Chia Seeds for Fertility: Benefits for Female Reproductive Health, Egg Quality, and How to Eat Them for Pregnancy
January 23, 2023
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If you’re wondering whether coconut oil is good for fertility, the short answer is: yes, when used correctly as part of a nutrient-dense whole-foods diet. Coconut oil and grass-fed butter are two of my all-time favorite healthy fats, and they play a critical role in supporting fertility and reproduction.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly why these fats matter for hormone health, how coconut oil and fertility are connected, and how to use coconut oil for fertility in your daily routine. Whether you’re trying to conceive naturally, preparing for IVF, or optimizing your reproductive health, this is for you.
This is the final installment of my Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series. Catch up on previous posts:
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Chia Seeds
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Maca Root
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Egg Yolks
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Wild Caught Fish Seafood
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Bone Broth
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Liver
Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series : Fermented Foods
Table of Contents
The connection between coconut and fertility stretches back thousands of years. Some of the earliest documented uses of coconut oil date to Ayurvedic medicine in Sanskrit from 1500 BC. In traditional medicine, coconut oil was used to treat hormone imbalance, thyroid dysfunction, irregular or painful menstruation, and a range of other conditions tied to reproductive health.
Grass-fed butter carries its own legacy. Long before hormones and GMOs entered food production, deep orange butter from pasture-raised cows was considered a sacred food. In many traditional cultures, this butter was given as a wedding gift to newly married couples as a symbol of fertility. In remote native cultures, spring and fall butter—when the grass was growing fastest and the nutrient content was highest—was specifically reserved for people of childbearing age.
Fat intake is essential in preparing your body for a baby. Your body needs adequate saturated fats to produce cholesterol—the mother hormone. All of your major reproductive hormones—estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol—are synthesized from cholesterol. Without enough dietary fat, your body simply cannot manufacture the hormones required for ovulation, implantation, and a healthy pregnancy.
This is exactly why coconut oil and fertility are so closely connected. Saturated fats from grass-fed butter, ghee, and coconut oil provide the raw building blocks for hormone production. We know that we cannot conceive or sustain a healthy pregnancy without proper hormone balance.
Coconut oil is extremely beneficial for proper thyroid function, which is essential for regulating hormones and ovulation cycles. Hypothyroidism is one of the most common and treatable causes of infertility—it’s linked to menstrual irregularities and anovulation. Coconut oil’s unique fat profile nourishes the thyroid and supports its activity. Its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties can also help prevent some of the issues that are sometimes at the root of thyroid disorders.
Coconut oil for fertility also works by improving insulin sensitivity. This is especially critical for women dealing with PCOS. When blood sugar spikes, insulin rises, and excess insulin can drive up testosterone levels enough to suppress ovulation. The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are metabolized differently than long-chain fats—they’re processed quickly by the liver and help keep blood sugar levels stable.
Coconut oil contains a high amount of lauric acid, one of the primary fatty acids found in breast milk that’s responsible for building your baby’s immune system. Consuming foods rich in lauric acid during pregnancy can improve breast milk’s antiviral quality, making coconut oil an excellent choice not just for conceiving, but throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
Coconut oil also has powerful antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Chronic candida yeast infections can disrupt vaginal pH and make intercourse uncomfortable, which creates real challenges when you’re trying to time things during your fertile window. Supporting your immune system with coconut oil addresses these issues at the root.
You’ve probably seen MCT oil at the health food store and wondered if it’s worth adding to your fertility toolkit. MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides—the same beneficial fatty acids found naturally in coconut oil, but in a more concentrated form. MCT oil is typically extracted from coconut oil through a process called fractionation.
MCT oil for fertility works through several key mechanisms. First, MCTs are rapidly absorbed and converted to energy by the liver, meaning they don’t get stored as body fat the way long-chain fats do. This is beneficial for weight management, and maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for fertility. Second, MCT oil improves insulin sensitivity and supports hormonal balance—both foundational to ovulation and conception.
One often-overlooked benefit: MCT oil enhances the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and CoQ10—all of which play important roles in egg quality and reproductive health. If you’re already taking fertility supplements, pairing them with MCT oil can help your body actually use those nutrients more effectively.
