How to Conceive a Boy: Can Vitamins and Supplements Really Help?

These days even the most conventional of obstetricians advise their pregnant patients to take a good prenatal vitamin supplement to increase their chances of conceiving a happy, healthy baby.  However an increasing number of experts also recommend that couples (not just women) trying to conceive begin taking certain vitamins. But which ones? Here are some of the most recommended if you’re trying to figure out how to conceive a boy:

Folic Acid – Doctors advise that women up their intake of folic acid when trying to conceive to prevent birth defects.  However there is increasing evidence that folic acid helps increase fertility in both men and women as well. Apart from the supplements you find in health stores, dark leafy greens like spinach and broccoli are great ways to up your folic acid intake naturally.

B6 and B12 – B Vitamins are essential to good overall reproductive health but research suggests that B6 is particularly good for increasing fertility in women while B12 ups a low sperm count.

Vitamin C – A Vitamin C deficiency in men can cause sperm to clump together, not the best thing if you are trying to conceive a boy. This is especially true in men who smoke. Since the chemicals found in cigarettes eventually make their way into semen (which is why men as well as women should quit before trying to conceive) the antioxidant properties in vitamin C help to neutralize these chemicals. One study of male smokers found that adding 500mg of Vitamin C to their diet a day decreased sperm clumping and abnormalities as well as increasing sperm count and sperm mobility.

Zinc – A zinc deficiency in men can lead to a decreased sperm count while in women it can cause hormonal imbalances that decrease the chances of conception. Consult with a physician before adding a zinc supplement to your diet though because too much zinc can be toxic and eating a balanced diet should provide you with all of this mineral that you need.

Vitamin E – Although researchers are not quite sure why taking a Vitamin E supplement seems to increase a couple’s chance of conceiving. One study of couples undergoing IVF (in vitro fertilization) found that if both partners took a Vitamin E supplement their chances of success increased by 10%.