Infertility Treatment + Overcoming Infertility
If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while now, it probably seems like each month just keeps getting harder as time goes by. You’re not imagining it. It seems that way because it’s true. It’s officially becoming increasingly more difficult for women to get and stay pregnant.
Across the globe, infertility rates in women are rising steadily by about 1% per year. For both men and women, reproductive health is declining. And as more couples experience the signs of infertility, it’s becoming easier to see that this is an issue that isn’t going to solve itself.
But why are infertility rates rising and is there anything you can do to get pregnant sooner rather than later?
Infertility is a complicated and multifaceted issue, which means there isn’t one simple answer to explain its cause. There are a variety of reasons why female infertility rates are on the rise—the increasing age at which women start trying to conceive, nutrition deficiencies, stress, poor lifestyle habits like drinking alcohol and smoking, and the toxins so prevalent in our modern world.
While some factors like your age are beyond your control, there is a lot that can be done to boost your fertility naturally. With more than 15 years of experience helping women like you overcome infertility, here are my recommendations to optimize your fertility, have a successful pregnancy, and deliver a healthy baby.
Begin Preconception Planning 3-6 Months in Advance
Ideally, you’ll want to begin preconception planning at least 3 months before you officially start trying to get pregnant. Because your eggs take 90 days to mature before they’re released into your fallopian tubes during ovulation, taking a prenatal vitamin before you’re pregnant is a simple way to guarantee you have a reserve of high-quality baby making nutrients ready to utilize when you do finally conceive.
No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to eat a nutritionally perfect diet every single day. Prenatals contain nutrients like DHA, folate, and iron that are designed to support fetal development and will fill in the nutritional gaps you can’t get from healthy eating alone. Plus, taking a quality prenatal vitamin is associated with a significantly lower risk of preterm birth.
Ultimate Prenatal by Magnolia Wellness
Ultimate Prenatal by Magnolia Wellness is our go-to prenatal supplement for pregnant women, lactating women and women who are trying to get pregnant. This prenatal multivitamin provides folate in the bioidentical, bioactive form, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5MTHF) in place of synthetic folic acid. L-5MTHF is the active circulating form of folate found in the body and one of the several forms found in food.
In addition to providing the essential nutrients needed for fertility, the minerals contained in Ultimate Prenatal provide superior absorption compared to those found in standard prenatal vitamins.
Take an East meets West Approach to your Health
We recommend a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and nutrition-based approach to improve fertility. TCM has a variety of methods to increase your chances of conceiving including keeping your belly warm, nourishing your kidneys, and receiving acupuncture regularly.
KEEP YOUR BELLY WARM
According to TCM, your lower abdomen contains the energy or fire in your body. Some cases of infertility can be from having a ‘cold uterus’ or kidney yang deficiency, so it’s incredibly important to keep your belly warm.
Symptoms of having a cold womb or cold uterus can include:
Dark menstrual blood
Lower back pain
Low libido
Late periods
Most of the time, a cold uterus stems from having cold meals, raw foods, iced drinks, or even exposing your abdomen to the cold. To keep your belly warm, make a nighttime ritual where you take a hot water bottle or heating pad (on a low/medium setting) and set it on your lower belly for 20 minutes during the two weeks from when you ovulate to when you get your period.
NOURISH YOUR KIDNEYS
Much like having a ‘cold uterus’ impacts fertility, the kidneys’ health is directly related to your sexual health. The kidneys fuel the energy source of your reproductive organs.
If you’re looking for an amazing herbal formula to build up your kidneys, pick up a batch of Love Goddess Elixir. This herbal blend does double duty. Because it features Yuan Zhi, Love Goddess Elixir has a relaxing and calming effect, while also enhancing the female libido.
RECEIVE REGULAR ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTS
There are a million and one reasons to try acupuncture, but it’s especially great when you’re trying to conceive. Acupuncture doesn’t just reduce your stress levels; it actually improves fertility by increasing the blood flow to your reproductive system. When acupuncture is combined with IUI treatments, studies show that over 60% of the test group that received acupuncture and took Chinese herbs were able to conceive whereas 39.4% of the control group, who received no acupuncture, did not.
HERBS THAT BOOST YOUR FERTILITY
In terms of fertility, Chinese herbs can be incredibly successful when taken consistently within a four month period. Examples of fertility-enhancing herbs include, Maca, Licorice Root, Chaste Tree Berry, Bupleurum, and Dang Gui.
The SoulShine Ovary Elixir is our absolute favorite way to holistically fortify your body and support your reproductive system.
SoulShine Ovary Elixir
This mix of herbs is an ancient formula solely used to support ovulation and fertility by increasing uterine lining for better implantation, improving egg quality, and boosting blood supply to reproductive tissue. The SoulShine Ovary Elixir supports luteal phase insufficiency, irregular periods and diminished ovarian reserves.
Additionally, this formula achieves the following:
Improves ovarian function, is anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic
Prevents and removes free radicals before they can damage vital components of your cells
Increases DNA synthesis in reproductive tissue
Stimulates the pituitary gland to improve ovulation
Promotes microcirculation to reproductive organs
The Ovary Elixir is an optimal tonic for women who want to regain their fertility, regulate their ovulation and menstrual cycle, improve ovarian health, and increase their chance of getting pregnant. The SoulShine Ovary Elixir is safe for all women, but is especially recommended for women between the age of 30 to 50. Pregnant women should not consume this fertility tonic.
The SoulShine Ovary Elixir can be purchased on our website by itself, and it’s included in our Fertility Kit along with Active coQ-10 and Ultimate Prenatal. The Fertility Kit by Magnolia Wellness also includes a seasonal candle and Palo Santo bundle to set the mood and elevate the vibe of your space.
