While women are born with a finite number of eggs that can’t be changed, the quality of those eggs is something we have some control over.
Many factors go into egg health, and as the old adage goes, you are what you eat.
According to the research that we’ll get into below, certain nutrients and foods can improve female egg quality.
Whether you’re trying to get pregnant now or want to preserve your egg health for the future, making dietary changes now will only serve to benefit you.
Read on to discover how nutrition affects your reproductive potential, foods to improve female egg quality, foods to limit, and other important lifestyle considerations.
Let’s get started!
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How To Improve Egg Quality
There’s no one single thing that determines the quality of your eggs.
Factors like genetics, environmental exposures, smoking, stress, and age can all play a role in your overall egg health (1, 2, 3).
Another thing that affects your egg quality is what foods you choose to put in your body (4, 5, 6). Various studies show that nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, selenium, and folate, among others, play a role in egg quality.
For example:
- A 2022 systematic review on omega-3 fats and egg quality among women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART) found encouraging results (7).
- Regarding CoQ10’s ability to improve egg quality, there’s reason to believe it might be beneficial based on animal studies (8, 9, 10, 11). Human research is unfortunately limited at this time.
- You should increase your folate intake starting at least 3 months before trying to conceive since it’s crucial in the early weeks of pregnancy for preventing neural tube defects. Some studies also show that folate can benefit egg quality, although the results are inconsistent (12, 13).
- Antioxidants can improve egg quality in general as well as reproductive function as a whole (14).
- Zinc is necessary for egg maturation (15, 16). One small study on women with PCOS found those with higher levels of zinc in their follicular fluid had both more and higher quality eggs (17).
- Another study on women with PCOS struggling with fertility found those with selenium deficiency had lower quality eggs (18).
- A larger systematic review of the relationship between selenium and female fertility concluded that selenium supplementation can have promising results among women who are deficient (19).
- Research also shows that weight, or more specifically, the amount of adipose (fat) tissue that a woman has is also linked to egg health (20, 21).
Naturally, the quality of your eggs can impact how easy or difficult it is for you to get pregnant.
Read on for the top foods to improve egg quality that you should eat more of.
List of Foods to Improve Egg Quality
1. Salmon
- Beneficial nutrients: omega-3 fatty acids and CoQ10
- Ways to eat more of it: add to salads and pasta dishes, grill up a salmon burger, or try the walnut-crusted salmon recipe found in the free Nourishing Conception recipe book!
2. Spinach
- Beneficial nutrients: folate and various antioxidants
- Ways to eat more of it: add spinach to smoothies, omelets, salads, casseroles, or steamed with garlic and lemon juice for a delicious side for any meal.
3. Walnuts
- Beneficial nutrients: CoQ10, zinc, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and other antioxidants
- Ways to eat more of it: try walnut butter on whole grain toast, add toasted walnuts to salads, sprinkle on oatmeal, or grab a small handful for a heart- and fertility-friendly snack.
4. Flaxseeds
- Beneficial nutrients: omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10, zinc, selenium, other antioxidants
- Ways to eat more of it: mix flaxseeds into yogurt, blend into smoothies, add to oatmeal, try flaxseed bread, or sprinkle on salads.
6. Asparagus
- Beneficial nutrients: folate and antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin E
- Ways to eat more of it: add to quiches or frittatas, roast until crispy and eat as a snack, use as a pizza topping, add to soups, sauté with olive oil and garlic for an easy side dish
7. Berries
- Beneficial nutrients: antioxidants like vitamin C, anthocyanins, and carotenoids (varying types and amounts depending on the type of berry)
- Ways to eat more of it: top whole grain pancakes or toast with strawberries, add blueberries to oatmeal, layer blackberries into yogurt parfaits, blend blueberries into smoothies, or add sliced strawberries to salads
8. Lentils
- Beneficial nutrients: zinc, selenium, and folate
- Ways to eat more of it: make lentil sloppy joes or lentil “meat” balls, add to soups and stews, make mujadara (a Middle Eastern lentils and rice dish), or add to Bolognese sauce for pasta
9. Tomatoes
- Beneficial nutrients: antioxidants like lycopene, vitamin C, beta-carotene, flavonoids
- Ways to eat more of them: try stuffed tomatoes, make tomato jam, add to eggs, salads, soups, pasta, sandwiches, and pizza. Several recipes in the free Nourishing Conception recipe book feature tomatoes.
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Foods to Avoid to Improve Egg Quality
Alcohol
A study of 752 female patients at an IVF center found that there was a negative association between alcohol intake and egg quality. In other words, drinking alcoholic beverages resulted in a decrease in egg quality (22).
Charred Foods
Charred or blackened food straight off the barbecue may taste good, but they aren’t great for your fertility. These foods contain a substance known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation and are associated with lower egg quality (23, 24).
Bottom Line
Many factors affect the quality of your eggs, including what you eat.
While research on specific nutrients is sometimes limited, there are promising results for consuming omega-3 fats, selenium, zinc, folate, and CoQ10-rich foods to improve egg quality.
Avoiding or at least limiting alcohol and charred foods can also help.
Other lifestyle factors to keep in mind for improving egg health include avoiding smoking, reducing stress, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Use the foods listed in this article for meal ideas that will promote your fertility and egg health.
For personalized advice, you should always speak to your healthcare provider or schedule an appointment with a fertility dietitian.
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Meredith Mishan is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with over 12 years of experience working with nutrition clients from around the world. She has a Master of Science degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International University and is credentialed as a dietitian in both the United States and Israel.
