Initial Steps Toward Improving Fertility
There are many ways that you can encourage your body to maintain itself in a way that will make conception easy to achieve. The following list will summarize some basic guidelines that we have discussed for improving fertility. During the period that you are working to achieve conception it is advisable to do as much of the following as possible:
q Eliminate stresses- have fun and enjoy making a baby. Believe that you can conceive and remind yourself of that many times throughout each day. Visualize your body systems working in harmony to produce an egg and see it traveling easily through your fallopian tubes and to your uterus.
q Eat only fresh organic food- Today’s food contains lots of junk. Babies can’t easily grow on junk. Especially during conception and pregnancy, you should eat as much organic food as possible. If 100% organic isn’t possible, ask me for suggestions on how to reduce pesticides and other endocrine toxins.
q Eliminate any conventional cleaning products, especially those containing bleach and other environmental toxins. I recommend using BioKleen products. They have a full range of cleaners from laundry detergent to all-purpose spray and you can purchase them at most conventional supermarkets or from Whole Foods.
q Use all natural shampoos and soaps, lotions, etc. If you can’t recognize every ingredient, you may not want to be using it.
q Eliminate soy from your diet- Yep, soy. We were lied to when we were told it was good for us. It contains many endocrine disruptors and other toxins. Check all of your labels for soy oils.
q Eliminate fish from your diet- Too bad, I know. Fish was once soooo good for us, but it is now highly contaminated. If you wish to eat fish, eat Alaskan Salmon. Since you shouldn’t eat fish, please be sure to supplement your Omega 3s with Cod Liver Oil. You can buy this in capsules from Whole Foods stores. This is an excellent supplement to take for the rest of your life.
q Cook only with olive oil or coconut oil- toss the vegetable or canola oils.
q No Pesticides- Lets the bugs live! There are many natural ways to eliminate pests in your home or yard. Ask me for ideas if this is an issue for you.
q If you swim regularly in a chlorinated pool or treated lake, consider stopping until after you have conceived. The by-product of chlorine is dioxin, which is a known carcinogen. If you must swim, rinse thoroughly immediately after you get out.
q Get rid of any artificial sweeteners- No Splenda, Nutrasweet, or aspartame. Check you gum, if you chew it and opt for sugar if you must. No diet drinks or sweets
q Reduce or eliminate refined sugars and flours. Use maple sugar when baking and stevia or honey in your tea if you must, but lets face it…this white stuff is bad news.
q Do not microwave your food- there are many reasons to throw this machine away. It depletes nearly all of the nutrients from your food, changes the chemical properties, and if you are microwaving in plastic, you also eating toxins with your food.
q Cut out caffeine- coffee, teas, chocolate, soda, etc. (OK, maybe a bite of chocolate)
q Take a food-based prenatal vitamin such as New Chapter or Rainbow Light.
For more on nutrition and what to avoid in pregnancy, visit my website at: http://www.newlifemidwifery.com/learning/nutrition.html
Written by Kelley Faulkner © 2006 New Life Midwifery