“Have you ever researched maca powder for infertility support?…I remember reading a couple’s story about dealing with infertility and how they took maca powder and they got pregnant a month or two later. Super random but was just curious.”
I recently received the above text from my sister, and my response was “Hmm…no, never. I’ll look into it.”
Sure enough, when I Googled ‘maca powder infertility,’ up popped the influencer reels: “try this brand, this product,” etc. But as I went beyond the reels to the evidence behind using maca for fertility support, I learned about who might benefit from adding this superfood’s powder to their daily regimen.
What is maca powder?
Maca powder comes from the dried maca plant, a root vegetable also known as Peruvian ginseng, Ginseng Andin, Lepidium meyenii, or Lepidium peruvianum. Originally found in Peru’s Andes Mountains, maca plants have been cultivated for thousands of years. There are multiple types of maca plant, though the most commonly studied include red, yellow, and black.
Maca = superfood?
Because it contains fiber, fatty acid, calcium, potassium, protein, plus the trace minerals copper, iodine, iron, manganese, and zinc, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and D, maca is considered a superfood [1]. Maca is most closely related to “rapeseed, mustard, turnip, black mustard, cabbage, garden cress, and water cress” [1].
What is maca powder used for?
It turns out that maca powder isn’t just an ancient herb discovered last week by a health influencer, as evidenced by this Well+Good article from 2018 or this 2015 YouTube video by acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine doctor Marc Sklar.
The many uses of maca
According to this summary published in the now-defunct Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine back in 2011, “Experimental scientific evidence showed that maca has nutritional, energizer, and fertility-enhancer properties, and it acts on sexual dysfunctions, osteoporosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, memory and learning, and protects skin against ultraviolet radiation” [1]. Maca may also be taken to improve menopause symptoms [2].
Maca as a libido booster and stress reducer
Relevant to fertility, maca is sometimes taken to increase libido, to improve erectile dysfunction, and to reduce sexual dysfunction related to antidepressant use. Some consider maca to be an “adaptogen,” or a substance that may help the body adapt to stress, which may have indirect benefits on fertility (because, in general, stress is not great for fertility!).
Maca as a caffeine substitute
Finally, if you’re trying to get pregnant, you likely already know that decreasing your caffeine intake is recommended to up your chances of successful conception. Integrative nutritionist Alisa Vitti of FLO Living points out that consuming maca may be a natural way to boost energy levels without your morning cuppa due to its blood sugar-stabilizing, energizing effects.
But what does the research say about maca’s effect on fertility?
In sum, research is limited on the effectiveness of maca specifically to improve fertility, and most studies to date have been in animals, such as mice or rats [3][4]. Importantly, where research suggests that maca may improve fertility, there are far more question marks than answers as to how.
As this 2010 review article summed up, “The results of our systematic review provide limited evidence for the effectiveness of maca in improving sexual function. However, the total number of trials, the total sample size, and the average methodological quality of the primary studies were too limited to draw firm conclusions” [5].
Maca may be effective, but we don’t know why
As an example, a 2001 study in nine (just nine!) adult males found that when taken for four months, maca tablets improved sperm count and motility [6]. Fascinatingly, the improvements to sperm count and motility were noted without an increase in testosterone, which is crucial for spermatogenesis (the creation of mature sperm) [7]. A more recent, small (sample size: twenty) study of healthy adult men similarly found that sperm motility and concentration were improved without raising testosterone levels [8].
Whatever the mechanism by which maca may improve sexual function or fertility and/or increase libido, it doesn’t seem to be through raising hormone levels, at least not in men [9]. The introduction to a small 2008 randomized controlled trial (which found that 12 weeks of taking maca helped improve SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction in depressed women) explained, “Most studies with human subjects examine the effect of maca on sexual functioning in adult healthy men and have demonstrated a lack of effect of maca on serum gonadal hormone levels, finding no changes in serum levels of LH, FSH, PRL, 17‐alpha hydroxyprogesterone, TST, and 17‐beta estradiol in men treated with maca at either 1.5 g/day or 3.0 g/day or placebo” [10].
How to consume maca
Maca can be consumed by being ground into a powder, and then dissolved in liquid or added to a smoothie, in a capsule, or in a liquid extract.
Who shouldn’t take maca?
There are no known side effects of maca consumption [1]. Still, Dr. Marc Sklar pointed out that when the whole root is consumed, as is typical with the powder form, all maca’s chemical compounds may have effects in the body, including the potential to affect hormone levels (though, see above, this isn’t the case from what research has been done on men). In women who consume maca powder, this could theoretically lead to increased testosterone levels and potentially menstrual cycle dysregulation.
As Alisa Vitti noted, elevated testosterone and menstrual cycle irregularities are already concerns for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), so those with PCOS may want to steer clear of maca or seek out the advice of a healthcare practitioner well-versed in the finer points of maca supplementation (and such a person may be hard to find!). Still, this medically-reviewed article on the Mira monitor website asserts that because of its “potential to support overall hormone balance,” maca may be particularly appropriate for women with PCOS!
Because maca is naturally high in iodine, Vitti additionally cautioned against supplementation in women with “an allergy to iodine, Hashimoto’s, or [who] experience thyroid nodules or growths.” In short, you’ll want to run the idea of adding maca powder to your supplement regimen with a knowledgeable healthcare professional.
The bottom line on taking maca to get pregnant
For now, the answer to the question “Can maca help you get pregnant?” seems to be “Maybe, but we don’t know how.” If you’re trying to conceive, be sure to let your healthcare clinician know before you try maca. He or she may want to check your hormone levels before and periodically during use, and he or she may be able to point you to a form (capsule, powder, or extract) or brand that may be most appropriate for you.
Ultimately, though it may have a role to play in your journey to conception, maca alone isn’t likely to be enough to overcome infertility. If you’re trying to get pregnant, be sure to learn a fertility awareness method from a trained instructor, and, if targeting your fertile window identified through cycle charting isn’t enough, seek care from a healthcare clinician trained in restorative reproductive medicine.
