It’s no secret I love all things hormones, which includes fertility! Many women only equate healthy hormonal activity to having a baby and unfortunately, this leads a lot of women to not addressing their hormonal imbalances until they are trying to conceive.

We need to understand that fertility is a SIGN of a well functioning body. 

A healthy body should be fertile. 

This is why whether or not your are actively trying to get pregnant, you should be working to optimize your hormones. 

If you think you are wanting to have a baby in the next 2 years- start optimizing your hormones NOW. As it can up to 6 months to over a year to fully address hormonal imbalances. 

In addition to ensuring healthy hormone activity, I worked specifically to optimize my mitochondrial health. Why? Because your mitochondria (aka the powerhouse of the cell) is ESSENTIAL for egg quality, fertilization, implantation, and replication of a growing fetus.

Healthy Mitochondria = Increased Fertility

So, what did I specifically do to optimize my hormonal health and mitochondria in preparation for getting pregnant with baby #2?

1. Ensured I was getting adequate nutrients! 

Spoiler alert- I don’t take a prenatal. Rather I get all my nutrients from a combination of targeted supplements and whole foods.

First, I am prioritizing EATING ENOUGH. Several studies have linked inadequate energy consumption to low progesterone, infertility, and even PCOS. I am especially focused on eating enough healthy fats, especially omega 3 fatty acids, (fish, walnuts, seeds, organic meat, coconut, extra virgin olive oil, etc), 25-35g of fiber daily through plants, vegetables, & fruit, and balancing my blood with adequate protein and low glycemic carbohydrates. See this study here to learn more about how the “fertility diet” decreased risk of infertility and anovulation.

Some nutrient specific things I am focusing on based on studies showing their positive effect on fertility, hormones, & mitochondria:

All supplements I reference in this section can be found in the “fertility” protocol on my Fullscripts portal here.

Vitamin C: via mineral mocktails (I use Adrenal Cocktail by Jigsaw which has 600mg of whole food based vitamin C!). Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects the cell and also supports the body’s stress response. This study found vitamin C can improve luteal phase length (ie progesterone levels) and increase fertility.

Vitamin E: a powerful antioxidant shown to support healthy estrogen, progesterone and improve egg quality as well as reduce inflammation. I am using Vitamin E with mixed tocopherols (this is VERY important) from Metabolic Maintenance 400iu/day.

B Vitamins and Vitamin A: Both B vitamins and vitamin A in the form of retinol are crucial to supporting healthy hormonal activity, cellular function, and liver detoxification all of which support fertility. Interestingly, adequate B vitamins may also protect women from endocrine disrupting pesticides and improve fertility. I am using PERFECT Supplements Beef Liver (code: womenshealthrn10 for 10% off!) for both my b vitamin complex and source of vitamin A.

Magnesium: Magnesium is needed for over 600 functions in the body including balancing blood sugar (vital for healthy hormones) and is essential to mitochondrial health. A study also found magnesium supplement during pregnancy lead to fewer pregnancy complications. I am utilizing Magsoothe powder by Jigsaw and magnesium lotion at night to meet my magnesium needs.

Sodium/Potassium: I am someone who is under a lot of (good!) stress. Sodium/potassium are deleted in stress. Inadequate sodium intake (<1500mg per day) is also surprisingly linked to an increase in infertility. Potassium also plays a vital role in reproductive health. I, personally, do 2-3 mineral mocktails per day to support my bodies Na/K levels.

Selenium: Selenium has been found to be a critical nutrient for fertility as it supports healthy thyroid hormone production and protects the cells against inflammation. There are small levels of selenium continued in beef liver and I also prioritize food sources of selenium as well.

Please remember you do not necessarily need to supplement but first start with prioritizing foods with these vitamins and minerals in them! Always start with food first.

Here is another article about Rethinking Your Prenatal Here! 

However, if the idea of not using a prenatal does not sit well with you, 2 brands of prenatals I like are:

• Innate Response Babay & Me Prenatal {can be found on Fullscripts}
• Seeking Health Prenatal {can be found on Fullscripts}

Please remember you do not necessarily need to supplement but first start with prioritizing foods with these vitamins and minerals in them! Always start with food first.

2. Working on Managing My Stress!

Increased stress and cortisol has been directly correlated to poor estrogen and progesterone levels, decreased ovulation, and an increase in infertility. 

Putting it simply, if your body is perceiving high stress it won’t think it’s a great time to have a baby. 

I am working more on taking time away from working, increasing prayer/meditation, and doing activities that I enjoy like walking outdoors, reading books, and prioritizing friendships. 

Some apps I enjoy for managing stress: Headspace, Calm, Breathwrk, and Halo!

3. Weight Training!!

Weight training can increase lean muscle mass which can help balance hormones, increase insulin sensitive (aka help with blood sugar balance), and reduce stress. These are all factors that are needed to support healthy hormones and ovulation as well as support healthy mitochondria.

Supporting strong lean muscle helps to prepare my body to carry a baby around for 9 months! Exercise has also been linked to better pregnancy and delivery outcomes. 

Additionally, continued strength training during pregnancy has been found to decrease anxiety and depression.

Studies have also found that excessive cardio (more that 7 hours per week) can increase risk of anovulatory infertility. This why my focus is on building lean muscle as it will support healthy hormones AND a healthy pregnancy.

Lastly, exercise and movement help to increase blood flow. Adequate blood flow to your reproductive organs, especially the uterus, is crucial for ovulation, conception, implantation, and maintain of pregnancy.

Whew, that was a lot! I hope this helped you understand some of the steps I took to ensure my hormones, mitochondria, and muscles were in the best shape for achieving pregnancy!

Are you looking to get your body ready to conceive? Are you having trouble conceiving? Or are you are you ready to ditch your symptoms for good and find the root cause of what’s going on in your body? Are you ready to stop feeling “crazy” every time you go to the doctor and they tell you “everything looks normal”? Then you may be a perfect fit for my 1:1 coaching program! You can book your discovery call here!

Wishing you happy hormones,

Ginny