Hi! My name is Coco and I'm a mom. My journey to motherhood has been filled with happiness, love, excitement, and many challenges. From Trying to Conceive to Postpartum and now caring for my 2-year-old son, I’ve been seeking support to make my transition to motherhood easier. Here on Owemama, I share real stories, maternity-related tips and honest reviews. Let's navigate this journey together!
Being Well-Surrounded During the First Trimester
While discussing with a friend who had been trying to conceive for a few years, she shared the good news with me today: She’s pregnant!
I always get emotional when a friend gets pregnant. It brings me back to all the excitement I felt when I learned I was pregnant with my son. It’s such a special moment. I also know the type of love she will be experiencing, which makes me so happy for her.
One thing I realized from many moms around me, including me, is that oftentimes there is this unspoken fear about something going wrong in the first trimester…especially if they experienced challenges while trying to conceive. I hear this underlying message in each: “I’m waiting to share the news…” or “Crossing fingers, everything goes well.” And it’s totally understandable and fair because we all know the risks of the first trimester. This is especially true if someone has gone through the process over and over again… and has been constantly disappointed. As a new mom starting this journey, you want to believe everything will be alright and everyone [who you dared to share the secret with] is telling you everything will be alright. They’re not lying or trying to make you feel better; they also want to believe it to be true.
No one can predict the future, and with the amount of information we have at the tip of our fingers today, we can only try our best to be well-surrounded. Whether we believe it or not, our surroundings directly affect how we feel, especially during this vulnerable time. So I advise any mom going through the first trimester to stay around positive people as much as possible because that will also help you keep your positive mindset!
“Trying Everything Under the Sun”
Knowing how much of a health freak my friend is [and I love her so much for that], I asked what she believed helped her during this process. She told me about all the changes she’s made and how she tried everything under the sun, from trying acupuncture to cutting on coffee, checking her basal body temperature every morning, taking prenatal vitamins, Omega 3s, using collagen, and so many supplements like maca root, ashwagandha, or even fertility teas.
She also told me about CoQ10 or Coenzyme Q10. Though I knew about its potential role in enhancing fertility in both men and women, I wanted to do a little deep dive to understand its science. I find it cool to see the advancements in fertility research and how they positively impact future moms and parents.
The Research Behind Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
- Female Fertility
- Studies show that CoQ10 improves egg quality: CoQ10 supplements improve mitochondrial function in aging oocytes, leading to better egg quality and increased fertility potential. (Ben-Meir, Assaf et al., 887-895)
- Enhance ovarian response: Women with diminished ovarian reserve experienced enhanced ovarian response and embryo quality following CoQ10 supplementation. (Xu, Yang-ying et al., v.16)
- Male Fertility
- Enhance sperm parameters: The supplementation of CoQ10 significantly improved sperm count, motility, and morphology.(Safarinejad, M. R., 237-248)
- Reducing oxidative stress: Although semen parameters remained unchanged, the antioxidant capacity improved, potentially benefiting overall reproductive health. (Alahmar, Ahmed T et al., 346-351)
Three high-quality CoQ10 from reputable brands:
Important note: Always check with your healthcare provider before taking supplements.
Coco
Please note: I am not affiliated with these brands and do not receive any commission or compensation for sharing links to these products. I recommend them purely based on my personal experience and belief that they may be helpful to you.