19 Natural Ways To Boost Your Fertility
1) Fertility Cleansing. You are very likely to be in constant contact with chemicals that have the ability to alter your hormonal balance. Aside from more obvious chemicals harmful chemicals from cigarettes and alcohol, chemicals called Xenohormones mimic our natural hormones, which can cause hormonal imbalances. We are exposed to these every day via plastics, car exhaust, paint fumes and lots more. On top of that stress, lack of exercise and sleep disturbances, along with too much sugar, alcohol and medications, all contribute to hormonal imbalance in the body. Fertility Cleansing uses specific herbs to cleanse the body of these toxins and excess hormones and is recommended for both partners. It will help restore hormonal balance and strengthen the reproductive system to prepare for conception and pregnancy. See it as removing the weeds so the new flowers can bloom.
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2) Book in for some reflexology. Reflexology works by putting pressure on certain points to stimulate the energy flow to correlating organs. It’s a very relaxing, natural treatment which itself boosts your chances of conception.
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3) Time out. Take some time for yourself and make sure that you focus on winding down after work. Allow yourself half an hour every evening to relax your body and mind, whether that be a bath, reading a good book or exercise. Ideally use this time for mindful meditation or visualisation. This can have a positive effect on your whole wellbeing.
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4) Zinc it up. Zinc is an all-round fertility booster for both male and female fertility. It helps with the production of good-quality sperm and can reduce the chance of miscarriage later too. Zinc can be found cashew nuts, almonds, chickpeas and pumpkin seed. Up to 80% of zinc is removed from wheat to make white bread last longer so try to stick with brown bread.
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5) Vitamin E. This vital vitamin can also help with both male and female fertility. For men, it increases sperm mobility and helps the sperm to penetrate the egg. It can also reduce the decline in age-related ovulation. Increase Zine intake by eating more nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens and avocado.
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6) Spoon. Cuddling in the ‘spoon’ position has been proven to release oxytocin, alongside dopamine and serotonin. In turn this can help to reduce stress hormones, helps the nervous system relax and even helps with immune health. It’s also shown to increase intimacy in a relationship and in turn increase sexual intimacy and therefore boosts your sex life…and let’s be honest, that bit is kind of important for conception!
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7) Go organic. Organic fruit and vegetables contain low levels of pesticides and have higher nutritional content than non-organic. If you can, try to eat eight portions of organic fruit and veg daily.
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8) Hydrate. Drinking at least 8 glasses of filtered water or herbal/fruit tea per day won’t only boost energy, concentration and general health but will also help flush out excess toxins.
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9) Take B6. This nutrient is good to balance hormones. It can be easily found in sunflower seeds, bananas and lentils. The daily requirement is 50mg.
10) Ditch the caffeine! It won’t be easy at first, but Caffeine has been linked to low fertility so cut it out in all its forms, including coffee, strong tea and chocolate. In women, caffeine can interfere with ovulation, while research has found men who drink three, even small cups of coffee a day, are only half as likely to get their partner pregnant. Try to swap some of your caffeine, for herbal teas. They can help with stress and anxiety, digestion and boosting your immune system.
11) Take a break. Couples trying to get pregnant often conceive during a break away, so if you can, why not. If you can go somewhere sunny even better, you get the vitamin D boost then too!
12) Boost selenium. The nutrient selenium is good for males as it's an antioxidant proven to increase male fertility and for females it can prevent chromosome breakage which can cause miscarriage. Selenium rich foods include sunflower seeds, baked beans, mushrooms, oatmeal, spinach, lentils, cashews and bananas.
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13) Antioxidants. Antioxidants deactivate the free radicals in your body which can damage both sperm and egg cells. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains are full of beneficial antioxidants like vitamins C and E, folate, beta-carotene and lutein.
14) What’s for breakfast? Eating a good breakfast may help women with fertility problems. One study found that eating a larger breakfast (counterbalancing the calory intake throughout the rest of the day to avoid weight gain) may improve the harmful hormonal effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (11). For normal weight women with PCOS, eating most of their calories at breakfast reduced insulin levels and testosterone levels, both of which can contribute to infertility. The same women also ovulated 30% more!
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15) Reduce trans fats. They are associated with an increased risk of infertility, due to their negative effects on insulin sensitivity. Trans fats can be found in hydrogenated vegetable oils often present in some margarine, fried foods, processed products and baked goods. Choosing trans fats
instead of monounsaturated fats may increase the risk of ovulatory infertility by 31%.
16) Lower those carbs. Following a lower-carb diet is generally recommended for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and can help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce insulin levels and encourage fat loss, all while helping menstrual regularity. One study (16) found women who ate more carbs had a whopping 78% greater risk of ovulatory infertility than those who followed a lower-carb diet.
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17) Think Veggie! Replacing some animal proteins (such as meat, fish and eggs) with vegetable protein sources (such as beans, nuts and seeds) is linked to a reduced risk of infertility. A study showed that when 5% of total calories came from vegetable protein instead of animal protein, the risk of ovulatory infertility decreased by more than 50% (18).
18) Go yogi! Yoga is a gentle form of exercise that when taught and practised in its truest form, is not about bending like a pretzel, but about connecting the mind and body, something we rarely do and with many negative effects. Yoga helps with stress, anxiety and relaxation. Research has shown yoga to have positive effects on fertility, primarily because it reduces stress, but also because it balances hormones, opens the hip and pelvic areas, and improves the flow of energy through the body. Continuing with adapting yoga throughout your pregnancy can also help with the birthing process and post baby recovery. The reported benefits are in fact endless, even helping to strengthen your relationship with yourself and those around you.
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19) Connect with you. Remember who you are, as individuals, as lovers and best friends and as a couple. Talk, laugh…and have fun in the bedroom!
Number 20 we left off for you. Let us know what worked for you…
If you'd like to boost your holistic wellbeing, why not join us on one of our beautiful retreat days or a 3 night residential retreat. We also offer 1-1 holistic wellness support, as well as private retreats for small groups of your own. Contact us if you'd like to discuss further.