Fertility – A healthy body is a fertile body

Natural fertility treatmentAny attempt at conception should ideally start many months before parents even start trying to get pregnant. There is pretty solid scientific evidence showing infant health is inextricably linked with the health of the women who bear them.While many couples will focus on ‘fixing’ their fertility problem, they often ignore the importance of their general health. As a general tip for getting pregnant – when you improve your health, you often treat the underlying cause of infertility. A healthy body is, after all, a fertile body.

Approaches to preconceptionA naturopathic approach to fertility focuses on disease attenuation and health promotion. If there are any diagnosed health conditions, addressing these will help with fertility. Promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle will not only improve chances of conceiving in the first place, but also make for a healthier bub at the end.Reducing exposure to chemicals and other environmental toxins, reducing risk factors for infertility – including smoking and alcohol, increasing exercise, addressing any general health imbalances and improving diet should be the first step when considering getting pregnant.

Ovulation CycleAn important thing to remember is that women are only fertile for a limited time. As an ovulation calculator will tell you, the fertile window is generally considered the six days leading up to ovulation – and the three days leading up to ovulation is when pregnancy is most likely to occur.Ovulation can be readily gauged by simple tools such as temperature charting, though an easier and more accurate indicator is to have intercourse when cervical mucus is most slippery and clear (like raw egg white).Despite this apparent urgency it is important not to treat intercourse like a chore – ‘getting the juices flowing’ is not just essential for enjoying the process, but also improves

the likelihood of something happening. Additionally, the use of aids such as lubricants can inhibit sperm motility.Only have intercourse when ‘in the mood’ has other benefits – most practitioners have stories of patients who were turned off sex so much by trying to get pregnant that they simply forgot to keep doing it!Causes of infertility – the man plays a bigger role thank commonly thought..Whilst most couples tend to (rather unfairly) focus on the women’s inability to fall pregnant, the male and female partners share roughly equal importance in fertility. In about 20% of couples it is actually the male partner alone who is the sole cause of infertility, while in a further 20-40% they are an important contributing factor.This combined with the fact that male sperm counts have declined over the last few centuries (even more so over the last few decades) means men, being a little more sensitive about these things than they should be, are often hesitant to fully participate in any fertility regime. However, even if things are ‘okay’ with the male partner, healthier sperm still makes for healthier babies, and any fertility program should be something that couples engage in together.

Fertility and ageMost people know that women over the age of 35 are less fertile than younger women, but men over the age of 35 are about half as likely to successfully inseminate someone as men under 25. However, it is important to remember that being less likely to conceive is not the same as being unable to conceive.Improving fertilityImpaired fertility (infertility is only defined clinically after 12 months of unsuccessful trying) is something that will affect about one in six couples.Moreover it is becoming more common as couple s have babies later in life. Whilst a young, healthy couple has a 20-25% chance of conceiving each cycle, the older and less healthy we get the chance of falling pregnant each cycle decreases.There are some supplements that may help with fertility. The most notable is zinc, which not only is helpful for sperm production but also improves egg viability in women too. A multivitamin and fish oil supplement is also a good ‘insurance policy’ (Ed: Family Multivitamin & Mineral is one example – pls note, not a recommendation of the author). However, supplementation should never replace a healthy diet – and quite frankly will only be useful in conjunction with one.Some herbal medicines such as Vitex agnus castus for women, or Tribulus terrestris for men (Ed: Tribulus Synergy another example, pls note: Not a recommendation of the author), may also be useful. However, these are highly dependent on individual circumstances.

Another cause of infertility – don’t stress!Trouble conceiving can be emotionally, physically and financially draining. Even the process of undergoing treatment itself can be stressful. It is

easy – and normal – for the emotional journey of infertility to reach crisis point several times. However, excessive stress can lead to a vicious circle. High stress can impair fertility, causing further stress and affecting fertility even further. It is essential to look after yourself – and your relationship – during this period.Special activities that are often thought of as luxuries should be seen more as part of your treatment. Whilst it easy to feel guilty about sneaking away for ‘date nights’ or taking an hour of the day out for yourself, these are essential. Think about this amongst your own circle – how many couples do you know that have fallen pregnant on holiday, or when they have had a ‘break’ from the stress of trying.Fertility – further assistanceNatural fertility should focus on achieving good health rather than treating infertility as a medical problem. Although fertility issues are a factor for some couples – and certainly do require some further assistance – in many cases a return to good health is enough to sort any fertility problems out. In the next article in this series we will look at a natural approach to pregnancy.For more information regarding : multivitamins for women and eagle natal plus please visit to our site : hygiology.com.au