6 Ways to improve your fertility and get pregnant faster

Fertility & health

Are fertility and health interrelated? Well, I’d bet on the answer being yes. Many of the lifestyle factors that can keep you from getting pregnant are the same things blocking your path to vitality. While fertility certainly declines with time (the largest decline begins around age 35 for most men and women), having healthy habits can prolong your fertility and lead to healthier eggs. Healthier eggs = a higher chance of implantation and a healthy pregnancy. 

While there are reasons a woman may not be able to get pregnant that are outside of her control, many conditions can be effectively managed through diet and lifestyle change. For women with unexplained infertility, incorporating healthy habits and removing toxins could lead to a higher chance of getting or staying pregnant.

Why does fertility matter?

I truly believe that fertility and health go hand in hand. We see it in women who are undergoing IVF. Some women who have had failed IVF cycles succeeded after cutting out BPA or endocrine disruptors. This is very interesting to me! The very act of including beneficial things and excluding harmful ones produces healthier eggs that are more likely to lead to a healthy pregnancy. To me, it tracks that if a healthy diet & elimination of negative environmental factors lead to eggs with less chromosomal abnormalities, it would also lead to a life that involves less chronic illness. That would make paying attention to fertility important to everyone, regardless of their plans to conceive or not. 

I also think women who plan to conceive eventually should have knowledge on what is and is not conducive to a healthy baby. Understanding fertility is especially useful to the woman who is nearing 35 and wants to protect her fertility by controlling the lifestyle factors she can. No matter what your goals are or what cycle of life you are in, understanding fertility is integral in understanding your health.

What are healthy habits?

When I talk about implementing healthy habits I mean striving to meet your full health potential. This means not only seeking the absence of disease but THRIVING! This is accomplished by clearly understanding where you are, where you want to go, and outlining a plan to get there. Many of these habits will be familiar, but some may be brand new! 

7 realms of wellness

Being healthy certainly involves eating nutrient dense foods, removing toxins (especially endocrine disruptors!), and getting a workout in. While all those things are great, there are many realms to consider when optimizing your health. Looking at the whole person and how different aspects of your life impact your health will help you understand yourself deeply.

Physical

The physical realms of health is focused on things that we typically associate with health:

• Drinking enough water

• Exercising

• Keeping a healthy BMI

• Eating nutrient-dense foods

• Getting some sun

• Getting 8 hours of sleep

While all of these things are important to living a healthy lifestyle, the other realms help to create wellness throughout the entire person.

Social

The social realm is threefold. It includes your family, friends, and significant other. Having a supportive social circle is going to be beneficial for you because you will have less drama and stress and more emotional support and help. Keeping this area healthy may involve:

• Spending more time with loved ones

• Spending less time with unsupportive people

• Actively pursuing new relationships

• Finding people you deeply bond with

Environmental

The environmental realm is all about your physical environment. Are you living somewhere that is safe, clean, and comfortable? Have you taken the time to express yourself and make your home (or apartment, or room) into a relaxing space? A huge part of this can just be keeping on top of your chores and keeping your environment tidy. Cleanliness is closed to godliness, as they say. Ideas for exploration:

• Decorate your space

• Set up a cleaning schedule

• Use non-toxic home cleaners

• Detoxify the air with plants (like the Snake plant)

Career & money

Your career and your bank account probably aren’t what you think about when it comes to health! Having a career that makes you happy leads to less stress. Having enough money to buy healthy food and pay your bills significantly contributes to your health. In fact, a stressful job could lead to overeating, overspending, smoking, drinking, or chronic stress. 

• Work on your money mindset

• Learn about money

• Move toward finding a new job or field if you are unhappy currently

Spiritual & Personal growth and development

This realm of health could involve going to church more, going back to college, or both! Getting closer to God and growing skills and abilities is a great way to feel vibrant! Most of these activities value creating more of the time than you are consuming. So instead of listening to music, maybe you can write it! You can accomplish this by:

• Getting closer to God

• Learning a new skill

• Starting a business

• Overcoming unhealthy habits

• Volunteering for a cause you care about

Fun & recreation

Do you allow yourself room to just play? Making time to have nothing to do besides consciously relaxing is so beneficial for you! Allowing yourself to relax will result in more creativity and less stress. Ways you can relax:

• Schedule a day in nature

• Join a recreational group

• Plan a weekly meetup

• Begin a new craft

Being healthy involves all of these areas. Protecting your fertility involves all of them too! A healthy diet and workout routine is great, but a toxin free home & stress free life is even better!