Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that has many important functions in the body, but it’s also critical for reproduction for men and women. Vitamin E is often referred to as the “fertility vitamin” because of its historical significance and critical role in reproductive health for both men and women. This nickname dates back to 1922, when scientists Herbert Evans and Katharine Scott Bishop discovered that rats fed a diet deficient in vitamin E became infertile. When the vitamin was reintroduced into their diet, fertility was restored, leading to its association with reproductive health.

Here are some highlights of why vitamin E is important for overall health:

• Antioxidant: Protects cells from damage caused by free radicals.
• Immune system: Helps the immune system fight off viruses and bacteria.
• Blood vessels: Helps widen blood vessels to prevent blood clots. It can be helpful for those with clotting disorders that increase the risk of miscarriage.
• Red blood cells: Helps form red blood cells.
• Vitamin K: Helps the body use vitamin K properly.
• Vitamin A: Vitamin E has antioxidant properties that help protect vitamin A from oxidation during absorption and transport. However, very high doses of vitamin E can inhibit the absorption of vitamin A, leading to a potential deficiency.
• Cell interaction: Helps cells interact with each other.
• Vision: Vitamin E is important for vision.
• Brain: Vitamin E is important for brain health.
• Skin: Vitamin E is important for skin health.
• Period pain: Vitamin E supplements can help reduce menstrual pain.

Vitamin E & Fertility

Vitamin E plays an important role in fertility for both men and women. One of the reasons it’s so helpful for fertility and our health in general is because it is a powerful antioxidant. It helps protect reproductive cells from oxidative stress, which can damage sperm and egg cells and reduce their quality. Sperm and egg quality are critical for those ttc.

Vitamin E & Male Fertility

Vitamin E is one of our favorite supports for men that are struggling with poor sperm quality since it can help enhances sperm motility, count, and morphology by reducing oxidative stress, which can lead to sperm DNA damage. Vitamin E can also support testosterone production, which is critical for not only producing sperm but for making sure they are healthy. Learn more about sperm quality here.

Vitamin E & Female Fertility

Vitamin E helps regulate hormone production in women and can be beneficial for those experiencing imbalances in there hormones with symptoms like PMS, period pain, spotting before their period, hormonal headaches/migraines, or short luteal phases. It can also improve egg quality since it’s has those antioxidant properties. These antioxidant properties help with implantation as well. They improve the intrauterine environment and increase the chances of a successful implantation. It’s also helpful for those with PCOS and endometriosis because of how it impacts inflammation. Vitamin E can also oppose estrogen and acts similarly to progesterone in the body.

Vitamin E Supplementation

The RDA for vitamin E is about 15mg of 22.4 IU daily. This is the amount to avoid a deficiency. It’s not necessarily the amount to replenish a deficiency. The tolerable upper intake level for vitamin is 1,000mg or 1500 IU per day. For certain health conditions or concerns, a therapeutic dose is considered 200IU – 800IU. I personally would not recommend more than 800 IU daily for most people, however, I do think using higher doses in certain instances can be helpful.

Examples:

• PMDD: 800 IU-1200 IU daily leading up to and during ovulation or during luteal phase
• PMS/Period Pain: 400 IU-800 IU daily in the luteal phase. Some women do well with 800 IU-1200 IU daily during period to decrease pain.

IMPORTANT: When supplementing with vitamin E, consider getting selenium from food or supplements as well. Selenium is like a cofactor for vitamin E, meaning it can help increase vitamin E’s effectiveness. In particular, if you’re utilizing vitamin E for fertility reasons, consider increasing selenium intake from food as well. Ideally, 100-200 mcg daily, which can be as simple as 2-3 Brazil nuts.

I have a great blog post on Vitamin E if you want to keep learning about this amazing vitamin, you can find that here!

​reminder: i’m currently accepting people into my Nurture Your Fertility program. you can learn more here about the program and fill out an application!