There are many couples who want to get pregnant but unfortunately cannot and who struggle for several years. The number of infertility cases continues to increase around the world. Primary infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant despite having frequent, unprotected sex for at least one year.
Causes of Infertility
There can be many causes of infertility, including:
Poor diet and nutritional imbalances
Emotional stress
Sexually transmitted diseases
Thyroid problems
Candida yeast infection (often in women)
Medical conditions
Eating disorders
Excessive exercise
Obesity
Hormonal problems
PCOS
Environmental toxins and heavy metals in the body (often in men)
The Good News
The good news is that there are natural alternatives. It's worth trying the natural approach before turning to costly and often arduous as well as emotionally draining fertility treatments. Here we share seven things we recommend you do first.
7 Important Things That Optimize Fertility in Women & Men
1. Eat Healthy
One of the most important things is to eat a clean and healthy diet. Choose organic foods. Pesticides can affect estrogen and other hormones, so it's important to choose organic and clean products as much as possible. Make sure to get a nutritious, colorful diet with all vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients (antioxidants), and fatty acids.
2. Take Fertility-Supporting Supplements
Prenatal Multivitamins
Prenatal multivitamins are thoughtfully designed nutritional supplements for women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It's important to choose a high-quality supplement and not the cheapest varieties that might contain the wrong type of nutrients like folate/B9. Men should also take a multivitamin as a foundation to replenish nutrients. It takes approximately 90 days for men to generate new sperm, so it can take up to three months before seeing benefits from lifestyle changes.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C can help support sperm count in men and trigger ovulation in women. Vitamin C also helps the body absorb iron, which is an important nutrient for women.
B Vitamins
Many B vitamins are involved in estrogen metabolism. For example, folate or folic acid (B9) is a B vitamin that helps the body build new cells and prevent birth defects.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an important vitamin for fertility because it helps with hormone balance. Vitamin E is also good for sperm production.
Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral for reproduction. Zinc is often very beneficial for male fertility and sperm production, so it is recommended.
Q10
Q10 is linked to positive results when it comes to sperm health. More data is needed to confirm this connection, but many couples claim that this supplement has helped them on their fertility journey.
Vitamin D
Research shows that if you have a Vitamin D deficiency, supplementation can increase fertility. Get a Vitamin D test with your doctor beforehand, so you know if you have a deficiency.
Selenium
Selenium is an important mineral and antioxidant that supports the immune system, aids liver detoxification, and contributes to normal thyroid function.
Gut Flora
Poor gut health is a common cause of nutritional deficiencies, poor detoxification ability, and increased inflammation in the body, which can be a problem for both partners when trying to conceive. Taking care of your gut health with probiotics or lactic acid bacteria is key to foundational health and consequently for fertility and mood.
Omega-3
Fatty acids, especially omega-3, are important for basic health. Omega-3 fats have anti-inflammatory properties that affect many health aspects, including fertility.
Femme Fertil+
Holistic's Femme Fertil+ promotes fertility and is a supplement for women that promotes fertility and provides well-thought-out nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy.
Homme Viril+
Holistic's Homme Viril+ is a supplement for men that supports male fertility. The product provides nutrients needed for healthy energy levels, sexual desire, and good fertility.
Ovarian Care
Thorne's product Ovarian Care for women provides a unique blend of nutrients that benefit reproductive health, support fertility, and regular menstrual cycles. It also provides nutritional support for women with PCOS_._
3. Don't Underestimate Rest
Reducing stress as a solution for infertility often ends up at the bottom of the list, but it's so important! Our bodies and minds are built for regular rest and recovery at a very deep level. Learning to relax in our daily lives, sleeping deeply at night, and spending free time without computers, to-do lists, or phones is essential for our hormonal balance. This is the perfect opportunity to review priorities, determine what causes the most stress, and eliminate it.If it's not possible to completely eliminate stress, you need to find healthy ways to manage and reduce stress.
4. Make Sure to Sleep 8h/Night
Besides keeping stress levels low, sleep is crucial for improving fertility, both for men and women. The average woman (30-60 years) gets only about six hours of sleep per night during a workweek. Sleeping (or not sleeping) has a powerful effect on the body's hormonal system. If you don't get enough sleep, both your hormone cycle and ovulation can be disrupted. You should aim to sleep eight hours per night.
5. Regular Exercise
Many people can immediately feel a difference when they exercise. Mood improves, they sleep better, and they may experience increased sexual appetite. All these changes occur in connection with hormonal changes. For example, we often hear about how the "feel-good hormone" serotonin increases with exercise. Our bodies are designed to be active every day. If you want to get pregnant, it's important to exercise regularly to balance your hormones. Hormones play a major role in almost every process related to conception, from the release of the egg to the condition of sperm and their ability to reach and fertilize the egg.
6. Remember Daylight & Joy
Sunlight affects not only our mood but our entire hormonal state, our immune system, and well-being. It is recommended that you get a minimum of 30-60 minutes of daylight outdoors per day. Also remember to schedule time during the week to do things that bring joy! A smile, a laugh, a warm feeling – it makes such a difference.
7. Review Kitchen & Bathroom
Something we'd rather ignore is environmental toxins, it's not pleasant to think about all the things that can harm the body. But among environmental toxins, there is a special class of compounds called endocrine disruptors that can affect fertility. A particular endocrine disruptor is bisphenol A (BPA) which reduces egg quality and egg viability. BPA is used to make hard plastic. So make sure to use as little plastic as possible in the kitchen and if possible, you can try to reduce plastic use.
For example, do not use plastic to store or heat food and water. Throw away all conventional body care products that contain synthetic and chemical ingredients. By switching to natural cleaning products, beauty products, and skin care products and avoiding plastic, you reduce the toxic load in your body and improve fertility.
What tips do you have for increasing fertility? Share in a comment so that we can learn from each other!
In this article you can read about supplements when you are pregnant.
