My tips for preparing the body for pregnancy and boosting fertility!

The body works in miraculous ways, and we witness that in the creation of new life. Many of us are struggling with fertility issues, for a wide variety of reasons, and in my opinion it can never hurt to use lifestyle, nutrition, and herbs to boost vitality, nourish the reproductive system, and improve overall health prior to the journey of parenthood.

I have received a lot of questions lately about herbal medicine for boosting fertility, and plant friends that may help to prepare the body for potential pregnancy.

I really love this question because I see the value and importance of encouraging the body (and mind) into a state of good health before conception. I’ve also witnessed in my own journey that adopting healthy habits BEFORE making the transition into parenthood keeps you energized, grounded, and more resilient. You will be a better model for your children when you know how to prioritize taking care of YOU!

We live in a highly toxic world, and much of our toxicity is passed along to our babies in utero, so detoxification and nourishment prior to trying for babies is in my opinion a must. Refer to this blog post to find out if your detoxification pathways may be sluggish, and what to do about it!

Another important thing to note is that the female system that is responsible for carrying the child is only 50% of the equation. Sperm count and sperm health is at an all time low. Both partners will ideally be focusing on their health and lifestyle, and I recommend that males also improve detoxification, elimination, and nutrient density via diet and some of my herbal formulas!

Nutrition and Lifestyle

Here are a few of my nutrition and lifestyle recommendations for boosting fertility. Please do not let this list be a source of overwhelm for you. It’s not about perfection or paranoia. Think of all of the love that you have in your heart for your future baby, and put some of that love into yourself knowing that it will help you be the best you can be, in more ways than just physical.

• Eliminate alcohol, cigarettes/weed, or other drugs. If you are unable to eliminate completely, reduce consumption.

• Reduce your toxin exposure. Consider switching to natural personal care products, makeup, + household cleaners. If you wear perfume/cologne, get rid of it. Anything with fragrance, let it go. Purchase as much organic food as possible. It’s heartbreaking to think that we have to worry about toxins sprayed on our FOOD, but we do. Look up the dirty/clean15.

• Reduce or eliminate inflammatory foods. Foods that damage the gut and affect our delicate microbial balance are in turn damaging to baby, as our microflora is hugely important for the development of their immune system. These foods include processed sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and processed seed/vegetable oils.

• Nourish yourself well. This is a really really big one, and a challenging one for many women. If you were raised in the thick of diet culture it may be hard for you to wrap your head around what a healthy amount of food looks like each day. Eating meals containing an abundance of protein (animal based protein is optimal), healthy fats, and increasing starchy carbohydrates during the luteal phase of the cycle can be a great start. Eat three meals daily, don't rely on the artificial energy of coffee to push you through your day without nourishment.

• Up your fibre intake. Fibre is what binds to excess toxins, hormones, and waste matter in order to be eliminated from the body. When we don’t consume sufficient fibre, these toxins and hormones are recirculated throughout the body via a process called enterohepatic recirculation. Many women have what is called estrogen dominance, and improper elimination of excess estrogen plays a role in that! Women should aim for a minimum of 25g/day, and men 38. Some great sources are beans/legumes, avocados, berries, pears, apples, psyllium husk, bananas, chia seeds, flaxseeds.

• Start taking a prenatal. It’s important to have a sufficient level of folic acid in the body at least a month prior to conception. Folic acid is needed for the formation of the neural tube, which is fully formed one month after conception. Most people learn that they are pregnant after that point (missed period plus a few days to a week), so it is too late to start taking a prenatal when you learn you are pregnant, it must be part of the preparation 1-3 months prior.

• Move your body! My personal favourite (and biased) recommendation for movement is yoga. Yoga improves strength, especially postural strength, which is necessary for avoiding strain and stress on the back as belly grows. Having a stronger body will also come in handy postpartum when you now have a growing sack of potatoes to carry around with you everywhere! It will also work on flexibility in the hips which prepares the body for an easier labour and delivery. Lastly, yoga teaches you how to breathe. Breathing properly is one of the biggest contributors to overall health and wellbeing. Any form of exercise is great, though, and weight training is also extremely important for a healthy, resilient body as skeletal muscle is an endocrine organ!

