When it comes to fertility, men and women’s hormonal systems are vastly different. The key difference is that a woman's body is capable of growing and nourishing another human!
We have been looking into the secret world of hormones, and in this blog, I’ll be talking about the role the female hormone system plays in the fertility and tips to support fertility in women.
I hope you do not mind this analogy but women's bodies are like formula one race cars. They have incredibly complex hormonal structures - or engines - as they need to complete the incredible feat of reproduction. However, it does not take much to unbalance these engines - or hormone systems.
“Balanced hormones are needed to stay healthy and a healthy female is more likely to be able to reproduce.”
What role do hormones play in fertility?
Hormonal balance, specifically your bodies hormonal levels of sex hormones; testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen, are known to play a role in fertility.
PMS, endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, which are all conditions primarily linked to a hormonal imbalance of testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen can all play a part with fertility issues.
It's incredibly important to seek support from your doctor or registered medical practitioner if you are experiencing any of the above. Alongside this, there are a number of diet and lifestyle changes I highly recommend in conjunction with this to support your hormone health.
There is a window of opportunity for fertilisation to occur. This window of opportunity occurs when oestrogen levels drop off and progesterone levels become higher than oestrogen, which creates a perfect environment for an egg to get fertilised. When a woman’s hormones are out of balance, the window becomes smaller.
In the modern world, we can nourish our bodies to support keeping this window of fertility open longer. View the catalogue of BePure recipes, along with this buckwheat crepes with organic eggs and salmon recipe is full of fertility loving nutrients.
15 Tips to Support your hormone balance
1. Avoid plastic bottles and containers that contain oestrogen mimicking chemicals named 'xenoestrogens', choose glass where possible
2. Eat cruciferous vegetables. This includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale and cabbage that are high in DIM (diindolylmethane)to support upregulation of the liver
3. Reduce soy products. Soy products contain plant forms of oestrogen which contribute to the overall oestrogen in the body
4. Minimise liver loaders such as caffeine and alcohol
5. Try liver loving nutrients such as rosemary and ashwagandha
6. Belly breathing with legs up the wall to support relaxation
7. Mindfulness techniques or meditation to reduce stress levels
8. Get good quality sleep with this bedtime routine
9. Eat adrenal supporting foods such as organ meats
10. Try herbal support such as those containing chaste tree
11. Stabilise blood sugars by eating for your macronutrient type
12. Include spearmint in your diet. Try this sparkling spearmint iced tea
13. Assess the way you exercise. Check out these tips for exercising right for your hormones
15. Avoid refined sugar and refined grains where possible to support healthy digestion and balanced blood sugar levels.
