Optimizing Your Fertility
Answers to Questions About How To Enhance Your Fertility Naturally and Have a Healthy Pregnancy
What is the biggest challenge you see with patients trying to conceive?
The number one health challenge that we see with patients who are trying to get pregnant is stress. It is the enemy of good health and well-being. Whether it be externally induced by outside factors or internally generated by anxiety, depression, or insomnia, works against the body and interrupts the natural hormonal rhythm. In result, stress can create hormonal imbalances that can be an obstacle to fertility.
How do you help patients balance stress and optimize their hormones?
We definitely want to support the nervous system. The hormone system often improves when the nervous system is balanced. We usually work on both systems at the same time. Encouraging patients to get adequate, restful sleep which will allow the hormone and nervous system to repair. The diet needs to be taken into consideration as well. For example, our practitioners often recommend an anti-inflammatory diet, avoiding food sensitivities, and optimizing digestive health so they can absorb the nutrients they need to support a pregnancy.
When someone is stressed, their cortisol can become elevated or depressed in response to the stressful stimuli, depending on the status of their adrenal function. Specialty tests like Dutch Complete Hormone test helps to get an extensive and comprehensive view of the hormone picture including reproductive and adrenal hormones. Next, based on those results, we figure out how to balance the hormones and support optimal fertility.
Does the health of the male partner matter?
Yes. Sperm health is equally important as egg quality. We typically run a sperm analysis on the male partner to identify sperm quality, motility and morphology. Usually we recommend the male partner follows an anti-inflammatory diet, reduce alcohol consumption, and adds in antioxidants to the supplement regiment so that we can truly optimize sperm health.
What lifestyle recommendations do you suggest for optimizing fertility?
The lifestyle piece is the top of the priority for patients. Our practitioners encourage patients to get enough sleep, eat three good meals per day, avoid alcohol and caffeine, drink enough water, exercise regularly, and reduce their stress. These lifestyle habits and routines are fundamental in optimizing fertility. The pace of our society has normalized a lot of behaviors that are unhealthy. When you are trying to conceive, those behaviors need to be dialed back. You want to create a healthy terrain in order to have the best possible outcome – a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. To learn some tips on how to optimize your sleep environment, visit our blog.
With naturopathic care how long does it take for a couple to get pregnant?
What are your favorite herbal treatments to support fertility?
Vitex, or chaste tree berry, and raspberry are some of the most frequently used herbs for supporting estrogen and progesterone balance. Ashwagandha can be helpful for balancing the adrenal system and supporting adequate levels of progesterone. Individual treatments vary from person to person based on their individual hormone profile. Homeopathics can be especially helpful for balancing the energetics. Seed cycling and oil rotation using fish oil and evening primrose oil is also very beneficial for women seeking fertility.
