Steps We Took Prior to Getting Pregnant
When you decide you are ready to grow your family, there are a lot of thoughts, worries, questions that naturally pop into your head. I always had a fear about not being able to conceive. No rational reason for this, but I always knew I wanted to be a mom! When I was in the Functional Nutritional Therapy program through the NTA, we learned more on this topic and I was so intrigued! Below are some of the steps and tricks that we did knowing we wanted to grow our little family this year!
Eating organic, nutrient-dense foods and Supplements
It seems obvious, but is it? A huge reason I think we were able to have a successful conception is due to our healthy lifestyle and foods we consume. I am a big believer that food is medicine and that what we consume daily either causes disease or creates health. Nick and I both eat the same foods on a regular basis. Sure, he might have a little more grass-fed steak than me, but he is never going to McDonald’s for lunch. We both don’t eat high sugar or refined carbohydrate diets and don’t drink very often. There are numerous studies coming out daily how eating non-organic foods sprayed heavily with harmful herbicides and pesticides, like glyphosate, or RoundUp, can cause impairments to our hormone/endocrine system and has been linked to a decrease in sperm count in men. I’m not saying you have to change and eat everything 100% organic. I understand that can be expensive, but I recommend doing your best and looking at the dirty dozen and clean fifteen foods as a start of what to try to buy organic vs. not.
I also started increasing my healthy fats to get a good base for a healthy baby. Healthy fats are crucial for building a baby and helping your hormones regulate, which then help the endocrine system function optimally. I also ate a lot of organic eggs, which are high in choline (great for baby brain development), healthy fats and protein, which are beneficial building blocks for making a baby. Making sure you are getting adequate, healthy fats in the diet relates to balancing blood sugar that is talked about further below.
I started taking a high-quality prenatal supplement months in advance to help prepare my body and get the environment full of the right nutrients to make a healthy baby. Some studies even suggest starting a prenatal vitamin 1-2 years prior to starting to conceive! Now this may seem a little intense, but I think the earlier the better, especially if you were on hormonal birth control for multiple years (hormonal birth control is known to deplete essential B vitamins, Zinc, Vitamin C, Selenium, Folate and Magnesium to name a few). I have never been on birth control for long periods of time and haven’t been on it in 7+ years. On that note, studies suggest coming off birth control at least 6 months prior to starting to try for a baby and even longer if possible. Not to stress if you didn’t do that, just continue to care for yourself and nurture your body in other ways!
Balance Blood Sugar/Stress
This is one that gets overlooked but it is SO important. When our body is constantly struggling with balancing our blood sugar, we are secreting excess cortisol and adrenaline into our system, which tricks our body into thinking that we are in some sort of danger. When we are in that ‘fight or flight’ state, our body is protecting yourself by not allowing a baby to be made because the environment isn't ‘safe’. In addition, when we are under chronic stress, our reproductive system gets overruled by our HPA axis. An important way to see hormonal health for a woman would be to assess monthly cycles. Something that was crucial for me was regulating my monthly cycle through lifestyle and dietary changes. I used to struggle with inconsistent cycles (likely due to over-exercising) in high school and college.
Stress is a very broad term that tends to have a wide variety of causes. Let’s list some chronic stressors in today's modern world:
Refined sugars and high glycemic diet
Coffee and other stimulants
Alcohol
Your morning or afternoon commute
Emotional stress (from relationships, boss, coworkers, friends, etc.)
Digestive compromises
Nutritional deficiencies or weaknesses
Diseases or other pathologies
Environmental toxins (toxic beauty products, cookware/Tupperware, chemicals, etc)
Over exercising and under-eating
Note: Although exercise is a healthy habit that has numerous benefits, this also can be seen as a stress on the body, especially if over-exercising and only engaging in high intensity exercise regimens (such as HIIT training or running). I started to engage in more low-intensity exercise such as strength training and walking instead of my usual mix of higher intensity workouts and lower intensity to help lower my stress-load. This was important for me because I used to struggle with adrenal issues, which can exacerbate hormonal issues. Making sure to find a balance of daily movement, such as walks outside, is important for overall health and can help de-stress, which is something we both prioritize!
Increased Zinc for my husband
Studies show a positive correlation between increasing Zinc supplementation and increased sperm count in men. Today in our society’s common dietary practices, it is very common for men (and women) to be deficient in zinc (especially women who are taking hormonal birth control). I started having him take daily, or every other day, clinician-grade supplemental Zinc (through Biotics/Metabolic Management). Some food options you could start consuming to help increase Zinc would be: pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, grass-fed beef, chickpeas, lentils, cashews, mushrooms, spinach and avocado are to name a few!
Reducing EMF Exposure through Cell Phones
I know this one may be surprising and not convincing to some, but there are studies indicating the negative influence of RF-EMF exposure on sperm motility and morphology. Several authors found that carrying cell phones in the front pocket or on the belt decreased rapid progressive motility of sperm (Kesari, Agarwal & Henkel, 2018), which is what you want when making a baby! Both Nick and I try not to carry our cell phones directly on our bodies (except when holding/using it of course). If we do, we turn it on airplane mode to avoid some of this harmful exposure. There are studies that have shown specifically when men carry their phones in their front pocket, practically touching their under-luggage, it negatively impacts sperm count and the shape of the sperm.
Started consuming Ashwagandha and Maca powder
I bought some organic Ashwagandha and Maca powder and would add some into my morning daily smoothies. According to Meissner et. al (2006) Maca is most frequently used for energy, hormone balancing, healthy thyroid functioning, sexual functioning, PMS, and menopause. In addition, Maca has also been beneficial for helping women to alleviate unwanted psychological experiences and stress-related symptoms - such as depression and frustration (Meissner et. al, 2006). Throughout ancient times, both Ashwagandha and Maca root powders have been used by Ayurvedic practitioners to improve on matters related to infertility and sexual activities. According to Singh et. al (2011), Ashwagandha improves the function of the reproductive system promoting a healthy sexual and reproductive balance. It also can act as a stimulant and increases the sperm count in men.
These are just some of the tips recommended for pre-conception planning and preparing. There are many more!
If you have more questions, let’s chat on this!
References
Ambiye, V. R., Langade, D., Dongre, S., Aptikar, P., Kulkarni, M., & Dongre, A. (2013). Clinical Evaluation of the Spermatogenic Activity of the Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Oligospermic Males: A Pilot Study.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013, 571420. doi:10.1155/2013/571420
Kesari, K.K., Agarwal, A. & Henkel, R. Radiations and male fertility. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 16, 118 (2018) doi:10.1186/s12958-018-0431-1
Nutritional Therapy Association. NTA (2019).
Meissner, H. O., Mrozikiewicz, P., Bobkiewicz-Kozlowska, T., Mscisz, A., Kedzia, B., Lowicka, A., … Barchia, I. (2006). Hormone-Balancing Effect of Pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon): (I) Biochemical and Pharmacodynamic Study on Maca using Clinical Laboratory Model on Ovariectomized Rats. International journal of biomedical science : IJBS, 2(3), 260–272.
Pelton, R. (2001). Drug-induced nutrient depletion handbook: 2001-2002 (2nd ). Hudson (OH): Lexi-Comp.
Singh, N., Bhalla, M., de Jager, P., & Gilca, M. (2011). An overview on ashwagandha: a Rasayana (rejuvenator) of Ayurveda. African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM, 8(5 Suppl), 208–213. doi:10.4314/ajtcam.v8i5S.9