned. A whopping 16 years later, when I recovered from my eating disorder. RELATED: Emotional Eating vs. Eating Disorders: How to Tell the Difference “It’s important to have a menstrual cycle,” says Arianna Sholes-Douglas, MD, founder and owner of Tula Wellness and Aesthetics Center in Tucson, Arizona and the author of The Menopause Myth. “Ovulation is the key, and every month around Day 14, you should ovulate.” What’s the big deal if you’re not TTC? Well, if you aren’t getting your period, the lining of your uterus keeps building thicker and thicker, and an unstable or irregular amount of lining can affect your health over time. “Overgrowth of the endometrium over the long-term can increase your risk of endometrial cancer,” Sholes-Douglas says. “And if the lining of the uterus continues to build, bleeding—when it does occur—will be irregular and unpredictable. Heavy bleeding can lead to anemia.” RELATED: 5 Delicious Foods For Cancer Prevention You can be officially diagnosed with amenorrhea, or absent periods, after three months of a missing period, according to the National Institutes of Health. After six months, the health problems above become a real concern, so you should def see a doc by then. Also important? A missing period not related to pregnancy, lactation, or menopause—referred to as “secondary amenorrhea”—is often a sign that something else is off, too, like the problems below:  You’re super stressed out Stress hormones have a ton of consequences, and losing your period can be one of them. Target the source of stress and ease it through a healthy morning routine, calm yoga flows, meditation, journaling, counseling, or whatever you find helps you feel less on-edge. Once your stress levels decrease, your period should return back to its regularly scheduled programming. If not, it’s time to see a pro for some advice and possibly a birth control RX, which will force the lining to shed. RELATED: 3 Interesting New Findings About How Stress Affects Your Health (and Life) You lost a ton of weight Despite what you see on runways and in fashion ads, you can indeed be too skinny. And one of the many things that can result from reaching an extremely low body weight is that your reproductive system will slow or stop due to interruptions in usual hormone activity. Once a woman reaches about 10 percent below her normal weight or falls below a body mass index of 20 (calculate yours here), she’s at risk for losing her period, Sholes-Douglas says.  Work with your medical team (doctor, dietitian, and mental health professional, if needed), to return to a healthy weight. (By the way, here’s how to tell if you have disordered eating patterns.) You’re exercising too much Even if your weight falls within a “normal” range, too much physical activity can turn off your flow. About 5 to 25 percent of women athletes exercise so hard or so much they lose their periods, reports WebMD. Dancers, gymnasts, and runners are at particularly high risk, since intense activities are most likely to impact reproductive hormone levels. If your doctor diagnoses you with exercise-induced amenorrhea, the most common treatment strategies include getting estrogen levels back to a normal range and adjusting caloric intake to ensure your body is receiving enough fuel. RELATED: Why You Should Consider Breaking Up With Your Scale You have PCOS PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is caused by too much insulin (the hormone that helps to convert food into energy) or too many androgens (male hormones) in the body, according to the Office on Women’s Health. As many as one in 10 women between 15 and 44 may have PCOS. Beyond messing with your menstrual cycle, PCOS symptoms include acne, extra facial hair, thinning scalp hair, and weight gain—or trouble losing weight, if attempting to do so. Your doctor can diagnose and potentially provide medicine to help control your symptoms, if necessary. While there’s no cure for PCOS, focusing on lifestyle factors, such as eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, and losing extra weight (if you have it to lose) can help improve your symptoms.   (Photo: Shutterstock)

A Top Physician’s Number One Tip for Getting Pregnant

Watch this two-minute video for easy-to-act-on baby-making advice from an expert.

What Every Woman Needs to Know About PCOS

Thanks to the Internet and real life stories from celebrities like Lena Dunham and Padma Lakshmi, more people are familiar with the hormone imbalance known as PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). These days PCOS is estimated to affect 5-10% of women of childbearing age, with 30% of all women exhibiting some symptoms of PCOS. Reports indicate that PCOS is on the rise and yet, despite its prevalence, much remains unknown about the syndrome. As with most things that are related to a woman’s menstrual cycle and hormones, there has been little discussion about this syndrome and many women are left wondering if they have PCOS, misunderstanding what PCOS is, or being diagnosed with PCOS and unfortunately coming to believe things that just aren’t true about their condition, what it means for their health and how to treat it. What is PCOS? What many people don’t realize is that PCOS is not one syndrome but rather four different disorders: Type 1: Classic. Women with classic PCOS have high androgen (male hormone) levels, irregular or absent ovulation, and a polycystic ovary. Type 2: Hyperandrogenic anovulatory. Those who have hyperandrogenic anovulatory PCOS have an excess of androgens and irregular or absent ovulation. Type 3: Ovulatory. Women diagnosed with Ovulatory PCOS have a high level of androgens and a polycystic ovary. Type 4: Non-hyperandrogenic. For women with non-hyperandrogenic PCOS, the syndrome presents as an irregular or absent ovulation and a polycystic ovary. The recently proposed fifth strain is Obesity. Women with this type have insulin resistance, which causes their testosterone and estrogen production to go into overdrive. As a result, these women typically experience acne, facial hair, and irregular or absent ovulation. RELATED: Schedule a free conversation with a Parsley Health expert to learn about our comprehensive approach to PCOS. Common Misconceptions It is often falsely assumed that the way one woman experiences PCOS is how all women experience it. For example, it is commonly believed that having PCOS means you have cysts on your ovaries and won’t have a regular period. In fact, only three of the four types of PCOS are associated with ovarian cysts and while menstruation can be affected by the condition, it is also heavily dependent on inflammation, body fat percentage, and one’s cortisol and insulin levels. Similarly, some, but not all, women with the condition will experience acne, facial hair growth, or both. How to treat PCOS and if it can be treated at all are also widely misunderstood. Women who come to Parsley Health with a PCOS diagnosis are often on a birth control pill and believe that their diagnosis means they are infertile. “In reality, the birth control pill does nothing to cure, prevent, or fix PCOS or any other hormone disorder. It can be helpful as a management tool for symptoms, but ultimately it just masks the problem,” explains Parsley Health founder and CEO Dr. Robin Berzin. RELATED: How to Eat for Fertility How to Treat PCOS Although the cause of PCOS remains unknown, research indicates that imbalances in hormone levels, body fat percentage, and metabolism are to blame. At the root of these imbalances are stress and diet, which often go hand in hand as high stress can lead to poor dietary and other lifestyle choices. Treating the condition requires making dietary and lifestyle changes. For our patients, we recommend a low-glycemic, plant-based, Paleo-style diet complemented with supplements to balance hormone levels, blood sugar, and insulin levels and decrease inflammation. By following our protocols, our patients have re-balanced their bodies, reversed PCOS, and oftentimes been able to conceive. If you have been given a diagnosis of PCOS, the best thing you can do is educate yourself and find a physician who will take the time to explain the syndrome and work with you to heal. Just because a friend has PCOS or you have heard that women with it always have a particular symptom does not mean that you will have that experience. At Parsley Health, we believe in a personalized approach to medicine because no two people are the same. This piece was originally published on Parsley Health. Parsley Health is a groundbreaking medical practice of highly trained doctors and health coaches in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Parsley Health takes a smarter, whole approach to helping you live a healthy life. You deserve a better doctor. Sign up here to speak to a health expert to figure out how Parsley Health can help you achieve your goals today.