Fertility Pt. I/?
Ways to Optimize / Track Fertility
It’s no secret that women have a limited amount of eggs and they diminish as we age1. Not only does the number of eggs decrease with age, but so does the quality. So, ideally, we start planning to expand our families at an early age.
Many lifestyle factors can be working against us,
to name a few:
Stressful environments - work (fast-paced, night shift, etc.), school, etc.
Unbalanced nutrition - lack of important nutrients and macronutrients.
Not enough or no exercise - couch potato…
With that being said, some key things we can do to optimize our fertility regardless of age can be summarized as this:
Know / Track Your Ovulation Cycle
Tracking your entire menstrual cycle will be beneficial here.
Eat a Nutritious and Healthy Diet
Consistent meals (3-5 daily).
Sufficient macronutrient distribution / consumption.
Ensure you’re supplementing properly + not too much.
Maintain a healthy weight (18-22% BF)
Train regularly (3-5x per week + cardio 2-3x per week + daily steps goal).
Understand how BF affects hormone health.
Lower Stress Levels
This can also affect your hormones (high cortisol at the wrong times) and disrupt fertilization.
Tracking Ovulation
Ovulation is the time when we are ready for conception - it is the process when a mature egg is released from the ovary and awaiting fertilization.
We are most fertile during the first 48 hours leading up to ovulation - for most, you can count back 14 days from the first day of your period, and the 2-3 days before that should be your most fertile. (On average, ovulation lasts between 6-7 days).
It requires a little bit of math to figure out when you’re ovulating (shut up I know math is fake). This is where it’s important to know the typical length of your menstrual cycle—knowing this number will help determine how many days after your period you should expect to be ovulating.
This varies from woman to woman—of course—and it can be difficult to determine for some if your cycle is irregular. Not to worry.
If you have normal periods, you shouldn’t have any issues figuring out your ovulation window (some apps have advanced so much that we can use those to estimate our ovulation cycles - try tracking your period for a few months on one and see how accurate it is).
If apps aren’t your thing, try to track on your own on a calendar and see if you narrow down any patterns. Some women have longer or shorter cycles. (On average 26-32 days).
Tracking Ovulation for Pregnancy
***This is common knowledge and can be found pretty much anywhere, but here are a few sources: WhatToExpect, VeryWell, WalnutHillOBGYN.***
There are numerous ways to track ovulation (it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” thing), here are some common ways to do so:
Calendar Method - this is a natural way and the most tried method to track ovulation.
Keep track of the length of your last 6-12 menstrual cycles -
Count the shortest and longest ones and do some simple subtraction to determine which days are your most fertile ones
Standard Days - much similar to the calendar method but typically more ideal for average menstrual cycles (26-32 days). Peak fertility will lie in between days 8-19 of the cycle.
Tracking Apps - similar to the menstrual cycle apps discussed above, there are ovulation tracking apps.
Although these can be a little more inaccurate, many have found success in conceiving following the ovulation predictions from these apps.
Basal Body Temperature - when your basal body temperature reaches its lowest temp and suddenly rises by half a degree, ovulation has occurred.
This should be done first thing in the morning.
This can be measured by a special thermometer.
This change in temp. happens due to a rise in progesterone.
Cervical Mucus - consistency in cervical mucus or “discharge” will change, take note of it.
We are most fertile when our cervical mucus is similar to a raw egg white.
It will be abundant, clear, stretchy, wet, and slippery - it only makes sense that this would be the peak time for baby-making anyway...😉
Predictor Kits - these kits can be up to 99% accurate in detecting ovulation—there are more kits out there but these are available OTC.
They detect the amount of luteinizing hormone in your urine.
A rise in LH indicates that your ovary has released an egg.
A positive result means you should be ovulating within the next 12-24 hours, which means it's an optimal time to try to conceive.
Saliva Ferning - This is a test kit that helps to predict ovulation by observing patterns formed by saliva.
When estrogen increases near the time of ovulation, the dried saliva may form a fern-shaped pattern.
IF none of the above seems to work - Speak with Your Doctor
If you’ve spent quite some time trying to get pregnant with no success (especially if under 35) there could be some underlying fertility issues.
Just to name a few2:
Ovulatory disorders - PCOS, Premature Ovarian Failure, Hypothalamic Dysfunction, etc.
PCOS is one of the main causes of fertility issues in women under 35 - the hormonal imbalance interferes with the growth and release of eggs from the ovaries & without ovulation, you cannot get pregnant.
PCOS does not have a definitive cause but it is linked to high levels of androgens in women.
Great sources to look into (can be found on Amazon):
The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods
Hormonal Balance: Understanding Hormones, Weight, and Your Metabolism
Endometriosis - when the tissue of the lining of the uterus grows on the outside of the uterus.
Pelvic Adhesions -scar tissue can cause the fallopian tubes and ovaries to get stuck together.
Tubal Blockage - can be caused by many things: endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, certain surgeries, ectopic pregnancy, etc.
Other tubal/uterine abnormalities
Hyperprolactinemia -prolactin build-up or overabundance (usually caused by benign tumors in the pituitary gland).
