A fertility supplement is supposed to think of everything: folic acid, iodine, vitamin D, often plus iron, zinc, selenium, or coenzyme Q10. But what is really inside, and does it match the official recommendations?

We recorded the nutritional information of fertility supplements from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, per daily dose and with a source for every product. We compared it with the recommendations for action of the Healthy Start network (Gesund ins Leben, 2026) and the proposed maximum levels of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), for folic acid, iodine, vitamin D, and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. We added iron because it is in many supplements.

This is not a test with grades and not a ranking, but a comparison of manufacturer information against official values. You can download the data and use it freely with attribution.

Key takeaways

  • Folate: Practically all combination supplements provide at least the recommended 400 µg. Some contain more synthetic folic acid, usually 800 µg. Quite a few others combine 400 µg of folic acid with methylfolate and together usually reach about double that. The Healthy Start network calls for amounts around 800 µg only if you start taking it late.
  • Iodine: Most supplements contain at least 100 µg of iodine, and some contain none at all.
  • Vitamin D: Far from all reach 20 µg. Either way, this amount is recommended only if your skin does not make enough vitamin D.
  • DHA: Only a small share provide the 200 mg that is recommended for pregnancy.
  • Iron: Many supplements contain iron, most of them more than the 6 mg the BfR proposes. In pregnancy, however, iron should be supplemented only after a deficiency has been confirmed in the lab (Healthy Start network 2026).
  • Bottom line: Many supplements contain more than the recommendations call for. A market check by the German consumer advice centers came to the same result (Consumer advice centers 2025).
  • 36 of 36provide at least 400 µg of folate (folic acid or methylfolate). 6 contain more than 400 µg of synthetic folic acid, usually 800 µg.
  • 25 of 36contain at least 100 µg of iodine, 8 with no iodine at all.
  • 18 of 36contain at least 20 µg of vitamin D, 3 of them more than 20 µg.
  • 10 of 36provide at least 200 mg of DHA. All four values together reach 4.
  • 21 of 36contain iron, 18 of them more than the 6 mg that the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) proposes as a maximum amount.

36 combination supplements for women are counted, excluding pure folic acid and inositol products. Amount per daily dose as stated by the manufacturer, as of October 4, 2026.

How we counted is explained in the methodology.

Fertility vitamins compared: chart and table

For folate, iodine, vitamin D, and DHA, the chart shows how much each combination supplement for women provides per daily dose, and the dashed line marks the recommendation. The table below contains all supplements for women that we recorded, including pure folic acid and inositol supplements. You can sort it by any nutrient, and the link in each row leads to the source of the values.

Total folateFolic acid plus methylfolate, µg36 of 36reach400 µg02175Iodineµg25 of 36reach8 without Iodine100 to 150 µg0243Vitamin Dµg18 of 36reach4 without Vitamin D20 µg0156442DHAmg10 of 36reach25 without DHA200 mg07 Total folate Folic acid plus methylfolate, µg36 of 36 reach400 µg02175Iodine µg25 of 36 reach8 without Iodine100 to 150 µg0243Vitamin D µg18 of 36 reach4 without Vitamin D20 µg0156442DHA mg10 of 36 reach25 without DHA200 mg07
Each dot is a combination supplement for women, with the amount per daily dose as stated by the manufacturer. Dashed: recommendation or reference value (sources below). Dark dots reach it, and the number in a dot shows how many supplements contain this amount or almost the same amount. As of October 4, 2026.

42 fertility supplements for women: amount per daily dose as stated by the manufacturer

Sort by:

Bold: reaches the reference value (100 µg iodine, 20 µg vitamin D, 200 mg DHA). Red: above the maximum amounts proposed by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) for dietary supplements (400 µg folic acid, 150 µg iodine for pregnant women, 20 µg vitamin D, 6 mg iron). Methylfolate as stated on the label. 0: not contained, according to the label. “total”: the label gives only the total amount of folate. “View product” leads to the page the information comes from.

Download all data as CSV (Women and men, all recorded amounts per daily dose, free to use with credit to Fertilio as the source).

What bold and red mean in the table

Bold means the supplement reaches the recommendation, that is 100 µg of iodine, 20 µg of vitamin D, or 200 mg of DHA.

