Fertility Foods And The Follicular Phase
The follicular phase of the menstrual cycle begins the day your period starts. During this phase, luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones reach your ovaries via the bloodstream. These two hormones stimulate growth for the ovarian eggs that are contained in a shell or follicle. Hormonal balance is necessary for limiting the number of follicles eventually maturing. At the end of the follicular phase, only one follicle is left to dominate within one ovary.
Women with endometriosis or fibroids may have excess estrogen, which interferes with fertility. Cabbage, kale, and broccoli contain diindolylmethane. This phytonutrient promotes better metabolization of estrogen to reduce excess estrogen. Food supporting follicle development include eggs, nuts, seeds, fish, and green vegetables.
How Do Hormones Affect Fertility
Hormones play a pivotal role in female reproduction, particularly those hormones that control the menstrual cycle. In order for a pregnancy to occur, hormones in the body must signal and regulate the growth of an egg within an ovary, the release of the newly formed egg into the fallopian tube and the thickening of the uterine lining for implantation. If the newly released egg is fertilized by sperm , the resulting embryo will then travel to the uterus for implantation.
An absence or irregular quantity of one or more hormones can delay or prevent any of the above processes from occurring, making pregnancy difficult to achieve.
Related reading: The Reproductive System
What About All Those Other Glands
Thyroid
While researchers dont understand exactly how overactive or underactive thyroid affects fertility, they do know that both conditions can affect ovulation, healthy growth and development of a fetus, ability carry a full-term pregnancy, and has been associated with an increased risk of stillbirths. Thyroid function is especially important to monitor before conception for women with a history of thyroid disorder or those with a family history. Make sure that your thyroid is in tip-top shape prior to conception and advocate to have it monitored consistently throughout pregnancy to ensure the health of your baby. If you are trying to conceive but have abnormal menstrual cycles or suspect you arent ovulating, make sure to get a full thyroid panel done to check for underlying disorder.
Adrenals
If youve been in the health and wellness sphere for longer than 3 seconds, you know all about the dreaded adrenal fatigue. Its the real deal and certainly not a fabricated disorder made up so that supplement companies have something tangible to target. Many, many, many people in our modern day world suffer from some level of adrenal fatigue due to chronic stress. This stress can be either mental or physical in nature and leads to a pretty nasty cycle of hormonal imbalance.
HPA axis
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How Long Will This Take
As you begin these practices, its important to realize that it takes time for your body to change. You may start to see some effects in your first month, but you need to stick to your new habits for at least three months for lasting results. It also takes approximately three months for your body to create healthier eggs so you can then carry a healthy pregnancy to term.
Keep track of your symptoms and take note if they start to improve. Are your cycles getting shorter? Are you noticing the appearance of fertile cervical mucus around ovulation? Are you sleeping better or experiencing fewer night sweats?
Tips To Help Keep Hormones In Natural Balance
References:
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Maximise Healing Effects Of This Womb Meditation
You can intensify the healing of your womb by lying down and applying the Powerfully Pure Organic Hemp and Castor Oil Cleanse.
This helps to rebalance:
- your menstrual cycle
- ovulation
- your adrenal glands and give you lots of energy
- your thyroid
- your ovarian health
- your womb
- and detox your liver
All you need to do is apply this special oil and a hot water bottle to your abdomen whilst you listen. Here is a link for more details www.awakeningfertility.com/castor-oil-kit
Final Thoughts On Hormonal Imbalances
- Some of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalances include unexplained weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, and changes in hair, skin, and nails.
- Root causes of hormonal imbalances include compromised gut health, elevated inflammation, and high stress levels.
- Natural ways to balance your hormones include eating anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated fats, reducing your exposure to endocrine disruptors, getting adequate sleep, and using supplements to fill in any nutritional gaps related to gut health and vitamin D levels.
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Reduce Exposure To Hormone Disruptors
Xenohormones are man-made chemicals. These chemicals have the ability to interfere with the natural functions and development of our bodies. Not only can they mimic our natural hormones, but they can block other hormones from binding to receptor sites. All xenohormones are endocrine disruptors. They can alter how natural hormones are produced, metabolized and eliminated.
Some common Xenohormones:
- Solvents & Adhesives
- Plastics
- Non-organic meats
- Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides
- Emulsifiers in soap and cosmetics
- PCBs from industrial waste
- Hormonal birth control
Xenohormones can be absorbed by ingestion, inhalation and direct skin contact.
