Maca root is an adaptogen, which means it can help your body to “adapt” to stress. Maca can also help balance hormones as it supports your endocrine system. One of the key benefits of maca is its ability to boost fertility or treat infertility problems. Natives of the Andes mountains (where maca is grown) have long used maca as a fertility aid. Now maca is a well-known superfood worldwide, we’re hearing a lot more about how it can help women who are having trouble conceiving. There are a few ways in which maca can boost fertility and there are also particular times in a woman’s life when she will most need maca as a supplement.
How maca treats infertility
- Maca increases sex drive and can be used as a natural aphrodisiac for men and women. It does this by boosting testosterone levels and supporting healthy ovulation.
- Maca gives you energy and we all know that any journey to conceive requires a whole lot of energy! We know coffee can cause fertility problems, so maca provides an alternative source of long-lasting energy. Maca stabilizes blood sugar levels and supports your adrenals.
- Maca is very rich in many of the vitamins and minerals you need to conceive. This nutritional profile of amino acids, fatty acids, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, iron and phytonutrients. While you also need to eat an overall nutritionally-dense diet, maca is a great way of increasing your intake of essential fuel for ovulation and conception. It’s a one-stop shop for so much that your body needs.
- Maca is shown to increase sperm production, motility and volume, as well as prevent erectile dysfunction.
The best time to use maca
The best time to use maca is when your body is not producing the hormone levels it should. Anyone who is experiencing infertility issues can use maca, but these times in a woman’s life are when her body may need the most support.
- If you’ve recently come off the birth control pill or other hormonal birth control
- If you’re over 35
- When you’re planning your second child (maca should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women – but if you have had a baby and are experiencing secondary infertility, maca is a good choice)
Important to note: You should NOT take maca if you have an allergy to iodine, Hashimoto’s, or experience thyroid nodules or growths, as it contains significant amounts of iodine. You should also be cautious with maca if you are androgen sensitive, in the case of some expressions of PCOS.
Of course, using maca alone without also eating a nutritionally-dense diet and avoiding fertility-harming dairy, gluten, alcohol, coffee and sugar will not have much of an impact on your body. You need to view maca as a great supplement that heightens the impact of a wider fertility-boosting diet. Here at FLO Living I have a specific protocol for women trying to conceive and I have previously shared some of my fertility-specific advice on the blog.
Maca is not a miracle cure (I’m afraid, nothing is!), but it can help you with infertility, it just won’t do this if everything else in your diet and lifestyle is working against your goal. Just check out FLO grad Diane’s story to experience why you need more than maca to conceive.
The right kind of maca to use
If you’re experiencing infertility issues you and your partner should take maca. Women should look to take “red” maca and men should be taking “black” maca. You want to select a brand of maca that contains the level of glucosinolates you require to get the beneficial effects on your fertility. Watch out for the many other products that will come on the market as maca becomes more popular, not all of them will be good quality.
Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!
to your FLO,
Alisa
Good things come in threes:
I want to hear from you!
First, are you struggling with infertility?
Second, have you already tried IVF?
Third, everyone you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social 😉
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I have been adding Maca to my smoothies and I think it’s helped a lot with fertility, just found out that I am pregnant after TTC for 2 years. I’ve had it in my smoothies for a couple weeks after being pregnant, wondering why it shouldn’t be used by pregnant women?
Hi Lea,
Congratulations!! This is wonderful news : )
There are no studies out there saying it is safe to take Maca while pregnant. If you are concerned that you have low or imbalanced hormones, please speak with your doctor about tracking hormone levels so you can supplement if needed.
Alisa
Hello alisa i am hormone imbalanced and trying maca for the first time wanted to know if its okay to take
Im taking the capsules
Cassandra,
It really depends on your hormonal background and symptoms. Please consult an herbalist or schedule a session with one of my coaches so get more guidance!
Alisa
Hey Alisa I’m ttc will this help me n how many should I take a day
Hey have you been taking the red maca
Hi Alisa
Am a ttc and am 36 yrs I don’t see my menses I went to the hospital they flushed my system but yet nothing happened for 4 months I had high estrogen but later my menses didn’t come for 9 months now,yesterday I ordered for Gelatinized Red Maca and dong quai,I have vitex,please tell me what should i do and how to take the supplements.
