I’m happy to announce that this week we are having a special guest interview on the Do You Want To Have A Baby Blog?
Hethir Rodriguez of natural-fertility-info.com comes to share with us her wealth of knowledge on optimum fertility in the following interview:
Tell us about your personal fertility journey
A couple of years ago my husband and I became surprisingly pregnant. At about 4 weeks I had a miscarriage. Everyone said this was normal and to not worry. It was really sad, devastating actually. It is amazing how quickly you transform into a mother once you find out you are pregnant. Well a little while later we became surprisingly pregnant again. We were excited but at the same time I was a stress case. I felt there was something not right. I started spotting so I went in to see the doctor. It turns out I was having a second miscarriage.
I asked the doctor so many questions to find out why this was happening and what could I do to prevent another miscarriage. The doctor had no answers for me and said that they don't test until the third miscarriage. That answer was not good enough for me so I began doing research on ways to prevent recurrent miscarriages. That is how my journey started.
When did you start exploring alternative therapies and herbal approaches for fertility problems? What did you discover?
I have been an herbalist and massage therapist for ten years now. At the time of my first pregnancy I was in school to become a midwife. When the doctor had no answers for me I decided to start doing some research on my own. Naturally I was researching natural remedies, herbs, and lifestyle changes that could help prevent miscarriage. What I found was amazing. Not only was there scientific studies and proof of remedies for recurrent miscarriage, but many other fertility issues were being helped with natural remedies.
So through this life experience I have found my current path. To help others who are having troubles becoming pregnant or staying pregnant. So from this journey NaturalFertilityInfo.com was born.
What are some of your recommendations to help prevent miscarriage?
Since there are a couple of different reasons recurrent miscarriages happen it is best to have an idea of why the miscarriage happened in the first place. Whether is was due to poor egg health/ sperm health, immunological reasons, chromosomal, low progesterone, etc. If the cause is unknown, which is the case most of the time, then a complete program could help. My recommendations to help prevent miscarriage is the following:
1. Prepare. Preparation is the key to natural remedies and fertility. All of the lifestyle changes must happen months before you are pregnant.
2. Start eating a fertility diet that is rich in nutrient dense foods.
3. Cleanse the body of toxins and excess hormones with a fertility cleanse.
4. Build a healthy foundation. Take a whole food prenatal multivitamin and omega 3 essential fatty acid. EFA's help to prevent miscarriage by reducing inflammation, aiding in hormone production and balance, and maintain healthy eggs and sperm.
5. Apply self fertility massage. Another important element in preventing miscarriage is to increase the circulation to the uterus. From our daily lifestyles of not exercising enough, exercising too much, sitting at a desk all day, pretty much life… can decrease the circulation to the uterus. The left leg and the uterus share the same major artery with most of the blood going to the legs, especially when we live in a stressful state of fight or flight ( our bodies sends all the blood to the muscles and brain in preparation for running away or fighting), the circulation to the uterus will be compromised.
6. Use supplements and herbs to help balance your hormones, reduce the immunological response, and reduce blood clotting. One of my favorite supplements for recurrent miscarriage is Fertility Enzyme Therapy. For recurrent pregnancy losses caused from either immunological response or blood clotting, Fertility Enzyme Therapy is an affective option. In a five year study women who had experienced a recurrent miscarriage due to immunological response (more than 30% of miscarriages) were put on a systemic enzyme supplement before and during there pregnancies. 79% of the women carried out their pregnancies to term and gave birth to healthy babies.
This is an amazing discovery. The only options available before this study were anti-immunological agents similar to the type used in transplant patients, but most doctors will not use them due to there toxicity during pregnancy.
What are key features of your fertility diet?
Three key features are:
- Eat organic proteins and whole grains together -It helps to keep the blood sugar balanced which helps to reduce the body from releasing stress hormones, such as prolactin, which can have a negative effect on hormonal balance and health.
- Eat as much organic foods as possible. Studies have shown that hormones found in meat and dairy and pesticides found on produce can have an effect on our fertility.
- Eat fertility superfoods such as Maca, Spirulina, and Royal jelly to nourish your body and keep your eggs in good health.
How do you suggest using progesterone to enhance fertility? What forms are the most effective?
Progesterone is so necessary in fertility. From ovulation to implantation and a healthy pregnancy, progesterone is needed. Progesterone helps with many fertility issues that are caused from excess estrogens such as PCOS, Endometriosis, and ovarian cysts. It is also helpful in cases of recurrent miscarriage due to low progesterone. In this case it is best to have testing done often to make sure your progesterone levels are increasing as your pregnancy grows.
The two types of progesterone that I find work the best is sublingual progesterone and progesterone creams. My favorite being sublingual progesterone because it is absorbed directly into the system.
6. Can you elaborate on:
a. How to improve cervical mucous
b. How to improve your egg health?
Here are three steps to improve cervical mucous
1. Drink more water
2. Take evening primrose oil before ovulation
3. Take L Arginine to increase circulation to the reproductive organs.
You can improve your egg health through eating a nutrient dense diet for at least three months before trying to conceive. What you are eating and putting into your body right now is impacting the health of the egg you will ovulate three months from now. Make sure to get plenty of antioxidants, fertility superfoods, and oxygen to the ovaries. This can be done through supplements, fertility massage, and herbs.
Hethir is a great resource. I’ve enjoyed working with her and getting to know her. You can learn more about Hethir on natural-fertility-info.com and on her blog.
-Sarah
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