6 nutrients that can help reduce your miscarriage risk

If you’ve experienced miscarriage or pregnancy loss, I see you. I can understand a little of what you’ve gone or are going through because I’ve experienced a missed miscarriage myself, even as a functional women’s health dietitian. In fact, close to 1 in 4 women will experience a heartbreaking miscarriage or pregnancy loss. While hearing that statistic won’t make your loss any easier, I hope it gives you peace of mind that you’re not alone—and I hope it serves as a reminder that you’re not the only one experiencing this pain, although it can certainly feel that way.

Whether it’s an early miscarriage or a miscarriage that happened later on in pregnancy, all miscarriages and pregnancy losses are difficult. For me, the hardest part of my miscarriage was trying to grasp the fact that it was completely out of my control, despite feeling like I did “all the right things.”

And while there are some things in life that are out of our control, there are also many things within our control that we can do before getting pregnant or while pregnant to help us to feel empowered—and to potentially play a role in reducing miscarriage risk.

Both you and your partner have control over your intake of specific nutrients and vitamins to prevent miscarriage risk. If you’ve gone through a recent miscarriage, be sure to give your body the time and space to heal mentally, physically and emotionally before focusing on specifics.

And when you feel ready, we're here to walk you through the minerals and vitamins that can help decrease your risk of miscarriage, while educating you on the how and why behind them.

 

2. Folate

 

Folate is well-known for its role in preventing birth defects. But you may not know that folate is also essential for egg development, healthy ovulation and proper DNA replication for baby’s development. Without sufficient folate, research has shown an increased risk of early miscarriage. 

 

There’s also another way that folate can indirectly impact miscarriage rates. Around 40% of the population has an MTHFR genetic mutation that impairs the body’s ability to utilize synthetic folic acid, commonly found in prenatal supplements. This is why it’s so important to find a prenatal, like WeNatal, that provides methylfolate – the active form that can be easily absorbed by the body, regardless of whether you have an MTHFR genetic mutation or not. Without adequate methylfolate, homocysteine can actually build up in the blood. High levels of homocysteine have unfortunately also been linked to recurrent miscarriages.

 

3. Vitamin B6

 

Vitamin B6 is needed for forming red blood cells. It is also needed to help support the development of your baby’s brain and nervous system while pregnant. Because B6 is involved in regulating energy, a lack of vitamin B6 has been associated with increased pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and vomiting while pregnant.

 

When it comes to fertility, B6 deficiency has been associated with miscarriage in research. One study showed that poor vitamin B6 levels were associated with early pregnancy loss as well as a decreased chance of conception. Inadequate B6 levels can negatively influence homocysteine levels and as previously mentioned, high levels of homocysteine are linked to recurrent miscarriages. For men, vitamin B6 is also thought to play an important role as well—a recent study showed that men with poor sperm motility had decreased vitamin B6 levels when compared to men with normal sperm motility.

 

4. Vitamin B12

 

Just like folate, vitamin B12 is important for preventing neural tube defects. It’s not only essential for mom’s nervous system health, but it’s also necessary for the fetus’ nervous system development while helping to make DNA (your baby’s genetic material).

 

There are two studies (although small) that I want to note when it comes to vitamin B12. In one, B12 levels were lower in women who experienced recurrent miscarriages when compared to controls.

 

In the second study, vitamin B12 supplementation in women who had a deficiency led to a successful pregnancy in 80% of participants. Vitamin B12 is believed to also have an indirect role in miscarriage risk. B12 and folate work closely together—adequate B12 levels along with adequate folate levels can help reduce an amino acid called homocysteine to healthy levels. Low B12 levels when paired with high homocysteine levels has been found to increase the miscarriage risk. For men, adequate vitamin B12 have been associated with decreased DNA damage, increased sperm quality, sperm motility and sperm count.

 

5. Vitamin E

 

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to fight free radicals in the body and helps to inhibit oxidative stress which can be helpful for female fertility, male fertility and pregnancy. Progesterone production is actually dependent on fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin D and vitamin E. With a deficiency in either, the expression of enzymes needed for producing progesterone are negatively impacted. With that, low vitamin E levels is thought to be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.

 

For males, sperm are heavily influenced by oxidative stress. Because vitamin E can lessen free radicals and oxidative damage as previously mentioned, adequate vitamin E levels can support sperm quality and help prevent changes to sperm cell membranes. Studies have also shown that vitamin E is linked to improved sperm motility. 

