Chances are even if you haven’t heard of a fertility cleanse, you have heard of one type of cleanse or another. In fact, doing a simple Google search of the word “cleanse” will easily yield 25 plus pages of results. While cleansing may seem like a fad, the idea of “cleansing” has been around since the dawn of time.

The basic goal of any cleanse is to rid the body of toxins. In the case of a fertility cleanse, the specific goal is to rid the body of toxins that could be making it difficult to get and stay pregnant, clear out congestion in the reproductive organs, and rebalance the hormones. This is why a fertility cleanse is our recommended 1st step for healing infertility and recurrent miscarriage.

WHAT IS A FERTILITY CLEANSE?

First, let’s be clear, your body is always cleansing. Your liver, kidneys, respiratory, and digestive systems are continuously at work removing toxins and waste products out of your body. The problem is, we are bombarded with unhealthy food, toxins, and stress everyday. This results in our systems, especially the liver, being overworked and sluggish. So, while our body will always be cleansing, it typically is not going to be as effective without a helping hand.

This is where a cleanse comes in. Think of it as an oil change for your body. You’re going to clean out those filters and improve their ability to keep things running smoothly.

WHY DO A FERTILITY CLEANSE?

Prior to conceiving is the single MOST important time to cleanse. This is especially true if you are experiencing infertility, recurrent miscarriage, or have been on birth control. This is a chance to support your liver, kidneys, and digestive system so they can clear out built up toxins and excess hormones that may be keeping you from getting and staying pregnant.

LIVER HEALTH

Liver plays a major role in metabolism with numerous functions in the human body, including detoxification of various metabolites, synthesis protein, Amino acid and cholesterol, deactivation of poisons and toxins, produces bile, help the absorption of vitamins, hormones & enzymes production and detoxification.

Your liver is quite possibly the hardest working organ in your body with over 500 functions to perform. Among it’s main roles is detoxification. This mighty organ filters out the toxins that are naturally present as waste products in our body as well as toxins accumulated from outside sources. We end up with excess toxins from a number of sources such as:

Poor diet
Alcohol consumption
Pesticides
Smoking cigarettes (or 2nd hand smoke)
Chemicals in cosmetics
Excess hormones
Hormonal birth control

Needless to say, that’s a whole lot of work for one little organ! So, it might need you to give it a little hand. That’s exactly what a good cleanse will do. By using specific fluids, foods, and herbs a cleanse provides extra support for the liver so it can catch its breath and catch up on some of its work.

UTERINE HEALTH

The uterus goes through its own cleansing ritual every month, it’s called your period. During your period you are shedding the lining that has developed for an embryo to implant. Now, if everything is working correctly your uterus rids itself of these waste products and you start with a clean slate the next month.

The problem is, all to often everything is not working correctly. (dun dun dunnnn!) When this happens then old, stagnant blood is left behind in the uterus (ewww…) Clearly, this is not optimal for pregnancy.

What causes the uterus to not cleanse fully every month? So glad you asked! 😉Here are just a few possible causes:

Hormone imbalance
Poor circulation
Poor diet
Stress

A good fertility cleanse improves circulation to the reproductive organs, which promotes cleansing of the uterus. Most fertility cleanses also use herbs, such as raspberry leaf, to help strengthen and tone the uterus.

HORMONE HEALTH

As you have heard us say time and again, hormone imbalance is a leading cause of infertility and poor diet is a leading cause of hormone imbalance. This is the #1 reason we recommend starting with a fertility cleanse when trying to heal infertility and recurrent miscarriage.

Any fertility cleanse worth its salt will focus on balancing hormones. We are talking about trying to get pregnant here and let’s face it, your hormones are the key!

See, the thing is, all those built up toxins we’ve been talking about…. Well, those all throw off your hormone balance. If your liver and/or digestive system are sluggish then chances are you’ve got some serious built up hormones in your system. And when you have excess hormones in your system…well, it throws everything out of whack. And while whacky hormones can make you feel pretty darn shitty, more importantly they can make it pretty darn hard to get and stay pregnant.

DO YOU NEED A FERTILITY CLEANSE?

