Five Steps to Optimize Your Fertility, Fast!

The infertility epidemic that affects one in six couples globally, according to the WHO (World Health Organization). With more couples looking for alternative solutions to the route of fertility treatment, I have put together some steps to help you learn how you can optimize your fertility.

Following these five simple tips can go some way to help you improve fertilization, increase healthy pregnancy rate, and eliminate symptoms of infertility and hormone imbalance. Hopefully, this will lead to the birth of more healthy children, which will improve the overall well-being of families.

Allopathic solutions for infertility force the body to do what it was made to do naturally. In-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures are on the rise, and from what I have witnessed in my practice, unless the body is primed and ready, these procedures are often ineffective. This often results in damage to the physical body, mind, and spirit.  

When natural and alternative medicine is used, we can get to the root of why the body is blocking pregnancy and perhaps heal the root. Then, the body does what it was made to do naturally, and a successful pregnancy can be achieved.

If we don’t fix this problem it could affect generations to come as well as the future of our civilization as a whole. This is a problem everyone should care about, and one I hope to contribute to solving. 

Almost every infertility sufferer has root causes at the core of their issue. Whether it is PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), endometriosis, autoimmune disease, or unexplained infertility, just to name a few, you will find there is a root cause to every one of these issues. Find the root cause, heal the issue. Continue reading to learn my five secrets to optimizing your fertility and getting pregnant. 

1. Test don’t guess 

You often have to look further than blood work to find a root cause. Functional lab tests will allow you to do just that.  

What is a functional lab test? It’s a test that uses cutting edge technology to look deeper into the body, looks at how all the systems interact with one another, and looks for breaks in these systems. Some examples of this would be-

1. DUTCH (dried-urine hormone test). This not only shows the hormone levels and how they are fluctuating, but also how they are being methylated (neutralized), detoxed, and excreted through the body. This can show if there are issues with estrogen dominance, adrenal fatigue, thyroid issues, cortisol issues, and more 
2. BiomeFX- Microbiome analysis test. With so many health challenges starting in the gut, an in-depth look into the microbiome will allow us to find imbalances.  We want to know what bacteria is there and how they are interacting with each other. We want to look for funguses, parasites, and bad bacteria which can cause system interruptions in the body. This can cause fertility issues but also cause many unwanted symptoms 
3. HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis). Most of the population is mineral deficient or has a mineral imbalance. Minerals are spark plugs of life and control every system in the body. When there is an imbalance, it throws off all systems, including the reproductive system. This test will also show heavy metal toxicity. Since many minerals are in the cells, if the cells are clogged with heavy metals and they aren’t detoxing appropriately, this can cause mineral deficiency or imbalance which will affect fertility. This also affects the thyroid and adrenal glands. Fix the mineral imbalance and improve fertility naturally 

2. Eat close to nature  

There is nothing better for your body than whole foods. These are foods that come from the earth and are as close to their natural form as possible. Focus on lots of colorful vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and zero processed foods. Minimize things that are highly inflammatory such as gluten, dairy, sugar, hydrogenated oils, caffeine, and alcohol.  

Eating as close to nature as possible will flood the body with nutrients which are the building blocks for hormones which will in-turn optimize fertility. Make sure you have protein, fat, fiber and slow burning carbohydrates with every meal.

3. Manage your hydration

Our body is 60% water and water is what fuels all of our systems, including but not limited to the reproductive, digestion, and endocrine systems. When the body is dehydrated, it sends stress signals through our vagus nerve to our brain which houses our hypothalamus, the control center for fertility hormone signaling processes. 

When the body is dehydrated it also produces low levels of inflammation, creating an unsafe environment for fertilization to occur. Being dehydrated negatively impacts your health under normal circumstances, and definitely hampers your chances of getting pregnant in many ways. 

For men, dehydration can lead to decreased sperm quality and less volume of semen. For women, dehydration results in poor egg health, and less cervical mucus secretion which is vital for transportation of sperm to the fallopian tubes. 

Drinking .67 x your bodyweight in ounces per day is the minimum amount of water you should aim for. If it is extremely hot outside or you are sweating a lot then add more. Every other glass of water should also include essential electrolytes such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, and calcium.  

When you are fully hydrated and your electrolytes are balanced, your body can perform the functions it needs to in order to optimize your fertility. You will also feel amazing being fully hydrated as it will give you more energy and your hair, skin, and nails will benefit too. 

4. Practise good sleep hygiene 

Sleep is another important piece to the fertility puzzle. It is just as important as what you eat, and poor sleep can cause a myriad of symptoms to occur including: 

• infertility
• menstrual irregularities 
• dysmenorrhea 
• increased time to conceive 
• reduced rates for conception 
• increased miscarriages 
• lower birth weights 

During sleep the body is recovering and making new cells, detoxing, resting, and renewing.  Having good sleep hygiene and prioritizing sleep will help you to naturally optimize your fertility and your overall health.  

Some things to consider for sleep optimization are:

• Sleep in a room that is cool, dark, quiet and free from distractions 
• Eat a tryptophan heavy food three hours before bed (such as turkey and cherries) 
• Practice a power down hour when shifting from work to sleep mode  
• Get early morning sun in your eyes, on your skin and minimal light especially blue lights at night  

Doing these things will ensure a sound, restorative sleep that will help you to optimize your fertility. 

5. Reduce stress

Stress is a key contributor to fertility related conditions. The body will always steal from other processes within itself to make stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. That includes sex hormones.  

There is a phenomenon called the progesterone steal which some are debating, but I believe I have seen this in action in my own practice. The body makes a prohormone called pregnenolone which is a precursor to the production of cortisol and progesterone. 

Under stress, pregnenolone diverts away from progesterone in order to make more cortisol.  This is what keeps us alive. This process will pause other processes in the body including fertility and digestion.

Some stress is unavoidable, but how you respond to it is in your control. There are some things you can do to manage stress. 

1. Take anything off your schedule that isn’t serving you. If this isn’t possible, put strong boundaries in place.   
2. Do stress reducing activities that nurture your nervous system and bring calm into your life. Things like meditation, journaling, walks in nature, and playing with your dogs. All of these things will turn on the parasympathetic nervous system which is your rest, digest and reproduce and turn off your sympathetic nervous system, fight or flight

In conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways to optimize your fertility, FAST. First and foremost, find the root cause of the issue. Then, work to holistically heal through the steps you have learned here today.  

If you need support, these are all pieces of my Hormone P.U.Z.Z.L.E Method and are things I work with my clients on regularly. This is the reason 80% of our clients get pregnant naturally, and eliminate their symptoms of hormone imbalance.  

If you want to learn more or grab a copy of our Fertility Meal Plan, please visit coachkela.com. Your health and future baby are worth it. 

References

Kloss, J. D., Perlis, M. L., Zamzow, J. A., Culnan, E. J., & Gracia, C. R. (2015). Sleep, sleep disturbance, and fertility in women. Sleep medicine reviews, 22, 78–87. doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.10.005

Herrera, A. Y., Nielsen, S. E., & Mather, M. (2016). Stress-induced increases in progesterone and cortisol in naturally cycling women. Neurobiology of stress, 3, 96–104. doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2016.02.006

Skoracka, K., Ratajczak, A. E., Rychter, A. M., Dobrowolska, A., & Krela-Kaźmierczak, I. (2021). Female Fertility and the Nutritional Approach: The Most Essential Aspects. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 12(6), 2372–2386. doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab068