Fertility Foods

Al

Alanna • Married- stepmom to twin boys-TTC #1- Three failed clomid cycles-three failed femera cycles-first round of IVF/frozen cycle in October 2017.

If you're like me, you've probably googled that. After much research, I've come to the conclusion that there's no silver bullet or magic diet to solve fertility issues. I do, however, believe that our bodies sustain a lot of trauma because of stress, environmental factors, diet, etc. and there may be things we can do to begin healing. To that end, once I found out that my hubby and I would need to try <a href="https://glowing.com/glow-fertility-program">IVF</a> in order to become pregnant, I decided to make some big changes to my diet and lifestyle. I didn't want to do anything unsustainable because I wanted this to be a forever change rather than an "in the moment" change. I'm going to list some of the things I'm trying below and I'm hoping that you guys might share some of your suggestions as well. Some of these changes might be difficult to make (they definitely were for me) but, as my OBGYN once said, "I wish all women had to struggle just a little bit to have children because women who have to do 'the work' are the strongest and most resilient people I've ever met". We can do it! So here goes:

1. I started off trying supplements (roots, herbs, vitamins...all of them) but they made me feel weird and kind of sick so I'm down to just a prenatal vitamin a day.

2. I've stopped eating meat and diary, and only occasionally will have fish and organic eggs. I will start working organic chicken back into my diet soon but I needed a cleanse. Watch "What the Health" on Netflix if you need a little motivation. This was the hardest thing for me to do. I come from a meat and potatoes kind of family. We love bacon and eat some sort of meat product with EVERY meal. However, I don't really even miss the meat that much (now that I know it might have been hurting me all this time).

3. I eat a lot of greens, other veggies, fruit and super grains. Start a Pinterest board of delicious vegetarian/vegan dishes and start making them in bulk. Right now I have a huge container of black bean soup in my fridge and it's delicious!

4. Get rid of the scented candles and plug ins. I used to have candles everywhere and 10+ plug ins all around the house. They are terrible for our reproductive systems. Look it up. I've swapped everything out for soy based products. I also stopped eating popcorn from the microwaveable bags. Look that up as well.

5. I engage in active movement for at least 30 minutes a day. That could be a walk, the gym, jumping jacks in the bedroom, or even just turning up my music and doing some crazy dancing in the batch room mirror for 30 minutes. Sweat a little each day.

6. I eat two Brazil nuts a day. Google. In general I'm looking into hormone balancing foods versus "fertility" foods. Try Maca powder as well.

These are just a few things. I've also focused on minimizing my exposure to harmful chemicals in everyday products. I just started making these new lifestyle changes in February so I don't have any miracle news to share and that's not really the point. I want a healthy body, a healthy baby and a healthy family. I'll do whatever it takes.

I just started my <a href="https://glowing.com/glow-fertility-program">IVF</a> cycle in August. My FET transfer will likely be in October. I can't wait!

I've gotten so much information and support from this Glow community. Thanks guys and I look forward to reading your suggestions as well.

316 views • 4 upvotes • 6 comments

COMMENT (6)

Ma

Posted at
I love this list! I agree about the scented items- they had to go. Here's my list:1) only organic meat, chicken and dairy (I'm not as good as you about cutting it out completely.)2) no more plastic food storage. No more using my beloved keurig coffee maker for the same reason. I switched to a tea kettle and French press. 3) eating extra sweet potato. My acupuncture therapist recommends all yellow/orange veggies. I figure it can't hurt!4) no more visits to nail salons and no more regular nail polish. I've switched to "piggy paint" which actually lasts a surprisingly long time!5) "yoga for fertility" DVD. I am not a yoga person so this was hard for me to get into.

Ma

Manda 🦈 • Sep 3, 2017
It's not bad- I'm not flexible either. There are a few parts that I modify or even skip. For the most part, it's doable. I like how it explains why you are doing certain moves and how they relate to fertility.

Al

Alanna • Sep 3, 2017
Ooh! I had no idea about the yellow/orange veggie thing. I love sweet potatoes. I'll be upping my intake of those and squash. Is yoga for fertility ok for beginners? I've been to a few yoga classes but I'm about as flexible as the tin man 🙄.

Me

Posted at
Ive done all of this and more with no results (but healthy results on my doctors tests). This month I tried the drink as much wine as you want during your fertile week method. We'll see in a few days! lolPs. don't forget about raspberry nettle tea, eating the pineapple core, eating iodine rich foods (for thyroid issue ttc'ers) and always wearing clothes that keep you want/eating spicy/warming foods for those who have "cold uterus syndrome".

Al

Alanna • Sep 4, 2017
I want to try all the wines as well some days 😂

Ma

Posted at
Oh, and using the supplements coq10!(ubiquinol form) and DHEA (micronized)