Raw food diet and infertility

[RawDrop]

I was wondering if anyone knew if this diet will help with this. I have been told by doctors that I am infertile due to a hormone imbalance.

I have been doing what I can to try to balance them again naturally, even to the point of not using plastic utensils or containers for my food, because i have read that there is a chemical in hard plastic that simulates estrogen.

Do anyone have any ideas, help? I already know that as soon as I have the money I am planning on getting maca powder, lucuma powder, chia seeds and any other superfood I read about that increases fertility. But any additional info would help greatly.

I have always wanted to be a mom, and this has been tearing me up inside.
So, help, please!

[Clare]

Are you cycling? Do you have ovulatory cycles? It would be invaluable for you to learn natural family planning. First, you might look for a class or books. You could contact your local Catholic diocese or www.ccli.org - you can learn a ton about your body from NFP and I think it should be taught in school health classes it is such great info to have. In the meantime, be sure that you are at an appropriate weight for your height (especially not underweight) and are not overexercising. You need to have the right fat to muscle ratio if your body is sensitive to that. You can also look into the herb vitex (chaste berry) which will slowly tone your pituitary. It did wonders for me! You might also try to find a good doctor who is holistic-minded to check thyroid- (T3/4 not just TSH!), etc.
A good diet does wonders for the body. You not only need to ovulate but you need to have healthy cervical mucus for sperm survival. Flax oil (if you're vegan and don't do fish oil) and vitamin A and tons of water are great for this. It wouldn't hurt to take up juicing to make up for your past nutritional gaps...
I know your pain and frustration all too well. Pray, hope, and don't worry. You will be a mother all too soon ;-) and then look out.

[Aleesha Sattva]

maca maca maca (http://www.rawveganbooks.com/product_info.php?ref=199&products_id=1001038&affiliate_banner_id=1)... start with maca!!!

[RawDrop]

See, my issue is no periods doe to hormone imbalance. My doctors always said that was my fertility issue.

Now, I don't know how my hormone got messed up in the first place. I was having normal periods (1 every 3 months) until I was about 19, (I am 32 now) and then I had one when I was about 24, one when I was 29 and no more since.

I am hoping it is not something more than hormones. My grandmom on my Dad's side had 8 kids, my grandmom on my Mom's side had 4, my aunt on my Mom's side had 4 kids, and my Mom had 4 kids. So this isn't something that is heriditary.

I will start with the chaste berry and maca powder. Should I do them in smoothies?

Any other tips that I can incorporate?

[Aleesha Sattva]

just don't add too much maca... it's not a pleasant taste. you have to get used to it. start off slow... 1/2 or 1/4 tsp.

oh and you don't need to have periods to release eggs. i had few periods and still had a baby! (i have three in total)... but back then, i seldom menstrated and i still got pregnant!

[Raene]

I have read many stories about raw foods making people more fertile. People who tried and didn't conceive for almost 15 years get pregnant very soon after becoming raw.
Just remember, stress won't help. I know it's hard not to, but just breathe, and realize that everything will come in it's own good time.

[souldanzer]

This is how I treated my severe PMS due to hormonal imbalances:

-stay away from ALL fake estrogens. For me that included ALL soy products including soy lecithin and I also avoided flax for that reason for a while (has estrogenic properties). There are other foods that are high in phytoestrogens if you find that this is a major factor for you.
-Plastics, as you mentioned, needs to be eliminated. Don’t drink water bottled in plastic!
-Tap water is a major culprit, too (has a ton of really bad chemicals in it, fluoride being one of them that screws with your hormones, as well as your city’s populations birth control pills remnants – major factor for me).
-Try to avoid fluoride in your toothpaste if that is an option for you
-Stay away from any cosmetics or lotions that contain parabens or –yl anything (methyl, butyl, whatever). They’re estrogenic.
-Most alcohol is estrogenic.
-Get healthy exercise. Fat tissue produces estrogen. The more you fat you carry on your body, the more estrogen you will be producing. The more estrogen you have in your body, the more fat your body will produce – a vicious cycle.
-“The Anti-Estrogenic Diet” is an excellent book on this issue!
-Definitely get your thyroid checked.

Supplements:
-take a whole food multi vitamin and mineral (or supplement at least vitamin E, D, and a high potency B-complex, which the body needs to make hormones)
-DHA and EPA, at least 3g/day. I take a concentrated fish oil but there are algae-options.
-Keep your omega 3 fats as high as you can.
-Evening Primrose oil (three capsules a day), I later switched to hemp foods at at least one serving a day. Still supplement here and there, though.
-Get enough PROTEIN. Your body needs primarily essential fatty acids and amino acids to make hormones. Stress eats up both of them (because then your body has to make stress hormones instead of sex hormones…).
-If nothing else helps, consider a *natural* progesterone cream or supplement (if you get a cream make sure it doesn’t have parabens! Ironic, I know, but so many of them do!)


A lot of this information I learned from Dr. Lee (I think that’s his name - he’s got an interesting website).
Good Luck!

[RawDrop]

Do you know where I can find a natural progesterone cream?

Does anyone have any other advice? I have done my best to add some of what I have seen on here.

All my food is now being stored in glass, pottery or stainless steal. I add maca to a smoothie that I have every morning. I have added folic acid, chaste berry, evening primrose, omega 3s, and a multi vitamin to my diet.

