Infertility can make you feel helpless and out of control, but you can make life-changing choices in the New Year. Texas Fertility Center encourages you to make purposeful changes, or start whittling away at your bad habits, to make 2011 your best year yet.
For a happier and more fertile New Year, get into child’s pose
In yoga, a child’s pose brings you to your knees, with your forehead resting on the floor and arms stretched overhead or to the sides. Surprisingly comfortable, yogis say certain poses like child’s, bridge, lotus, supported headstand and reclining hero stimulate the body’s reproductive response.
When it comes to exercise, easy does it.
We recommend moderate exercise: at most 30 minutes, 4 times a week. Women of average weight should cut back on cardio and instead opt for walking, pilates, yoga, or easy cycling. Too much exertion or weight loss can interfere with the reproductive cycle.
Conversely, a body mass index (BMI) over 30 could cause your system to create too much estrogen and even halt ovulation. Researchers link excess weight with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We can recommend practical changes you can make now to embrace a healthful diet and lifestyle.
Feed your fertility
Power foods make headlines every day. As a general rule, shop the perimeter of the grocery store—where you’ll find fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy—and purposefully start each day with a full fat protein breakfast.
Rosalind Haney, RN, fertility nurse and consulting nutritionist at Texas Fertility Center, advises patients to eat within an hour of waking and model the diet of our grandparents’ generation. Whole eggs, butter, full fat dairy, grass-fed animal meats and seafood not only satisfy us in the morning, but feed our body’s ability to rejuvenate itself and enhance fertility. The key to maintaining a healthy weight is portion control.
Stressed out? Scientists believe dark, leafy green vegetables like broccoli, kale and spinach reduce anxiety and citrus fruits lower blood pressure. Vitamin D, folic acid and calcium can boost fertility, but check with us before taking vitamins or supplements.
While alcohol may temporarily relieve stress, the long-term impact on your body’s reproductive system is unclear, but in excess is certainly counter-productive to your baby-making goal.
Cigarette smoke, on the other hand, has been linked with impaired sperm motility and count. If you need another reason to quit, studies show children born to mothers who smoke are at increased risk of asthma, low birth weight, lower sperm counts in boys, and higher miscarriage rates in girls.
Flossing, underwear and the key to happiness
Who would have thought that daily flossing could enhance pregnancy? There’s solid evidence for a connection between oral hygiene and overall health. Tiny microorganisms in the mouth can lead to heart disease and complications with diabetes, osteoporosis and pregnancy.
We’re not dentists, but can safely recommend more frequent professional cleanings, daily flossing and a power toothbrush for a “360˚ clean.”
Aussie Mitch Dowd carries a line of “Room to Move” fertility-friendly underwear that claim to assist in healthy sperm development. While evidence does show that elevated body temperature inhibits sperm health, we’re not convinced that we can blame briefs for infertility. But it couldn’t hurt to switch … and avoid prolonged stays in hot tubs and saunas while you’re at it.
Above all else, find your happy place. Studies repeatedly find a mind-body connection to fertility. Helping others, taking regular naps, petting a dog or cat, reading a good book or getting a massage may lay the foundation for a successful cycle.
Our best wishes for you in 2011, for serenity throughout the journey and a milestone year of fertility.
