3 Tips To Increase Fertility
Getting pregnant with my first child, Ethan, wasn’t extremely easy. When I went off the birth control pill (that I had been on for 11 years), my period didn’t come back. It took over a year to get my period back and start ovulating. Over a year before we could even start trying to conceive.
Over that year I did everything I could to become fertile. I went to acupuncture consistently, I took herbal medicine and prenatal supplements. I slowed down physically. I went from running Marathons and Half Marathons to walking and yoga. I changed my diet. I did it all. Did all those things help? Yes, they all contributed to helping me get pregnant, but there are 3 big things I did that also played a big role in my getting pregnant.
A large part of my practice is treating women trying to conceive and especially over this past year I’ve seen a lot of patients coming to me for help with fertility. While acupuncture, herbs, and dietary changes play a BIG part in fertility, I have a few “secrets” that I find to also be truly impactful. Tricks that you can do at home, every day.
Believe It Will Happen
Sometimes the first words a patient will say to me are “I’m not sure if I can get pregnant.” Nobody is sure they can get pregnant, but you need to believe you can. For some, it may not be “easy” and it may take time and patience and changes, but you need to have faith that a baby will come to you. It may not be on your schedule, or even the way you planned, but if it’s meant to happen, it will. It’s your job to believe it’s meant to happen. Once you believe it will happen, tell yourself every day that it will happen.
Meditate on it, ask the universe for what you want, pray for it, journal about it, or just look in the mirror and talk to yourself; whatever your faith may be. Your energy is so important – positive energy receives positive energy back.
When I was trying to get pregnant with my 1st born, my son, it took time. I was outwardly seemingly healthy, but I wasn’t in the right place and (in retrospect) it honestly wasn’t the right time. There were times when I got frustrated and upset that it wasn’t happening on my schedule, but I never thought it would happen. I knew a baby was meant for me and that he/she would come when they were ready.
Find Joy Now
Don’t wait until you are pregnant to be happy, be happy where you are now. I know it can be hard when you’re following ovulation kits and constantly tracking your fertility and looking for small signs of pregnancy, but do it. Find something that makes you feel truly alive. Not only does it move your mind away from waiting and obsessing over trying to get pregnant, but it also sets you up in a good emotional place to get pregnant.
Again, when I was trying to get pregnant with my son, I knew that a baby wouldn’t come to me until I was in a good place and happy with myself. Growing up I used to dance and I LOVED it. After college, I stopped dancing, aside from the occasional nightclubs. I didn’t stop because I loved it any less, I stopped because it seemed silly to pursue a hobby as an adult. What a ridiculous idea, though. If something brings you joy, do it. I bought a pass to Broadway Dance Center and I started taking adult ballet classes. I was a little nervous at first, being as I hadn’t danced in about 10 years, but I went out and bought new ballet slippers. I went to class and I loved it. I made a promise to myself to go 1-2x/week even though I was very busy at the time. Taking time to do something that was solely for ME and nobody else was (and is) so important. Somewhere in my 20s I had gotten into this mindset that if I wasn’t doing something to advance my career, help others, or make money, then it wasn’t worth doing. That notion is so far from the truth. Dancing helped me find the joy in my life that was missing at the time when I was trying to conceive. A couple of months later, I got a positive pregnancy test.
Surround Yourself With Babies
OK, this may sound like an odd one, but I will try to explain. This is something my acupuncturist at the time, Kelly McDonald, told me when I was trying to conceive my 1st child. Spend as much time as you can around other pregnant women and babies. When she told me, it seemed so odd, but it also seemed so emotionally hard. When you’re trying to get pregnant, a lot of times, seeing other people with babies, or friends getting pregnant can be extremely hard to do. It made me jealous, sad and angry to be around pregnant women and kids. It was painful to be so close to something I wanted so badly, but couldn’t control. I’m a good patient, though, and I listened. I spent time with my new nephew when I had the opportunity, I sought out other pregnant women and tried to be happy for them, instead of sad for myself. I can’t fully explain this one, but babies have a special, pure energy. Babies’ energy can be so healing. Also, being around babies and pregnant women when you’re trying to conceive, helps you visualize more clearly what you want. Try to be happy for your friends and family with new babies and embrace being around them. See their joy as a gateway for your own.
I hope you find these tips helpful. They are things that you can practice every day, on your own time. If you’re looking for additional support or resources, I am an acupuncturist, Eastern medicine nutritional counselor, and wellness coach. Please join my mailing list at the bottom of the page for more tips, or connect with me for more information on how we can work together.