How Hormones Affect Your Ability To Get Pregnant
For most women, no hormonal treatment is necessary to get pregnant. They just need to make sure that they are in good health and will achieve conception. In these cases, a healthy and varied diet is the easiest way to balance hormones. For the other 15% of women who have difficulty conceiving or Female Infertility, they may be prescribed hormone pills that regulate their endocrine system and thus achieve pregnancy. In cases that require Assisted Reproduction treatments, hormonal medications that are administered by injection instead of pills may be prescribed. In most cases where hormonal medication is required, the goal is to stimulate the ovaries or to regulate ovulation.
It is very important that you know that it is never advisable to take hormones to achieve pregnancy, whether in the form of pills or any other medication, unless they have been prescribed by a sub-specialist in Fertility and are taken under medical supervision.
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How To Balance Hormones
So lets say youve done your hormonal tests and the results are back. Your hormones arent where they should be.
First, try not to panic. There are plenty of strategies you can use to help bring your hormones to proper concentration levels depending on what may be going wrong.
You and your physician will likely work out a game plan that will help you get from point A to point B, and he or she will have you follow up with more testing shortly to assess how your plan is working.
To give you a head start on some things you can begin doing to help balance hormones initially, consider the following tips and strategies.
- Lower Stress
If youre under great amounts of stress, this will upset the natural hormonal balance taking place in the body.
High stress lifestyles lead to the release of cortisol in the blood stream and this cortisol can then lower overall testosterone production.
Too much cortisol in your body will also encourage the accumulation of more body fat and fat cells themselves will release estrogen into your system. This can then elevate your estrogen levels and will cause problems for both genders.
- Check Your Calorie Intake
Its also a good idea to take a closer look at your current calorie intake. Are you eating enough? Women and men can both suffer when a very low calorie diet is followed.
In men, a low calorie diet can lead to plummeting testosterone levels and a loss of muscle strength as well.
- Monitor Your Fat Intake
Watch Your Fiber
- Check Your Sleep Habits
Ovulation And Fertility Foods
Your body needs extra B and C vitamins and zinc to promote progesterone production and normal cell division near, and during ovulation. Essential fatty acids like omega-3 are critical during ovulation as well. Preserve fertility during ovulation by eating whole grains, fish , legumes, and eggs. Drink as much water as possible to facilitate the transportation of hormones to develop follicles.
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Different Types Of Hormones: Natural And Synthetic
The hormones produced by our bodies are known as steroid hormones. There are also bioidentical hormones, derived from natural sources that are duplicates of steroid hormones. Hormones prescribed by doctors are man-made and are not found in nature. These are commonly used for hormone replacement therapy , birth control, and artificial reproductive technology .
Steroid Hormones: These are natural hormones our bodies make or produce from cholesterol . The major steroid hormones are the sex hormones estrogens, androgens and progestins. Some of the other steroid hormones are cortisol, insulin, prolactin, aldosterone and vitamin D3 .
Natural Bioidentical Hormones: Bioidentical hormones are duplicates of steroid hormones, hormones that are identical in molecular structure to the hormones women make in their bodies . Estrone, estradiol, DHEA, and progesterone are currently approved by the FDA. There is limited availability of bio-identical testosterone in the US. Some countries do not approve bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are isolated from plants , minerals or animal sources and are considered natural because of this.
Synthetic Hormones: These hormones are made in a lab. They are patented drugs or medications. These types of hormones have a similar effect to our own endogenous hormones. They are commonly used for hormone replacement therapy and artificial reproductive technology . The most common use of synthetic hormones is birth control.
Are There Supplements To Help With Infertility
The pain of infertility can be so paralyzing. Its something close to my heart it took us well over a year to conceive our first child, and there was a long time during which I thought it might never happen. As soon as my son was born, we began trying for number two. Four years later, when a life-threatening illness forced us to stop trying altogether, I still hadnt managed to get pregnant again. We are so blessed to have one wonderful child, but its also painfully hard to give up on our dream of giving him a sibling and having a large family. One reason I wanted to write this blog post was that, when and if we get the okay to resume trying to conceive, I wanted to be more prepared with an arsenal of supplements for healthy hormone balance. I also wanted to share this knowledge with others struggling with primary or secondary infertility, in the hopes that it might help someone somewhere achieve a much wanted pregnancy. In addition to the hormone-balancing supplements above and a good organic prenatal vitamin, here are some of the supplements Ive discovered may be especially helpful for those trying to conceive:
Co-enzyme Q10 has been found to improve blood flow to the pelvis and particularly the uterus, while low CoQ10 levels have been linked to miscarriage. In one study, older mice given CoQ10 supplements had enhanced egg quality and increased conception rates. Pass some to your man, too CoQ10 also increases sperm count and motility
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Eat A Bigger Breakfast
Eating a substantial breakfast may help women with fertility problems.