Red means the amount is above the BfR's proposed maximum level for dietary supplements, that is more than 400 µg of folic acid, 150 µg of iodine, 20 µg of vitamin D, or 6 mg of iron per daily dose (BfR 2021 to 2025). These are proposals. So far there are no binding maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements, neither in Germany nor at the EU level (BfR 2026). So red does not mean prohibited, but more than the BfR proposes. In Switzerland, by contrast, the Ordinance on Dietary Supplements sets binding maximum levels (Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, FSVO).

Three values need an explanation:

  • Folic acid: In general, the BfR proposes 200 µg, and 400 µg for supplements meant to lower the risk of neural tube defects, for women of childbearing age and for pregnant women in the first trimester (BfR 2024). The Healthy Start network calls for 800 µg only if you did not start taking it at least 4 weeks before conception, and then until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy (Healthy Start network 2026).
  • Iodine: We mark red only above 150 µg, the BfR proposal for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The BfR has no separate category for the time of trying to conceive, and the general proposal is 100 µg. Supplements with 150 µg of iodine are therefore formally above the general value (BfR 2025).
  • Methylfolate: We show it as it appears on the label, without conversion and without color. The methodology explains why.

Dietary supplements when trying to conceive: what is officially recommended

The comparison values come from the Healthy Start network (BLE) and the BfR. What differs in Austria and Switzerland is described at the end of the section.

Nutrient Recommendation For whom Upper limit or BfR proposal per daily dose
Folic acid 400 µg daily or an equivalent amount of other folates, from when you start trying to conceive until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, 800 µg if you start late Women trying to conceive 400 µg (otherwise 200 µg in general)
Iodine 100 to 150 µg as a supplement, plus iodized salt and iodine-rich foods Pregnant women, and when trying to conceive mainly an iodine-rich diet 150 µg for pregnant and breastfeeding women, otherwise 100 µg
Vitamin D 20 µg (800 IU) daily if skin production is not enough Everyone, there is no separate value for trying to conceive 20 µg
DHA 200 mg daily through fatty saltwater fish 1 to 2 times per week or as a supplement Pregnant women According to EFSA, DHA alone is no safety concern up to 1 g per day
Iron Only after a deficiency has been confirmed in the lab, not routinely Pregnant women 6 mg, with a warning for pregnant women

Sources for the table: Healthy Start network 2026, Consumer advice centers 2025, BfR 2021 to 2025.

Folic acid: 400 µg, and start early

The 400 µg apply on top of a balanced diet, from when you start trying to conceive until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy. The neural tube normally closes as early as 4 weeks after conception, so you should start taking folic acid before that, at the latest 4 weeks before conception according to national and international recommendations (Healthy Start network 2026).

If you started later, the guidance calls for 800 µg until the end of the 12th week. This reaches the target value for folate in red blood cells named by the WHO more quickly. Even with 800 µg, the risk of exceeding the upper limit of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of 1,000 µg of folic acid per day remains low. The same dose applies if you are overweight (Healthy Start network 2026).

After an earlier child with a neural tube defect, the Healthy Start network says an adequate, possibly higher dose, agreed with your doctor, is especially important. The network does not give a number, and the UK guideline calls for 5 mg daily at increased risk (NICE NG247). More on dose, timing, and forms is in the article Folic acid when trying to conceive.

Folic acid or methylfolate?

Methylfolate is an equivalent alternative if the amount is right. In the EU, three folate compounds are approved for dietary supplements in addition to folic acid: calcium L-methylfolate, as well as the glucosamine salt and the monosodium salt of 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-MTHF) (Healthy Start network 2026).

In a randomized trial with 144 women, 5-MTHF raised the folate concentration in red blood cells more than folic acid did. The study was funded by Merck, the manufacturer of the methylfolate tested (Lamers 2006). What was measured was the folate level, not protection against neural tube defects: studies on that exist only for folic acid. The Healthy Start network does not say that methylfolate is better in general (Healthy Start network 2026).

Important when comparing labels: The BfR's proposed maximum levels refer to folic acid. For methylfolate, EFSA uses different conversion factors, depending on the dose. Below 400 µg per day, folic acid and 5-MTHF count equally, and from 400 µg on, 5-MTHF counts for more. A supplement with 400 µg of 5-MTHF then corresponds to 800 µg of folate equivalents, and one with 400 µg of folic acid to 680 µg (BfR 2024). A 1:1 comparison of the amounts is therefore only correct for doses below 400 µg.