Start with 1 teaspoon per day and gradually increase to 1–2 tablespoons. Add it to smoothies, coffee, or salad dressings. Avoid using MCT oil for high-heat cooking—it has a lower smoke point than whole coconut oil.
Bright yellow, grass-fed butter is a powerhouse of fertility-supporting nutrients. It’s a rich source of vitamins A, D, E, and K2, plus Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)—an antioxidant with antiviral properties when sourced from grass-fed cows. These vitamins and fatty acids help the body absorb and utilize critical minerals like calcium, magnesium, selenium, and iodine, all of which support reproductive function.
Grass-fed butter and ghee also contain Activator X, a nutrient discovered by Dr. Weston A. Price in the 1930s. Dr. Price studied isolated non-industrialized populations and found this fat-soluble substance—similar in structure to vitamin A—helped the body absorb essential minerals. It was largely present in the diets of populations with remarkable health, long life spans, and high fertility rates.
If you’re lactose or casein intolerant, ghee is an excellent alternative—it’s made from butter with the milk solids removed, so most people tolerate it well.
Coconut milk for fertility is another great way to get the benefits of coconut’s healthy fats. Full-fat coconut milk contains MCTs, lauric acid, and beneficial fatty acids in a slightly diluted form compared to pure coconut oil. It’s excellent in smoothies, soups, curries, and as a dairy-free alternative. Choose organic, full-fat coconut milk without added sugars, gums or preservatives. Avoid “light” versions—the fat has been reduced, and the fat is the whole point for fertility support.
Good fats aren’t only essential for getting pregnant—they’re also critical for a baby’s brain and neurological development in utero. The brain is roughly 60% fat, and your baby’s rapidly developing brain needs a steady supply of high-quality saturated and omega-3 fats. If you’re already pregnant or nursing, it’s doubly important to eat plenty of healthy fats.
The addition of grass-fed butter and coconut oil also supercharges your own brain function, stabilizes blood sugar, sustains energy levels, and minimizes sugar cravings—a game-changer for the fatigue and hormonal shifts of early pregnancy.
The easiest way? Cook with it. Both grass-fed butter, ghee, and coconut oil can completely replace your traditional cooking oils. Throw out the canola oil, Pam spray, margarine, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, and Earth Balance. These highly processed oils are inflammatory and can negatively impact fertility health.
Here’s how I use them daily:
Buying tips: Always purchase organic, grass-fed butter or ghee and organic coconut oil.
Use refined coconut oil for cooking (neutral taste) and unrefined for smoothies, raw treats, and eating off the spoon. Look for the USDA certified organic stamp.
Oils to Avoid When Trying to Conceive
Not all fats support fertility.
These oils promote inflammation, disrupt hormones, and should be eliminated:
These oils are typically made from crops contaminated by molds or GMOs. They oxidize easily when heated, creating free radicals that damage cells and disrupt reproductive function.
If you’re trying to get pregnant and keep hearing that “everything looks normal” — yet you’re still not pregnant — there is almost always a deeper root cause being missed.
After nearly 20 years studying reproductive health and helping hundreds of women uncover what’s really affecting their fertility, I’ve found that most “unexplained” cases aren’t actually unexplained — they’re just incomplete.
Because while standard fertility care focuses on basic hormones and anatomy, it often overlooks the factors that truly determine whether pregnancy happens: egg quality, ovulation quality, metabolic health, inflammation, nutrient status, and how your body responds to stress.
That’s exactly what we uncover inside The Fertility Code — my 12-week, high-touch program designed to identify what’s been missed and give you a clear, personalized plan to support your body in conceiving.
Inside the program, we take a close, comprehensive look at your fertility: your history, the right lab work, your nutrition and lifestyle, and the key biological systems influencing your ability to conceive. With 1:1 guidance, ongoing support between calls, and a structured plan tailored to your body, you stop second-guessing and start moving forward with clarity.
If you’re done guessing and ready to finally understand what your body needs to get pregnant — and fix what’s been missed — you can explore the program here → The Fertility Code.
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