Anxious you’ll have trouble getting pregnant one day?
I’d like to start with an invitation.
This fear is incredibly common, relatable and understandable. But I’d like to invite us all to no longer make predictions about our life from a place of fear, as if the uncomfortable feeling of the unknown is the same thing as prophetic doom, because it is not.
Yes, life can be very unpredictable and unfair. And we can’t control or plan for everything; hence why fear of the unknown is fundamental to being human. But what we absolutely can do is educate ourselves, prepare, and stack the deck in our favor so we can approach the unknown the best we can.
In Heather Grzych’s The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility, she says “Some women in their thirties are worrying about their fertility for good reason, and other women are worrying about it for no reason at all, but it doesn’t have to do with age so much as it does with how a women cares for herself and what sort of environment she is in…
[In having a baby] you cannot control the outcome. you can try to influence it, but you can’t control it. This is part of why a fertility journey — like any other creative endeavor — is a spiritual journey for the modern woman who has a hard time relinquishing control.”
So my next invitation to you is to get behind the wheel of what you CAN control, which is your health and fertility. To take that energy and put it toward taking small steps toward your best health to have a totally different life experience, and likely a much better outcome.
What the stats look like
Knowledge is power, and it tends to turn something that feels like a big black hole at first into something a lot less scary. Looking at the general statistics of a healthy couple, there is a 20-25% chance of conceiving each month.
Once a couple starts trying, the likelihood they will conceive over time is:
Around 30% will get pregnant in one cycle (1 month)
Around 60% will get pregnant in three cycles (3 months)
Around 80% will get pregnant in six cycles (6 months)
Around 90% will get pregnant within 1 year
These show the cumulative odds are actually rather high! And they could become even higher if we took the time to learn about what a healthy conception entails, support each other, and ultimately have the tools to feel ready and prepared about approaching conception.
Many of the common reproductive issues (ovulatory issues, hormonal imbalances, PCOS, endometriosis, chromosomal abnormalities, & metabolic dysfunction to name a few) are attributable to pathways that can be improved through simple lifestyle shifts and mindful nutrition. In fact, unless the issue is structural (like a tubal blockage which your doctor can clear with a small surgery), these can all be targeted and improved with diet and lifestyle.
A large study (NHS II) found that women who followed the “fertility diet” (which for this study’s purpose was one high in plant protein from vegetable sources, full-fat dairy foods, iron, and monounsaturated fats during the preconception period) had a 66% reduction in risk for infertility from ovulation issues (which is the most common cause of infertility in women). They also had a 27% lower risk of infertility from all other causes. Both of these reductions were seen in the group that ate the most of these fertility foods compared to those who ate the lowest amount of these foods.
This tells us that food has an incredibly significant impact on fertility outcomes, and knowing what to focus on and fitting these concepts seamlessly into your life can have a tremendous impact.
The role of hormonal birth control
If you’re concerned about past birth control use affecting your fertility, don’t stress! I know there’s a lot of negativity out there now about birth control use, but the reality is that whatever method you feel works best for you is going to be right for you. It also doesn’t mean we’re turning a blind eye to this research, but rather working with it so that you get the desired effects of your birth control method while mitigating risk as much as possible.
As far as how it affects conception, a 2018 meta-analysis looked at almost 15,000 women across 22 studies who came off of hormonal birth control (which included the pill, IUD, patch, implant, and injectable contraception) and found that 83% of the women got pregnant within 12 months after stopping birth control, regardless of type.
The pill did tend to have a longer delay, which is likely due to the depletion of key fertility nutrients. By identifying these deficiencies and starting to replenish them now, you can increase your chances of conceiving quickly after coming off birth control. These nutrients are folate, vitamins B2, B6, B12, vitamins C and E, as well as magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Consider giving yourself at least 6 months post-contraception to rebalance hormonally and restore critical nutrients before trying to conceive.
Genetics and family history
Genetic concerns (of all involved parties) are common, but there are many pieces to this puzzle which merits its own blog entirely, one I plan to research extensively very soon. For that reason, all things genetic testing and familial genetic concerns won’t be covered here just yet. As you cannot alter your DNA, learning this information can give you insight, but leaves you a bit in the lurch when it comes to what you can do about it. But this subject is very near to my heart, as my partner has a familial genetic mutation associated with endocrine tumors, so you can be sure the coverage on that topic will be very complete.
What we will talk about is the genetic feature you can modify - which is a concept called epigenetics. Epigenetics is when our environment, lifestyle, and diet can all play a role in changing the expression patterns of our genetic sequence. Translation ahead (pun intended): our DNA is a code that gets read and ultimately instructs proteins to be made, which have specific roles in the body. Changes can happen where this sequence gets read differently without changing the DNA itself. This can cause certain genes to be turned “on” and “off.” And healthy behaviors, foods, and environments have been shown to be associated with healthier genes turning on, and turning unhealthy genes (like ones that can lead to a pathway going haywire) turning off.
A diet high in antioxidants and fertility-promoting nutrients have direct positive impacts on egg and sperm epigenetics, thus improving egg and sperm quality! These epigenetic changes are heritable, so the positive changes you make will be passed on to your child, and can impact several generations beyond. A few wonderful antioxidants to start incorporating into your diet are vitamins C and E, Coenzyme Q10, and selenium. These can be found in foods like leafy greens, berries, citrus, organ meats, fatty fish, and nuts and seeds.
Want to feel even more prepared?
Download your FREE guide into the top 3 causes of infertility today, & how you can protect against them.
Then check out the Essential Fertility Wellness Checklist which covers all the surprising and mind-easing to-do’s for everything you don’t want to miss while optimizing your fertility!
This checklist covers every area of preparation: fertility-boosting foods, best workout routines, mindfulness tips, helps pinpoint your fertile window, what tests to ask your doctor for, partner conversation starters, book & podcast recommendations, and MORE.
Written by Michelle Cawley, MS. 1/24/23
The information on this website is provided for educational purposes only and should not be treated as medical advice. WTT Nutrition makes no guarantees regarding the information provided or how products may work for any individual. If you suffer from a health condition, you should consult your health care practitioner for medical advice before introducing any new products into your health care regimen. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
REFERENCES
Heather Grzych. The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility. 2020.
Girum T, Wasie A. Return of fertility after discontinuation of contraception: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Contracept Reprod Med. 2018 Jul 23;3:9. doi: 10.1186/s40834-018-0064-y. PMID: 30062044; PMCID: PMC6055351.
Soumpasis I, Grace B, Johnson S. Real-life insights on menstrual cycles and ovulation using big data. Hum Reprod Open. 2020 Apr 16;2020(2):hoaa011. doi: 10.1093/hropen/hoaa011. PMID: 32328534; PMCID: PMC7164578.
Panth N, Gavarkovs A, Tamez M, Mattei J. The Influence of Diet on Fertility and the Implications for Public Health Nutrition in the United States. Front Public Health. 2018 Jul 31;6:211. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00211. PMID: 30109221; PMCID: PMC6079277.
Pisarska MD, Chan JL, Lawrenson K, Gonzalez TL, Wang ET. Genetics and Epigenetics of Infertility and Treatments on Outcomes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019 Jun 1;104(6):1871-1886. doi: 10.1210/jc.2018-01869. PMID: 30561694; PMCID: PMC6463256.
Ruder EH, Hartman TJ, Goldman MB. Impact of oxidative stress on female fertility. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Jun;21(3):219-22. doi: 10.1097/gco.0b013e32832924ba. PMID: 19469044; PMCID: PMC2749720.