Iodine: recommended in pregnancy, an open question before

In addition to a balanced diet, pregnant women should take a supplement with 100 to 150 µg of iodine daily, plus iodized salt at home and foods made with iodized salt (Healthy Start network 2026). The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends iodine tablets with 100 (to 150) µg for pregnant and breastfeeding women after consulting a doctor (DGE 2025). The recommended total intake is 150 µg for adults and 220 µg per day for pregnant women (DGE 2025). In the DEGS1 study (survey from 2008 to 2011), women aged 18 to 29 took in a median of 99.5 µg per day (Healthy Start network 2026).

Whether iodine tablets make sense already when trying to conceive is an open question among experts. The Healthy Start network considers the data on this insufficient and, in this phase, relies mainly on an iodine-rich diet: fish and dairy products regularly, only iodized salt at home, and preferably bread and meat products made with iodized salt. The Iodine Deficiency Working Group (Arbeitskreis Jodmangel), by contrast, recommends 100 to 150 µg for women without thyroid disease already when trying to conceive. Total intake should not exceed the EFSA upper limit of 600 µg per day (Grossklaus 2026).

Thyroid and iodine

If you have a thyroid condition, talk to your doctor before taking iodine tablets (Healthy Start network 2026). With Hashimoto's disease or Graves' disease, an iodine-rich diet within the reference values, including iodized salt, is usually unproblematic. You should still discuss iodine tablets with a doctor first.

With undetected (latent) thyroid autonomy, iodine triggers an overactive thyroid, according to the BfR, usually only at unphysiologically high doses. The main risks are dried algae and kelp products and several iodine-containing dietary supplements at the same time (BfR information sheet 2021). If autonomous nodules are known, the rule is the same as for any thyroid condition: iodine tablets only after consulting a doctor (Healthy Start network 2026).

Vitamin D: only if the sun is not enough

According to the Healthy Start network, a good supply requires only that you expose your face, hands, and arms to the sun, uncovered and without sunscreen, 2 to 3 times per week, for half as long as your skin would need to get sunburned. You should avoid sunburn. In winter in Germany, the sun is not enough for this, and the body then draws on its stores.

Pregnant women who are rarely outdoors, who cover most of their skin, or who have dark skin should take 20 µg (800 IU) daily. The Healthy Start network considers the benefit of general supplementation in pregnancy uncertain. Supplements with 100 µg per day or more, the EFSA upper limit, should be under medical supervision (Healthy Start network 2026). There is no separate value for trying to conceive: the 20 µg apply to everyone whose skin makes too little vitamin D (Consumer advice centers 2025).

DHA: a recommendation for pregnancy

Pregnant women should take in 200 mg of DHA daily, through fatty saltwater fish 1 to 2 times per week or through a supplement. The Healthy Start network states this recommendation explicitly for pregnancy, not for the time of trying to conceive. Vegetarian women should additionally supplement DHA in pregnancy (Healthy Start network 2026).

Iron: only with a confirmed deficiency

In pregnancy, according to the Healthy Start network, iron should be supplemented only after a deficiency has been established in the lab, not routinely. A maternal iron status that is too high is also associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, and gestational diabetes. Besides hemoglobin, ferritin and, where applicable, CRP and transferrin saturation count for the diagnosis (Healthy Start network 2026). In this context, the BfR proposes a notice that pregnant women should take iron only after consulting a doctor (BfR 2021).

Austria and Switzerland

Germany Austria Switzerland
Folic acid 400 µg or an equivalent amount of other folates, 800 µg if you start late 400 µg of synthetic folic acid, at the latest 4 weeks before pregnancy until the end of the first trimester, discuss with doctors (Eating Right from the Start 2025) 400 µg daily even before a planned pregnancy (FSVO 2018)
Iodine 100 to 150 µg as a supplement for pregnant women, an iodine-rich diet when trying to conceive Iodized salt, saltwater fish, dairy products, always discuss iodine supplements with a doctor, no general dose (gesundheit.gv.at) Iodine-rich diet, whether iodine tablets are needed should be discussed with a gynecologist already when trying to conceive, no fixed dose (FSVO)

According to the FSVO, folic acid and vitamin D are the exceptions that cannot be covered sufficiently even with a balanced diet (FSVO 2018).

What stands out in the data

Our criteria are only documented values: does a supplement reach the recommendation, is it above a BfR proposal, is a nutrient missing entirely? This says nothing about the quality of a product.

Folate: often more than 400 µg

For folate, the combination supplements reach the recommendation practically across the board. Some contain more than 400 µg of synthetic folic acid, usually 800 µg, which is the amount the Healthy Start network calls for if you start taking it late. If you start early, 400 µg is recommended.