My name is Alicia and I am 42 years of age I have one daughter she’s nine years and I was on birth control for a very long time and I went on the implant for 2 years my Périod have not be normal I see my period Every month but it’s not flowing as it should so I am trying Maca roots to balance my hormones so I can have a second child
What color of Maca root did you use?
Hi, please can I take maca while on clomid
Please speak with your doctor about this!
Christina – FLO Coach
Hi , just wondering how long you were actually taking the Maca before you conceived
Did u n your hubby take it or just u
Do you have brands of red and black maca that you recommend?
Hello how get the best maca for fertility and fixed my period
And how much do you recommend taking?
Alissa,
Is there a particular brand of red and black Maca that you would recommend?
Thanks in advance!
hello is it safe to take maca and vitex berry together?
Hello,
Is Maca recommended for patients suffering from endo?
Also, I have low progesterone levels. Currently supplementing ith suppositories during the 2 weeks post ovulation. Would maca help regulate progesterone without the suppositories?
Lastly, do you recently mmend taking maca through the entire cycle? or just during the follicular phase?
Thanks!!
Please can someone with fibroid and one blocked tube take the red maca root to help with getting pregnant.
Period is very regular but have painful monthly periods.
Thanks.
Did you ever get pregnant
Take blood dog tea for. Block follupia tube . Start 3 day before period and then 7 days n stop before fertile window
Hi I have a problem of Hormon imbalance last three years. I have also throid issue. And period problem. Can I use maca powder. Is it safe for me.
Hi i have cysts on my ovaries..will i be safe taking maca ??i have infertility problems and dont knw where to start wAs at drs in and out and no luck..
I would definitely speak with either one of my coaches or with an herbalist first. It is important to know your specific background and symptoms before taking Maca.
Alisa
I want to know how to use maca
My doctor says everything is normal to conceive besides my low hormone levels in my LH and FSH …so do u think this will help me and hubby have our baby and get my hormones bk up I
trying to conceive , Can ,maca help me get pregnant? If so what type?
I have heard much about Maca. In my own case, My period stopped at 40. Can I take Maca to increase my Estrogen.
Hi Lucia, Maca can be good for balancing hormones, not necessarily stimulating production. You want to look at the reasons why your estrogen is low so that can be addressed as well!
Alisa
Please ma, am 30yrs now but stil a virgin, I’ve never had sex for ones but my flo use to rush for 2-3days depending and is dark and slow in flowing too but comes at exactly 28th days but I noticed I didn’t ovulate last month and this month too. Pls ma, Can maca be of help to regulate or correct my menstruation. Please the maca type. Thanks
Have been married for 14month and trying to conceive. please how can I get the maca.
How can I use maca
I am suffering for im balance hormones
Is maca recommended to patient suffering from adenomyosis?
Thanks
Hi Maryam,
I would want to have you consult with one of my coaches before starting any supplements if you are dealing with adenomyosis. I would definitely want you to start with food and lifestyle changes first! Please reach out to my team if you would like to schedule a session!
Alisa
hi Alisa,
can maca help unblock tube then conceive?
my hormones balance.
Regards
betty
Maca will not unblock tubes, no.
Alisa
Hi Alisa!
Wondering if you have a brand of red/black maca that you can recommend. The list of options is overwhelming, I want to make sure I’m getting a quality product.
Thank you for helping to get my period back after a year of missing it!! Love my Flo lifestyle! xo
Hi, I’m not ovulating and the doctor told me I have little fibroid my fertility are very low also my eggs are very very low
My doctor told me my eggs reserved are very low can I use maka to increase it?
Hi Mariama, It is not possible to increases your eggs, since you are born with a finite amount of eggs. However, you can improve fertility and hormonal balance, making it possible to conceive with the eggs that remain.
Alisa
what brands of red and black maca to you recommend to help with fertility for my husband and I?
I’ve been using Maca in my smoothies for about a week and my sex drive has literally exploded! I think I need to calm down a bit because the urges are somewhat fierce and I can’t handle. I knew this would increase my sex drive but oh my I didn’t think by that much. This stuff truly does work so I would definitely be careful.
