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As the owner of Root & Branch Wellness and co-owner of Her Integrated Wellness, Stephanie Cortner, licensed acupuncturist and functional medicine practitioner, has come to understand that each fertility situation is different. This is because there are so many diagnoses that could be causing fertility dysfunction. She believes it is vitally important to identify the diagnoses and treat each patient based on their unique needs. We sat down with Stephanie to talk more about fertility and how she’s been able to help her patients.
1. Acupuncture improves ovarian function, sperm quality and balances the endocrine system by placing needles at points along certain meridians relating to the reproductive organs and nervous system.
Stress can be a major factor with one’s ability to get pregnant. Stress inhibits activity in the sympathetic nervous system, also called the flight or fight response, which can disrupt the way the brain communicates with the ovaries. This communication is called the hypothalamic pituitary-ovarian axis, and these are the main endocrine glands associated with reproductive health. Acupuncture helps to bring blood flow to these areas and calm our nervous system. This blood flow can also improve the thickness of the endometrial lining (lining of the uterus) to assist with implantation.
Stephanie points out that there are lifestyle factors as well that can help improve your situation and ability to conceive throughout all stages of pregnancy, from trying to get pregnant, to maintaining the health of you and your baby during pregnancy, to after giving birth as well.
1. Breathwork- Breathwork is good for alleviating our stress. Stephanie let us know that not all breathing techniques are right for everyone. One breathing technique she recommends that she can walk patients through is called Box Breathing, also known as Square Breathing. Many people their stomach in and breathe through their chest. They also tend to use their accessory muscles which can create tension in the neck. Box Breathing helps us to breath down and out using our belly. She describes the technique by letting us know to breath in for a count of five, hold at the apex, exhale for a count of five, and then hold for five seconds. Even practicing this for two-five minutes a day could make a world of difference. Also, if you practice this technique and count while you’re doing it, you are most likely not thinking of other things, which is good. If you continue to have ruminating thoughts, however, you can practice recognizing the thoughts and letting them go. This not only relaxes you, it can help with insomnia too.
2. Diet- When it comes to diet, we’re talking about how to stabilize blood sugar. For many women this can mean needing to eat more. One recommendation is to eat within 40-45 minutes of waking up so that your cortisol is not spiking. If we eat within 45 minutes of waking up, it not only helps us to sleep better at night, it helps to stabilize our blood sugar throughout the day.
-In terms of what to eat, Stephanie mentions things like salmon or black cod which are high in omega fatty acids. We also want to eat healthy fats, as healthy fats are a precursor to all our hormones. This includes foods like avocado, nuts and cooking with ghea that will help make our vitamins from our vegetables absorb better.
-If you want to be sure to be getting all the right nutrients, Stephanie suggests high-quality clean supplements depending on what you need. It really is about the right supplements, at the right time, in the right amounts. A few key herbal supplements that are generally helpful are Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Magnesium Glycenate, Vitamin B, and CoQ10.
When it comes to exercise, it really depends on what is going on with your body, and what stage of your cycle you are in. When you are ovulating, it is usually a better time to create more muscle and potentially do activities to strengthen and open up your hips. During the luteal phase, before your cycle starts, this is when restorative exercise can be more beneficial. Stephanie says to keep in mind that exercise is a form of stress and if your adrenal levels are on the weaker side, we don’t want to add to that stress.
Keep in mind, we only touched on a few things about fertility health. Whatever your fertility situation, we encourage you to do your research, talk with family and friends who support you and are open to what is best for you on this path, follow your heart and reach out to professionals who listen, understand and are helping you to take steps in the right direction. Whatever you choose, wherever you are at, the path to having a baby is different for everyone and should feel right for you.
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