Quite a few supplements combine folic acid and methylfolate. The table shows both in separate columns, and the chart adds them together. According to EFSA's conversion factors, such a combination provides considerably more folate than a pure supplement with 400 µg of folic acid (BfR 2024). Some supplements rely on methylfolate alone.

Iodine: none at all in some supplements

Most supplements contain at least 100 µg of iodine, and some contain none. With a supplement without iodine, you do not cover the iodine recommendation for pregnancy. Whether and how much additional iodine you need depends on your diet and your thyroid.

Conversely, if you take a combination supplement with iodine, do not add a second iodine-containing supplement without checking with a doctor. The BfR advises avoiding such multiple intake by having a doctor ask about iodine sources (BfR information sheet 2021).

Vitamin D: from little to above the BfR proposal

Far from all supplements reach 20 µg of vitamin D, and a few are above it. For dietary supplements, the BfR proposes a maximum of 20 µg per daily dose (BfR 2024).

DHA: rarely at the full amount

Only a small share of supplements provide 200 mg of DHA. A product may carry the authorized claim that DHA taken by the mother contributes to the normal development of the brain and eyes of the fetus only if it provides at least 200 mg of DHA per day (Regulation (EU) 440/2011). There is no separate DHA recommendation for the time of trying to conceive.

Iron: often included, mostly above 6 mg

Many supplements contain iron, most of them more than the 6 mg of the BfR proposal. That does not fit the recommendation to supplement iron in pregnancy only after lab confirmation (Healthy Start network 2026). Before you take a supplement with iron, have your iron levels measured and discuss the result with a doctor.

Zinc, selenium, and other additives

Zinc and selenium are not columns in the table, but they are in the CSV file. In many supplements, both are above the BfR proposals of 6.5 mg of zinc (BfR 2021) and 40 µg of selenium (BfR 2024). From more than 3.5 mg of zinc per daily dose, the BfR recommends a notice not to take any further zinc-containing dietary supplements.

Quite a few supplements additionally contain coenzyme Q10, and some contain myo-inositol. According to the BfR, adequate studies on Q10 in pregnant and breastfeeding women are lacking. In Germany, a general administrative order requires a warning notice for Q10 in dietary supplements: pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume the product (BfR 2023).

The international guideline on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) classifies inositol in women with PCOS who are trying to conceive as experimental. According to the guideline, side effects and safety are not known, and women should know that such supplements are often only lightly regulated and can vary in dose, quality, and composition (International PCOS guideline 2023). More on this is in the article Myo-inositol when trying to conceive.

What may be on the package

Many packages carry authorized claims, for example: “Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction” (Regulation (EU) 432/2012). Such sentences describe what the body needs a nutrient for. They do not say that a supplement increases the chance of pregnancy. For oral antioxidants in women with reduced fertility, Cochrane found only limited evidence (Cochrane 2020). Supplements with at least 400 µg of folic acid per daily dose may refer to the link between folate level and neural tube defects (Regulation (EU) 1135/2014).

What the consumer advice centers found

In 2023, the Consumer Advice Center Baden-Württemberg reviewed 131 supplements online for trying to conceive, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Only one matched the recommendations exactly: 400 µg of folic acid and 100 µg of iodine with no further additives, at 8 euro cents per daily dose. For most products, the amounts were above the BfR's proposed maximum levels or above the reference values for total daily intake, including for products for men trying to conceive. The consumer advice centers call this the mistaken principle of “more is better” (Consumer advice centers 2025).

What you really need: folic acid and iodine when trying to conceive

The official recommendations for the time of trying to conceive are short. For many women, a simple supplement with folic acid, plus iodine from pregnancy on, is therefore enough:

  1. Folic acid, 400 µg daily (or the equivalent in methylfolate), as soon as you want to become pregnant, until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, 800 µg if you start late.
  2. Iodine: when trying to conceive, mainly through iodized salt, fish, and dairy products, and in pregnancy 100 to 150 µg as a tablet. Talk to your gynecologist about whether to take iodine tablets even earlier, and always do so if you have a thyroid condition.
  3. Vitamin D, 20 µg daily, only if you get little sun.
  4. DHA in pregnancy through fatty saltwater fish 1 to 2 times per week, otherwise as a supplement (Healthy Start network 2026).

