Ep. 39: Should I be taking supplements?

Welcome back to the Woven Well Podcast! I first want to thank you for sharing the podcast with others. This podcast is meant to be a way to get needed information out there into the ears of women who want it, but we’re not fancy - we don’t have sponsors or an editing team, and so it can be hard for people to find. When a friend sends them an episode, it makes us known to one more person and helps the information to spread. 

And I also want to thank all those who participated live in our Blood Sugar & Fertility workshop with Dr. Brittannie Chester! Man, it was packed with helpful information and I’ve heard from several attendees that they feel empowered to talk with their doctors about their care or their concerns after this workshop. Love it! If you missed joining live, you can still get all the information by getting the recording, which includes the Q&A at the end as well as the workshop workbook which has all the details of the presentation and additional graphs and information. You can find this workshop and all of our resources at wovenfertility.com/resources. 

Now to today’s question - should I be taking supplements? 

I frequently get some form of this question from clients, often because of a question that I ask at every single follow up: have you had any changes to your medications, vitamins, or supplements since our last follow up? 

I ask this every time because each of these can have an impact on your cervical mucus production. And when you use a system that is based on cervical mucus production, you want to know about anything and everything that could influence it! 

This isn’t something to be scared about, though. “What if what I’m taking radically changes my mucus?!” First of all, that’s precisely why you work with a FertilityCare Practitioner like myself. You are not alone in this. And like I mentioned, I ask this question every-single-time we meet. I’m always on the look out for anything that could influence your mucus production. But also, very few things cause you to totally dry up - so have no fear. 

Remember, our organs and systems combine to make up our living body. Each system is not totally independent or isolated. So something that you take for glucose may effect your estrogen, and something you take for your heart may affect your skin. That’s okay! You are an interconnected human being. But it helps to know what you’re taking and how it may affect you. 

When it comes to supplements, many people think of vitamins. Now, all vitamins are supplements, but not all supplements are vitamins. Vitamins are specifically nutrients that our bodies need in order to function normally. Common ones I see women take are Vitamin D (which many women are deficient in) or methyfolate (which is needed in very early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects). 

Supplements can include vitamins, like Fish Oil (which is often high in Vitamin A) or CoQ10 (which is a vitamin-like compound that helps our heart and egg quality), or they can include other things our bodies need, like amino acid compounds in NAC or hormones like DHEA. 

For today, I’m going to use the word supplement to include both categories. 

And they can be very helpful, but they’re also not always necessary. The jury is actually still out on whether or not supplements make a huge difference, but those who consistently use them often say they feel a difference and that’s what’s made them stay consistent. 

Ideally, you’d get all your body needs, nutrients and more, from a well-rounded and varied diet full of a variety of vegetables, fruits, all the colors of the rainbow. Other lifestyle choices help promote health, too, like staying active with a short walk every day, 15 mins a day spent outside in the sun, and a habitual nightly routine of 7-8 hours of sleep. All of these things really do make a huge difference in your overall health, and your body’s ability to process nutrients. 

But we all have seasons where this is not happening for us. Maybe you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and you need extra support in certain vitamins, or you’re just coming off of hormonal contraception and your body needs extra help to learn how to cycle again. 

There are also situations where you may try to use certain supplements along with lifestyle changes in place of medications. This is rarely a 1:1 replacement. “Instead of taking this medication, I’m just going to take this supplement.” But it is sometimes possible! Especially with those connected lifestyle changes, whatever they may be. 

The Chinese community has used herbs and supplements for generations and there are whole fields of medicine dedicated to their use over traditional medication. I’m personally not knowledgeable enough on Chinese herbs to say anything one way or the other about them, but it can’t be for nothing that there’s an entire field of medicine dedicated to it. Supplements must be doing something! 

And a lot of times people find them to be a more gentle alternative to other medicinal options. 

But that’s not to say they’re without issue. I feel like at least half of this episode is going to be about some cautions I recommend to anyone considering using supplements. So buckle up. 

 First of all, do not prescribe supplements for yourself. I know it’s tempting to read articles and listen to podcasts and talk with friends and want to try specific ones. You know I’m all about community and empowerment and advocating for your needs. But if we believe supplements are making a difference, then we want to make sure that the difference they make is a positive one. 

There are lots of factors that go into which supplements you should and should not be taking, and I recommend you talk to your doctor about which is which. Assuming, of course, that this is a doctor that you know and trust. If you have a general physician who dismisses you and doesn’t listen to your concerns or validate your questions - you have two options, get a new doctor (which, hey, isn’t a bad option), or prepare to advocate for yourself in the doctor’s office. We have a recent episode on that, if you would find that helpful. 

But it’s important to go to to your doctor because they know you, your health, your medical history, family history, and your current medications and supplements. They can make sure you’re not taking too much of one thing, or that it won’t hinder anything else you’re already taking. if you want, bring in a printout of all your current medications and the ingredient list or label of what you’re considering beginning. 

And even if you’re thinking, but it’s over the counter! I can take Advil or Benadryl on my own, why can’t I take a supplement? 

You know when to take Advil or Benadryl! You know what it does and how it acts and how your body reacts - you know how much to take - you know whether it interferes with any other medication you’re taking. Can you say the same for the supplement you’re beginning? if not, your doctor can. 

The next thing I would caution is in the quality of the supplement you choose. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA. So that means any company in the world can call something a supplement and put it on a shelf for you to buy. All kinds of companies sell these. They sell them as bundles, milkshakes, tablets, gummies, liquids, you name it. And none of it has to go through a lick of testing to verify ingredients or efficacy. 

So I highly recommend only using supplements that have gone through 3rd party testing. High quality companies have paid the money to have thorough testing done on their products. Don’t settle for the word “safe” or “natural” on the container. Make them prove themselves. You’re about to be taking this daily, maybe for months or even years. You want to know what you’re putting in your body. 

Some of the things you can look for from 3rd party testing is that they’ve verified that the supplement contains what it says it contains on the label, and in the amounts listed, 

that the products are standardized from batch to batch, that they are free of harmful levels of contaminants or drugs, and that they don't contain any ingredients not on the label. Why are they testing for these things? Because they happen all the time! 

You can also look out for common allergens the supplement may contain like gluten, soy, or dairy. It would stink to be so careful about avoiding dairy or gluten and then find you’ve been slowly giving it to yourself through your vitamin. 

You can also check on the efficacy of the brand and the specific supplement. There are websites that test how effective a supplement is at what it claims, and this is important information. 

Ultimately, should you be taking supplements? Not necessarily. In an ideal world, you really would want to try to get all of your vitamins and minerals and such from a diet rich in variety and greens and all the different kinds of nutritious foods. You want to make healthy lifestyle choices like staying active, getting a full nights rest, and staying hydrated. These choices are what help your body thrive. 

But it’s totally okay to be in a season where that’s not possible, or when your body still needs additional support. Then, you may want to consider talking with your doctor about support through supplements. 

Ones I hear about often in women’s health are Vitamin D, Ovasitol, Berberine, NAC, DHEA, COQ10, Fish Oil, and Methylfolate. I’d be happy to talk more about these, if you’d find that helpful. Send me a message on @wovenfertilty or @wovenwellpodcast about what episodes you’d like to see and we’ll do our best to make them happen. 

As always, thanks for listening as we continue to explore together what it means to be woven well.