In the time it takes you to read this article, you could be taking steps to optimize your fertility. Start immediately and you can up your odds of getting pregnant quicker and having a healthy pregnancy.
1. Try Yoga
Stress can seriously mess with your reproductive hormone levels, but it’s hard to feel stressed when you’re peacefully concentrating on your breathing in Child’s Pose or thinking about your alignment in Downward Facing Dog. In yoga, the focus is on slow, deep breaths and bringing awareness to postures intended to release tension and improve blood flow. As a result, the heart rate temporarily slows, and the body produces fewer stress hormones. “When we normalize the stress response, we also help normalize levels of reproductive hormones,” says Robert A. Greene, M.D., medical director of the Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine in Sacramento, California, and author of Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility (Three Rivers Press, 2008). Dr. Greene says that as little as two 45-minute sessions of yoga a week can enhance fertility.
2. Kiss your phthalate-laden beauty products bye-bye
Butyl benzyl phthalates, which are found in many nail polishes, lipsticks, and perfumes, mimic estrogen, which can interfere with your reproductive hormones. Find fertility-friendly alternatives at
cosmeticsdatabase.com, courtesy of the Environmental Working Group.
3. Choose organic fruits and veggies
Organic fruits and vegetables are free of the synthetic, chemical pesticides that are routinely sprayed on produce crops. These synthetic pesticides can decrease fertility by disrupting the balance of reproductive hormones. In fact, it’s this very effect that makes them attractive to farmers: The synthetic pesticides decrease reproduction in insect pests and other animals such as frogs. Choose organic, and wash other fruits and vegetables to remove as much of the chemical residue as possible.
4. Schedule a doctor appointment
A preconception checkup is one of the best things you can do to assess your current fertility and address any problems before you start trying to conceive. For example, high blood pressure and thyroid problems are common, treatable conditions that can interfere with fertility. And untreated sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, can also impair fertility. While you’re in your physician’s office, you can also check that you’re up-to-date on all your vaccines (such as tetanus, chicken pox, and H1N1—the swine flu). The vaccines will protect your developing baby once you’re pregnant, but they’re valuable for right now, too: Coming down with a preventable illness before you’re pregnant can tax your immunity, which can temporarily impair fertility.
5. Lick an ice cream cone
Research has shown that women who consume full-fat dairy products have a lower rate of ovulatory infertility than women who stick with the nonfat versions. According to Jorge Chavarro, M.D., co-author of The Fertility Diet (McGraw-Hill, 2007), the hormones in milk are concentrated in the fat, “and because the majority of cows are milked when they’re pregnant, fertility-enhancing hormones such as progesterone and estradiol are passed through the milk.” Eating too much full-fat dairy (like butter or cheese) won’t do the arteries or waistline any good. So stick to one serving a day and cut back calories in other ways to compensate.