I am exercising everyday, mostly walking and belly dancing ( I love belly dancing), they both seem to be gentle and easy on my body.

I really, really want to be pregnant!!

Any more help out there?

Christina

[Coconutcutie]

I have a friend that never got a period in her life and she just had her third child recently!

Also, I was conceived with 1/8 of one ovary....technically my mother was sterile and was told she would never have children and here I am!

Also, I was once told as a teen that I had cysts and would probably have trouble conceiving and I got pregnant right away each time that I tried.

Basically, keep doing what you're doing and don't believe doctors that give you a grim prognosis as far as having children...

[MrsJohnnyG]

Great tips from souldanzer.

Here is what I posted on a trying-to-conceive board a month or so ago... it's my game plan for getting pregnant (after 3 years of trying and 3 miscarriages):

1. Total makeover of my eating habits. from now on, I will be eating whole foods, and feed my body with a variety of fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and spring water. Yesterday I bought $150 worth of organic raw nuts and seeds, fresh organic produce, etc. and I am already feeling better eating this way instead of my old processed/frozen food/junk food diet!

Also, I just ordered a juicer (the Omega 8005) and some wheatgrass seeds and sprouting trays... I don't quite understand why juicing most fruits/veggies would be as good as eating the whole fruit/veggie, but evidently you can't eat wheatgrass -- you have to juice it. What exactly wheatgrass does, I'm not quite sure other than that it's another source of great nutrients. [ahh, how much I have learned in such a few short weeks! I've already moved on to my Vita-mix for most of my daily juicing! ;)]

2. Exercise. I have really slacked off on this and plan to start doing cardio and strength training several days a week.

3. Yoga. I bought Yoga for Fertility and will do that several days per week. (This will be great for my stress level too, which is way too high.)

4. Supplements. I am taking FertilityBlend (this helps me soooo much in the EWCM department... EPO, green, Robitussin, etc. didn't help in my case, but FB did!), baby aspirin (per RE's recommendation), prenatals, a little extra iron and folic acid, and I just bought DHEA.

5. No more caffeine or alcohol! Period!!!

6. Getting plenty of sleep. I hadn't realized that not sleeping enough can affect ovulation. D'oh, I will be getting at least 6-7 hours per night from now on.

7. Acupuncture. I'm not quite a believer in this yet, but have heard so many things that I'm open to trying it. [I've now had 3 sessions and enjoy it immensely.]

8. Hypnosis. I've downloaded 4 different fertility hypnosis mp3's to listen to every night as I'm falling asleep. Three of them are fantastic; one is crappy. :D I am alternating the good ones every night... if nothing else, they are helping immensely with my "I'm over 35 and haven't had my first baby yet" anxiety.

9. Positive thinking/visualization. It's still hard for me to picture myself pregnant with a big pregnant belly, so I'm going to type up positive affirmations and tape them up where I will see them every day, and also make a visualization board that includes a photo of my face superimposed onto a pregnant woman's body! Is that completely psycho? (I don't care if it is, actually... I've done this before and it works great

10. Laughter. The first time I read about Norman Cousins (is that his name?) mysteriously being healed of cancer after he spent months watching comedies and surrounding himself with humor, I was fascinated... so I'm going to be adding a bunch of comedies to my Netflix queue. I haven't read of any similar anecdotes suggesting a link between humor and fertility, but hey, it can't hurt, right? I've been so stressed and depressed, even if it doesn't help with the TTC efforts, I know I need more laughter in my life. (Have you seen the previews for that movie Baby Mama? As soon as I saw the clip with the doctor telling her "I just don't like your uterus," I knew I had to see this movie! He sounds like MY doctor! :D)

11. Sunshine. Sunshine is healthy and promotes ovulation. I used to work in my dark little office all day without getting any fresh air or sunshine. I'm committed to getting outside into the sun and fresh air at least 20 minutes every day (up to an hour, in the days leading up to ovulation!).

12. Making room. I am sitting right now in what is now our home office... it's bland, colorless, totally cluttered with desks and computers and papers... yet this is the room that will be the nursery. I am going to finally get our computers moved to the "new" home office area in our newly-finished basement... and may start decorating a nursery! (WOW, that thought gives me chills!!!!)

Finally, I didn't even give this one a number because it's all-pervasive in my life, but I am a Christian and pray about this fertility situation all the time. But, I'm going to make an effort to be able to pray "not my will, but Thine"... as in, things may not happen on MY timetable, but as long as I'm doing what I can do, then I want to embrace the journey and the destinations before me. I want to accept what happens with gratitude and joy, not fear and anxiety. I resolve to count my blessings EVERY day!


....................

Wow... it's hard to believe I wrote all of that before I even went raw. Now that I'm high raw, all of those things are so much easier!!

BTW, if you haven't read the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, it is a MUST-READ, imo. I also found the book The Infertility Cure fascinating and very helpful.

[Rawmommie]

First off, raw will help balance hormones, so make sure you are eating raw! I have also heard many stories of women going raw and conceiving!

Also, do some research on Chasteberry. I have researched it because of some hormonal issues and found that MANY women started taking it and it allowed them to ovulate and straightened out hormonal and infertility issues when nothing else would! It also goes by the name of Vitex agnus castus. All natural, from the Chastberry tree! You can get that and progesterone cream online, just do a google search! :)