The medical approach to women’s health often leaves us wondering what is going on in our bodies.
When you’re struggling to get pregnant, it often feels as if the only option is to use fertility interventions and medical procedures.
And yet it is well established, in medical textbooks and research, not to mention thousands of years of experience, that pregnancy CAN happen without medical intervention.
What Are The Other Causes of Infertility?
It must also be said that, considering most medical research is funded by pharmaceutical companies...
there is less funding for research on lifestyle, diet, and nutrient approaches to support women’s health and fertility.
Still, research does exist showing us that alternative approaches are effective and can be used alongside conventional fertility methods to improve your chances of having a baby.
That’s why we were excited to chat with naturopathic doctor, Dr. Doni to find natural ways to help moms to address the effects of stress, heal leaky gut, optimize cortisol and methylation... the 3 most commonly overlooked causes of infertility.
Can Stress Cause Infertility?
It’s critical to address the stress in your life, whether emotional and/or physical.
Your brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary gland know when your blood contains the right level of cortisol...
if it’s too low or high your brain will adjust the amount of the hormones it makes.
The receptors for cortisol are in most cells of your body which means that cortisol affects us in a variety of ways, including impacting fertility.
It may take time to recover, but focusing on self-love and self-acceptance, along with the C-A-R-E model is a great start!
CARE Model For Optimal Fertility Health - Resources
Clean Eating
Adequate Sleep
Reducing Stress
- Healing Postpartum- Your Mental Health Resource Guide
- Postpartum Stress Syndrome
- Postpartum Confinement: Understanding The Importance of Self-Care And Nutrition
Exercise
- How to (Safely) Lose Weight Postpartum - Experts Weigh In
- Does Breastfeeding Make You Lose Weight?
- 5 Postpartum Fitness Tips with Postnatal Fitness Expert Kate
Can Poor Gut Health Cause Infertility?
Healing the gut lining comes first, to create the foundation for healthy bacteria to flourish.
The first supplement I focus on is the amino acid, L-Glutamine.
This is very effective at specifically restoring the cells lining the intestines.
Herbs may be added for anti-inflammatory support and healing, and taking digestive enzymes will support healthy digestion and nutrient absorption.
Depending on your situation, you may need to first address overgrowing microbes/bacteria.
Then include a high-quality probiotic to help maintain a healthy environment.
RELATED: Postpartum and Magnesium Benefits
Can Low Methyl Folate Contribute to Infertility?
MTHFR (a gene) mutation(s) can result in damage to your nervous, digestive, immune, and endocrine systems.
Without proper testing and treatment, it has the potential to cause infertility, migraines, joint pain, sleep issues, brain fog, chronic illnesses, and autoimmunity disorders.
Thankfully, more practitioners—and especially fertility specialists—are becoming aware of MTHFR and the role it plays in early pregnancy.
We’ve heard for decades that it is important for women to take folic acid, but that was either downright wrong or only partially helpful.
All along it was methyl folate that was the missing piece of the puzzle.
This is an active form of folate, and you can help fill gaps through supplements!
