Early Care
May 2008 - Julie Chen

This time of year, trees regain their leaves and flowers bloom, and we witness a rebirth all around us. Yet these may not be happy reminders for couples who are experiencing fertility issues.

In my practice, many women are in states of distress when a pregnancy fails or they’re unable to conceive at all. When obvious reasons for infertility are ruled out, women shouldn’t get discouraged. They should explore the many other factors that contribute to infertility; many of these can be diminished or eliminated, and with some patience and a little work, a successful pregnancy can occur.

Infertility can be medically defined as the inability to become pregnant after a year of trying or if a woman continues to have miscarriages. If you find that you’re unable to get pregnant, you should first consult your doctor to rule out obvious imbalances of the hormonal and reproductive systems for both you and your partner. In the meantime, your health (physical and mental) and nutritional status are important factors when trying to conceive. Getting early prenatal care from all your support groups – both naturopathic as well as allopathic – will help to promote a healthy pregnancy.

Your healthy diet should include a balance of whole, fresh, organic foods including protein, fat and carbohydrates. Try to consume a balance of these three food groups at each meal and for snacks. It’s important to decrease and eliminate as many processed foods as possible. I often tell my patients to think of conception like growing a new flower garden. You need to prepare the soil and garden first by removing garbage and toxins. Having a clean diet, removing harmful substances from your environment, quitting smoking, and decreasing your intake of exogenous hormones, heavy metals and toxic chemicals will help to provide a good base for your reproductive garden.

You’ll then need to fertilize your garden with the nutrients needed to support healthy seed germination and ensure proper growth and development. The same goes for your reproductive system. It has been clinically shown that folic acid or vitamin B9 is vital for the proper development of the nervous system of the fetus. Recently, folic acid has been shown to be important for the reproductive health of men as well. One common misconception is that most women should take folic acid when they find out they’re pregnant. However, folic acid is critical to have in your system even before conception since the neural tube is formed so early in the pregnancy (often even before the woman knows she’s pregnant). Folic acid should still be taken throughout pregnancy to help prevent maternal anaemia, fetal birth defects and miscarriage.

The other B vitamins are important as well, as they work synergistically to help with energy production and to support proper growth and development of the hormonal and nervous systems. Another nutrient to consider for women is vitamin C. There are some preliminary clinical studies that suggest taking vitamin C daily might improve fertility. In addition, several herbs may help fertility. One of these is chasteberry, which can be used for menstrual irregularities and may help increase the chance of conception in women who are infertile due to low progesterone.

Other therapies that can help couples with infertility include acupuncture, homeopathy and even relaxation and stress management techniques.

Infertility is an issue that should be addressed at the root and take into consideration all causes. When both partners are healthy, the pregnancy will proceed more smoothly and the baby will have a lower risk of suffering from illnesses. Be sure to speak to your naturopathic doctor before commencing any complementary therapy or taking supplements.