Right now you might be asking yourself, “should I be doing a fertility cleanse?”. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you should. But, just to make it easy on you (we aim to please! *wink*), here is a list of questions to ask yourself. If you answer yes to a few or more of these questions…Magic 8 Ball says….You Need A Fertility Cleanse!

Have you been on birth control?
Do you typically experience PMS?
Do you have irregular periods?
Do you have heavy and/or painful periods?
Do you have dark blood or clotting during your period?
Do you have acne?
Are you often tired or fatigued?
Have you taken antibiotics or steroids (prednisone, etc.)?
Do you eat conventional meats and/or dairy?
Do you have less than one bowel movement per day?
Are you frequently sick (colds, flu, etc.)?
Do you have cold hands and/or feet?
Do you have regular sinus congestion?

MALE FERTILITY CLEANSE

No, no ladies…a fertility cleanse is not just for us! While men may not have old, stagnant blood to get rid of (or at least let’s hope not! LOL), they most certainly can have toxins to get rid of. And, just like us, they’re detox organs are often overworked and feeling sluggish.

So what does a fertility cleanse do for your man, you ask? Well, all those same toxins that are fertility crushers in women also crush men’s fertility. Excess toxins are linked to decreased sperm count and poor sperm quality. A fertility cleanse will not only boost your man’s overall health, but may also give him a needed boost in baby making department too. WIN-WIN!

FERTILITY CLEANSE SIDE EFFECTS

All cleanses come with potential side effects and a fertility cleanse is no different. By design, you are flushing a larger than normal amount of toxins out of your body during a cleanse. This can cause some rather uncomfortable side effects. As a rule, the more toxins you have hanging out in your system the more intense side effects you may experience. Some common side effects include:

Headache (especially if you’re coming off caffeine)
Nausea and/or vomiting
Fatigue
Aches and pains
Increased number of bowel movements or loose stool
Mood swings
Itchy skin
Lightheadedness

Typically symptoms are strongest in the beginning and usually resolve themselves within the first week or so. You should always consult with a physician prior to starting a cleanse and anytime you experience concerning or prolonged symptoms while cleansing.

Fertility Cleanse FAQs

Do you recommend a juice cleanse for fertility cleansing?

We do not recommend juice cleanses in general, but especially not for fertility. Juice cleanses are bad for blood sugar regulation (which is extremely important for fertility) and do not provide the necessary nutrition for promoting fertility. We recommend whole foods based fertility cleanses that combine nutrient-dense fertility foods with important hormone-balancing herbs, such as The Fertile Method 10-Day Fertility Cleanse.

How long should a fertility cleanse be?

This can vary depending on your health and diet history. Typically we recommend somewhere between 7 and 14 days. If the cleanse has been sufficient for your system than you should feel a profound change in your energy, mood, and physical symptoms by the end of the cleanse. If you are still feeling tired or having several of the detox symptoms (listed above) at the end of the cleanse then we suggest completing the cleanse again (as long as it is a whole foods based cleanse).

Should I do a fertility cleanse while pregnant or breastfeeding?

No, we do not recommend doing any kind of cleanse while pregnant or breastfeeding. During a cleanse you are releasing stored toxins from the fat and flushing them out of your system. These toxins could potentially be harmful to a developing fetus or a nursing baby.

Is there a best time of the month to start a fertility cleanse?

We recommend starting a fertility cleanse at the end of your period. During your period your body is already working hard to cleanse and you don’t want to create too much extra load for it. By starting at the end of your period you are simply extending this natural cleansing period. This is also an optimal time because you run less risk of accidentally cleansing while you might be pregnant.

Can a fertility cleanse bring back my period or help me ovulate?

There are many possible reasons for not menstruating or ovulating such as stress, health conditions, hormone imbalance, diet, etc. While we have had clients who start menstruating or ovulating after completing a fertility cleanse, it is not always the case. Think of a fertility cleanse as a jumpstart for healing your fertility. It is the recommended first step in getting and staying pregnant, but not the only step needed for complete healing.

What should I do after completing a Fertility Cleanse?

You will definitely want to continue the healing process and healthy habits you started by doing a fertility cleanse. We suggest incorporating a fertility boosting nutrition and activity plan. For help on how to do this book a FREE 30-Minute Hormone Check Consultation.