Trying to conceive? Planning to start a family can be a lot of fun until months go by with no baby. Sex can become more like a burdensome chore. Relationships can become strained. You may even feel betrayed by your own body. However, consider this before you turn to fertility medicine which can be really hard on your body and quite expensive.
How To Conceive Naturally
There are some natural things you can try to get your body in the best shape possible to support a baby. And, if you do end up needing fertility medicine, you will have a better chance of success.
This will be the first article in a series on how to conceive naturally. We will cover:
• Getting the right tests
• Eating the right foods
• Supplements to consider
• Eliminating toxins
• Managing stress
• Healthy sperm
• Managing health challenges like obesity, endometriosis, PCOS, and fibroids
Get The Right Tests
When it takes a while to get pregnant, there are a few things to consider. It could be that your thyroid is not working right, your hormones are out of whack, or you have a nutritional deficiency. Testing can help you determine what next steps to take.
Cholesterol
• Your cholesterol should be over 150 mg/dl or 3.879 mmol/l. Cholesterol is the building block on progesterone, the baby making hormone. You need adequate cholesterol to conceive and maintain a healthy pregnancy. Click here to learn The Myths About Cholesterol.
Full Thyroid Panel
• Get a full thyroid panel (not just a TSH) with antibodies. You want to ensure you don’t have Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid condition that often gets diagnosed as depression or anxiety. A full panel will help to determine what kind, if any, thyroid issue you might have. Thyroid hormones are essential for a healthy pregnancy so you want to make sure you are taking proper care of the thyroid gland. A TSH by itself is not very useful as TSH can be normal in many thyroid conditions.
Iodine Loading Test
• See if you are deficient in iodine. This is a common problem with endometriosis, fibroids, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Iodine deficiency is very common because we don’t consume adequate amounts unless we are eating sea vegetables and seafood. This is a urine test, not a blood test. You want a score of 90% or better. Click here to read how This One Urine Test Could Save Your Life!
Check Estrogen, Progesterone & Testosterone
• A very common hormone issue is estrogen dominance. You may actually have normal values for both estrogen and progesterone, but they may not be balanced well. This can hinder fertility. Excess testosterone can also interfere with conception and is common in PCOS. Click here to read my article on how Get Your Body Ready For A Baby.
These tests will give you a good picture of what could be preventing a pregnancy. Once you know what is going on, you can take the right steps to solve the problem and enhance your chances of getting pregnant.
For more information, Click here download my free Baby-Ready Body guide or click here to visit my website .
Annette Presley RD, LD, is a functional nutritionist, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. She enjoys helping people live their lives well so they can stay out of hospitals and spend more time with their families and doing the things they love.