If you’ve heard of the MTHFR gene mutation, you might wonder what it means for your health, especially when it comes to fertility and pregnancy. In my practice, I see many patients with this genetic variation, and I’ve had great success supporting them with acupuncture, functional medicine, herbal medicine, lifestyle modifications, and nutrition. I have treated patients with long-standing infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss, where once I identified the MTHFR mutation or variation through lab work and addressed it with my integrative treatment approach, they have gone on to have successful pregnancies. Let’s explore what this mutation is, how it may affect your health, and what you can do to optimize fertility and pregnancy outcomes.

One of my favorite types of treatments we do as an acupuncturist is to prepare a pregnant woman for labor. It is such a powerful time in a woman’s life, standing on the precipice of motherhood, preparing to embark on a very new, very personal journey. Something special can occur during those labor preparation treatments that allows a woman to center and ground herself, while encouraging the the necessary hormonal cascade to fall into place, allowing labor to begin. Labor preparation isn’t only about supporting the onset of labor, it’s about supporting the mother-to-be physically, emotionally, and spiritually as she makes her transition into motherhood.

What should be emphasized, however, is that quantity of eggs does not automatically translate to quality of eggs. There can be a high ovarian reserve with poor egg quality. Conversely, a young woman may have a low ovarian supply due to genetic factors, but she may still have good quality eggs. Usually a woman’s age is combined with her estimated ovarian reserve to predict the quality of her eggs. Because there is not a medical test to determine egg quality, the only real test of egg quality is a live birth.