Is Improving Egg Quality Worth it For PCOS? The Important Details You Need to Know
You ask yourself, "is improving egg quality worth it for PCOS?" You want the best fertility plan for your PCOS, but you also don't want a gimmick or anything that wastes your time. Is egg quality something serious or a gimmick?
You're in the right place because today I'm going to share with you the details you need to know about egg quality and how it impacts PCOS fertility.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the number one top causes of female infertility. If you have infertility and no one has checked you for PCOS, talk to someone right away.
In order to be diagnosed with PCOS, you need to have at least two out of three of the following going on in your body:
Increased androgens (testosterone or DHEA) on lab test or signs of increased androgens like pesky chin hair or acne.
Ovulation issues like long periods or not ovulating at all
Cysts on your ovaries
PCOS is a syndrome. What’s the big deal with that? Well, that means that there are a variety of symptoms that someone may be experiencing that is causing their PCOS. It also means that PCOS looks different for everyone.
What you are experiencing with PCOS and the aspects of PCOS that are contributing to your fertility struggles will most likely be different from your friend.
Don’t let someone tell you that PCOS responds to a one-size-fits-all approach. Because it doesn’t. Make sure you are getting individualized care. When you get an individualized plan, that’s when your fertility can open up the most.
What is Infertility?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines infertility as not being able to get pregnant within one year of having unprotected sex. And for those who are over the age of 35? Not getting pregnant after six months of trying.
Even if you haven’t reached these yearly marks and you haven’t gotten pregnant, it’s still important to reach out to get fertility help if getting pregnant has been a struggle. Don’t let fertility issues go on for too long. Start optimizing your fertility health as soon as you can.
What is Egg Quality?
Egg quality refers to the ability of the egg to have the correct number of chromosomes. Why is this important? Because if the egg doesn’t have the correct number of chromosomes, then it won’t be able to survive. If the egg isn’t able to survive, then the egg isn’t able to connect with the sperm, implant and make a baby.
To get even more info on egg quality and how it impacts PCOS fertility, jump on over here to read my definitive guide to egg quality and PCOS.
So now that you know what I am talking about when I say egg quality, let’s dive in and talk more about if it’s even worth it for you.
Is Improving Egg Quality Worth It?
I'm going to jump straight to the chase here and tell you that not only is improving egg quality worth it when you have PCOS, but it's one of the most vital steps in a fertility plan.
And on top of that?
It's one of the most underrated tools used by many doctors and fertility clinics.
Having poor equality today is not a diagnosis for having poor egg quality one month from now, or one year from now. There are powerful ways to improve egg quality.
So don't let anyone tell you that poor egg quality is the reason you aren't getting pregnant and then NOT give you the proper tools to turn that around.
Improving egg quality is so important that it's Step 5 in my PCOS Fertility Protocol.
So now you know that improving egg quality for PCOS is absolutely worth it. But you might still be wondering why. Here are four powerful reasons why egg quality is so important for PCOS fertility.
Improving Egg Quality Reason #1: Cysts and PCOS
With PCOS it’s common to have too many follicles that build up in the ovaries. Pair that along with hormone imbalance and what does that give you? Undeveloped eggs that just sit in the ovaries and don’t do anything.
Are you familiar with AMH? AMH is a test that evaluates how many follicles are in your ovaries, or your ovarian reserve.
With PCOS it is common to have an elevated AMH. Having too much AMH means you have multiple of these immature follicles that aren’t leading to eggs that will be released to connect with the sperm.
So if PCOS is causing your body to have too many of these immature follicles, egg quality needs to be a primary focus of an effective fertility plan.
Improving Egg Quality Reason #2: Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is another common factor in PCOS that can affect fertility. Insulin resistance doesn’t affect everyone with PCOS although it's really common which is why it’s so important to know your type (or types) of PCOS.
Once you know your type, then you know if insulin resistance is even an issue for you and then you can get the most targeted fertility plan for your body.
If you are one of the many women who struggle with insulin resistance and PCOS, then you're going to want to listen up!
One study looked at blood sugar levels and IVF. IVF studies can be helpful to understand egg quality because the embryos are always tested for their quality before being transferred.
If you’re trying to get pregnant naturally, there is really no test to understand your egg quality. But with IVF they are testing the quality of each embryo so it gives a lot of great information.
Anyway, with this particular study, they looked at the effect of high blood sugar levels in women over time. They found that women with insulin resistance had fewer eggs retrieved, fewer eggs fertilized and fewer good-quality embryos.
The pregnancy rate was also dramatically different. 23% in women with normal blood sugar levels in comparison to just 3.4% of women with higher levels.
This is the type of information you do not want to mess around with. The negative effect insulin has on egg quality is significant.
Improving Egg Quality Reason #3: Age
Real talk here. When you’re in your 20’s you only have about twenty percent of abnormal eggs. When you’re 40? That number jumps up to eighty percent!
Now if you’re watching your biological clock, don’t worry, that number does not completely take away your chances of becoming a mother.
It just means that your focus needs to be even greater on improving your egg quality to help increase your number of normal, healthy eggs getting released.
Having a baby at an "older" age is possible. What we know is that egg quality declines with age, right? But a large reason for that lower egg quality is because we have spent more years deficient in nutrients that are specific to help with egg quality.
And we also know that there are specific nutrients that help improve egg quality. So if you are trying to have a baby at an older age, egg quality needs to be one of those things that is an even higher focus.
Improving Egg Quality Reason #4: Miscarriage
Miscarriages are a sign of poor egg quality. It’s estimated that about 50% of all miscarriages are caused by abnormal eggs.
An egg that doesn't have the correct number of chromosomes making it "poor quality" still has a chance to be released, connect with the sperm and implant.
But if the egg doesn't have the right number of chromosomes it can't actual continue developing into a growing baby. What happens? Miscarriage.
So if you are someone with a history of miscarriages, egg quality needs to be one of the top things you focus on for your fertility health moving forward.
Let's Summarize!
Improving egg quality is absolutely worth it for fertility. And with PCOS? It’s that much more important and here are 4 powerful reasons why:
Having multiple cysts, a common part of PCOS, contributes to poor egg quality
Insulin resistance, a common issue alongside PCOS, contributes to poor egg quality
Increasing age contributes to poor egg quality
Improving egg quality helps lower the risk of miscarriage
Overall, improving egg quality helps increase your chances of getting pregnant at any age. This is because it ensures the eggs you release are mature and ready to make babies.
Too often doctors will find poor egg quality as one cause of someone's infertility. And what happens next? They say good luck and don't follow up by providing powerful tools to help improve egg quality.
Don't let one doctors dismissive information keep your egg quality low. There are powerful ways to improve egg quality so that your eggs are happy and healthy and helping you improve your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS.
If you need help with an egg-quality boosting plan, book a complimentary consult here.
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