In pregnancy, iron belongs on the list only if a deficiency has been confirmed in the lab. If you are vegan, do not wait until pregnancy to keep an eye on vitamin B12: the Healthy Start network advises using qualified nutrition and supplement counseling already when trying to conceive, to correct deficiencies before conception. In pregnancy, vitamin B12 and DHA are added as supplements, and your nutrient supply should be checked by a doctor (Healthy Start network 2026).

Above all, timing is what matters: Only about 40% of pregnant women in Germany take folic acid at the right time and in the right dose (Healthy Start network 2026).

When you look at the label, this also helps:

On the label What you can look for
Daily dose Do the amounts apply to one tablet or to several tablets and capsules together?
Iodine No second iodine-containing supplement without checking with a doctor (BfR information sheet 2021)
Vitamin A (retinol) In pregnancy only after consulting a doctor (Healthy Start network 2026). For dietary supplements, the BfR proposes no addition or at most 0.2 mg per daily dose (BfR 2021).
Coenzyme Q10 According to the warning notice, not for pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you have a positive pregnancy test, discuss it with a doctor (BfR 2023).

A broader overview, for example on vitamin D and coenzyme Q10, is in the article Vitamins when trying to conceive. If getting pregnant takes longer, no supplement replaces a medical evaluation of both partners. How that works is explained in the guide to infertility.

Supplements for men

We collected the same data for men, and their supplements are in the CSV file. What men trying to conceive actually need is covered in the article Vitamins for men trying to conceive.

There is no general recommendation for men trying to conceive to supplement particular nutrients (Consumer advice centers 2025). Zinc and selenium are above the BfR proposals in most supplements for men.

In the FAZST study with 2,370 couples before fertility treatment, the men took 5 mg of folic acid and 30 mg of zinc daily for 6 months, or a placebo. The live birth rate was 34% with the supplement and 35% with the placebo, semen quality did not improve, and gastrointestinal complaints were more common (Schisterman 2020). On antioxidants in men, Cochrane considers the evidence overall inconclusive (Cochrane 2022).

Methodology

Selection: Supplements that are explicitly marketed for trying to conceive in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, for women and for men. The selection makes no claim to completeness.

Sources and daily dose: The amounts come from the nutrition facts table on the website of the manufacturer, a pharmacy, or a drugstore, linked in each table row. They apply per daily dose as stated by the manufacturer, which in some cases consists of several tablets, capsules, or powder sachets. We converted vitamin D in International Units into µg (40 IU equal 1 µg).

Two-pass check: We recorded each value with a verbatim quote from the source and checked it independently against the source in a second pass. We did not include products with contradictory manufacturer information or with nutritional values shown only in an image.

As-of date: We state the as-of date below the tiles and below the chart, and in the CSV file it appears in every row. Tiles, chart, table, and CSV file are generated from the same dataset: if we change a value, all the numbers change with it.

Why tiles and chart count only combination supplements: Pure folic acid and inositol supplements are built around one or a few substances. If they were counted, they would show up in the statistics as supplements without iodine, for example, even though they are not meant to be all-in-one supplements. To keep the numbers comparable, tiles and chart count only combination supplements for women. The other supplements are additionally in the table.

Methylfolate: In the table, methylfolate is shown in the amount stated on the label. If the label states only a total amount of folate, we show it in the folic acid column with the added label “total.” For the tile and the chart on folate, we add folic acid and methylfolate in these label amounts or use the total amount. We do not convert into folate equivalents because EFSA's factors depend on the dose (BfR 2024). In addition, some manufacturers state the mass of the whole compound: 416 µg of 5-MTHF, for example, contain just as many folate molecules as 400 µg of folic acid (Lamers 2006), and for calcium L-methylfolate the figure is somewhat higher still, because the calcium is weighed in as well. The folate total in tile and chart is therefore an approximation.

Product type: Most products are dietary supplements, and some are sold as a supplementary balanced diet. We did not include medications. The table states the product type if it is not a dietary supplement. The BfR proposals apply to dietary supplements. They do not apply to supplementary balanced diets, and the red marking there is only a comparison value.

Limits: No lab analysis: all amounts are statements by the manufacturers or retailers. We evaluate neither prices nor effectiveness, tolerability, or quality. Manufacturers change formulations, so the current information on the package is what counts.

Independence: There are no affiliate links on this page, and the links in the table lead to the sources of the information. How Fertilio is funded and how you can point out errors to us is explained on the transparency page.

