- Do I have enough nutrients to give my baby and also have a healthy pregnancy?
- Do I have a healthy non-toxic environment for my child to grow and thrive?
- Do I feel healthy? And do I feel healthy enough that I know my baby will get everything they need to develop?
- Do I have any current conditions that I can pass to my baby? Infections, Candida Yeast, Viruses, etc.
These are also questions that you may have never thought to consider when trying to get pregnant but the answers are very important. We are programmed for health and fertility but deficiencies, toxicity, infections, and stress can cause our body to put on the brakes when trying to get pregnant. There are other important factors to consider when you are “deemed” infertile.
- If your stress is high or you are in a fast paced lifestyle your body is over secreting stress hormones. High stress hormones will suppress your sex hormones and reproductive system causing difficulty to get pregnant.
- If you have had a history of irregular periods, migraines, cramping, heavy bleeding, and/or PMS. These symptoms are a product of a chronic hormonal imbalance that can prevent pregnancy.
- If you have fatigue and/or abnormal thyroid levels you are most likely experiencing adrenal fatigue which also suppresses your sex hormones.
- If you have anemia due to lack or Iron, B-Vitamins, and/or Folic Acid (which is also associated with long term birth control use) it does not allow for a healthy pregnancy.
- If you have a high levels of toxicity (heavy metals, pesticides, preservatives) and inflammation it will not allow for proper neurological development of the fetus.
- If you have gastrointestinal issues or discomfort there could be an overgrowth of bacteria, parasites, viruses, and yeast which could be passed to the baby and affect development. The overgrowth of these pathogens can also manifest as skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, acne, fungus), yeast infections, and chronic sinusitis.
So let me tell you a story…
A young woman came into my office for a functional medicine consultation for her chronic skin hives and food sensitivities. When a patient comes to me with hives and food sensitivities, I automatically start thinking poor gut health. In taking her history a few important things came up that were not directly related to why she came to see me. She experienced irregular periods for most of her adolescence and she would have an increase in her hive breakouts closer to her menstrual cycle. She also mentioned severe PMS and recent loss of sex drive. This woman was under a great deal of stress due to fear, confusion, and hopelessness around her health. She went to many doctors and no one could tell her what is wrong with her. I learned that a lot of her stress was because she wanted to have a baby in the future and she didn’t know if she could, especially since she felt poorly all the time. She also knew that she needed to be in good health to best take care of a baby. The next step was to send her out for blood work, hair analysis (for toxicity), and a saliva-urine panel for neurotransmitters, stress hormones, and sex hormones. This is what the analysis revealed:
- Severe Mineral Deficiency
- Heavy Metal Toxicity and Liver Inflammation (since the liver is a detox organ)
- Parasites
- B-Vitamin and Folic Acid Deficiency
- Low Estrogen and Progesterone
- High Stress Hormones: Cortisol and Norepinephrine
So what does that even mean?
- Severe Mineral Deficiency: She did not have sufficient amounts of minerals to provide to the baby for optimal development. She would have compromised her bone health and organ health during pregnancy since what she did have would be consumed by the baby.
- Heavy Metal Toxicity and Liver Inflammation: She had accumulated various types of environmental toxins that her body could not eliminate. These toxins can create issues with the neurological development of the fetus.
- Parasites: She had a manifestation of parasites in her gut that were leaching most of her nutrients from her diet. The parasites would have taken nutrients from the baby and effected development.
- B-Vitamin and Folic Acid Deficiency: She was deficient in B-Vitamins and Folic Acid from past birth control use which effects fertility.
- High Stress Hormones (Epinephrine and Norepinephrine) and Low Estrogen and Progesterone: Due to stress she was not producing normal amounts of estrogen and progesterone which are the essential hormones for fertility. Stress suppresses the sex hormones.
So what did we do about it?
We went through various strategic phases to heal her body as a whole. First, we eliminated the heavy metals through a gentle detoxification to eliminate the burden on her liver and other organs. We then focused on eliminating the parasitic infestation of her gut. We worked with the gut in two phases: we started by removing the overgrowth of parasites and bacteria and then transitioned into a phase of replenishment that included probiotics and enzymes. Our next step was to replenish the minerals and B-vitamins with balancing the hormones.
Among all of the supplemental balancing, she was on a nutritional plan that educated her on to nourish her body with real food. She transitioned from processed chicken fingers, french fries, and bagels to eating real food that nourished her body. In the beginning, she felt overwhelmed about how little she knew about nutrition and proper eating. I explained to her that this was a training phase. It was time to shift her mindset about food and change her dietary habits that have been the norm since childhood. She gained so much knowledge through our time together that allowed her to create sustainable changes. She will forever have the knowledge and tools to lead a healthy lifestyle but will always have the choice to implement them. We knew she was fully converted to the “IWG Way” when she had her dog rocking a Flea and Tick necklace that also protected against EMF’s (electromagnetic frequencies).
At 7 months into the program she was happy, free of IBS, free of hives, and PREGNANT!!!
The moral of the story is that it’s not about having some cure or strategic intervention for Infertility. It’s about having a better understanding why you are not getting pregnant. Your innate intelligence is not allowing conception due to a lack of something that your body needs for a baby to thrive. If you have been struggling with fertility, it is time to get the right testing to see what is it that your body needs to have a happy, healthy pregnancy.
