What Every Woman Needs To Know About Fertility Struggles, From A Doctor

Fertility is a top concern for women today, whether they are in their 20s or 30s, or now even their 40s. According to the CDC, over 10%1 of American women struggle with fertility—that’s over 7 million women.

Take for example my 33-year-old patient who wanted to get pregnant but had irregular periods and was unable to time when she was ovulating. We diagnosed her with insulin resistance and food sensitivities to gluten and dairy. When she cut out these foods and balanced her blood sugar, her periods became regular and she got pregnant easily.

Another example is a 29-year-old patient who suffered pregnancy loss. We learned through our routine testing—testing her OB-GYN hadn’t done—that she had low thyroid function. We helped her optimize her thyroid with a natural thyroid hormone, and she got pregnant two months later, this time keeping the pregnancy and having a healthy baby boy.

The common thread for all of these women, however, was that they needed two things they hadn’t counted on to get pregnant. First, a caring, thorough doctor who spent the time getting to know them as a whole person, knew what tests to run, and whose goal was to help them get pregnant naturally—without a medical partner aligned with their goals, they didn’t have a shot.

The second thing they needed was time. Too many women come to see me day one and say, "I want to optimize my health, I have six chronic issues I’ve had for years, and oh by the way, I want to start trying to get pregnant next month." I gently have to tell them that their symptoms didn’t start yesterday so they aren’t going to fix them today. To optimize your health you need to replete nutrients, detoxify toxins, eliminate triggers, and test in order to understand how your body is functioning now so we can help you heal.

So in this way, think of your fertility year as an amazing opportunity to improve your overall health and well-being before you want to get pregnant. Now is the time to focus on you, reset, identify and address underlying health issues, and find your highest expression of balance. There is no better way to head into pregnancy than that.

At my practice, Parsley Health, we guide you through a 30-day elimination diet cutting out common inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, grains, and sugar. Often women are shocked at how their sleep and energy change when they change their diet, not to mention they lose weight and their menstrual cycles become regular. We also help you restore nutrients you are low on like magnesium and B vitamins.

Detoxification is a process that really begins month two of our program and can take as long as three to six months. It includes reducing exposure from heavy metals like mercury from seafood and metal dental fillings as well as using natural supplements like B-vitamins, liver-stimulating bitters, and even metal binders to lower the body’s total toxin burden.

It also includes resolving digestive issues—if you’re not pooping regularly or have a lot of gas and bloating, then you’re not detoxifying regularly either.

(And stop other unnecessary supplements.) If you are truly ready to start "trying"—a word I can’t stand because it adds stress (I prefer that you start "not not trying" so that your conception feels effortless, not like another task the success or failure of which you will be judged upon! Anyway…), but if you are—supplements to keep on hand are probiotics, magnesium, a high-quality fish oil, and vitamin D and in some cases other supplements as directed by your doctor for your particular situation. From there, start a high-quality prenatal vitamin.

A good prenatal has the right kind of B vitamins for you (the methylated kind if you have MTHFR genetic variations like I do), high-quality sourcing of ingredients, and appropriate levels of key nutrients like DHA fatty acids, which feed the baby’s growing brain, vitamin A, iron, and folic acid. Do not buy supplements at the grocery store or take the samples your OB gives you for free—I can’t tell you how many women have shown me prenatals their OB gave them that contain toxic dyes and chemicals! This isn't to scare you, it's just a reminder to be mindful of the ingredients.