There are three key factors that can affect egg quality: oxidative stress, thyroid health, and age.
- Oxidative stress – Although oxidative stress occurs naturally, over time it can start to have a detrimental affect on our tissues and cells such as egg cells. External factors such as excess alcohol consumption, smoking and exposure to toxins can contribute to increasing levels of oxidative stress.
- Thyroid health – Past studies have shown that impaired thyroid function is strongly associated with reduced embryo quality. Fertility specialists often recommend a full analysis of your thyroid hormones prior to the commencement of treatment and ensuring you have a diet sufficient in iodine such as dairy products, seafood, eggs and iodised salt.
- Age – Unfortunately, we know that your fertility will begin to decline as you get older and this has a lot to do with the quality of the eggs you are producing. This doesn’t mean that we can’t get pregnant after a specific age, it does mean, however that we can be more aware of the effects ageing has on our eggs and work to undo some of these. Diets rich in antioxidants and antioxidants through supplementation can help to support the ageing process and assist in improving egg quality.
