Making Sure Your Future Fertility is on Track
Thinking about having children……later in life?
Preconception care is something that is best started as early as possible, so if you know you want to have children, just not right now, there are things you can do that will not only help you to be generally healthier now but also help preserve your fertility. The most important things that you can do to keep your fertility safe and healthy is
- Ensure your not deficient in any nutrients
- Address any current hormonal issues now
Every day in clinic I see common nutrient deficiencies that can increase the length of time that you will need to fall pregnant, and can even reduce the chances of falling pregnant. They affect egg and sperm quality which influences likelihood of the egg being fertilised and the health of the baby. Most nutrient deficiencies can take months to replenish so being aware of your vital nutrient levels through regular testing is vitally important for future fertility and your general health. Did you know that adequate zinc levels have been linked with better egg quality, sperm quality and better fertilisation rates? Or that choline and Vitamin A deficiencies are linked with poor ovulation, egg quality and infertility?
Optimal nutrition is essential for your fertility
Being aware of your nutrient intake through your diet and supplementing where needed is a great way to ensure your keeping your eggs and sperm healthy for the future, in particular pay close attention to the following levels :
Zinc
Vitamin A
Choline
Iodine
Magnesium
Calcium
Iron
B12
Folate
Vitamin D
How to check if your nutrient levels are ok
How do you check your levels? Some can be tested through blood work and others can been monitored through signs and symptoms that you can check with your naturopath. Whilst supplementation is the easiest way to correct a deficiency, diet evaluations and food prescriptions can help you eat the right amounts of the right foods to help adjust your personal nutrient level needs. At Merge Health we do in house testing to see your total mineral level and toxic load, so you can set yourself up for the best chance to achieve a healthy pregnancy naturally later in life.
Maintaining your Egg quality
For those of us 30 years and older anti oxidant use can be very valuable to help with egg quality. Coq10 is one of many antioxidants that can be useful long term it has been found to help preserve the quality of eggs in women and sperm in men. Its a nutrient that we can make but the levels we make start to decrease at age 21, so supplementing with CoQ10 is another way to help preserve not only fertility it also can act to keep all of your cells young.
Is an undiagnosed or untreated hormonal condition impacting your future fertility?
Most importantly if you have any underlying gynaecological issues such as endometriosis, irregular periods, ovarian cysts, PCOS etc. ensure you seek help to address these and get your menstrual cycles healthy and functioning correctly well before you want to fall pregnant. Natural medicine can help regulate cycles, regulate hormones, reduce endometriosis growth, reduce pain, improve ovulation, stop PMS and more but it takes time to do this. Staying on the pill till your ready to fall pregnant is the usual plan with gynaecological diseases, however too often this leaves you out of time to fix the root cause, and there is a greater chance of ending up having to do IVF. The best thing you can do to preserve your fertility for the future is to address gynaecological issues now, so when your ready to fall pregnant its easier and you avoid the stress of struggling to conceive.
So if your not quiet ready for kids but see them in your distant future be proactive and book in with Merge Health Natural Fertility Expert Samantha Van Dort to maximise your chances now and create a healthy environment for your future baby.
