Although acupuncture can assist in blood and energy flow to the endocrine system and ovaries, there are several simple holistic ways to work with your body on a daily basis to help you get pregnant:
1. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS: Although you’re actively working on getting pregnant, shift your focus to balancing your whole body because you are not just your ovaries.
- Why it’s important to fertility. If you have other systems in your body that are not harmonious (causing disruptions in digestion, sleep, menstrual cycle, pains) chances are that imbalance can offset the health of other systems including reproduction and hormones. Shifting the focus from getting pregnant to getting healthy can take the pressure off and pregnancy can more easily be the by-product of a healthier body. Also, when you’re focusing on overall health, you can see measurable change for the better in your sleep, pms, migraines, digestion, etc. When you are feeling healthier overall, it affects your hormone balance for the better.
- What can you do today? Catch yourself obsessing about your temperature, cycle, thinking or worrying a lot about how to get pregnant, and shift your thought by writing down or saying to yourself, “My priority is my health and getting healthier.”
2. CHANGE YOUR FOOD:
- Why it’s Important to fertility: This is a powerful way to affect your body’s health and thus fertility multiple times a day.
- What can you do today? Incorporating whole grains, veggies, legumes, and healthy oils like olive and sesame oils will assist the body’s balance. Things to avoid or restrict include: processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and refined sugars. Many women also find avoiding dairy to be helpful. Foods high in Essential Fatty Acids are great because they aid in the production and regulation of hormones. Good sources of Omega 3’s include avocados, flax seeds and oils, walnuts, hemp oil, and fish oils. If in doubt, see a nutritionist for advice. Herbal teas can also be very helpful to the fertility process, but they need to be tailored to your body’s constitution and prescribed by a board certified practitioner.
3. LEARN TO MANAGE STRESS: stress manifests in the body in many ways. Stress can cause insomnia, digestive upset, gynecological symptoms, headaches and anxiety, among other symptoms.
- Why it’s important to fertility: The imbalances that manifest as symptoms from stress can also affect the reproductive organs because all the systems in your body are connected, therefore, hormone levels can be altered under times of stress.
- What can you do today? Meditate Daily. There are plenty of great books, cds, and classes being taught in meditation. A good time is right before bedtime anywhere between 15-60 minutes. Also, get regular bodywork (acupuncture, massage, chiro, energy work, etc), laugh with friends, go dancing.
4. EXERCISE REGULARLY: Exercise is an excellent way to maintain the smooth flow of “qi” or energy in the body. Finding the right type of exercise for you that can be done with regularity is key. It is also a major way to reduce stress. Research has shown that regular exercise helps to maintain healthy sleep patterns and in doing so, encourages relaxation and good health. The only reason why I would tell anyone to cut down on exercise, is if a woman has extremely low body fat. If she has low body fat, she has an insufficiency of estrogen, a hormone needed to get pregnant.
- Why it’s important to fertility: Regular exercise can help to increase fertility levels. It reduces body fat and about 30% of estrogen comes from fat cells. Too much fat and estrogen in your body (as with too little) can alter your hormone balance and therefore lower your chances of conceiving.
- What can you do today? Exercise at least 3x week or more. Find what works for you: Running, walking, swimming, pilates, strength training, kick boxing, weight lifting, and flexibility training. Hiring a personal trainer, buying a home workout dvd, or taking a run or walk by the lake all work.
5. LIVE YOUR LIFE: Some people stop enjoying their lives or put things on hold waiting for the day they get pregnant. They wake up daily with only that on their minds and it’s hard to move forward until it happens.
- Why it’s important to fertility: Couples can lose years of their lives waiting in limbo. It can also rob you of your happiness, which is a key component of well-being. Without a sense of well-being in your day to day life, it makes the whole conception process tougher emotionally and increases stress levels.
- What can you do today? Go ahead and plan that vacation, or go back to school, or take a job or make that change you’ve wanted to make and move forward in your lives because your life has meaning and purpose already. Putting your life on hold "just in case" you are pregnant stops the flow of energy or “Qi” in your life. The key to a healthy and fertile body is maintaining this flow of forward movement, so go ahead and live your life.
A combination of changing your focus, changing your food, managing stress, regular exercise, and living your life can affect your fertility for the better. When your whole system is working more harmoniously, you are sleeping better, you are digesting well, you are less anxious, you have more energy, and you have more moments of enjoyment in life. If that combination over time doesn’t help you conceive, it at least builds a strong foundation of good health if you choose to move into ART, or move forward in life in any way you choose. You have nothing to lose by improving your overall health and happiness.