NUTRITION FOR FERTILITY: WHAT TO EAT AND NOT EAT
One of the most impactful ways you can increase your chances of getting pregnant is by eating the right foods. At Magnolia Wellness, we view your health through a holistic lens, so when we focus on fertility nutrition, we take no shortcuts to ensure that you’re nourishing your body completely.
Foods to Increase Your Fertility
Plant based protein sources like lentils, beans, quinoa, and brown rice and high quality animal protein such as organic poultry and free range, happy eggs. Beans and lentils are an excellent source of fiber and folate, and protein is a fertility essential for maintaining a healthy hormonal balance.
Foods that contain healthy fats like walnuts, sardines, salmon, avocado, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and olive oil. Healthy fats help tremendously with promoting ovulation, which is a key component of fertility. Wild caught fish is especially rich in omega-3 fatty acids which can help regulate ovulation, improve egg quality, and even delay the aging of the ovaries. Just be sure to avoid large fish that are high in Mercury.
Kidney nourishing foods that are black, dark blue or dark purple. Goji berries, blueberries, figs, and black sesame seeds are all great options.
Room temperature water to increase levels of cervical fluid while still keeping your belly warm.
Honey because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Honey may increase egg quality because it’s rich in amino acids, iron, B vitamins, and calcium.
Chinese Red Dates are one of the most medicinal foods because they nourish the blood and Qi. Chinese Red Dates are high in Vitamin C, which is essential for a healthy reproductive system in both men and women.
A rainbow of leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, and vibrant produce. Vitamin C rich foods also help your body absorb iron, an important nutrient for women who become pregnant. Cruciferous vegetables contain indole-3-carbinol, which helps the liver metabolize estrogen. It’s best to buy organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
Foods to Avoid When You’re Trying to Get Pregnant
Cold food and drinks. The temperature of your food is important so make sure you’re eating a cooked, warm diet as much as possible and skip adding ice to your water.
Coffee and caffeine. Caffeine can cause hormonal imbalances, dehydration, and mineral deficiencies. It’s important to stay hydrated to increase levels of cervical fluids. Coffee isn’t how you do it!
Processed meats and junk foods that increase inflammation.
Fried Foods. The trans fats in fried foods can cause insulin resistance, which is particularly harmful when you’re trying to conceive.
Large fish like tuna and halibut that are high in Mercury.
Alcohol. For women, heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of ovulation disorders and endometriosis.
Canned foods. Canned foods contain high levels of sodium and preservatives that can cause inflammation.
Spicy foods. Spicy foods can cause a yin deficiency that may lead to poor quality eggs and trigger PCOS symptoms.
Foods that are high in sugar. Foods like chocolate, soda, and store bought desserts are high in sugar, reduce immune function, increase cortisol and estrogen, and can lead to infertility issues.
DITCH THE CHEMICALS AND SWITCH TO SAFER ALTERNATIVES.
It’s no coincidence that infertility rates have been steadily increasing since the 1950’s, when plastic food storage containers made their way into kitchens across America and the janitorial supply industry took off. Those chemicals marketed to us showing off those squeaky clean kitchen countertops are doing more harm than good when it comes to our health.
In fact, swapping out your cleaning products is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to increase your odds of conceiving! While you’re at it, make the switch from plastic to glass for all of your food storage. Everyone in your house will benefit from this upgrade. Plastic isn’t just messing with your hormones; it also affects how our bodies store fat and is a contributing factor to why so many people are obese these days.
Here are some simple swaps you can do to limit your exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals and help increase your chance of getting pregnant:
Ditch the chemical based cleaners and replace them with natural alternatives.
Swap out your laundry detergent for one without added fragrance or toxic chemicals.
Upgrade your plastic food containers to oven-safe glass storage dishes with lids.
Replace your body wash, cosmetics, and hair products to ones with more natural ingredients.
Switch out plastic water bottles and treat yourself to a nice stainless steel tumbler that keeps the temperature of your favorite beverage just how you like it.
DECREASE STRESS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCE TO CONCEIVE.
Reducing stress doesn’t make its way to the top of most to-do lists, but it should, especially for women who are trying to get pregnant. It’s easy to underestimate the impact stress can have on our overall health, but it’s absolutely crucial to do what you can to reduce it when you’re trying to conceive.
If you’re constantly frazzled, that’s absolutely normal! It’s just not particularly helpful when you’re trying to make a baby. The more stressed out you routinely feel, the less likely your body is going to feel safe enough to bring another life into this world.
The last thing we want you to do is stress out about being stressed. Be gentle with yourself. Conception takes thoughtful effort. Some women get pregnant quickly and others might take a little longer. It can be overwhelming, and it’s definitely not easy; but it’s absolutely worth it. And if you need support, we’re always here for you.
LEARN HOW TO TURN ON YOUR INNATE FERTILITY
For the last 15 years I’ve been helping families local to California get pregnant, and I’m excited to finally be able to work with even more women virtually in my new fertility program, Overcoming Infertility.
In my upcoming webinar I’ll share my 3 secrets to turn on your innate fertility. You’ll learn what factors have been preventing you from getting pregnant and how to finally remove them. I’ll walk you through the process to optimize your fertility, avoid miscarriage, deliver a healthy baby, breastfeed successfully, and avoid postpartum depression.
By blending Traditional Chinese Medicine with proper nutrition, I’ve been able to witness women who thought they’d never be able to get pregnant hold the newborn they wanted so badly for so long. That’s possible for you too, and I’ll be by your side every step of the way.