Women trying to conceive should take multivitamins pills as it could double their chances of becoming pregnant, say experts.
The study by the University College London found that women who took multivitamin pills containing vitamins A, C and E, plus zinc and selenium, boosted their fertility by 60%.
Researchers questioned 56 women aged between 18 and 40 who had been struggling to conceive during the last year. Half were given the Vitabiotics Pregnacare-Conception multi-nutrient and the others were given folic acid pills.
The results found that 60% of the women who took the prenatal multivitamins, fell pregnant by IVF and had a healthy, full-term pregnancy. In comparison, the women who just took folic acid only had a 25% pregnancy success rate.
The study, published in the Reproductive Biomedicine journal, also discovered that women taking the multivitamins needed fewer attempts to fall pregnant. Of the 60% of women who fell pregnant while taking the vitamins, 75% conceived during the first course of IVF.
"The implications of this study are far reaching as they suggest that prenatal micronutrient supplementation in women undergoing ovulation induction improve pregnancy rates," says Dr. Rina Agrawal from the study.
"There is a large body of evidence establishing the relationship between placental development, foetal growth, pregnancy outcomes and adequate nutrition, particularly vitamin intake."
If you're struggling to conceive, find out how you can help improve your chances of falling pregnant with these fertility-boosting food tips.