Fertility Problems after your First Child
Fertility Boosters
Take these steps to naturally boost your fertility:
1. Relax: Stress can naturally decrease fertility by altering the balance of female hormones. Take a regular B-vitamin, incorporate yoga or meditation into your day and go on vacation. “It’s amazing how may women get pregnant when they take a mini ‘time-out’ from their lives,” says Dr. Shah.
2. Eat foods that improve your body’s ability to respond to insulin: Insulin sensitivity can boost male hormones, making it difficult to conceive. Cut back on red meat and trans fats and eat more veggies and nuts.
3. Eat full-fat dairy: Researchers aren’t sure why, but high-fat dairy boosts fertility and low-fat dairy decreases your chances of conceiving. “We think it may be related to the different hormone contents in full- and low-fat dairy,” says Dr. Chavarro. High-fat dairy products also contain cow pregnancy hormones, which could boost your chances of having a baby.
4. Finish breastfeeding: Intermittent breastfeeding may decrease fertility. If you’ve been trying to conceive for six months with no luck, wean your toddler off the breast.
5. Break a sweat: Studies have found that vigorous exercise boosts fertility. “Do something that will make you sweat because we haven’t found any relation between moderate exercise and fertility,” says Dr. Chavrro.
Meet our Experts:
Dr. Jorge Chavarro is a researcher in reproductive function at Harvard School of Public Health. He is also the lead author of The Fertility Diet. Dr. Heather Shapiro is a leading fertility specialist at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Sushma Shah is a naturopathic doctor, specializing in fertility and the owner of Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto, Ontario.
