Fertility, hormones and Gut health
Are you struggling with infertility? Or simply trying to optimize your preconception health? How about dealing with menstrual irregularities and symptomatic periods? Is everyone (even the holistic Docs) only interested in testing your hormones and nothing else? Recommending band aid supplements, herbs or medications? You may be missing the importance of these things for optimal hormone health and fertility…(and postpartum recovery, too!)
Depleted nutrients / minerals
Microbiome / dysbiosis
Gut inflammation / poor absorption
Thyroid issues
Poor elimination (retaining excess hormones)
All of those things are intricately connected to gut health- because as we know- all of the systems (and therefore dis-eases) in the body are connected. That is Naturopathic Medicine 101.
Gut health has EVERYTHING TO DO with fertility and optimal hormone health and cannot be overlooked when addressing these concerns and OPTIMIZING your fertility.
But first…Here is a little story about me…
I was diagnosed with celiac disease at age 17. Prior to that diagnoses, I was chronically unwell. I had undoubtedly amassed MASSIVE nutrient deficiencies due to my damaged and inflamed gut and then I choose to become a vegan...which was fuel to the fire. After eliminating gluten from my diet I got WAY better immediately…however as time went on and years passed adhering to a strict and dogmatic vegan diet..my health plummeted again, and again. Some of my most troublesome symptoms were hormonal in nature- serious menstrual cramps, acne, fatigue and more. It wasn’t until I completely addressed my gut health and repleted my nutrients with a nutrient rich diet that I actually began to see changes and now experience much more easeful menses and check all the boxes for healthy fertility signs. (More on this journey later…)
However, being celiac, which is a chronic disease- managing my gut health is a constant struggle. I cannot eat out. I can hardly eat at someone else’s home whose kitchen is not 100% gluten free without getting some symptoms. Being that sensitive, you can imagine traveling is difficult for me. I recently traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan for my honeymoon and STRUGGLED to find food that did not make me sick, with the pervasive use of wheat containing soy sauce. Despite being super careful with my translation card and keen eye, 1 week into my trip I was experiencing serious GI distress, debilitating joint pain, irritated skin, and mental health symptoms (gluten makes me feel mega DEPRESSED). I was totally afraid to eat (and admittedly, did go hungry for a lot of our trip…NOT good for my blood sugar!!)
Being on my own preconception journey, very close to ready to start “trying” - I was super bummed because I know how much this impacts my body, health, fertility and hormones. However, I didn’t panic- because I KNOW how to heal my gut and tend to it…quickly. Years ago, this would have derailed me for MONTHS…but now it took me about 3 weeks to get back to “normal” and feeling confident in my bodies ability to heal. Read on…
So, what does gut health have to do with fertility?
Our guts are the way that our bodies interact with the outside world. Our intestinal microbiome is essential for vitamin and neurotransmitter production, immunity and so much more. The cells of our gut control what nutrients do (or do not) get absorbed and inflammation in the gut becomes inflammation EVERYWHERE. Every process in our body- especially those around the menstrual cycle- rely on a complex matrix of nutrients for everything to run smoothly- any deficiencies can gunk up the system.
It is well documented in the research that people with gastrointestinal illnesses like Crohns, UC and celiac have increased rates of infertility because of inflammation and nutrient deficiencies. Yet NO main stream fertility clinic will even start to investigate gut health and nutrient deficiencies before recommending the IVF big $$ train…
However, given the state of our food system, the overuse of antibiotics, the extensive use of medications like hormonal birth control (yes, you read that right, OCPS disrupt gut health) and NSAIDs- MOST people have totally wrecked guts - compromising nutrient absorption and causing low grade inflammation that can impact the quality of eggs, and the entire hormonal matrix. Couple that with general nutrient deficient diets that most Women in America are following…we have a hormonal nightmare contributing to the sky high rates of infertility.
So if you have any symptoms of less than optimal gut health like
diarrhea or constipation
bloating / gassiness
abdominal discomfort
food sensitivities
lots more…
and you are wanting to get pregnant or balance your hormones…it may be a sign that you have GI inflammation, dysbiosis, poor detox pathways and/or difficulty absorbing nutrients appropriately and I’d recommend looking at your gut health and nutrient levels.
As you can see, I have TONS of experience healing my own gut, optimizing nutrition AND supporting many other Women in doing the same…so I’d love to help you. Schedule a free discovery call here to learn how I can support you.
Stay tuned for my next post on 5 ways I tend to my gut health everyday.