The desire to have children runs so deep for most of us. It’s just always a part of the plan, sitting there in the back of our thoughts. We’ll meet someone, settle down, and start a family. Just that easy, right?
Unfortunately, it’s nowhere near that easy for some of us.
If you are experiencing infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss than this journey has likely turned into a nightmare filled with doctor’s appointments, tests, procedures, and lots of heartbreak. (((hugs)))
The truth is, infertility is not that uncommon. In fact, about 7.4 million women in the United States have trouble getting and staying pregnant. So, you’re not alone. Although, that likely provides little comfort as you are going through this painful process.
Why is infertility so common?
The simple answer…whacky hormones.
We are constantly flooded with things that throw our hormones out of balance. Things like stress, processed foods, lack of key nutrients, pesticides, hormone-disrupting chemicals, and much more. This creates hormone imbalances.
If you think about it you’ve probably had signs of a hormone imbalance all along. Bad PMS; heavy, painful periods; irregular periods; hormonal acne; hypothyroid; severe fatigue; etc.
Many of us started taking birth control at a very young age to deal with our “menstruation issues”. But, like so many other treatments, this just masks the symptoms instead of treating the actual cause. Sure, you feel better while you’re on the birth control, but look the eff out once you come off it. Right???
Once you’re off the birth control and want to get pregnant the whole hormone imbalance thing rears its ugly head again, cause now you can’t get or stay pregnant.
Fertility treatments and hormone imbalance
After trying for a while most women turn to infertility specialists. For some lucky women this works. For myself, and many other women, it doesn’t.
Infertility specialists run tests and do ultrasounds to determine where the possible breakdown is so they can help you get pregnant. Most of time the treatments involve taking hormones (either pills or injections) to help your ovaries release eggs or help your eggs “mature”. If this doesn’t work then some women move onto IVF (in vitro fertilization).
The problem is these treatments just put a band-aid on the issue instead of addressing the root cause. And oftentimes, if the treatment isn’t successful, you’re worse off at the end of it.
If your infertility is caused by a hormone imbalance and you pump your body full of artificial hormones, then the end result is often an even bigger hormone imbalance.
Natural options for infertility
If you have unexplained infertility and infertility treatments haven’t worked… or you are trying to avoid the expense and invasiveness of infertility treatments… then you’re probably looking for natural alternatives.
The good news is you can rebalance your hormones and improve your chances of getting and staying pregnant *Finally some good news! Fist pump!*
Rebalancing your hormones naturally takes some patience and some work. But, there are a few things you can do to get started.
- If you haven’t already, download you’re FREE copy of 7 Things to Stop Now if You Want to Get Pregnant. For some women something as simple as stopping a supplement or changing a medication can solve the issue. This guide contains some of the most common fertility disruptors.
- Reduce your intake of animal protein and when you do eat animal protein choose organic as much as possible. A study conducted by Harvard researchers of 18,000 women suffering infertility showed that diets high in plant-based foods and low in animal proteins results in higher fertility rates and more successful pregnancies.
- Choose complex carbohydrates and get rid of processed foods. Studies show blood sugar balance and insulin resistance are a major contributor to infertility. To improve your blood sugar balance and insulin sensitivity choose quality carbohydrates (such as whole grains, whole fruits, and vegetables) and reduce the amount of sugar and processed foods you eat.
In need of some recipes to get you started in reducing your animal protein intake and improving your blood sugar? Click here for some delicious, hormone balancing recipes.
Conclusion
Infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss is overwhelming, isolating, scary, and so very sad. There is nothing harder than desperately longing to be pregnant and having to watch other women get pregnant and enjoy their babies while you suffer setback after setback. Fertility treatments are the answer for some women, but definitely not all. If you’re someone who hasn’t been helped by fertility treatments or these treatments just don’t feel right for you, there are other options. Many women get pregnant and carry to term after rebalancing their hormones through dietary and lifestyle changes.