What kind of Maca do you use ?
my husband has low sperm count, how can we use maca to help. we tried ivf and it failed. too broke for another cycle so we are looking at natural means.
can Maca reduce high FSH with 48% ?
can maca be taken when on clomid
hi. am having hormonal imbalance, irregular period. have been trying to conceive for long now, please how do i get maca red and black for me and hubby and how much do it cost?
Hi,
It says that those who experience thyroid nodules or growth cannot take maca powder but mine was removed 2015. Now, there’s no nodules or signs of growth. Can I use it or not? Thanks
Hi, I am 37 and I was diagnosed with fibroids in my uterus 1 year after my marriage, after 3 months of the diagnosis I went through myomectomy in May 2018, I and my husband avoided getting pregnant for six months as per doctor’s suggestion and then in Nov 2018 we starting trying to get pregnant. Now it’s been 4 months since we are trying, in January 2019 my periods got late then in Feb I discovered that my hormones are imbalanced. I have started making dietry changes. I wanted to ask you if maca is good for me and is it really going to help me get pregnant or not because I really want to get pregnant.
Thank you.
Hi Mariyam, If you have a history of fibroids, no, I would not take maca. There are other ways to support your fertility by using foods that are high in micronutrients, and cycle syncing your diet.
Alisa
can maca work for cyst
No, I would not use maca if you have a cyst.
Alisa
Hi Alisa,
Can Maca delay or mess up regular cycles? I have a regular cycle and my hormones tests came back ok it is just the estrogen level is towards the lower side and I am really really dry down there and don’t have enough fertile cervical fluid close to ovulation and I am close to 40 years old when estrogen levels decrease. Do you recommend Maca for me? Is it safe?
Hi Alexandra,
I would not start with Maca. I would start at dietary and lifestyle reasons for low estrogen – what are they for you. And you can start by eating cyclically and really supporting your body with good phytoestrogenic foods in the right phases.
Alisa
I would not take Maca for cysts.
Alisa
so i took maca powder from gnc for a few days, i started spotting lightly. i suffer from pcos and my period is extremely regular but i havent been able to conceive for about 2 years me and my husband have been trying. i got nervous about the spotting so i stopped taking the maca. go figure it is a side effect of the maca balancing hormones. hopefully i have good news within the next few weeks!
Hello…I finished taking infection drugs yesterday and I want to take maca room 500mg for fertility. Just want to know if it okay to take it and also my period is dropping…
Hi, I cannot recommend a supplement unless I know more about your situation. Please reach out to my team to schedule a session if you would like individualized support!
Alisa
So my husband has a really low sperm count and I only ovulat 6 times out of a year and my periods are all waccked they are very irregular what one is the best maca root to use we both have a bottle of red bc thats all the herb store had at the moment and I thought it would work for the both of us
Hi this November we will have been ttc for two years we have been doing fertility treatments for almost one of those years just did IVF we made it to embryo transfer day when we showed up that morning we were informed our embryo just didn’t mature as much as it needed to to be a embryo that could be transferred. I have been reading about maca and a friend recommended me to try it. Do you know if it help with egg maturity? my follicles develop to where there should be a viable egg inside but it seems like my egg growth is behind my follicle growth if that makes sense.
I took Maca along with Vitex and Royal Jelly and now period is 24 days late. Before this, I had a regular period and have been trying to conceive for a while now. (Had two miscarriages already). Doctor put me on Provera for 10 days to bring back my period, but it didn’t work, I am currently on it for for another 7 days. Really hoping that my period will return.
Any idea how long before Maca is out of the system and things can return to normal? This is really heartbreaking to me right now as I am trying to conceive.
Hi I have high fsh 33 and other month it was 22 is Maca powder can help in reducing it ..pls advise
Hi Alyssa,
I am experiencing very low-zero libido after a miscarriage in 2017, I have a history of fibroid , and my period have shift from regular 28days to 26days, can maca help my hormones? Can it boost my fertility
Hello
Is Maca safe to take with vitex? And what about yellow maca?
Thank You
Hi Nard,
I would want you to consult with a practitioner before taking these to make sure they are appropriate for you!
Alisa
I’ve been looking into supplements for low libido and stumbled on maca root. However I see that you don’t recommended it for women with PCOS or thyroid issues. I have PCOS with insulin resistance and hypothyroidism. What supplement(s) would you recommend? We’ve asked our doctors, but they don’t listen. My husband and I have been trying to conceive since 12/2006 with our only pregnancy ending in miscarriage in 8/2012 at 10 weeks.
