In honor of this month’s Mother’s Day, I would like to discuss fertility strategies including providing the best environment to allow fertilization but also looking at the root cause including nutrient deficiencies and hormone imbalance. Imbalances can cause PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, stress, and endometriosis for women and decreased sperm production and motility for men.
Lifestyle factors for greater risk for infertility include stress, tobacco, alcohol & caffeine use, and exposure to endocrine disrupters and environmental toxins found in foods, plastics, pesticides, etc. One could consider doing a detox at least 3 months before trying to conceive. Drinking plenty of water can help with detox as well as support cervical mucus production.
Eating a healthy real food diet is recommended. For nutritional gaps in the diet, one should be taking a good prenatal multivitamin like Thorne’s Basic Prenatal and Canprev’s Prenatal Multi. They contain the active methylated form of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects. Up to 10 to 25% of white and Hispanic populations can have the MTHF-R gene mutation which prevents the conversion of synthetic folic acid found in most tablets and fortified grains to the active folate that your body uses. I routinely recommend the methylated form of folate and B vitamins just in case one has that genetic malformation.
NutraVege Prenatal is a targeted Omega-3 supplement from algae that has been tested for toxins and contains a higher amount of DHA which can help with brain, eye, and nervous system development.
Vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia so checking your levels with Medisure’s Vitamin D home rapid test may ensure you have adequate levels. One should also check for iron deficiency as this is especially important in the 2nd trimester.
Canprev’s Prime Fertility contains Choline for neural health and cellular development, CoQ10, PQQ, and NAC to reduce oxidative damage and support cellular health, Myo-Inositol to help support insulin sensitivity (commonly seen in PCOS), which can impact fertility and gestational diabetes, and Chaste Berry to promote progesterone synthesis. Progesterone deficiencies are common causes of miscarriages. This combination may help promote ovulatory function and improve egg development quality.
Canprev’s Prime Virility, Fertility & Testosterone for men is an advanced formula containing Acetyl-L-Carnitine and CoQ10 to aid in mitochondrial function and sperm motility, ashwagandha and saffron to reduce stress, boost energy, and help promote healthy testosterone production.
For a better understanding of hormone imbalances caused by stress, gut problems, toxins, inflammation, and blood sugar dysregulation consider attending my upcoming Hormone Balancing Seminar held every few months (next seminar June 27, 2023). If you are trying to conceive, I hope next year you will be celebrating Mother’s Day with a beautiful newborn baby.
Lyle Sunada is a compounding pharmacist and NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner specializing in hormone balancing and alternative medicine at Cloverdale Pharmasave. He also specializes in veterinary medicine for animals. Everything mentioned in the article is available In-Store.
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