I spent time recently with family friends who are finally able to enjoy the trials and tribulations of parenthood, after a long and arduous overseas adoption process…
The delight and pleasure this couple exuded was such a treat to observe and I often replay those images in my mind. Whilst I do, I can’t help but wonder how Simon and I may have coped with the trials of infertility.
What would we have chosen? What course would we have taken?
How far and wide would we have journeyed to achieve our family?
I had contemplated this previously when writing the Fertility Challenges Chapter and yet every time I think of the ‘gift of family’ I am filled with such empathy and admiration for couples struggling to conceive. Couples who spend years chasing the faint prospect of becoming a parent and adopting. Couples who display such courage, determination and tenacity that it is truly inspiring.
With this in mind and even though I give thanks for my children everyday, contemplating these questions reminds me that of all of my privileges – my boys are by far, my greatest.
Another privilege is my capacity to reach parents and prospective parents to provide them with information and ideas that may increase their capacity to conceive or assist with therapies they may already be utilizing.
So with this blog I would like to create a list of things I would do if I was wanting to become pregnant. Please note – none of these suggestions are ‘fool proof’, as every couple’s needs will vary. What works for one couple may not work for another.
Now some of you may be just starting to get serious about wanting a baby, others may be a little disillusioned because you’ve been having wild unprotected sex for months and have still not fallen pregnant. Alternatively you may be one of millions of couples desperate for fresh ideas.
SOME STEPS TO CONSIDER WHEN HOPING TO CONCEIVE
- Parental health and well-being prior to conception is obviously one of the many factors which influence a successful reproductive outcome. If neither of you have really considered the impact your lifestlye habits have on your health until now, then perhaps it is the time to shift your focus to strengthening your health (both of you that is!!). For 6-12 months learn all you can about ways to boost your health rather than focusing on the next pregnancy test.
- ‘De- Stress’ … take a holiday, in fact book 2!!! Most couples are so stressed that to truly unwind they need to book a second holiday for about 6 weeks later. Make each holiday for at least 3 weeks. Before you say, “we can’t do that!” don’t underestimate the effects of stress.
- Get Adjusted – Couples may be unaware that holistic therapies can strengthen reproductive integrity. Chiropractic adjustments help to clear your nervous system of the interference that has been built through a lifetime of knocks and falls and chemical and emotional stress. This interference may allow for miscommunication between your brain and reproductive organs, promoting infertility. Chiropractic is one of the many healthy lifestyle habits that can assist couples to strengthen their reproductive integrity naturally. By removing nerve interference the body has the capacity to express itself freely.
- See a Chinese Herbalist and determine if your body is deficient or depleted in any way.
- A Naturopath can help you arrange a Live Blood Cell Analysis, Hair Trace Mineral Analysis and Urine Screen for deficiencies, toxicities and allergies. Using microscopic measures these tests can ascertain how healthy you are at the molecular level.
- Assess your exposure (through diet, personal care products etc) to hormone disruptors – this is an extremely important point and deserves investigation. Please see below for a small extract from Chapter 2 which contains further details regarding hormone disruptors.
If I was desperate to fall pregnant, then I would grab my groom and seek the advise of practitioners trained to assess the body as a whole. These skilled practitioners are your best avenue for re-strengthening and re-balancing your body.
For some couples there are many chemical, nutritional and physical aspects that need to be addressed to aid natural fertility, whilst other couples need to simply focus on one or two key elements. More and more we are seeing couples searching for natural, cost effective and safe therapies to enhance their reproductive success. There are many proactive and holistic models available, including chiropractic, Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, naturopathy and homeopathy.
In this blog post , we look at some of the factors that influence Fertility.
Wishing you every success!
Jennifer
