Diet and fertility?
- Thread starter Grecia
- Start date
I haven’t tried a gluten free diet and am not actively trying to conceive but I’ve noticed that when I’m eating with a keto diet mixed with intermittent fasting my fertility signs are much more present than when I have a normal diet.
Are you taking a multi-vitamin and getting regular exercise? How are your monthly cycles and fertility signs?
Are you taking a multi-vitamin and getting regular exercise? How are your monthly cycles and fertility signs?
Yes I’ve been talking a multi vitamin.
So this cycle I’m currently on day 11, yesterday night and this morning I noticed some fertile cervical mucous. Typically see this around day 16 with day 18 being my typical ovulation day. Since I’ve been off of birth control(as of may 2019) I noticed my cycle is a bit longer around 31-32 days as opposed to before I was in birth control 26-29 days(was one birth control for one year). I don’t want to get my hopes up this cycle since I am seeing the fertile signs like fertile cervical mucus, desire for sex earlier. I’m also 26 years old and am hoping I conceive in the next couple of months before going to the doctor.
Some things to consider: 1) If you’re using any kind of decongestant or anti-histamine, this can dry up your cervical mucus making it very difficult for the sperm to reach the egg. Using a fertility friendly lubricant like PreSeed or ConceivePlus can help if you’re having issues with cervical mucus. 2) Regular use of NSAIDs (like ibuprofen, Advil, etc.) can interfere with ovulation and delay it making it hard to predict when or if you are ovulating. 3) Stress and illness can delay or stop ovulation as well. So relax! That’s why some couples conceive after they stop trying lol!
Sending baby dust your way
It sounds as if you are tracking your ovulation - have you used an ovulation test kit? I tracked my ovulation the old ways with a notebook.
It was not until my doctor told me to try the ovulation kit that there was success the first time.
Funny thing - ovulation tests can also tell you if you are pregnant. This is how I found out I was pregnant because my cycles were so long around 30-31 days too. I was trying to document everything for inaccuracies and some of the data were perplexing - so I tried the kit knowing I was not suppose to be ovulating and just out of curiosity.
I took prenatal victims for a year prior to trying to conceive along with Vitamin Bs. I think it may have helped with not having any morning sickness. We conceived at my age of 34 years old within 4 months of tracking/trying.
@Starlight makes a great point. even though you want to conceive do not stress yourself out. I found the tracking everything with detail took the emotional stress away of conceiving, and then allowed for enjoying the intimacy.
I've not tried any specific diet for conception - though perhaps that would have helped, since it took me about a year to conceive my first.
I do NOT think that it is a good idea to try to conceive or carry a pregnancy while remaining in ketosis (the whole point of the "keto" diet). Not a doctor or a nutritionist, but this seems like a very bad idea based on the understanding that I do have of fetal development, dietary needs, and some of the effects of prolonged ketosis on the body.
I am a proponent of eating fewer grains and starches in general - but unless you actually have an allergy or gut sensitivity to gluten, I might recommend cutting back and switching to an organic flour instead of going full-on gluten-free or keto.
A lot of people, myself included, have jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon when what they REALLY needed was just a little moderation -- and most importantly, flour that hasn't been bleached, hasn't been "fortified" or "enriched" with a bunch of garbage, and milled from wheat that wasn't shock-treated with Glyphosate.
Edit to add: I'm typically NOT a proponent of "organic" foods from the grocery store (usually just peddling words rather than any practical difference in terms of health and nutrition -- grow your own produce or buy from tiny farmers if you don't want it to have nasty stuff on it), but organic flour, specifically, makes a big difference for me.
I do NOT think that it is a good idea to try to conceive or carry a pregnancy while remaining in ketosis (the whole point of the "keto" diet). Not a doctor or a nutritionist, but this seems like a very bad idea based on the understanding that I do have of fetal development, dietary needs, and some of the effects of prolonged ketosis on the body.
I am a proponent of eating fewer grains and starches in general - but unless you actually have an allergy or gut sensitivity to gluten, I might recommend cutting back and switching to an organic flour instead of going full-on gluten-free or keto.
A lot of people, myself included, have jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon when what they REALLY needed was just a little moderation -- and most importantly, flour that hasn't been bleached, hasn't been "fortified" or "enriched" with a bunch of garbage, and milled from wheat that wasn't shock-treated with Glyphosate.
