Maximise your Fertility
Are you trying to, or thinking of becoming pregnant? Perhaps you are just beginning your journey into parenthood, or perhaps you’ve been trying for a long time and feeling frustrated that it is not happening. Perhaps you are perplexed as to why others around you are conceiving right away and yet their diet and lifestyle is a mess! Perhaps you were able to conceive but unable to carry to full term. You’ve had all the tests but everything came back as normal, and you aren’t getting the answers from your medical team as to why you are struggling You may be feeling ready at this to give up. Don’t.
This is where Chinese Medicine excels. There are many things you can do to to greatly enhance your chances of conceiving naturally. These techniques have been tried and tested for 3,500 years, and stand the test of time.
6 Steps to maximise your Fertility
Time to build
It’s important before trying to conceive, that we prepare the ground. Ample blood and fluids are vital at this stage, in order to support the fertilisation, implantation and growth of the fetus. Many women believe they are eating healthily, but in fact are not eating the right foods, or enough food, to prepare their bodies for this task.
To prepare our bodies for pregnancy we need a building diet. We need to regenerate, grow, nourish, replenish, flourish, store. We need foods that are warm, ripe and moist. This is not an invitation to eat junk food or eat in excess. A diet supportive of the above includes healthy carbohydrates, healthy oils and fats, ample protein, lots of green vegetables, some fruit and nuts and seeds.
It is important to avoid food and drink that is dehydrating. This includes coffee, sugar, fried food and alcohol. Limit carbonated drinks and teas. Drink plain water, no cooler than room temperature. The most effective way to hydrate is via soups, stews, broths and hot wet breakfasts like oatmeal or rice congee.
Stay warm
Staying warm is crucial. Chinese medicine always applies its principles to the laws of nature. In winter almost nothing grows. Animals rest in hibernation and plants lie dormant in wait for spring time. The same principle can be applied to human fertility. Cold contracts, energy is diverted to vital functions. In order for fertility to occur, the body must be warm and moist, even if it’s cold outdoors. This inner warmth will allow you to conceive and maintain pregnancy.
Many women I speak to in clinic believe they are eating a diet to support fertility. This usually involves smoothies and juices in the morning with fruit and vegetables straight from the fridge, raw and cold salads for lunch and ice cold beverages throughout the day. While foods in their raw form contain more nutrients, they are harder for our body to digest and absorb. This is crucial for fertility. If there is any residual cold inside the body, these cold and raw foods act as contraceptives.
Cold and raw foods are highly taxing on digestion. The body waits for warmth to break them down, and this requires much more energy from the body to provide. Eventually this is deeply taxing on the body’s resources, which diverts energy from elsewhere, i.e. the reproductive organs, which are not deemed vital for the maintenance of life, in order to digest the food, and ultimately survive. The result is a subtle cooling of the inner body, and the sinking of Qi, resulting in diarrhoea, frequent urination, heavy periods, prolapses, miscarriages and infertility.
Eating a cooked, warm diet is very important when cultivating fertility. Instead of salads, eat cooked vegetables. Instead of vegetable juices, eat vegetable broths. Make sure to get plenty of grains, such as rice, millet, quinoa and corn, which support and strengthen digestion.
Don't skip meals! Eat a warm, wet breakfast every day. Porridge, congee and eggs are ideal. Why not also try exploring cuisine from other cultures and have breakfasts of grain, fish, vegetables and pickles.
Foods that have a particular resonance with fertility include sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, clams, mussels, scallops and oysters (which should be gently cooked).
Building blood and fluids
A growing fetus requires a huge amount of blood and fluids in order to grow; at conception your body immediately doubles your blood volume. The body therefore must feel it is able to manufacture enough blood and fluids in order to become pregnant. Blood itself is produced from our internal supply of rich fluids, which makes digestion and the quality of food and fluids we are consuming all the more important.
Diet is essential to support and maintain a successful pregnancy. Vegans and vegetarians must be careful that their protein intake is adequate. For those who do eat meat, red meat is preferable to poultry. Eating meat in the form of stews and broths will be more beneficial than eating a stake. Make sure to get plenty of lentils and pulses, as well as dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, broccoli and spinach. Soups are a great way to bring nutritious, wet warmth into the body. Other great foods are white rice, sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini, beets and berries. Bone broth is also wonderful but be sure not to make it too spicy.
Enjoy the fat
During pregnancy, a cascade of hormones are activated in the body. Hormones required for fertility and pregnancy are made from cholesterol, a natural component of saturated fat. Fat in Chinese medicine is said to be a key component of Yin, which is essential in pregnancy. Now is the time to eat butter without fear, to enjoy the fat on your meat, eat oily fish and stay away from low-fat versions of otherwise naturally high in fat foods. The association between high fat and heart disease is no longer supported. It is understood that high sugar, stress and processed foods are the main culprits. So, enjoy the fat guilt free!
Male health
A man’s fertility is founded in deep health, and his contribution is just as important as that of the mother. The focus for men’s health is on preservation of their constitutional health, or what’s known in Chinese medicine as Yuan Qi. This is damaged by lack of sleep, over work, dehydration, inflammation, alcohol, drugs, and excess sexual activity. It is essential that the partner pays attention to his diet and lifestyle, in order to support a healthy conception, and to support his partner in the creation of new life.
Remove the stress
No matter how hard we try, doing do everything by the book, there will always be things that are out of our control. Just knowing this can ease the burden of trying to conceive, and allow us to leat go fo the immense pressure that builds when we try to conceive again and again. Try to enjoy yourselves and this act of love between you and your partner, and bring some laughter and light back into the process. Take a mini-break, take some time for the two of you to enjoy each others company and this process away from the daily stresses of life. It is common for couples who have been trying to conceive for a long time to fall pregnant once they stop trying, or when on a much needed holiday.