Enhancing Fertility Naturally
Preparing your body for pregnancy means living a lifestyle that supports healthy fertility cycles and conception. While every day is a new day when it comes to making healthy lifestyle choices, the sooner you start thinking about your body as a “fertility temple,” the more success you’ll have when trying to conceive at home or via fertility treatments.
We’ll start with a bonus tip: age is a significant fertility factor, especially for women. If you don’t plan on getting pregnant by the time you’re 35, speak to a fertility specialist about freezing your eggs. The younger your eggs, the less risk of chromosomal or genetic abnormalities that compromise conception, implantation, and full-term pregnancy.
5 Natural Ways to Boost Fertility Outcomes
Outside of the age factor, here are the Top 5 things we recommend focusing on when getting ready to start a family.
1. Track your menstrual cycle (and ovulation)
If the calendar days fly right on by, it’s easy to miss the fact that you’ve skipped a period. A skipped period means you didn’t ovulate – and that’s not normal.
We always remind patients that irregular or skipped periods are not normal. They are always a sign of “something.” Your OB/GYN or fertility specialist needs to determine what that “something” is.
Some of the most common causes of irregular periods, heavy periods, and/or very painful periods are also significant female infertility factors, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), fibroid tumors, extreme exercise habits, being under/overweight, etc.
Use a fertility tracking app and begin inputting your data daily. After about three to four months, you’ll have a good idea about whether you’re regularly having a period (and ovulating). Any irregularities should trigger a call to your OB/GYN.
NOTE: If you’re concerned about data/personal security and privacy, track your period the old-fashioned way. Keep a calendar (paper or digital) and mark the days you have your period. Then, review about four months’ worth of your cycles. Did you have a period every month? If not, schedule a healthcare appointment and look into it. The average female menstrual cycle (from the first day of your period to the first day of the next) is about 28 days, but that window can range from 23 to 35 days.
2. Eat a healthy (anti-inflammatory) diet
We recommend men and women trying to conceive (TTC) focus on an anti-inflammatory diet. Inflammation is associated with just about every disease you can name, as well as many of the most common causes of infertility.
By eating foods that fight inflammation and eliminating inflammatory ingredients (like processed foods, sugars, diet drinks, etc.), you go a long way to providing a healthy foundation for your body. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be the most “fertility friendly” diet.
3. Get regular doses of mild to moderate exercise
Not surprisingly, getting a regular dose of exercise also supports fertility. Exercise fights inflammation, balances blood sugar, and keeps inflammation at bay. It’s also essential for healthy weight management. However, it’s important to note that exercise is beneficial even in the absence of weight loss so please don’t be discouraged by the numbers on the scale and STAY ACTIVE! Many people don’t know that being underweight or overweight both threaten fertility.
You may want to dial it back for a bit if you’re an extreme athlete (marathon, triathlon, rock climber, etc.). This is especially true if you have irregular periods or your BMI is 18 or less. Extreme athleticism and exercise programs can make the female body think it’s starving or facing environmental stress, which can stop ovulation.
4. Establish a healthy sleep cycle
Hormone balance is a critical component of fertility for men and women, but even more so for women. The endocrine and metabolic systems use sleep time to produce and rebalance hormones. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you’re at a higher risk for hormone disruptions that affect ovulation, conception, and implantation.
Shift workers who work swing or night shifts should also consider a schedule change while TTC. Studies have shown women who work swing/night shifts have higher infertility rates, and this seems to be linked to disruptions in the “normal” circadian rhythm, which is programmed to be awake during daylight and sleep during the night.
- Get adequate physical exercise each day to help your body sink into sleep faster.
- Try to get to sleep and wake up at the same time each night to reset and anchor your circadian rhythm.
- Invest in comfortable bedding.
- Create a soothing bedtime routine that helps you wind down.
- Turn screens off (and keep them out of the bedroom) at least one hour before bedtime.
5. Keep endocrine disruptors out of your food products and home
The research continues pouring out about the endocrine (hormone) disruptors in our food, water, and cleaning/health/beauty products. Unfortunately, these toxins increase infertility risk by negatively impacting hormone balance and sperm count.
While it’s impossible to avoid them altogether, you can drastically minimize exposure to microplastics, plastics (phthalates, PBAs, etc.), pesticides/herbicides, parabens, etc. You can Click Here to read more about the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from the Endocrine Society.
- Eat whole foods (farmer’s markets and local farm CSA subscriptions are a great way to optimize local, seasonable, anti-inflammatory, and chemical-free foods).
- Avoid plastic containers (glass jars/containers are the healthiest options), so try buying dry goods in bulk at a local co-op or natural foods store.
- Do not use herbicides/pesticides at home.
- Look for labels certifying that household cleaning products are environmentally friendly and pesticide/herbicide-free.
- Use health/beauty products that are certified eco-friendly, free of parabens and phthalates, etc.
The more we can keep endocrine disruptors out of your body, the more fertility-friendly it will be.
Work With GIVF To Enhance Your Fertility Chances
At GIVF Fertility, we treat our patients with the utmost compassion, taking a personal and customized approach to fertility treatments that best suit each individual’s unique needs. As pioneers in the reproductive health field since 1984, we have more than 40 years of fertility specialist expertise. We always support our patients’ family building goals and offer both fertility treatments and innovative genetic testing to optimize outcomes. Contact us to schedule your consultation, and experience our compassionate, expert care. Together, we build a family!
