4 Ways to Increase Fertility Naturally
By Angelica Clark, PA-C
Have you had difficulty conceiving a child? This can be a heartbreaking experience for a woman, but please don’t lose hope. I would like to discuss some common issues that women face: difficulty with fertility and pregnancy. As a mother and as a person who struggled with fertility and miscarriage myself, all I can say is that being a mother is the best gift God has ever given me. The Bible says that children are the inheritance of the Lord and it is indeed!
I would like to share some roadblocks that can compromise your fertility, and 4 ways to increase fertility naturally so that you can enjoy a healthy pregnancy:
1. Strengthen Your Immune System
A weak immune system may be due to chronic airborne allergies, chronic stress, undiagnosed food allergies and sensitivity, leaky gut, undiagnosed Lyme or Epstein-Bar virus, parasitic infections, etc. Be sure to take a daily multivitamin and antioxidants. Increase your dietary intake of dark fruits and vegetables. Your baby is a foreign body initially and your body may reject it; therefore, be sure to support your immune system before trying to get pregnant.
2. Optimize Thyroid Function
Many patients may present with low thyroid symptoms due to suboptimal thyroid function, but according to lab ranges, they fall into the normal range even though they may have all the classical symptoms of low thyroid. Our team of health care providers are trained to diagnose and treat not based solely on labs, and we use the clinical history and exam to aid in the diagnosis. If your thyroid function is suboptimal, this will likely be a roadblock for fertility. Also, it has been well documented that once you become pregnant, your thyroid demand may increase, so be sure to work closely with your provider.
3. Optimize Progesterone Levels
Low progesterone is a common hidden cause of miscarriage. If your progesterone level drops early on during pregnancy, you may end up losing the baby. In most women, as they approach mid 30’s, their progesterone levels start to decline steadily. If you have had a hard time getting pregnant, or have struggled to carry on a pregnancy, please be sure to talk to your provider in order to assess your hormones and ensure your levels are optimized to promote a healthy pregnancy. There is an herb OTC that can be used to help support progesterone if your health care provider is not willing to work with you, and this is called Chaste Berry or Vitex. You may contact your provider or Hotze Vitamins at 800-579-6545 for recommendations and dosing. Progesterone will not only help you with carrying the pregnancy, but will help you with your mood, helping you to be more patient, calmer and have a more restful sleep. You will likely be taking progesterone every month from days 15 to your next period and once pregnant until the end of your first trimester when the placenta takes over the production of progesterone. By promoting a better quality of sleep, progesterone will help you rest – nesting preparation.
4. Correct Nutrient Deficiencies
One helpful tool that we provide to our guests is a test called the Micronutrient Test. This test gives you an idea of intracellular needs or deficiency of nutrients. After I had a miscarriage, I did this test and I learned then that my zinc and B vitamins were depleted – this is a common cause of chromosomal abnormalities/genetic defects. Be sure to follow a whole food diet, and avoid grains and processed foods. Eat closely to a Paleo diet. Avoid farm raised fish – make sure it is always wild caught and preferably organic when possible. Nuts and seeds provide magnesium and good fats. Be sure to take a multivitamin, vitamin D, magnesium, iron, iodine, omega 3s and probiotics at least months before pregnancy, as this will optimize your nutrition and outcome. Best wishes to you!
A Story of Hope
After a horrible accident, Kathryn went into early menopause in her twenties. Doctors told Kathryn that she would never be able to have children. Discover the connection between hormone balance and fertility. Watch to find out the amazing ending to Kathryn’s story!
Let Us Help
Before you spend your money on costly fertility treatments, you owe it to yourself to find out if you have any of the above health issues first. Please take our symptom checker quiz to find out if hormonal imbalance could be the cause of your infertility. Balancing your hormones and optimizing your immune system and nutrition status may be all you need to do in order to get a visit from the stork!
Martha Napoli
Hi Angelica,
These are some great tips! Especially great for new and expecting mothers. My cousin is an 4 month old pregnant. I will be passing on your great suggestions to her. Hope so she will be healthy during her pregnancy period. Thanks for the sharing such an informative article.