Having and nurturing a baby can be one of the most joyous parts of a woman’s life, but for some women, getting pregnant can be a serious challenge and a source of frustration. From a natural point of view, there are many ways to support and optimize your fertility.
What is Infertility?
Doctors define infertility as failure to conceive after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. Infertility occurs in 15% of couples, and the rate increases after age 35. Many infertility cases result from identifiable causes. However, doctors cannot identify a cause in 20% of couples.
Understanding Female Reproductive Organs
While most people are familiar with the fact that women have a vagina that leads up to the uterus, with a small muscular ring called the cervix in between, many people get a little fuzzy after this. Suspended on either side of the uterus are the ovaries, which hold all of a woman’s eggs at the moment of her birth. There are tubes connecting the uterus to each ovary, called fallopian tubes. Each of these ends in small finger-like projections called “fimbriae”. During ovulation, the ovary releases an egg. The fimbriare guide the egg into the fallopian tube. There, sperm can fertilize the egg. The fertilized egg then travels to the uterus for implantation.
Key Causes of Infertility
In women, there are many different physical causes of infertility. Any physical deformation of the uterus or fallopian tubes can block the proper travel of the egg and implantation of the fetus into the uterus. Fibroids, or scarring and inflammation from pelvic infections, endometriosis or surgery, can cause this type of blockage. In some cases, a woman can have an immune reaction against her partner’s sperm that results in their destruction. Some people refer to this immune reaction as a sperm allergy. Hormonal problems can occur anywhere along the endocrine chain. Ovarian or pituitary dysfunction can impair fertility. Previous hormonal contraceptive use may also affect fertility. Stress, malnutrition, weight changes, intense exercise, and toxins can suppress fertility. These factors may signal unfavourable conditions for pregnancy.
Fertility Support: Combat Infertility
Balancing Hormones
Balancing hormones is crucial to maintaining optimum fertility. You can help your body maintain healthy hormone levels in a few different ways. Progesterone is a hormone that is essential for maintaining the egg and the lining of the uterus after ovulation. It can also help balance out excess estrogen levels. Excess hormones can create changes in a woman’s reproductive system such that eggs may not be produced at the right time, or may die before they can be fertilized and implanted. Detoxification of excess hormones and toxins is vital for healthy fertility.
Detoxification in Preparation
The fat stores in our bodies are storage warehouses for the toxins that we have taken in throughout our lives, which we cannot properly break down and release. The body naturally sheds toxic products through the liver and the kidneys. When there is excess exposure or overall poor health, waste matter can accumulate in the colon, and toxins get reabsorbed through the intestinal wall. These toxins can then accumulate in the body and cause fatigue and reduce ovarian function. Toxic waste accumulation can also cause a part of the colon to distend and press against the fallopian tubes, preventing the egg from reaching the uterus.
Taking a complete fibre supplement with supporting herbs can help to relieve the build up of accumulated waste matter. If you have been experiencing constipation on a fairly regular basis, then this may be a factor for you. Even if conception and a successful pregnancy are taken to term, the body’s toxic stores will be slowly turned over and shed into the breast milk while the mother breastfeeds, increasing the newborn’s exposure to toxins during the first months of life. Doing a detoxification protocol prior to conception is often a good idea. That being said if there is any chance of an accidental pregnancy, then do NOT start a Detox program. During detoxification, the levels of toxins in the blood are significantly higher as the body processes them for release. Your new fetus will be exposed to these high levels, which can result in damage or even pregnancy loss.
Fertility Awareness Technique
Fertility awareness techniques can include observing cervical changes and basal body temperature. These techniques may be learned as a fertility method, such as the Justisse or Rhythm method. The following chart gives examples of nutrients and supplements that support the ovaries and sex hormones. There are also testing kits available that use saliva or urine to monitor peak fertility periods and to predict ovulation. While this won’t improve fertility, it can help to maximize your chances of conception.
Lifestyle Changes
Having a healthy lifestyle can make significant improvements in fertility. This means not smoking and avoiding alcohol consumption. Several prescription and nonprescription drugs can decrease fertility, including acid inhibitors, and harmful illicit drugs like marijuana. Fertility can be improved by regular exercise and using stress reduction techniques. Women should avoid douching and using vaginal lubricants, as these can irritate the vaginal lining and damage or destroy sperm. Women should also chart their cycles to understand when they are fertile (see the methods above).
Dietary Support to Enhance Fertility
Eating a healthy, balanced diet can also benefit fertility. Be sure to eat enough calories for your body size and sufficient protein, because malnourishment decreases fertility. Include pumpkin seeds for essential fatty acids and zinc. Eat leafy green vegetables and wheat germ for vitamin E. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, animal fats, fried foods, junk foods, sugar, coffee, tea, colas and chocolate.
Supplements for Fertility Support
If your diet is failing to provide all of the nutrients that your body needs, you can rely on nutritional supplements to help fill in the gaps. A good way of doing this is to take a complete multivitamin, especially one targeted for women, as they will usually have higher levels of nutrients important for fertility. These include B Vitamins, Iron, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and minerals like Zinc and Selenium. Be sure to choose one that also contains Folate, or add 1mg of additional folic acid to your routine to help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. You could also consider a Greens Powder to add extra nutrition to your daily intake. They contain a full complex of nutrients, antioxidants, and cleansing herbs in a form that’s very easy to absorb. Be sure to get sufficient Omega-3 essential fatty acids from a rich source like Fish Oil.
