Fertility Boosting Tactics -- Why zinc is important

For a woman to reach her full fertility potential all required vitamins and minerals must be consumed at the recommended amounts. Being deficient in any of the required vitamins and minerals can lead to countless fertility problems. Likewise, consuming too much of any one vitamin or mineral can prove just as damaging.

One of the minerals that is often misunderstood, or consumed in incorrect amounts, is zinc.

Zinc is an essential mineral, used by the body in a whole host of functions - everything from production of DNA, healing of wounds, and maintenance of the immune system. Zinc is also vitally important to the growth and overall health of the foetus (several studies have linked zinc deficiencies with the birth of underweight babies, making zinc supplementation equally important to both women who are trying to conceive and women who are already pregnant).

Zinc is not stored well by the body and so appropriate levels must be achieved with correct supplementation. A zinc deficiency inhibits the metabolism of protein, which in turn can lower a woman's egg quality. Zinc is also important for maintaining the menstrual cycle, and is therefore vital to women who are trying to conceive.

Vegetarians, heavy exercisers, and women who have used oral contraceptives for prolonged periods are all prone to zinc deficiency, so extra care needs to be taken in these groups. Heavy exercisers in particular should take special care to ensure their zinc levels are correct, due to zinc being lost through sweating.

The recommended daily amount of zinc for women trying to conceive and women who are pregnant is 25 milligrams a day. Good sources of food containing high concentrations of zinc are red meats, liver, and seafood, with oysters being the single best source. Vegetarians may find it difficult to consume enough zinc in their diet since no plant source contains zinc in high concentrations. Supplementation, in this case, is vitally important.

Women who are trying to conceive should check their daily multivitamin to ensure they contain the recommended daily amount of zinc. In cases where the zinc level is insufficient, a dedicated zinc supplement should be taken. It's important to remember never to take more than one daily multivitamin in order to meet your zinc requirements, since this can cause you to overdose on one or more vitamins and minerals - a result that can be just as damaging to fertility as a deficiency.