Not All Prenatals Are Created Equal: What Your Body Actually Needs for Fertility with Ayla Barmmer RD/N, Founder of Fullwell

You’ve probably heard the advice: If you’re trying to get pregnant, start taking a prenatal.

Simple enough… until you actually start looking at prenatal vitamins.

Suddenly you’re comparing folic acid and methylfolate, iron and no iron, DHA and EPA, two capsules versus eight—and wondering how the heck you’re supposed to know what your body actually needs.

That’s exactly why I wanted Ayla Barmmer, registered dietitian, herbalist, fertility nutrition expert, and founder of FullWell, on the Nourished Fertility Podcast.

FullWell is the prenatal we use in our practice and recommend to our clients, and in this episode, Ayla is pulling back the curtain on not only what is inside her prenatal, but why she formulated it that way.

Ayla’s journey into fertility nutrition actually began in clinical practice. After receiving referrals from an IVF clinic for women being told to lose weight quickly before treatment, she started questioning whether restriction was really how women should enter one of the most resource-intensive seasons of their lives.

That curiosity ultimately led her deeper into fertility nutrition—and eventually to creating the prenatal she couldn’t find on the market.

And yes, we have to talk about the question everyone asks:

Why does the FullWell prenatal have eight capsules?!

Ayla explains that the capsule count wasn’t the goal. The formula was. Nutrients including choline, calcium, and magnesium physically take up more space, so instead of designing the product around an appealing capsule count, she designed it around the formula she wanted.

We also get into one of the most confusing prenatal conversations: folate versus folic acid.

Ayla breaks down why FullWell uses methylfolate, how folic acid must be converted before the body can use it, and why she believes this conversation goes beyond simply asking whether you have an MTHFR variant.

Then there’s another question our clients ask us ALL the time:

If iron is so important for fertility and pregnancy, why isn’t it in the prenatal?

The answer is personalization.

Ayla explains why iron needs can vary significantly from person to person, why testing markers like ferritin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit can help inform supplementation, and why taking iron separately also avoids competition with nutrients such as calcium.

We also dive into omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA, why Ayla considers omega-3 supplementation foundational, and how FullWell’s formulations differ across pregnancy and other stages of life.

But perhaps one of the most important conversations in this episode is about when fertility nutrition should begin.

Hint: It’s not after you see two pink lines.

Ayla describes the three-to-six-plus months before conception as an incredibly valuable window for supporting both partners’ nutrition. Ideally, she recommends beginning foundational prenatal and omega-3 support at least six months before trying to conceive when possible, then continuing nutritional support throughout pregnancy and postpartum.

And gentlemen, you’re officially part of this conversation, too.

We talk about why fertility isn’t solely a woman’s responsibility, how sperm develops during the months leading up to conception, and why the male partner’s nutrition and lifestyle deserve attention alongside hers.

Finally, we bring everything back to one of our favorite philosophies here at Nourished Fertility: wellness without obsession.

Supporting your fertility doesn’t require turning food, supplements, and exercise into another full-time job. Ayla shares how she’s personally moved away from rigidity and toward asking what food and movement genuinely feel supportive that day.

Because fertility nutrition isn’t about doing everything perfectly.

It’s about giving your body—and your future family—a strong nutritional foundation while still having a life you actually enjoy living.

Listen to the full episode to hear our entire conversation with Ayla, and click here to check out all Fullwell products.