You were cautiously optimistic that it would be easy to get pregnant…
…but after months of trying…still no baby.
But WHY?
You’re young enough, healthy enough, and can’t understand why you have “fertility issues.”
It seems to be a modern-day burden all too many couples face, and conventional medicine has answers but…cannot explain WHY.
In my experience as a Functional Medicine Doctor, most fertility experts are quick to label couples “infertile” and recommend drastic measures, rather than ask WHY and dig deep to uncover causative factors.
The good news is, many “infertility issues” have very little to do with your fertility.
Rather, they are symptoms of common health deficiencies that can be quickly corrected through natural remedies, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.
It is my wish that through today’s post more couples will begin turning to integrative doctors as a FIRST fertility resort and medical procedures as a second.
Here are 3 safe and natural fertility remedies you can use to prepare for a healthy pregnancy:
Natural Fertility Remedy #1: Balance your blood sugar
This seems like such simple advice, but very few people understand the blood-sugar-hormone connection and how it can inhibit fertility.
When your blood sugar is out of whack—which happens if you’re not getting enough sleep, are too stressed, eating too much sugar and refined carbs, aren’t eating the right balance of nutrients, or aren’t eating enough period—it affects your insulin levels.
This, in turn, causes an imbalance in other hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Remember, insulin is a hormone and all hormones are interconnected.
So, what’s the best way to keep your blood sugar balanced and help increase fertility?
- Eat small frequent meals every 2-4 hours
- Have a little protein with every small meal, like nuts, seeds, eggs, legumes, or meat
- Eat plenty of healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocado oil, nut butters, pastured butter, hemp seeds, fish oil, etc.
- Sleep 7.5-9 hours per night. If you don’t get enough sleep it affects the hormone, leptin, which is responsible for controlling your appetite and satiety
- Replace refined sugar with natural sweeteners like stevia and limited amounts of raw honey, coconut sugar, and maple syrup
- Cut back on refined carbs like white flour, white rice, pastas, etc.
- Exercise 15-30 minutes a day
- Cut out alcohol. It’s full of sugar, messes with your hormones, and has been linked to lower sperm quality in men
- If you need a relaxing beverage, try Kombucha
Natural Fertility Remedy #2: Give Extra Love & Support to your Detoxification Pathways
Infertility is often a symptom of toxicity.
It’s your body’s way of saying: “Hey! We have to clean house before we host a new life in here.
You can work with a practitioner on a specific detoxification program, and/or support your detox pathways through nutrition and lifestyle changes.
- Liver: Eat plenty of green vegetables and have a green drink every day.
Vegetables from the Brassica family, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, turnips, are particularly helpful for supporting Phase 1 and Phase 2 liver detoxification.
- Kidneys: Proper hydration is key for healthy kidney function…but water quality matters as much as quantity.
For quality: choose either spring water or filtered water, and avoid water in plastic bottles—they’re loaded with endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
For quantity: aim to drink half your body’s weight in ounces or 8 glasses per day.
- Lympathic System: Your lymphatic system is one of the most important, largest, and most overlooked detoxification pathway.
Think of it like a river running from your neck to your ankles, sweeping away toxins and unwanted debris from your vital organs and systems.
To keep your lymphatic system flowing you need to stimulate it. You can do this through exercise (rebounding, walking, running), body brushing with a dry brush, massage, and deep breathing exercises.
Pick two methods and practice them daily.
- Gall Bladder: The best and most gentle way to cleanse your gall bladder is to drink fresh lemon tea 1-3 times per day.
Just squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into a cup of hot water, drink it, and watch your skin, digestion, and elimination improve.
- Colon: Your bowels should be moving 1-3 times per day and producing well-formed stool that is easy to pass with no overly offensive odor…if they’re not, you need to address that.
My favorite gentle remedies for colon health are probiotics, drinking enough water, exercise, green drinks, cultured foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, and a simple fiber supplement like psyllium, flaxseeds, or chia seeds.
- Skin: Also known as your “third kidney”, the skin is your largest detox organ. Help it by dry brushing daily, sweating, and sticking to all-natural skin care products.
Natural Fertility Remedy #3: Optimize These Key Nutrients for Men and Women
Women still tend to shoulder the infertility burden…even though over 35% of fertility cases are a guy thing!
With that understanding, try working together as a couple to help optimize these key nutrients in your diets:
Key Nutrients for Healthy Fertility in Women:
- Vitamin B12: Found in animal products like meats, fish, eggs, liver, etc.
- Iron: The most absorbable iron comes from red meats like grassfed beef, bison, lamb, and liver (you can also take a desiccated liver supplement if you prefer)
- Folate: Lentils, dark leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, pinto, garbanzo, navy, black and kidney beans
- Vitamin D: Often supplementation is needed, so I recommend having your levels checked. Good food sources include: mushrooms, salmon, grass-fed beef liver (or supplement), pasture-raised eggs, sustainably caught, low-mercury canned tuna (I like Safe Catch® brand)
- Magnesium: Crucial for maintaining over 500 biochemical processes. Since it’s tough to get enough from food, you can take a supplement or use a topical product safely. Food sources include leafy greens, legumes, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, kefir, almonds, dark chocolate, figs, black beans, and bananas
- Vitamin A: In traditional cultures, women in their child-bearing years were encouraged to eat plenty of Vitamin A-rich foods like fatty fish, cod liver oil, paprika, dark leafy greens, and liver
Key Nutrients for Healthy Fertility in Men:
- Zinc: oysters, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, and peanuts
- Selenium: Brazil nuts, meat, seafood, mushrooms and cereals
- Vitamin C: strawberries, broccoli and kiwi fruit
- Lycopene: tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit
- Vitamin A: paprika, carrots, dark leafy greens, and liver
- B vitamins: dark leafy greens, legumes, nutritional yeast, pomegranates, and lean meats
As you can see, nutrition is QUEEN (and King) when it comes to nourishing your fertility. And with good nutrition comes healthy detoxification pathways capable of supporting new life.
I encourage you to try these three steps I’ve outlined today, AND to consider working with an integrative practitioner to help you balance health markers and make individual suggestions.
Blessings, love, and strength be with you on your natural journey to parenthood.
Warmly,
-Dr. Alex
