It Starts with the Egg
Book Review
Book Title: It Starts with the Egg (Second Edition):
How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF
Author: Rebecca Fett
When I came upon this book, I was on a mission to learn more about preconception preparation. I had just signed up to be an instructor for the Feed Your Fertile Body Program created by my colleague, Sara Russell, and I was suddenly launched into the world of infertility. My decision to become an instructor stemmed from the 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 the 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 suddenly was 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 effect 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 chockfull of the information I was searching for. Nutrition and preconception preparation are 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% 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 quality of 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 can all be hidden causes for miscarriage and fertility. In the Feed Your Fertile Body Program, a full thyroid panel is suggested 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 a 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 down 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. If you are struggling to conceive or maintain a pregnancy, I encourage you to read It Starts with the Egg and explore working 1-on-1 with a holistic practitioner that can help you optimize your fertility.
I have had the honor of helping many of my clients get pregnant naturally and have healthy, beautiful babies! If you are interested learning more about what a customized fertililty optimization plan looks like for you, you can book a free 20 minute consultation with me here.