8 Things You Can Do TODAY For Hormone Balance and Fertility
1. Don’t drink caffeine on an empty stomach. I’m not entirely anti-coffee (although many studies have shown it isn’t great for fertility or hormones). A cup a day for most people is easily tolerated. However, it’s important to make sure you are consuming it in a way that will mitigate some of the more negative effects. Making sure you are not having your coffee (or your caffeine of choice) on an empty stomach is definitely a crucial one. Caffeine spikes your cortisol (stress hormone) and insulin/blood sugar levels more dramatically when there is no food or blood sugar stabilizing substances (ie protein, fat) in your stomach. This then causes subsequent endocrine disruption and hormone imbalance. So breakfast first!
2. Meditate. If you’ve been trying to conceive for a while, you are probably familiar with the trite and patronizing saying, “Just relax and it will happen.” But the frustrating thing is, it’s partly true. There have been many studies on the negative effects of stress on fertility and the benefits of starting a meditation and mindfulness practice. It may seem daunting or be the last thing you feel like doing after a long day, but the benefits truly compound with time. Even just 10 minutes per day has been shown to have physiological benefits.
3. Eat healthy fats. The cholesterol in healthy fats is what the building blocks our reproductive hormones are made from, so ensuring you’re getting enough will ensure your body is getting all the resources it needs for sufficient hormone production. Healthy fats are also great for stabilizing blood sugar (another popular hormone disruptor). So load up on avocado, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, olives, egg yolks, olive oil, and all the other delicious healthy fats you can.
4 .Get moving. Getting 30-45 minutes of exercise per day helps to regulate stress levels, burn fat, stabilize blood sugar, and produce feel good hormones like endorphins. All of these things are important for fertility. It doesn’t have to be going for a run or having to trek all the way to the gym. Even a brisk walk after dinner or on your commute home or a YouTube yoga or workout class will suffice.
5. Swap out the iced water for warm water. In traditional Chinese medicine, your digestion system is described as a furnace, and anything that is too cold or raw will put out the fires and lead to sluggish digestion, bloating, and impaired nutrient absorption. To keep your digestive fires lit, try to focus on warm, cooked foods, or at least room temperature. If you do consume something on the colder side or raw like a salad, add something warm to it like soup or a cup of warm water. Your hormones are built from the nutritional building blocks your intestines absorb from the food you eat, so keeping a healthy and happy gut is crucial for adequate hormone production and balance.
6. Go to bed early. This one is the biggest bummer for most people. Going to bed early is never fun. It’s hard to say no to just one more Netflix episode and there seems to be so much more interesting things to mindlessly scroll through on social media. But if you’re getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, you may not be getting enough to support all of your body’s crucial processes. Try to be in bed by 11 pm. As the saying goes, one hour of sleep before midnight counts as two hours of sleep after midnight (we tend to have our deeper, more rejuvenating type of sleep in the earlier hours of the night). Countless studies show sleep is crucial for fertility and hormone balance.
7. Supplements. I always recommend a few key supplements for all of our fertility patients, including a good quality prenatal, omega 3 fish oil, and Vitamin D. All three are important for fertility and overall hormone balance. I may also recommend additional supplements depending on your individual health picture.
8. Book an Acupuncture appointment. Acupuncture is a wonderful and extremely effective modality that improves fertility and regulates hormones by regulating the HPA axis, increasing blood circulation to the reproductive organs, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, and decreases inflammation. And don’t forget that male infertility counts for 40% of infertile couples, so book your partner in, too, to boost your chances even more! And if you’re not local to Vancouver, of Burnaby, you can book with me through my Virtual Health Coaching practice.
Peace & Periods,
Allison
