Ask the Doc: Is vit D and zinc good for reproductive health?

Vitamin D is important for both men and women in fertility — achieving the ideal level through sunlight exposure and eating fatty fish, or taking supplements, improves sperm production and health. Being a healthy weight and exercising a minimum of 30 minutes each day will also improve fertility.

Zinc is important for a variety of processes involved in sperm maturation and therefore, enough zinc is also important.

However, there are steps you should take to help improve your fertility before supplements. The most important thing you can do is to stop smoking if you already do. Smoking is toxic to sperm production and affects the quality and quantity of your sperm.