6. Zinc

 

Zinc plays a lot of different roles in the body; however, I want to mention a couple of important roles as it relates to fertility. To start, zinc supports the thyroid by helping to convert inactive T4 to active T3. Zinc is also needed to regulate B6 metabolism.

 

In research, zinc deficiency has been linked to increased risk for pregnancy loss and poor birth outcomes. Zinc deficiency can negatively impact hormone production, maternal immune function, and quality of the ovum. Not only do low zinc levels in early pregnancy appear to be linked with miscarriage, mothers experiencing threatened miscarriages had 35.7% lower zinc levels when compared to healthy pregnant women.

 

For men, zinc has a role in the formation of sperm, sperm motility, and it can help decrease oxidative stress, thus helping to maintain sperm viability. Zinc levels in semen have also been positively correlated with sperm morphology and sperm count. 

While it’s hard to say if deficiency of certain nutrients can cause miscarriage, it’s evident that they are a significant part of the picture, and if optimal, they can certainly decrease your chances of miscarriage. Nutrients that can help to reduce your risk for miscarriage don’t just stop at those 6 key nutrients listed above—some others to consider incldue: selenium, choline, vitamin B3, CoQ10, vitamin C, copper, iron, iodine, magnesium, and omega-3s. 

 

Because our vitamin and mineral stores are so crucial to both female and male fertility, I always recommend a high-quality prenatal vitamin where the nutrients are bioavailable (meaning your body can actually utilize the nutrients)—that’s exactly where WeNatal shines. As a women’s health practitioner, I trust the quality and micronutrient forms that are in WeNatal as the perfect foundation to both female and male fertility. 

 

With my first pregnancy (that unfortunately ended with a miscarriage), I remember feeling nauseous like many women in the first trimester. The fact that WeNatal can fit all of these bioavailable nutrients into only three capsules can help you feel more at ease; not only are you giving your body what it needs to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, you’re also not having to take so many pills while not feeling your best. What that means is that you’ll have that peace of mind in addition to feeling more confident in your health and pregnancy overall. 

 

Miscarriages are heartbreaking, but it’s important to remember that it’s not your fault. Do what you can to remain hopeful and despite going through everything you’ve likely been through, continue to find that trust in your body again.

 

If you feel like you could use personalized support in optimizing your fertility and/or decreasing your risk for miscarriage, Healthfully Nourished can take the guesswork out and help you feel confident in knowing exactly what to do to optimize your health and reach your fertility goals.

 

References:

 

Banihani SA. Vitamin B12 and Semen Quality. Biomolecules. 2017;7(2):42. Published 2017 Jun 9. doi:10.3390/biom7020042

 

Banihani SA, Aljabali SM. Seminal plasma vitamin B6 levels in men with asthenozoospermia and men with normal sperm motility, a measurement using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Andrologia. 2020;52(4):e13556. doi:10.1111/and.13556

 

Hou W, Yan XT, Bai CM, Zhang XW, Hui LY, Yu XW. Decreased serum vitamin D levels in early spontaneous pregnancy loss. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016;70(9):1004-1008. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2016.83

 

Hovdenak N, Haram K. Influence of mineral and vitamin supplements on pregnancy outcome. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2012;164(2):127-132. doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.06.020

 

Hübner U, Alwan A, Jouma M, Tabbaa M, Schorr H, Herrmann W. Low serum vitamin B12 is associated with recurrent pregnancy loss in Syrian women. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2008;46(9):1265-1269. doi:10.1515/CCLM.2008.247

 

Iqbal S, Ali I. Effect of maternal zinc supplementation or zinc status on pregnancy complications and perinatal outcomes: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Heliyon. 2021 Jul 1;7(7).

 

Jayawardena, R., Majeed, S., Sooriyaarachchi, P. et al. The effects of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) supplementation in nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Gynecol Obstet 308, 1075–1084 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-023-06925-w

 

Sabetian S, Jahromi BN, Vakili S, Forouhari S, Alipour S. The effect of oral vitamin E on semen parameters and IVF outcome: A double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Biomed Res Int. 2021;2021:5588275. Published 2021 Oct 11. doi:10.1155/2021/5588275

 

Schröder-Heurich B, Springer CJP, von Versen-Höynck F. Vitamin D Effects on the Immune System from Periconception through Pregnancy. Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1432. Published 2020 May 15. doi:10.3390/nu12051432