Sunday, July 24, 2011

Natural Remedies to Boost Fertility #2: Lifestyles of the Naturally Fertile


This is a continuation of a multiple-post-series based strictly on my personal research, especially through the book Making Babies. See here for #1: The Basics and here for #3: Destressing.

Lifestyles of the Naturally Fertile
  • Stay in your healthy weight range. If overweight, sometimes just losing 10% can boost fertility. See calculator.
  • Exercise 30+ minutes most days of the week, but stay away from your peak exercise level.
    • Phase 1 (menstruation): avoid strenuous exercise; try yoga, tai chi, or quigong
    • Phase 2 (pre-ovulation): spend 20-30 minutes/day on aerobic exercise
    • Phase 3 (ovulation): exercise gently; try swimming, walking, yoga, or qi gong
    • Phase 4 (potential implantation): moderate exercise; try walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, or qigong
  • Have a healthy night's sleep- aim for 8 hours.
  • Avoid toxins (in pesticides, lead, mercury, chlorine, cadmium, cigarette smoke, etc.).
  • Do not smoke.
  • Limit caffeine to 90 mg maximum (1C coffee, 2C black tea, 3C green tea).
    • Caffeine can decrease the flow of blood to the uterus, which can interfere with implantation.
    • It can increase the risk of clotting and miscarriage.
    • It can increase stress and anxiety levels.
    • It is acidic and can make the body and cervical mucus acidic.
  • Avoid alcohol--limit completely or stick to one glass of wine or beer.
  • Be mindful of the effects of medication you are on.
  • Don't use recreational drugs.
  • Other: Avoid hot baths, scented tampons, and douches.
Coming soon: Destressing. Stay tuned!

3 comments:

  1. these posts are awesome. Thanks for the summary!

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  2. I am so glad you are enjoying Making Babies and learning how to live a healthier lifestyle!

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  3. I'm having a harder time with the limited exercise than anything else. I recently got back into running and I can't believe how much better it makes me feel. Although when I get pregnant there won't be too much running ;) good luck!

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