Reduce Your Risk of Infertility By Shannon Homkovics, ND T


here are a number of reasons that may be contributing to the difficulties experienced by a couple who cannot become pregnant. Whatever the cause, infertility is a lonely, frustrat- ing, and heart-wrenching journey for any couple going through it. Over 6 million people in the United States alone struggle with conceiving a child. An additional 4 million couples have sought infertility services when trying to conceive. Simply put, one in six American couples is facing impaired fertility. Everyone deserves the chance to experience having their own child.


What is Infertility? To begin, we need to define exactly what constitutes a woman as being infertile. Infertility means no conception after one year of intercourse in a woman less than 35 years of age while not using any form of contraception. In women 35-40 years old, infertility is defined as after 6 months of trying to conceive, and over 40, after 3 months of trying. These numbers can be daunting for many women who hope to one day become pregnant, or are currently trying without success.


Nutrition and Diet Whether you are currently trying to get pregnant, or plan on


having children in the future, there are steps you can take now to work towards a more fertile state. The first step is simple. Improve your diet. Dietary changes are essential to not only conceiving a child, but also to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Women have an increased chance of becoming pregnant without complications when they make the following changes:


1.Increase your daily intake of fresh organic fruits and veg- etables. Some of the best fresh fruits for fertility include grapes, berries, bananas, plums, figs, and apricots. Vegetables associ- ated with fertility include yams, sweet potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, and eggplant.


2.Decrease the intake of animal protein, especially in the forms of processed, non-organic, and hormonally loaded meats. Deli meats should be avoided as much as possible. They are loaded with chemicals like nitrites. The less chemicals you ingest the more likely you are to become pregnant and the less chemical exposure to your developing child.


28 ELM™ Maine - January/February 2018


3.Include the right kind of fats. Our body’s fat cells are respon- sible for the production of estrogen. This is why being under- weight can actually affect your menstrual cycles and hinder your chances for becoming pregnant. At the same time, having too much body fat will also decrease your chances. We need to maintain a healthy weight, and produce the right amount of estrogen. To do this, we must increase our intake of monosatu- rated omega 3 rich foods, and DECREASE our intake of trans fats, which are loaded with omega 6. Healthy monosaturated fats include avocado, walnut, salmon, and olive oil. High fat dairy has also been shown to help promote fertility and would include organic whole milk (in small amounts), pasture raised eggs, and plain yogurt.


4.Avoid high glycemic carbohydrates in the forms of processed sugar, breads, and pastas. Instead work to replace these nutri- tionally deficient foods with the consumption of good complex carbs such as quinoa, nuts, seeds and oatmeal. These foods are loaded with fiber, keep us fuller longer, and boost our metabo- lism.


5.Increase our intake of iron rich foods. Anemia has been clearly associated with infertility throughout the years. Iron rich foods include Black Strap molasses, spinach, broccoli, kale, green beans, kidney beans, and lentils.


Lifestyle Changes


1.Get off the couch and start exercising. Obesity has been un- doubtedly correlated in many studies with not only making it harder to become pregnant, but with a slew of other problems during pregnancy. Complications include gestational diabetes, fetal anomalies, C-section, and so forth. Exercise will help regulate estrogen production, boost metabolism, and burn fat.


2.Ditch the caffeine! Caffeine is more of a habit for a lot of people and studies show it actually diminishes the chance for a woman to become pregnant. If you cannot give up the caf- feine, at least get rid of the sugar and creamer in your coffee, or switch to a healthier caffeinated beverage such as matcha tea. Matcha tea is a green tea with the whole leaves infused. This tea is an antioxidant powerhouse keeping us healthier, helping us to burn fat, and working to improve our energy.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36