My Natural Fertility Journey
Updated: Oct 21, 2020
Those of you that follow our Balanced Friends Instagram page are already aware that I AM PREGNANT with my first baby!! But what you don't know is that I started my fertility journey years ago. I learned through this process that it's never too early to nourish your fertility. A few years back it seemed like everyone around me was struggling with both male and female infertility (unfortunately it's really on the rise and sperm especially is in trouble). Not only did it break my heart watching my siblings, close friends, and even private wellness clients struggle with infertility ... it motivated me to dive deep into fertility research. I've read every health & fertility book I could get my hands on! The infertility hardships happening all around me fueled my fertility fire! It's those that have struggled that I have to thank for my baby. I got pregnant naturally on my third time trying and on my own time line. I truly was able to take charge of my fertility!!
**Yes that's an organic onsie and toxic free baby toys!
What I didn't realize until recently was that choosing to clean up my diet and lifestyle years ago would also contribute to my fertility. Aside from eating organic foods whenever possible, lowering my toxic load, moving my body, getting enough sleep, and lowering stress ... there were lots of other factors that helped to boost my fertility.
First lets talk toxins. They are everywhere! It stinks that Europe has banned so many toxins while so many are still on the market here in the USA. Truthfully, it makes me angry because I believe all products should just be honest and good for us. But money greed wont allow it so as always it's up to us to vote with our dollar. Something we are super passionate about at Balanced Friends. I started lowering my toxic load by choosing organic foods whenever possible. I also choose to take a balanced whole foods approach when it comes to eating. Something we love teaching our private wellness clients all about! After my food was cleaned up, I moved onto my household items. This included items like hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, food storage containers, cookware, and more. After I felt good about those swaps (and don't let me fool you, I'm still swapping things out and trying new products that I believe in) I began to tackle my skincare, makeup, and cosmetics. I picked more toxic-free versions and from companies I trust like Beautycounter. I am currently learning about healthier clothing options. And I simply can't wait to tackle baby toys and goodies so I hope you stick around for more!
But why does living a toxic free lifestyle help fertility? It all comes down to making the body feel safe enough to create a new life from scratch. When you are constantly exposed to toxins your body is under attack 24/7! Your immune system and other systems in the body are working overtime to take care of these intruders. If your body is constantly under attack it naturally shifts into fight/flight mode. This tells your body you are no longer safe and it will do everything in it's power to keep you alive. Keeping you alive is your body's top priority so therefore it will shut down any systems that are extra and not needed for your survival. Including but not limited to your FERTILITY!! Toxins play a huge role in both male and female fertility and it's why we are always sharing our favorite toxic free products on our Instagram page. So you don't have to do all the homework we have already done for you! Now you might be thinking ok I'll start cleaning up my lifestyle but is it really enough? I say no. It's important to lower your toxin exposure but also super important to purge/detox your body of toxins. So I completed the functional medicine liver detox fond on our website or the link below three times prior to becoming pregnant This was my attempt to clean the home (my body) where my future baby will be living for many months.
**One of the first times I completed the functional medicine liver detox. Find the link here!
Aside from detoxing, lowering my toxin exposure, and choosing organic foods ... the major decision I made for my fertility happened when I ditched the hormonal birth control pill. I had been on it for 10 years!! I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to come off the pill. What if I get pregnant right away? What about my skin? What about my painful periods? Will I gain a bunch of weight? These are all very real questions and emotions we face as women when we choose to quit the pill. But once I learned what it was really doing to my body and how it worked, I couldn't wait to ditch the pill!! I did this 2 years before trying to get pregnant. I wanted my body to have time to naturally bounce back from the synthetic hormones, to replenish the vitamin deficiencies the pill caused, and to allow my brain and ovaries to communicate to each other again. It can take time for all of that to rebalance after so many years on the pill. But I am proof that it is possible to rebalance the body post pill! After the pill, I tracked my cycles using an app on my phone along with the Daysy Fertility Tracker which was a great hormone free fit for me.
