Joan wants to get pregnant easily, have a healthy pregnancy, and a happy, healthy baby. She wants to know what the critical factors are that help make this possible. She knows on some level that nutrition is important. But which nutrients are critical, and what are the best ways to get those nutrients?
Why is Vitamin A One of the Critical Prenatal Vitamins?
- vitamin A is essential for fertility and fetal development
- sex hormones
- cervical fluid
- follicles
- sperm
- prevent miscarriage
- organ development
- immune system
Vitamin A is necessary for the proper production of sex hormones. If your hormones are not balanced, you are much less likely to be fertile and conceive. And less likely to successfully carry a baby to term.
Vitamin A is needed for healthy cervical fluid. It is important to have abundant fertile sperm-nourishing cervical fluid when you are approaching ovulation.
Vitamin A helps your follicles to develop normally, which is critical to producing a healthy egg. This same follicle produces hormones that are critical to the young embryo implanting in the uterine wall.
Vitamin A is necessary for healthy sperm production.
Vitamin A is necessary for preventing spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).
Vitamin A regulates the development of the organs, including the heart, central nervous system, the circulatory system, the kidneys and lungs, and the development of the skull, skeleton and limbs. If vitamin A is lacking, birth defects are more likely.
Vitamin A ensures that the exterior of our bodies is symmetrical while the inner organs are arranged asymmetrically. After the organs have formed, vitamin A supports their growth.
Vitamin A is also critical to the immune system. Inadequate vitamin A puts your newborn child at higher risk for life-threatening infections. It is also very important that your immune system is able to keep you healthy during this important time.
What are Vitamin A foods?
- Shellfish and fish
- Eggs
- Fish eggs
- Liver and organ meat
- Butter and cream
Vitamin A is one of the fat soluble vitamins and is found only in animal products. Beta carotene is NOT vitamin A. Beta carotene can be converted into vitamin A, but this conversion is difficult or impossible for some people. At best it takes 6 units of beta carotene to make 1 unit of vitamin A. Research shows that large amounts of beta-carotene may actually interfere with the activity of vitamin A.
Dr. Weston A Price and other explorers studied healthy traditional cultures around the world. These pre-modern groups (before processed foods) all ate a vitamin A rich diet and recognized these foods to be critical for fertility and healthy babies. These special foods were procured from far and wide if necessary and the women of childbearing age always received these foods first.
These animal foods need to come from healthy animals eating their intended diet. That means wild fish, grass fed meat, and chickens eating grass and bugs. The nutrient content of a food very much depends on the nutrition of the animal that food comes from. This is also true of dairy products. They need to come from pastured cows, and ideally raw (not pasteurized or homogenized).
Do I need to be concerned about vitamin A toxicity?
- Avoid vitamin A toxicity by following a few simple guidelines
- Research shows vitamin A toxicity is actually an imbalance in the relative amounts of all of the fat soluble vitamins (others are vitamin D, E and K2)
- Do not take vitamin A in the form of a synthetic vitamin supplement
- Obtain vitamin A from a nutrient-rich whole food diet
- This diet contains many nutrient and co-factors only found in real foods
Get Grass Fed Meats Animal products raised this way are much healthier and more nutritious. I would actually recommend avoiding commercially raised animal products. Also look for local sources, you may be surprised what is available.
Fermented Cod Liver Oil and High Vitamin Butter Oil are superfoods that are naturally high in vitamins A, D E and K2, omega 3 fatty acids and many other nutrients. This is am amazing whole food supplement that helps you maintain the proper ratio of all of the fat soluble vitamins.
To Your Vibrant Health!
Veronica Tilden, D.O.
