Fertility issues are hard enough to deal with when you actually understand what’s causing the problem. But if your infertility is unexplained—as is the case for 30% of infertile women or 50% of infertile men—not knowing what’s keeping you from getting pregnant can get pretty damn frustrating. That means approximately one in five couples will be diagnosed with unexplained infertility even after going through a complete fertility work-up.
What the heck is unexplained infertility?
Unexplained infertility (sometimes called idiopathic infertility) means not only are you not getting pregnant, but also that the usual suspects don’t seem to be behind your problem.
Standard diagnostic testing shows nothing appears to be wrong with the man’s sperm, or your fallopian tubes, uterus, ovaries or your ovulatory function. This testing generally can identify the major reasons why a couple is experiencing infertility – either male infertility, female infertility or a mixture of both factors.
However, infertility testing may not be able to detect all the subtle and small variations in one or more fertility factors that can ultimately combine or compound to cause infertility.
So what is happening?
Unexplained infertility doesn’t exactly mean that there’s no explanation at all. You may have undergone all the routine tests, but there is likely some explanation for your infertility hiding somewhere.
Here are some of the additional factors that you may not be aware of but 100% warrants further exploration:
- Diet (Food Triggers)
- Gut Health
- MTHFR
- Autoimmune
- Vitamin + Mineral Deficiencies
- Weight
- Stress + Emotions + Mental Health
- Endocrine Disruptors + Dysfunction
- Hormone Imbalance
- Egg Quality
Where should I start?
The great news is that dietary and lifestyle changes can make a tremendous difference in fertility, and often help with other issues like excess weight, lack of energy, blood sugar problems, skin issues, hormone balance and insomnia in the process. Even those who choose to undergo conventional fertility treatments can help improve their chance of working by supporting their bodies in natural ways as well.
Here are 5 things you can do right now to improve your fertility health:
- Evaluate the quality of your prenatal vitamin. Not sure why this matters?
- Here's a quick guide to help you find the right prenatal for YOU!
- It should contain the natural form of Folate (not Folic Acid)
- It should contain the natural of B12 (methylcobalamin) not the synthetic form (cyanocobalamin)
- Evaluate your diet
- Eat nutrient dense foods
- Eliminate any possible food triggers that could be disrupting your gut health
- Yes, this matters... A LOT.
- Start detoxing your environment from harmful, fertility-robbing chemicals + toxins
- Replace them with safe, effective and environmentally friendly alternatives.
- Track your cycle
- Learn your most fertile time – your egg only lives for 12-24 hours.
- If you don’t know exactly when that window of opportunity is you are very likely to miss it.
- There are tons of different applications on your phone to help keep track (I use my FitBit app)
- Find ways to reduce stress and manage emotions
- It’s no secret that the infertility journey is like a roller coaster of emotions which is super taxing on the body and does nothing for your chances of conceiving a baby.
- Get fresh air + sunshine daily or as often as possible (10-15 minutes)
- Meditate - attempt to quiet your mind + speak positive affirmations
- Schedule self care - make time for yourself / take a warm bath 2-3 times a week
- Elevate your mood + frequency by using essential oils regularly
- Move your body - take a walk or start a new workout routine
Wherever you decide to start, my best advice is to just START. Time is the one thing you can’t get back. My one regret is that while on my journey, I wasted precious time not doing things that could have improved my overall chances of having a baby.
xo - Brandi
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