When a couple decides the time is right to start a family, they expectantly look forward to baby’s first kicks. For most couples, this dream becomes a reality without a hitch. Baby arrives about a year later—after an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth. But it’s a cruel twist of fate when a woman who has spent her early reproductive years controlling her fertility with contraceptives finds herself facing infertility.

Defined as a couple’s inability to get pregnant within 12 months when birth control is not used, infertility affects more than 10 percent of couples. This may be due to the fact that it’s increasingly common for couples to delay childbearing until their mid- to late thirties, but there are many other causes and contributing factors as well. While assisted reproductive technologies (such as in vitro fertilization) are effective in many cases, lifestyle changes and an array of natural supplements can aid fertility and support a healthy pregnancy.

Clearing the Air

Environmental contaminants have been implicated in declining fertility rates. The widespread use of solvents, paints, dyes, pesticides, dioxin, and plastics has led to the release of chemicals that are known to act as hormonal disruptors into the environment. Although the topic is controversial, studies have confirmed an association between higher rates of chemical or radiation exposure and decreased fertility in both men and women.

Liver cleansing and whole-body detoxification regimens are time-tested natural therapies that have been used for centuries to set the stage for a healthy conception and pregnancy. A cleanse can be accomplished as simply as altering the foods you eat: While attempting to conceive, try restricting your diet to organically grown whole grains, legumes, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The work of the digestive system will be eased, and your body’s energy resources can be more easily redirected to detoxification. Herbs such as milk thistle (Silybum marianum), dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) root, turmeric (Curcuma longa), and schizandra (Schisandra chinensis) aid the liver in its work to detoxify and cleanse the body.

The effects of a healthy lifestyle on fertility cannot be underestimated. While the detrimental effects of smoking on the lungs and heart are well-known, cigarette smoking also affects the fertility of both men and women. Women smokers may have decreased ovarian function, diminished egg quality, and an earlier onset of menopause. In men, cigarette smoking decreases sperm quality and quantity, and is recognized as an infertility risk factor. Quitting smoking reverses some of these effects—so get help to stop smoking as soon as possible to protect your fertility. Lobelia (L. inflata), passion flower (Passiflora incarnata), and oat straw (Avena sativa) are herbs that may help reduce nicotine cravings and ease nervous system irritability.

Limit consumption of alcoholic drinks and caffeine-containing foods and beverages. Try drinking more filtered water and less soda, coffee, and caffeinated tea. A variety of herbal teas may help correct underlying hormonal imbalances and offer a more nutritional alternative to caffeinated beverages. Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaf, alfalfa (Medicago sativa), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root, and red clover (Trifolium pratense) blossoms can be combined as a tasty tea and nutritive tonic for the female reproductive system. Considered to be both nutritive and cleansing, raspberry leaf has a long history as a tonic for the uterus. Alfalfa, licorice, and red clover contain isoflavones that provide a gentle hormone-balancing action.

For women, maintaining optimal body weight is important to enhance fertility. Being overweight or obese can contribute to ovulatory and menstrual difficulties, increasing the risk of infertility and miscarriage. Exercise plays an important role in weight loss. Losing just 5 to 10 percent of body weight can significantly improve a woman’s ovulation and pregnancy rates if she is overweight. But don’t overdo it—chronically underweight women also have difficulty conceiving due to disrupted ovulation.

Nutritional and Herbal Support

Every woman should take a high-quality multivitamin/mineral supplement as part of her preconception plan. Adequate supplementation can decrease the incidence of birth defects and may also reduce the time it takes to conceive. Adequate folic acid, vitamin B12, zinc, and iron intake are essential to a healthy pregnancy, and correcting subtle deficiencies of these nutrients may boost fertility. In addition, vitamin C may enhance the success rate of clomiphene, a fertility-enhancing drug.

Perhaps the best-known and best-studied herb to support conception is chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus). This herb has been used for centuries for female hormonal balance. It can correct a relative progesterone deficiency by balancing the output of controlling hormones, called luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), from the pituitary gland. Research supports this herb’s efficacy for both helping infertile women conceive and correcting menstrual cycle abnormalities. In one study, women who had no menstrual cycles, or who had an abnormally short second half of their cycles, achieved pregnancy twice as often when taking vitex than did infertile women who took a placebo.

Supplements for Infertility
 

• Chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus) as a tincture or standardized extract (0.6 percent aucubin)
   
• Multivitamin/mineral supplement containing vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and zinc
   
• B complex containing folic acid and vitamin B12
   
• Herbal tea: Combine equal parts of raspberryleaf, red clover blossoms, alfalfa leaf, and licorice root. Use 1 heaping teaspoon per cup boiling water.  Steep for 10 minutes, covered. Drink 1 to 3 cups daily.