Dr. Gupta
Conceive Naturally Without Expensive IVF Cycles and Hormone Injections
Updated: May 18, 2020
If you and your partner are ready to bring joy and life to your marriage, then you may be wondering how long it'll take to see your dreams take shape. If, in fact, it seems to be taking longer than anticipated, it may be time to start seeking out natural remedies for infertility.
First, of course, you want to see if you're dealing with infertility at all. But, the truth is, according to the CDC, married women aged 15-49 struggle with infertility. So, sometimes it's a timing thing; other times, it's a signal that something in your body isn't working the way it should.
This is when it becomes important to test the body's hormonal system along with your overall health. Good, healthy diets, exercise, vitamins, and natural supplements can all be used to turn that spare bedroom into a nursery. Below, we've developed an easy-to-digest guide that'll help you map out your journey to parenthood.
Get Tested
First things first. We tell all our patients that, before exploring expensive IVF treatments, you should run a 28-day salivary hormonal panel. This requires about 12 saliva samples that will allow the lab to see what your hormones are doing. We're talking needle-free - and one of our best tips to get pregnant.
Before women can start mapping out their cycles and searching for their fertile periods, it's important to pinpoint precisely what the hormones are up to. Here at our clinic, we also include a reusable ovulation detector with our hormonal panel so you can start to recognize your fertile days.
Examine Your Physical Health
While you're running your hormonal panel, take an honest look at your health. Of course, women in perfect physical fitness can also struggle to get pregnant. But, women in poor health do, indeed, make matters worse.
Eating the right foods can boost the body's immune system and prepare the womb for conception. Aerobic exercise is also important because it gets the blood circulating and improves lung capacity. All this boosts the system's overall health and can increase your odds of getting pregnant.
Be sure to eliminate alcohol, caffeine, and (if advisable) certain prescription medications. Of course, you'll need to talk to your healthcare provider before coming off any regular medicines but there are many prescription medications out there that are harmful during pregnancy.
Learn Your Ovulation Cycle
This takes us back to our hormonal kit. Along with gathering samples for your doctor, you also want to gather all the intel on your body's ovulation. If you have a regular cycle, you may be able to use the calendar method.
In this method, you'll record the first and last day of your cycle on the calendar. If your menstrual period occurs within an average 28-day cycle, then ovulation will most likely occur one day between the 11th and 21st day.
If that seems like a wide window to you (and it kind of is), you can pinpoint things a little bit better with a basal thermometer. Your basal body temperature will spike right after you've ovulated, letting you know it's time.
Another thing to keep track of is your cervical mucus. When your body is ready to start ovulating, you will notice discharge that's wetter and stretchier. If you notice an egg-white color to your discharge, then pull out the basal thermometer because you might be within your window of opportunity.
Change Your Diet
Now, back to that good, hard look at your overall health. It's time to set aside the sugary morning cereals, carb-filled lunches, and the fried dinners.
Food is one of the best natural remedies to get pregnant. Without question, a body in peak physical health is better positioned to enjoy a healthy pregnancy than one with poor gut health, a lack of enemy-fighting antioxidants, and a suffering immune system. Set aside all your favorite treats and line your fridge and pantry with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. Each of these are jam-packed with healthy antioxidants, including the all-important Vitamin C.
Also, take a hammer to all the carbs in your life. Carbs lead to unhealthy weight gain, increased insulin levels, and menstrual irregularity. Insulin is, of course, directly tied to hormonal balance (or imbalance) and the elimination of carbs is a surefire way to achieve a happy end result.
This is why sugar and alcohol are also not recommended for women hoping to conceive. These will, again, spike those insulin levels and you want to maintain a balanced, healthy system while tracking your fertility and making all the right moves.
Understand the Gut/Hormone Connection
Hormones never develop an imbalance "simply because." There's always an underlying issue at hand. This is why testing is so important; it's never wise to just treat the symptom. You want to get to the root of the problem to see what threw your hormones off in the first place.
Two important hormones involved in conception, estrogen and progesterone, play a significant role in the microbiome of your stomach. They impact the rhythmic movement of the intestines. Estrogen increases contractions of the smooth muscle within the intestines while progesterone relaxes the smooth muscle and slows things down.
Simply put, if your gut is off-balance, then your hormones are likely to be off-balance. Therefore, targeting the health of your gut may be just the ticket to bring your hormones to peak performance level.