Reviewed by Stephanie Olsen, FNTP
Rebecca Fett’s book It Starts with the Egg: How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF (Second Edition) is a good resource on female fertility in general and in particular for couples exploring the possibility of IVF.
When I came upon this book, I was on a mission to learn more about preconception preparation. I had a strong desire to help the women in my life receive proper nutrition advice when it came time for pregnancy, but what I hadn’t fully realized was that women who would need my services the most would be the ones who were struggling to conceive.
This realization cast a different light on the work I would be doing. I was suddenly struck with the need to know more. I was fully aware from my training as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner that bringing the body back into balance was key for optimal health and that proper nutrition for both partners would nourish the body so that fertility would be enhanced. But I now needed to know just how important it really was. Why are couples experiencing miscarriages? What are the physiological struggles when it comes to conceiving? Can nutrition go beyond balancing body systems and actually affect egg and sperm quality? When does IVF come into play? That’s when I was recommended It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett.
This book was easy to read and full of the information I was searching for. Nutrition and preconception preparation is indeed important and often overlooked when it comes to struggles with fertility. 3-4 months before ovulation, a woman’s egg transforms, grows in size, and undergoes chromosomal separation and copying. This process can go wrong, and many times it does, causing chromosomal abnormalities that lead to early miscarriage and failed IVF cycles. In fact, chromosomal abnormalities are 40-50% of the reason for miscarriage, and they usually occur in the last phase of egg maturation right before ovulation. The growth phase of the egg before ovulation is a brief window of opportunity to increase the quality of the egg. Egg quality is crucial for a healthy, viable pregnancy.
So how do we improve egg health? Proper nutrition! The proportion of eggs with chromosomal abnormalities can be influenced by nutrients and lifestyle, which boosts the egg’s potential to produce the energy needed for chromosomal processing. Many factors affect egg health, and the book covers several of them.
Chemicals such as BPA—found in plastic water bottles and canned food items—and phthalates—which are found in most fragrances, nail polish and cleaning products—act as endocrine disruptors that disturb estrogen, egg, and embryo quality. They create oxidative stress-free radicals that cause damage to cells and ovarian follicles to die off. It is important to take inventory of household and beauty items, read the labels, and throw away anything that can be considered toxic.
Vitamin D deficiency, underactive thyroid, and celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity can all be hidden causes of miscarriage and infertility. A full thyroid panel is important for those who are struggling to conceive, especially for those experiencing recurring miscarriages. It could be that an underactive thyroid won’t rise to the demand of making enough hormones. There is a 69% higher rate of miscarriage in women with abnormal thyroid hormones and antibodies. Elevated thyroid antibodies can also be found in women with PCOS. Treatment can greatly increase the odds of getting pregnant. Cutting out dairy and gluten from the diet while supplementing with selenium is helpful. DHEA is also extremely important for fertility. It is recommended to get these levels checked because low levels can compromise egg development.
Egg quality is not only significant for natural conception but for IVF outcomes as well. Typically, 20 eggs are retrieved during an IVF cycle, but only 15 will be fertilized. Of those, only 1/3 will make it to the 5-day-old stage, ready to be transferred into the uterus. A large number of transfers fail. Supporting egg quality with proper supplementation can be very helpful in IVF outcomes. The book covers several supplements and antioxidants that are supportive when addressing the different causes of infertility.
Another fundamental factor the book covers is sperm quality. It takes two to tango when creating a baby, and sperm is the other half of that dance. If couples are experiencing fertility struggles, it is crucial to look at the sperm as well. Conventional semen analysis does not look at DNA, so it is wise to get an SCSA test that looks for DNA fragmentation, especially in men over 40. Just like egg quality can be improved with diet and supplementation, so can sperm quality!
The book is broken into chapters that pertain to certain situations related to infertility. This allows the reader to flip to the relevant section that will help guide them with their specific issue.
Overall, this book was a wealth of information and truly helped me understand the importance of preconception nutrition. Knowing that the Feed Your Fertile Body!™ Program is so powerful and gives me extra incentive to spread the word and help couples in need. If you struggle to conceive or maintain a pregnancy, I encourage you to read It Starts with the Egg and explore a fertility optimization program like Feed Your Fertile Body. It can change your life.
About Stephanie Olsen, FNTP
Stephanie Olsen is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner specializing in women’s health. Her passion is to help women find balance in all stages of life. Her love for food brought her to pursue an education in Culinary Arts, which quickly led to a desire to help people heal with food. She helps couples with preconception preparation and pregnant women with nutrition. She also has a thriving virtual Nutritional Therapy practice where she meets with clients one-on-one from anywhere in the world. To learn more about her services, please visit www.soundbodynutrition.com or email stephanie@soundbodynutrition.com.