Additional symptoms of ovulation to take note of:
Cervix softens and opens up
The vulva/vagina may appear swollen
Mild cramps in the lower abdomen
Libido increase
Light spotting
Diet / Nutrition
Diet is not only important before pregnancy, but it’s even more important during pregnancy and postpartum (especially if you plan to breastfeed - you’ll probably read this from me a lot). We need to ensure our bodies are ready to support a growing baby - inside and outside of the womb.
(Check out this post on Pregnancy Nutrition).
We receive crucial nutrients through our diets that the baby needs for development (and sometimes supplementation if the diet isn’t enough). This is why it’s important to have a balanced distribution and consumption of macronutrients - higher protein along with sufficient fats and carbs.
I go into more depth about what foods you should be eating in this post: Planning for Pregnancy. Mainly, just focus on eating whole, nutritious foods and maximizing intake of Omega-3s, calcium, folate, iron, and fiber.
We especially want to focus on avoiding “quick-fix”, “crash”, or “yoyo” diets as these can be stressful to the body and don’t reserve a lifestyle ready for a baby. This is why it is crucial to start planning your diet substantially earlier than you plan to start trying to conceive.
Here’s a quick TLDR:
Eat 3-5 balanced meals consistently per day.
Sufficient macronutrient distribution - a diet with moderate carbs, moderate fat, and high protein will serve to be superior. Check out this post on nutrition from Ox.
1-1.5g of protein per pound of body weight (4 calories per gram)
1-1.5g of carbs per pound of body weight (4 calories per gram)
0.3-0.5g of fats per pound of body weight (9 calories per gram)
e.g. 130 lbs. = 130g - 195g of protein, 130g - 195g carbs, 39g - 65g fats - this range is dictated by how you adjust your macro breakdown:
i.e. a split like 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fats OR something like 30% carbs, 40% protein, 30% fats, etc.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate - 1 fl. oz. per pound of body weight, I would even say more if you can tolerate it (130lbs. = 130 fl. oz.)
Start prenatal vitamins and supplementation EARLY.
ALL of these factors will increase your chances of conception.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Exercise regularly - I will repeat this over and over again throughout my Substack posts - there will be zero excuses.
It’s important for hormone health and supporting your future baby to maintain a healthy weight and body fat percentage. For women this range is about 18-22% pre-pregnancy—yes, this means you NEED body fat for conception. We just want to keep it lower to reduce the risk of things like preeclampsia.
When women get to lower body fat levels, hormones can become abnormal and this can cause fertility issues. This is why many athletes, though very healthy, have trouble conceiving.
(I’m not saying this is impossible, I was about 15% BF when I conceived, but higher is more ideal for fertility).
As I mentioned in my Planning for Pregnancy post, you want to give yourself time to prepare for your baby (3 years), and by that I mean to cultivate a healthy lifestyle before trying to conceive so your body is ready to support you and the baby.
Though exercise will play a major role in maintaining a healthy BF %, diet will be the main determining factor in body weight.
Here’s my General Prenatal Workout Guide.
Lowering Stress Levels
We are emotional human beings. We overthink A LOT—we probably stress ourselves out way too much. One of the biggest factors to being successful with fertility is relaxing. I know, sounds hard “DID SHE SAY RELAX??!” But seriously, relax babe.
Stress can delay the ovulation process and thus delays the fertilization process.
Ways we can reduce stress:
Cultivate healthy sleep hygiene
Ways to do this:
Sleep / Wake at a consistent time
Avoid staying up super late (11 PM should be the latest) / Avoid sleeping in (wake up no later than 10 AM) - just suggestions, but the earlier the better.
Preconception I was waking up at 6-7 AM every day and asleep by 9-10 PM every night (following the sun patterns). Just my two cents.
Truthfully, for the best results, you should follow your natural circadian rhythm and rise and go to sleep with the sun. (Homage @Grimhood).
Create a dark and cool space - turn off all electronic devices.
Shower or soak in a hot bath before bed to further relax yourself.
For more information on increasing consistent and healthy sleep hygiene, check this post out by @BowTiedOx.
Go to the spa/sauna regularly (maximize usage here as much as possible as we have more limitations while pregnant).
Most spas/massage places will not accept pregnant clients until the second trimester—not in all cases BUT most cases.
Saunas / hot baths are recommended to be avoided during pregnancy due to high temps that can cause - overheating, fainting, dehydration, etc.
Meditate - focus on breath work & do some yoga.
Socialize / Vent your grievances positively.
Whether it be therapy or seeing your friends regularly,
Of course, things already mentioned above that will boost fertility will also help reduce stress:
Exercise regularly
Eat a healthy diet
Go on walks consistently… especially in the sun!
Putting It All Together
We have many factors working against us, but we’re also very capable of controlling a good chunk of factors and yielding fertility/conception in our favor.
The key takeaway you should gain from this post is lifestyle is everything. Everything we do adds up and pushes the needle in or out of our favor—we need to take our health considerations seriously.
As always, DYOR. These are just some things that worked for me, and many other women and have been studied by plenty of professionals across generations.
#WAGMI
Your friend,
- BowTiedHeifer
Disclaimer
I am not a licensed personal trainer or pre/postnatal specialist—these are simply my personal experiences and things I have witnessed to work for many others. This is not legal, medical or financial advice. Please speak to a professional before starting any new programs, applying any new diet plans, or supplement protocols.