Natural Health: Supplements?

sup·ple·ment (spl-mnt)

n.

1. Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency, or extend or strengthen the whole.

2. A section added to a book or document to give further information or to correct errors.

3. A separate section devoted to a special subject inserted into a periodical, such as a newspaper.

No, its not about books or newspapers!  Supplements are the cause of much debate in the media circuit, but how do we know what supplements to take when trying to conceive? 

When we first approached our GP regarding fertility, he told us that I needed to be taking a multivitamin with folate and that fish oil was helpful. 

I went to the chemist and bought a popular pre-natal vitamin and dutifully took that for a week. 

I was so sick! 

Something about the tablet reacted badly with my system and so I stopped that quicksmart. But I still felt like I should be doing something productive with my 'waiting time'. All the books said folate and a multi are important.

After a year of trying I visited a Naturopath who specialised in infertility. 

She was all for the multi and put me on a special natural one (which didn't upset me as much), and then...

Fish oil - two capsules twice a day

A natural progesterone 'booster' - twice a day

Something for nerves - that one went down badly, so I only ever took two, then gave the bottle back!

An anxiety lifter - 6 capsules a day

Vitamin D - twice a day

I was having 16+ capsules or tablets a day!  I felt like a giant walking pill bottle. I was having pills and water in the mornings for breakfast because by the time I had finished I was full!

Then I started reading information my husband provided about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of these kinds of pills. Suddenly I didn't know what to do. So I did nothing. I stopped taking them. And now there is a basket full of pill containers in my cupboard that I don't know what to do with. 

I figure most 'normal' people can fall pregnant without supplements. Do I really need them?