Fierce Female Fertility

Here we go... one of those topics that is so private, yet such a prevalent issue among women in my age group.  Since it is such a private matter I debated writing about my personal story, as well as giving any advice (especially because hey, I'm no doctor, but sometimes experience makes the best advice;), but I decided that like my other posts, if it helps one person than it's worth it.  You'll get a watered down version of my story with minimum details, and some tips I've heard about or tried in my journey to conceive my current little guy, and hopefully future little ones!

I started out on this journey naively:  If you're at a healthy young(ish) age, go off the pill, and try to have a baby... well, you'll get pregnant really easily and have a baby! (duh) I mean, haven't we all watched "16 and Pregnant"??-look at those fertile girls, and they weren't even trying!  I firsthand saw someone close to me have 2 healthy girls easily in her early 40's!  And we all have those friends who amazingly conceive instantly and say, "Wow, we didn't think it would happen THAT quickly!".

This wasn't the case for me, and the more I spoke with friends and Facebook acquaintances, as well as read stories and posts online, I came to the realization that for the same amount of girls who have no problems conceiving, there are just as many, if not MORE of those who struggle with it in some way.  Of course it's not as readily talked about since again, it's a private issue, and a sense of sadness and shame kind of consumes you during the process-who wants to talk then??

At the time I finally got pregnant with my now 15-month blessing, 9 months of trying for me seemed like a lifetime!!  Looking back, though, I consider myself extremely lucky, especially compared to what some of us have to go through-much longer lengths of time with no results after invasive treatments that I was lucky to avoid.  I discovered I had a hormonal issue happening by chance-we had great insurance while living in PA and I got booked for my annual with a fertility specialist (he's to thank for my Kai!) after trying for about 6 months on our own.  After a few suggested tests, some more uncomfortable than others, they found something they believed needed medical intervention.  I wasn't crazy about trying anything unnatural, especially due to my holistic outlook on health, but I also didn't want to end up in the same boat with no results in a year feeling disheartened.   So, I did end up taking something for one cycle to induce ovulation... and voila-can't say I regret it since I just rocked the result to sleep about 5 hours ago;)  A perfect blessing came at the exact time he should have-we were moved into our new house and settling to a new area-any sooner would've been quite a challenge... someone had a plan for us!

That is why I feel so lucky-a slight intervention worked immediately for us, and oh how sweet it was to see that test-we couldn't believe our eyes!  Please be aware that I have friends that have tried the same thing, and it HASN'T worked for them; at least not right away, so it's not for everyone!  We started trying again for baby #2 earlier than we should have (they say to wait a year to allow your body to heal fully, and I cannot imagine having a newborn right now anyway haha!), but I had a feeling I would have the same issue again.  I was right.  While many women swear their bodies "reset" themselves and no longer have problems, that wasn't the case for me.  I still was doing all the "right" things-tips you read and hear about anywhere-but it just wasn't happening.  So here we go again, trying what worked last time-wish us luck!  Again, I'm not huge on the medical intervention, but I believe it's worth a try for a short while-there are many great holistic approaches as well.

Medical interventions can be blessings, but you should definitely exhaust other approaches first.  Also, get more than one opinion, as all doctors differ so vastly-when I spoke to a regular OB after we moved, they actually had a different outlook on my situation.  I ended up settling with a middle-of-the-road female doc... not too conservative, not too pushy.  

Anyway, my story is just a basis for where I'm coming from on this topic, as I always like to share before spouting off any advice or info.  Below is a list of things I've either tried, or heard about from friends to improve fertility-whether you're struggling or just planning a future family-never hurts to be prepared!  

Be sure to click on this link for tips about the timing of conceiving etc (I'd be WAY too embarrassed to post details of THAT from my perspective, but would be happy to speak to anyone privately about it;).  The basics are: track your ovulation, "try" BEFORE you ovulate, and every other day mid-cycle just to cover your bases.  I have always sworn by both Dollar Tree ovulation and pregnancy tests-$1 each and detects HCG (pregnancy hormone) at 25 IU's-that's a much higher level than a $10 EPT.

Natural Aides:

• Acupuncture-I've tried it once, not while trying to conceive but just on a whim a few years back-wish I could afford it weekly! I've never felt so relaxed and literally saw some worry creases on my face disappear (temporarily-boo!)-but have heard such great things for fertility-may try it again very soon!  **money-saving tip:  look for a community acupuncture clinic... much lower cost
• FertiliTea-An amazing tasting mixture of green tea, mint, and many fertility boosting herbs that are all organic, which I love; it's a looseleaf tea that definitely lasts longer than one cycle like they say-however, it's not recommended while taking any medications for fertility
• Bone Broth-See my previous post on this with a link to the recipe and what to do with the leftovers!!  Jam-packed with nutrients supposedly a great fertility booster as well-have your cup/day!
• Pineapple-Until recently, i'd only heard about this inducing labor, but now i hear that it helps during your implantation time-and yum!! Throw it in a smoothie;)
• De-stressing-Hot bath and yoga anyone?  It's easier said than done to just have fun with conceiving and not to worry-especially as the months go on-so treat yourself to a pedi, have your partner massage you, or find some quiet alone time to meditate or read... 
• Cleaning your Body-Ya know that detoxing I'm always babbling about?? Well pre-conception would be the BEST time to do so!!  Clean blood+clean organs,=perfect environment for life to grow... toxins do nothing in the way of helping anything good occur in the body.  Sure, drug addicts or those who eat fast food everyday can go on to have 10 kids, but it doesn't mean it's the norm OR that it's a healthy option for anyone involved.
• Cutting Caffeine-Caffeine is said to restrict blood vessels which could make implantation more difficult, but most docs say that while trying to conceive AND while pregnant, one cup a day is just fine-moderation!!
• Cutting Alcohol-Alcohol can raise estrogen levels, thus messing with your cycles and ovulation-again, moderation is key; yes, you can have a glass or 2 to unwind (that de-stressing again!), but binge drinking multiple times a week may prevent the very thing you're trying to do.
• Get HIM in Gear, Too!!!-It's not all on us, ladies... make sure your man is taking proper care of his body as well during pre-conception!

Please post any comments or questions, and as always, thanks so much for reading!  Once it does happen for us again, I'll be sure to post about prenatal health... Now if you'll excuse me, my son is yelling for me to remove a pen from his ball-popping toy!

Stay Chic, Stay Healthy-baby dust to everyone... life will never be the same;)