One study found that eating a larger breakfast may improve the hormonal effects of polycystic ovary syndrome , a major cause of infertility.
For moderate weight women with PCOS, eating most of their calories at breakfast reduced insulin levels by 8 percent and testosterone levels by 50 percent. High levels of either can contribute to infertility.
In addition, by the end of the 12-week study, these women had ovulated more than women who ate a smaller breakfast and larger dinner, suggesting improved fertility.
However, its important to note that increasing the size of your breakfast without reducing the size of your evening meal is likely to lead to weight gain.
Check out these ideas for healthy, delish breakfast options if you need some inspiration.
Ways To Balance Your Pcos Hormones And Boost Fertility With Traditional Chinese Medicine
Everyone loves a quick fix.
How can I shed 15 pounds in 1 week? How can I start a thriving business in 1 month? How can I get pregnant on the first try?
As we all know, these quick fix methods dont work, and we have to find slower, more sustainable routes to reach our goals the right way. If you want to balance your PCOS hormones and boost your fertility naturally, its the same thing. Its going to take some time, but it may not take as long as you think.
Western medicine applies the quick-fix method by focusing on treating symptoms and putting your body into overdrive to achieve a desired outcome. Got a headache? Take aspirin or ibuprofen. Irregular cycles and nasty PMS symptoms? Take birth control. Not ovulating? Take Clomid. Each one of these fixes only treats the symptoms that are brought on by imbalances and forces your body to reach a desired outcome, but none of them help your body function better long-term.
Rather than forcing your body to do something, wouldnt it be better if your body could do what its supposed to on its own?
Since youve made it this far on this post, Im assuming that you have PCOS and/or are struggling to get pregnant. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is no such thing as infertility. There are only obstructions caused by imbalances in your Qi , which are easily remedied with the right practices. In order to balance your PCOS hormones, all you need to do is remind your body to do what it was meant to do.
Lets reiterate that.
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Changes In Blood Pressure
Your hormones play a major role in heart health, primarily due to one of your bodys largest hormone-producing glands, the pancreas. The pancreas is responsible for producing insulin, which regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. Without proper regulation of this hormone, your body could end up with too much glucose in the blood, leading to cardiovascular problems like high cholesterol or high blood pressure. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, has also been linked to thyroid dysfunction, testosterone deficiency, growth hormone excess or deficiency, and more.
Green Tea & Spearmint Tea
Both have been found to be helpful in balancing hormones. Studies down on consumption of spearmint tea show it is helpful in managing PCOS. ECGC in Green tea has been shown to have anti-androgenic impact and can also be helpful in reducing prostaglandins which are the inflammatory markers linked to painful periods. Studies show supplementing with 200 mg daily can reduce uterine fibroid size.
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Choose High Fat Dairy
High intakes of low fat dairy foods may increase the risk of infertility, whereas high fat dairy foods may decrease it.
One large study from 2007 looked at the effects of eating high fat dairy more than once a day or less than once a week.
It found that women who consumed one or more servings of high fat dairy per day were 27 percent less likely to be infertile.
To reap these potential benefits, try replacing one low fat dairy serving per day with one high fat dairy serving, such as a glass of whole milk or full fat yogurt.
This buffalo chicken dip made with full-fat Greek yogurt is divine.
If you take multivitamins, you may be less likely to experience ovulatory infertility.
In fact, an estimated
on fertility for women and men, especially those with obesity.
The trick is that moderation is key. Excessive high intensity exercise has actually been associated with decreased fertility in certain women.
Excessive exercise may change the energy balance in the body, and negatively affect your reproductive system. If you plan to increase your activity, add it gradually and make sure your healthcare team is aware.
See if your doctor is in favor of you adding these yoga poses to your routine.
If youre trying to conceive, stress is probably on the menu, too. As your stress levels increase, your chances of getting pregnant decrease. This is likely due to the hormonal changes that occur when you feel stressed.