Struggling with becoming pregnant? You aren’t alone. It’s common for people to have a difficult time conceiving. This can be the result of many underlying health conditions or issues that must first be identified and treated before conception can begin.
If you are someone who is trying to increase your chances of getting pregnant, below are a few key things you can do to naturally increase fertility.
6 Ways To Naturally Boost Fertility
1. Manage Your Stress Levels
Stress can have a huge impact on our overall health. It can also make it difficult to become pregnant, since high stress levels can lead to hormonal dysfunction and irregular ovulation. To help soothe your nervous system, try taking deep breaths throughout the day (especially during times when stress is building), practicing yoga, or going for short walks outside.
2. Eat a Balanced Diet
The types of food we eat can also affect fertility (both female fertility and male fertility). Try eating a balanced diet that is complete with fruits, vegetables, grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats on a daily basis. You can also consider including sources of essential nutrients, such as folic acid, which can improve the overall health of the pregnancy and potentially increase fertility.
Low-fat dairy servings can also provide important nutrients to the body such as vitamin D, without containing unhealthy saturated fats (such as butter).
Try to avoid unhealthy fatty acids (found in fried foods), which can negatively affect fertility. Try to also reduce or avoid alcohol consumption, as this can cause inflammation throughout the body, making it difficult to conceive.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Adults need anywhere from 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep helps to regulate hormone production (and therefore support fertility). Specifically, sleep can help balance hormone levels such as cortisol and insulin, both of which play a role in ovulation.
4. Exercise Daily
Consider exercising everyday for at least 30 minutes with moderate-intensity activities. This can include things such as walking, swimming, or running. When you exercise on a regular basis, the body can more easily regulate hormone levels and therefore is more likely to maintain a monthly menstrual cycle.
Incorporating exercise into your daily routine will also help you maintain a healthy weight and lower body mass index, both of which can impact fertility by preventing the accumulation of excess hormones and reduce the chances of hormonal imbalances.
5. Monitor Your Menstrual Cycles
Track your menstrual cycle to identify your most fertile days and time your intercourse appropriately. This can help you pinpoint your ovulation, potentially increasing your chances of conception.
6. Speak with a Holistic and Functional Fertility Specialist
Potential Causes of Infertility
If you’re having a difficult time becoming pregnant, there are many things that could be causing this. While it’s true that aging can sometimes affect fertility, such as by reducing the number of eggs and the quality of those eggs, there are many health conditions that can play a bigger role in fertility. In order the increase your chances of becoming pregnant, that underlying health issue needs to be addressed first.
The below health issues and medical conditions are common causes of infertility that can harm your reproductive health:
- Blood sugar instability
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Endometriosis
- Chronic inflammation
- Digestive issues / Gut infections
- Dryness of the vaginal area
- Chronic illness
- Chronic fatigue
- Adrenal Fatigue / Cortisol imbalance
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Absence of ovulation
- Insulin resistance
- Undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction
- Insomnia
- Pelvic infection
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Various lifestyle factors
- Stress
- Low sperm count
- Hormone imbalance
Do I Need Fertility Treatment?
When people have a difficult time becoming pregnant, they often immediately assume the answer is IVF. However, IVF will not address and treat the underlying health issue that is causing the infertility. If you have been having intercourse for six months or longer without being able to conceive or carry a pregnancy to full term, consider seeing a holistic and functional fertility specialist.
Unlike IVF treatments which are often ineffective, a holistic and functional fertility specialist will identify and treat the root cause of your infertility.
Natural Fertility Treatment with Road to Fertility
After the cause of the issue is determined, medical evidence will be collected in the form of a complete blood panel, and treatment can begin.