Tips for Naturally Improving Fertility

More than 6.1 million couples are struggling with infertility and many are turning to conventional means for help. However, like most illnesses that are lifestyle related, making a few healthy lifestyle adjustments can fix the problem.

Depending on a woman's fertility needs, here are some helpful suggestions:

• Try losing weight if your body mass index (BMI) is more than 24 (to calculate your BMI go to nhlbisupport.com/bmi). Extra weight makes it more difficult to conceive.
• To energize your female hormones take 4 oz of aloe a day. While no scientific studies have been conducted on aloe for this purpose, in Ayurvedic medicine it is considered a fertility medicine.
• If you're suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you might try saw palmetto berry, which helps reduce testosterone levels. Nineteenth-century physicians used it to treat infertility. Taking 3000 mg daily of saw palmetto berry may help stimulate ovulation for some woman.
• Take the Ayurvedic herb shatavari to rejuvenate the female reproductive tract and the blood, while also strengthening the body. You can start with 1-2 grams daily and work up to 7 grams per day, if needed.
• Add a little more high-fat dairy to your diet. Research has found eating a low-fat dairy diet was linked to an 85 percent higher chance of infertility. So go have that ice cream!
• A clean diet and clean living can do wonders to boost fertility. Forget smoking and over indulging. Choose organic foods and go heavy on the fresh fruits and vegetables. For some, a detox diet may be needed to purge the body of life-long exposure to toxins from pesticides, herbicides, drugs, fertilizers and estrogen-mimicking hormones found in many regularly used and consumed products.

Since it takes two to conceive, men can also benefit from making a few healthy adjustments.

• Eat a healthy diet and live a clean lifestyle as mentioned above.
• Supplement your diet with 50 mg of zinc and 1000 mcg of folic acid to increase sperm count by as much as 74 percent.
• Keep the sperm cool by avoiding tight underwear and hot tubs.

Since diet, exercise, and overall health have a huge impact on fertility, it only makes sense to start with steps you can take right now before seeking medical assistance. Of course, when a conventional solution is the only option left, having two healthy bodies to start with can still make all the difference between two lines on a stick and one.

Sources:
Better Nutrition, May 2007
Alternative Medicine, June 2006