Edit to add: I'm typically NOT a proponent of "organic" foods from the grocery store (usually just peddling words rather than any practical difference in terms of health and nutrition -- grow your own produce or buy from tiny farmers if you don't want it to have nasty stuff on it), but organic flour, specifically, makes a big difference for me.
I’ll have to try the ovulation kit if nothing happens this cycle! Thanks for the tip
stress is something I need to learn how to regulate better! Thank youSome things to consider: 1) If you’re using any kind of decongestant or anti-histamine, this can dry up your cervical mucus making it very difficult for the sperm to reach the egg. Using a fertility friendly lubricant like PreSeed or ConceivePlus can help if you’re having issues with cervical mucus. 2) Regular use of NSAIDs (like ibuprofen, Advil, etc.) can interfere with ovulation and delay it making it hard to predict when or if you are ovulating. 3) Stress and illness can delay or stop ovulation as well. So relax! That’s why some couples conceive after they stop trying lol!
Sending baby dust your way
I agree!
I definitely wouldn’t recommend keto or fasting of any type during pregnancy. I just know that for me, my body really likes keto and OMAD fasting and actually helped some hormonal issues I had been having which is why I mentioned those eating systems. It could help, who knows... Sometimes it’s worth it to try something different.
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Have you tried the ovulating strips? You should be able to get them at drug stores/Amazon etc. That helped me conceive my son the second try. I'd say just eat whole foods, lots of protein, vegetables and avoid alcohol. You shouldn't have to be on a particular diet to conceive unless you're very overweight. If that's the case that does effect fertility, but thankfully you're 26 so you should be good on that end- I wish I started that early! If the strips don't work, maybe just stop trying too hard and planning sex, i know so many people who get pregnant after they stopped trying!
My wife and I took this and got insta-pregnant: https://www.biosuperfoodmicroalgae.com/nutrients-list/
We had been married 5 years. Its a boy. GL
Edit: She was also on this for stress (I was also popping these). We slept way better and had a much better disposition BTW.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-ashwagandha-benefits#1
We had been married 5 years. Its a boy. GL
Edit: She was also on this for stress (I was also popping these). We slept way better and had a much better disposition BTW
.https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-ashwagandha-benefits#1
We started paleo (gluten free, low-carb but not keto yet) about a year before our marriage for other health reasons. It worked so we still do it 7 years later. All three children concieved on one of the first times when they had a chance. Naturally I don't know what would have happened otherwise. We are young enough to have this result anyway but I don't have the best possible health even on this diet although it is better than before.
It is somewhat backed by science but the opposite is also backed by science. Science is not reliable because much of it is controlled by our enemy. I believe that there is such thing as gluten intolerance without symptoms and it can help. I would definitely try it if I had problems - you only loose your efforts if it does not work. Actually we have tried it ourselves and it worked for us so we still do it.
Minerals, vitamins and Omega-3 may also help. Basically you should go for peak nourishment.
It is somewhat backed by science but the opposite is also backed by science. Science is not reliable because much of it is controlled by our enemy. I believe that there is such thing as gluten intolerance without symptoms and it can help. I would definitely try it if I had problems - you only loose your efforts if it does not work. Actually we have tried it ourselves and it worked for us so we still do it.
Minerals, vitamins and Omega-3 may also help. Basically you should go for peak nourishment.
I wrote this in another thread [quoted above]. If you have been taking prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid, try going off of those and looking for one that either does not contain folic acid or contains a methylated version of folate. Those could be sabotaging your attempts to conceive, and your baby may end up with a tongue tie.Those examples are crazy! They remind me of something I've seen a lot recently on pregnancy forums - women calling Geritol* the supplement with a "baby at the end of every bottle". From what I can tell, it's basically just a liquid multivitamin with iron in it, but I've seen multiple women online report having had periods of infertility that were reversed by simply finishing a bottle of an iron-fortified multivitamin. So who knows
Also, I don't think I've gone off yet on MTHFR on the forum, but I should. We need a pregnancy and birth thread! Then I can really go off.