**Daysy Fertility Tracker is pictured above. You can find the link here to read more!
Next up, I ran functional medicine labs (yes the same ones we use with our private wellness clients) to check the health of my gut, vitamin levels, and mineral ratios. Boy am I glad I chose to gather this information about by health! Considering my already healthy lifestyle as mentioned above, I thought these tests weren't really going to help me. I was shocked to learn of the vitamin deficiencies I had even after taking (now I realize they were low quality) vitamins. I had mold toxicity, high copper to zinc ratio, and stressed adrenal glands. All of which stand in the way of fertility. If I wanted to truly take charge of my fertility, give myself the best chance to get pregnant on my time line, and have the healthiest baby possible I knew I had some work to do on a much deeper level. So I began a protocol to detox the mold from my body. I also started on a strict high quality supplement regimen to address the nutrient deficiencies and to properly support my adrenal glands. I also had to rebalance my copper to zinc ratio. I had high copper potentially due to the copper IUD birth control option I had placed when I first came off the pill. But copper comes from water pipes and many other sources so it's hard to say exactly why my ratio was out of wack! But why does it really matter? Well too much copper and not enough zinc has been linked to birth defects. Something I didn't want to chance and is surprisingly easy to correct!!
Just a friendly side note; these lab tests are not available to you at a western medicine doctors office. So if you want access to this information about your own body please contact us and we will guide you! Everyone deserves to have this information about their health. Oh and did I mention that I did all of these labs and rebalanced my body all without having a single doctors visit?! I did it all from the comfort of my own home and you can too!
One more point and the end to my fertility journey is a gentle reminder that fertility takes two. My husband also lives a toxic free balanced life, takes high quality supplements that help support sperm health, moves his body, gets enough sleep, and keeps stress to a minimum. Fertility is a team effort and the healthier both partners are the higher the chances of baby making and creating a HEALTHIER baby. You have the power to lower the chances of chronic illness in your future child and it stars before the sperm meets the egg! My husband has also completed the functional medicine liver detox three times. The liver filters all the blood in our bodies so it's extremely important to support your liver! He also uses a device that goes under his laptop to protect his family jewels from unnecessary heat and EMF's. He keeps the boys cool and does not wear restrictive undies.
**The cutest cupcakes my sister in-law surprised us with when we told her our exciting news!
My last words of wisdom for now ... Your body is never wrong and it's always on your side! Yes even when it doesn't feel like it. Infertility is a terribly sad sign that something in the body is not working properly. It's your body telling you that it's not safe enough to grow a life and that there is still some work to be done until it's the right time. Even my first two times trying to conceive I did not succeed because my body wasn't ready (partly due to stress) and that's OK! I'd rather my body be ready and tell me when it's time vs me forcing my body to do something it's not ready for. Now is there exceptions to this point of view? Absolutely! Are fertility treatments sometimes necessary? You bet! And we are thankful for modern medicine giving parents the opportunity to have a family. But should it be the first thing we turn to without first looking at our lifestyle? I don't think so. When I was working with my sister on her fertility journey, I kept telling her that choosing a healthier toxic free lifestyle is only helpful and never hurtful. In fact when you are pregnant you have to avoid a lot of toxins anyways so why not get a head start? And if you are considering fertility treatments, why not get as healthy as possible before so that you can increase your chances of success at the same time as attempting to create the healthiest baby possible? You get my drift!
Some people choose to say that I'm "the lucky one" in my family that didn't have fertility issues or that I got the good genes. But I know the years of work and research I put into taking charge of both my husbands and my fertility was the secret sauce for us! Genes play a role but it's poor lifestyle habits that pull the trigger. I hope after reading my personal fertility journey that you too can feel motivated and empowered to take charge of your fertility. No one cares more about building your future family more than you do. Remember to have faith that your body knows exactly what it's doing!
More Helpful Links Related To This Post
Natural Fertility Balance Program
Functional Medicine Lab Test For Hormone Health
Functional Medicine Liver Detox
Functional Medicine Mold Detox
Free Detox Your Kitchen Mini Course
Free 30 Minute Consultation With Us
Copper Toxicity, Birth Defects, Autism Risk
The Best Filter For Removing Toxins From Tap Water
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