Hi,
The reasons for low libido are connected to adrenal health and micronutrient deficiencies. You will want to look deeper into what is creating the lack of drive and build from the inside out. Maca is not safe to take with the issues you have. I would focus on making sure you eat regularly (whole foods), eat balanced meals, have plenty of good fats, and check your micronutrient levels – things to look out for: low Vit D, Vit B, Zinc, Vit C. Also: make sure your sleep quality is good!
Alisa
It’s funny you mention adrenal health. I had a cancerous tumor on my left adrenal gland that my husband, our PCP, and I fought for almost 3 years to have removed; the left adrenal gland and its tumor was removed in 2016 and it was almost too late. The damage that caused is now permanent. I eat pretty well, I try to have a decent balance of veggies, fruits, dairy, and meats. I take DHEA, Metformin, Synthroid, D2/D3; Vit B and Vit C levels are checked about every 3-4 months. We’re hoping to start a Femara regiment soon, so I was really hoping for advice on something for libido on top of things I’ve been doing for months because I feel like I’m not getting any results.
Im 46, Its 2 years now I’ve been trying to get pregnamt. I was on contraceptive for more than 5 years noe. I went to the doctor and the doctor said my hormones level are very low LH and FSH. Can I take Maca.
You can try Maca – look out for any side effects. Support your hormones with healthy digestion and high nutrient quality foods.
Alisa
Hallo ,am 37 yrs trying to conceive for 3yrs.l went to gyno and he told me he can’t see any problem with he recommended me to take folic acid,ovacare and letrozole and I didnt conceive can I use use maca powder and which colour good for woman red or black.thanks
Hi ma cousin is 42 and she was told her eggs are finished if she uses Maca can she get eggs?
Hi,
Science is showing that it may be possible for women to create more eggs. In your cousin’s case, she should try to improve hormone function to maximize the eggs she has left – she should look at improving the nutrient intake from her foods, sleeping well, moving her body and perhaps taking some supplements – the supplements she needs will need to be tailored to her needs.
Alisa
Which maca is good for me I did surgery when I was 33years, my period is regular but not flowing and is brown. Looking for way of getting pregnant, no way.no kid. Am now 37 I need to get pregnant but one tube blocked
How can i get the red and black maca
Hi there, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto. Can I still use Maca once a week only? Should my partner use it anyway?
Hi Sophie, Since you have a thyroid condition, I would not use Maca until you have discussed it with your doctor.
Alisa
Hi,
I want to know if taking maca can help to both unblock felliopian tubes of a women.
No, you will want to see a doctor about this.
Alisa
Please I have cyst in my two ovary am bn trying to conceive for 5 years now can I take maca and if yeas what colour will I use
Hello I was told by my dr I had a 15 percent chance of getting pregnant. I tried for 8 years to have another child. Since I was trying I didn’t get on birth control like it was recommended. So I started taking maca pills. I noticed that I felt energetic right away and really hot. If you know what I mean? Also my periods were less than painfull. I found out within 3 months of takeing it I was pregnant.
Hello. What brand of maca did you take?
Hello,
I am a mother of one trying to conceive again. I had series of miscarriage before had my baby in November 2018 and I have had another miscarriage in October 2019, I notice that I have prementrual symptoms and it starts immediately after my monthly cycle which I most times mistake for pregnancy.
Can I take maca root for this?
Hi Beatrice, It is important to understand why you are miscarrying before starting a supplements. If the miscarriages are due to low progesterone, then you want to support your body to increase progesterone – speak with your doctor to see if you can get some clarity around this. You can also check for the MTHFR gene mutation, which can be the cause of many early term miscarriages – this will require blood work to determine.
Alisa
Hello, am 32, I was diagnosed with pcos and hypothyroidism, v have been ttc from 2yrs but with no luck, can i use maca root capsules n how many shld I take per day, does it cause any side effects or weight gain, donno from few months I get periods on 24days a month n sumtimes on 26 days, n dat too pinkish period blood, is it normal? Iam trying very hard to get pregnant pls help me
I am taking metformin and will be starting letrozole. I take a prenatal gummie every day currently, and wondering if it is safe to add maca root to my daily routine.