• Get your stress in check. When the body is in a state of chronic stress, it does not feel safe. Our stress response causes us to be in survival mode, and the main priority for a body in survival mode will not be reproduction. Pick a modality that feels good for you (maybe you try a few first!), and make it a daily habit. Breathwork, meditation, mindful movement, connection with others, body work, music, the list goes on. We are not always in control of the stressors in our lives, but we can work on our resilience and increase our capacity for stress, as well as look at what patterns in our lives are keeping us in a perpetual state of stress.

Herbal and Supplement Allies

Let's get one thing straight-- herbal formulas and supplements will only get you so far. They are 1/3 of the puzzle, the other 2/3 being your nutrition and lifestyle habits. Creating a solid foundation of health by getting nutrition, sleep, light exposure, hydration, movement, and stress in check is extremely important for both partners. Plus, all of these good habits will come much easier when you work on them BEFORE baby arrives! You have time!

My Cycle Syncing Complete Protocol is a well-rounded protocol for improving health of the womb and overall menstrual cycle. What's included?

Glow Tonic tincture, my holy grail gut & liver health tincture that can help the body process excess hormones and toxins. It is no secret that we are exposed to a heck of a lot of toxins, so it is extremely common to have a sluggish liver. Symptoms of a sluggish liver can be PMS, tender breasts, painful cycles, cysts/fibroids, acne and other inflammatory skin conditions, increased anger.

Sacred Bleed Tincture, a formula for use during menstruation to ease any discomfort (nausea, cramps, scanty bleed/clotting) as well as support blood sugar regulation and immunity, both of which are more sensitive to fluctuation during menstruation.

Womb Wisdom Tincture or Womb Love Capsules, I give a choice between these two formulas based on your current state of health! For those coming off of hormonal birth control, I do not recommend Womb Wisdom tincture. The tincture is a more potent hormone balancing formula that may be helpful for those with deeper cycle health issues or symptoms. Womb Love Capsules are an overall gentle yet effective formula that nourishes the body, strengthens and tones the womb and pelvic floor, and keeps the cycle happy and healthy!

Triphala Capsules, triphala is a combination of three Ayurvedic fruits and is a gentle elimination support. We need to be pooping well in order to eliminate excess toxins and hormones from the body efficiently. Triphala not only encourages healthy elmination (no, it's not a powerful laxative that will have you running to the toilet), but it also encourages a healthier gut/intestinal tract and can protect against oxidative damage.

Womb Love Tea, the holy grail tea for womb holders. I encourage daily consumption of this tea pre, during, and postpartum for a few reasons. It helps to strengthen and tone the tissues of the uterus and pelvic floor, both of which need to be healthy and strong for holding baby! It contains nutritive herbs-- food-like herbs that provide high amounts of bioavailable vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal health of both mama and baby. This tea is also extremely valuable for use during and post-labour because it contains high levels of iron and vitamin K, needed to prevent hemorrhaging during labour and replenish the body after blood loss. It can also help with toning the uterus post-birth and bringing it back down to its usual size.

If you don't feel that you need everything from the complete protocol you can pick and choose which formulas feel best for you or meet your needs.

I also often recommend a stress support formula if chronic stress is a factor for you and/or your partner on this journey. Formulas like Adrenal Aid Tincture and Calm & Cool capsules contain adaptogens that help build resilience to stress and calm the body. Nourishing Nervine Tea is also a great fast-acting stress support containing herbs that literally feed a frazzled nervous system.

Lastly, a product that isn't of my own making (although would love to make a version of these some day) is Bison Trifecta. This supplement contains bison liver, kidney, and heart. Organ meats contain high levels of B vitamins (these are depleted with hormonal birth control use and stress!) and nutrients that nourish us deeply. I believe that we are healthiest when we are well nourished, and this supplement has been a huge game changer on my own health journey. I love it and give it to my whole family.

Should you get pregnant while taking these formulas, discontinue use of all but Womb Love Tea until post breastfeeding. Many of the herbs in the formulas are powerful and potent, and may pose risk to baby if supplemented during pregnancy or even through breastmilk if you choose to nurse. I now have a pregnancy and nursing safe section of my shop with a new formula called Lively Liver that is safe for use during pregnancy and nursing for liver support, and a tea called Rest & Digest for nervous system and digestive support! And I have an entire section in my shop with the things that I feel are safe to use during pregnancy and postpartum.

As always, what I have written above are mere suggestions. There are no “musts” or “shoulds”. Do what feels best for you and your body. Having carried one child myself I can speak to my experience, and I also offer consultations for those wanting to dive deeper into their health goals to prepare the body for conception.

Love you

Jenna