Should your child have the MTHFR mutation and you take prenatal vitamins during your pregnancy, it can cause them to have neural tube defects. Neural tube defects present on a wide spectrum, with spina bifida on one extreme and tongue ties on the other extreme. I think this is one of the reasons why we have seen such an explosion in tongue ties and babies who "can't breastfeed" in recent years. I didn't know this when I was pregnant with my daughter, and she was born with a tongue tie and all of the visible markers of MTHFR. Looking back, my prenatal vitamins all contained folic acid.
Stay away from fortified breakfast cereals and wheat products too! Just as the government introduced iodization to table salt, they have introduced folic acid fortification to wheat. So pretty much any highly processed breakfast cereal or non-organic wheat product you buy (including plain wheat flour) will contain [synthetic] folic acid. With organic wheat products, you can check the label to see if they have added folic acid.
I often wonder if the push for folic acid from the government (via wheat and breakfast cereal fortification) and from industrial obstetrics (via prenatal vitamins) is not part of a greater population control conspiracy. Maybe we need a Ladies Deep Forum to discuss
*Note: Geritol DOES contain folic acid. So I don't think it's prudent to take it. There are lots of multivitamins on the market that contain [methylated] folate and B vitamins. Maybe it's been [anecdotally] connected to restoration of fertility due to the remedying of nutritional deficiencies in non-MTHFR women...
I wonder how much of this is because organic flour generally doesn't contain [synthetic] folic acid? Do you know if you have the MTHFR mutation?
Also @Grecia, maybe look into the herb Vitex (also called Chasteberry) if you are still unable to conceive. I'm taking it now (plus Wild Yam) because I'm trying to bring back my period after a year of lactational amenorrhea. I have seen many cases of women with PCOS who were otherwise unable to conceive for years who, after a couple months of taking Vitex, were able to restore their fertility and conceive. Just remember to gradually wean yourself off of it over the course of at least one week after getting a positive pregnancy test (although some midwives prescribe a low dose throughout the first trimester for threatened miscarriage until the placenta takes over progesterone production).
I'd read something about that very briefly in passing but haven't really looked into it. I probably should, because I already know I've got at least one weird genetic thing going on, and those often bring friends along. I've actually speculated that my flour issue might be more to do with the "enrichment/fortification" than any other factor. Conventionally grown and processed wheat products are pretty much the ONLY AVENUE synthetic supplements and nutrients have to get into me, aside from the few I take separately/on purpose.
I avoid most supplements pretty religiously. My first midwife was annoyed with me until I started keeping a diet journal for her for a few weeks ("Nobody eats enough greens to not need supplement XYZ!" ... Try me, wench). Folic acid was the big one everyone tried to push on me, and the little voice that lives in my "gut" was like NOPE! I have a fairly long and consistent history of intuitively avoiding foods and substances and activities that have turned out to be not so good for my EDS, even years before I suspected I had it - so it would not surprise me AT ALL to learn that I had zeroed in on it subconsciously as something that needed to be eliminated even though I had no idea why.
I will say, be careful with the herbs and supplements and other such things. There are plenty that are very well known and widely available and pretty much universally safe and supportive for conception/pregnancy. But I've personally known herbalists with decades of experience who have prescribed tinctures, teas, etc. to pregnant women which they absolutely SHOULD NOT have. In one case, this could have potentially caused termination of the pregnancy if the mother had taken it earlier in the pregnancy, or if she had not discontinued use because she felt something was amiss (this was an honest and horrifying mistake on the part of the herbalist). There's also plenty of horrible advice out there on the internet masquerading as "suppressed knowledge."
Overall, I'm a big advocate of listening to your body and figuring out what works well for you. I think genetics play a big part in determining optimal diet. It's only very recently that we've become a world full of globe-trotting populations. Our building blocks are still sourced from a group or groups of organisms that have specifically adapted to a particular region and environment. It would defy reason to suggest that we're not better-adapted to processing certain foods than others.
I ate a lot of protein (I LOVE burgers, also ate a lot of eggs) and no caffeine/alcohol/deli meat. I was taking a prenatal but was a dum-dum and didn't read the label that it contained fish oil (I have a general seafood allergy; I want to eat shrimp so bad) and had a sore throat and runny nose every day before work. I switched out to a regular gummy multivitamin (Aldi brand haha). This is anecdotal so not sure about your situation but good luck and enjoy yourself in the meantime!