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Dose: 30 milligrams per day
Usually there is enough in your Prenatal Vitamin
Limit: Maximum of 45 mgs per day
But, you should also get a blood test, iron is that important to fertility! Women who take iron supplements have, on average, 40 percent less risk of ovulatory infertility than those who don’t take iron supplements.
Women who take the highest doses of iron decrease their risk of ovulatory infertility by more than 62 percent. Women who consume the most “free” iron—the kind found not in meat but in legumes, grains, fortified foods, as well as supplements—gained the most fertility. Make sure you eat a well-rounded diet, which will include iron-rich foods (read more here.)
Iron requirements of pregnant women are double that of non-pregnant women because of increased blood volume during pregnancy, increased needs of the fetus, and blood losses that occur during delivery. Iron deficiency anemia can occur and lead to premature deliveries and low birth weight. Iron plays a key role in DNA replication and in the maturing of the egg in advance of ovulation.
Iron supplements can lead to constipation. Try drinking prune juice, eating more fruit, or using a psyllium fiber supplement to help you stay regular.
Taking too much iron can increase your risk of developing gestational diabetes or oxidative stress, an imbalance in the body that's thought to play a role in infertility, preeclampsia, and miscarriage and that has also been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, and asthma. Make sure you don’t take more than 45 mgs daily, the upper recommended limit.
Source: Fertility Facts, The Tao of Fertility, The Bump, BabyCenter, National Institutes of Health
Usually there is enough in your Prenatal Vitamin
Limit: Maximum of 45 mgs per day
But, you should also get a blood test, iron is that important to fertility! Women who take iron supplements have, on average, 40 percent less risk of ovulatory infertility than those who don’t take iron supplements.
Women who take the highest doses of iron decrease their risk of ovulatory infertility by more than 62 percent. Women who consume the most “free” iron—the kind found not in meat but in legumes, grains, fortified foods, as well as supplements—gained the most fertility. Make sure you eat a well-rounded diet, which will include iron-rich foods (read more here.)
Iron requirements of pregnant women are double that of non-pregnant women because of increased blood volume during pregnancy, increased needs of the fetus, and blood losses that occur during delivery. Iron deficiency anemia can occur and lead to premature deliveries and low birth weight. Iron plays a key role in DNA replication and in the maturing of the egg in advance of ovulation.
Iron supplements can lead to constipation. Try drinking prune juice, eating more fruit, or using a psyllium fiber supplement to help you stay regular.
Taking too much iron can increase your risk of developing gestational diabetes or oxidative stress, an imbalance in the body that's thought to play a role in infertility, preeclampsia, and miscarriage and that has also been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, and asthma. Make sure you don’t take more than 45 mgs daily, the upper recommended limit.
Source: Fertility Facts, The Tao of Fertility, The Bump, BabyCenter, National Institutes of Health