Download and use the data

Below the table, you will find the full data as a CSV file: all supplements from the comparison for women and men with all the amounts per daily dose that we recorded, plus manufacturer, product type, daily dose, source, and as-of date. If a value cannot be converted, it appears in the cell as on the label, for example vitamin E in IU. The file is separated by semicolons, uses the decimal comma, and opens directly in Excel or LibreOffice. The unit is in the column name, for example jod_µg.

You may use the data freely, for articles, teaching, counseling, or your own analyses, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0). The condition is attribution, for example like this:

Source: Fertilio, Fertility supplements compared, fertilio.de/en/magazine/fertility-supplements/, as of the date in the dataset

Online, we appreciate a link to this page. When citing, state the as-of date of the data, because manufacturers change their formulations.

Frequently asked questions

Which fertility supplement is the best?

We do not name a test winner because we neither tested in a lab nor evaluated effectiveness. A sensible supplement is one that fits the official recommendations: 400 µg of folic acid or equivalent methylfolate, from pregnancy on 100 to 150 µg of iodine, and in pregnancy no iron without a confirmed deficiency (Healthy Start network 2026). Which supplements contain which amounts is shown in the table.

What should a fertility supplement contain?

Above all folic acid, 400 µg per day. The Healthy Start network recommends iodine as a tablet for pregnancy, and when trying to conceive mainly through diet. You need vitamin D (20 µg) only if your skin makes too little of it. DHA (200 mg) is recommended for pregnancy, and there is no separate recommendation for trying to conceive. Iron should be supplemented in pregnancy only after a deficiency has been confirmed in the lab (Healthy Start network 2026, Consumer advice centers 2025).

When should I start taking a fertility supplement?

Folic acid from when you start trying to conceive, at the latest 4 weeks before conception according to national and international recommendations, and until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy. If you started later, the guidance provides for 800 µg until then. The Healthy Start network recommends iodine tablets from pregnancy on (Healthy Start network 2026).

Is a supplement with folic acid and iodine enough when trying to conceive?

For many women, yes. In the market check by the consumer advice centers, only one of 131 supplements matched the recommendations exactly: 400 µg of folic acid and 100 µg of iodine with no further additives (Consumer advice centers 2025). The Healthy Start network recommends iodine as a tablet from pregnancy on, and before that mainly an iodine-rich diet. The Iodine Deficiency Working Group advises women without thyroid disease to take 100 to 150 µg already when trying to conceive (Healthy Start network 2026, Grossklaus 2026). Vitamin D comes on top if you get little sun, vitamin B12 with a vegan diet (get advice on this already when trying to conceive), and DHA in pregnancy as well. If you have a thyroid condition, discuss iodine with a doctor first.

Is methylfolate better than folic acid?

The Healthy Start network names methylfolate as an equivalent alternative to 400 µg of folic acid. In a study funded by Merck, the methylfolate manufacturer, it raised the folate level in red blood cells more (Lamers 2006). Studies on protection against neural tube defects exist only for folic acid, though, and the network does not say that methylfolate is better in general (Healthy Start network 2026). In Austria, the program “Eating Right from the Start” (Richtig essen von Anfang an) explicitly names synthetic folic acid (Eating Right from the Start 2025).

Are 800 µg of folic acid too much?

The guidance provides for 800 µg if you did not start taking folic acid at least 4 weeks before conception, until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy. Even then, the risk of exceeding the EFSA upper limit of 1,000 µg of folic acid per day remains low. If you started early, 400 µg is recommended (Healthy Start network 2026). The BfR proposal for dietary supplements is 400 µg (BfR 2024).

What is in Femibion, Elevit, or Orthomol?

The amounts per daily dose are listed for every recorded supplement in the table, including products from these brands, each with a link to the source. Orthomol Fertil plus is a supplement for men and is therefore in the CSV file, not in the table for women. We do not give grades or a ranking, and the current label is what counts.

Is there a product test for fertility vitamins?

This comparison is not a lab test. We recorded the manufacturer information, checked it against the source in two passes, and compared it with official recommendations. We did not measure whether the amounts are actually in the tablets, which is why there are no grades and no test winner.

Sources

Recommendations

Maximum levels and risk assessment

Market check and studies

Law

Data

  • Ingredients of the supplements: our own survey of manufacturer, pharmacy, and drugstore websites in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, source for each product linked in the table, as of the date in the dataset.
FE

About this article

Fertilio Editorial Team

The Fertilio Editorial Team researches fertility topics using specialist sources such as the German IVF Registry (Deutsches IVF-Register, D.I.R.), medical guidelines, and statutes. The sources are listed at the end of each article. The content does not replace medical advice.