Have you found that getting pregnant isn’t quite as easy as you had hoped and learned that it’s due to your hormone levels not being up to par? Are the prescribed medications just not doing the trick? Perhaps you aren’t comfortable with the idea of introducing multiple medications into your body and want to approach the matter from a more holistic stance. Whatever the case may be, you can take hope in knowing that countless women have been able to increase their hormone levels naturally. You just may find that combining some of the methods below will work for you!
When trying to conceive, it is critical that your progesterone levels are within a normal range. The reason for this is due to the role that these hormones have throughout a pregnancy and while trying to get pregnant. Two of the primary roles that this hormone has during the conception stage are to ensure that your uterine lining is healthy and prepared for implantation, and that your body is experiencing healthy and normal blood clotting.
1. Avoid Excessive Exercise and Reduce Stress
While it’s important to make sure that you are exercising when trying to conceive, you need to be aware that you can overdo it. Dr. Wendy Warner, M.D., ABHIM, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Langhorne, Pa., points out that excessive exercise and training causes your body to produce so much cortisol that your body starts looking for new ways to create cortisol, and often targets ovarian hormones to do so. In addition to refraining from training at a competitive level, it is also helpful to stay as stress-free as possible. Cortisol is a stress hormone, so if you intentionally stay positive and try to find peace in any chaotic situations, your adrenal glands will begin to function normally and cortisol will slowly stop being overproduced.
2. Natural Progesterone Creams
These bio-identical hormone creams get to work on increasing the important fertility hormone right away! To use these creams, simply rub them on the body, preferably on your breasts or inner thighs, right before bed. Several experts recommend using these creams in cycles and alternating which area you are rubbing the cream on. It’s also important that you refrain from coming into physical contact with anybody for at least 15 minutes after using such a cream, as they are very potent and could cause someone with healthy hormone levels to see them become knocked out of alignment.
3. Healthy Herbs
When working to naturally increase your progesterone hormone levels, it is important to address the underlying issue. This can only happen through being intentional in putting the proper fuel (and the right amount of it) into your body. One way to do this is to include healthy herbs in your diet like chaste berry, licorice root, ashwagandha, schisandra and rhodiola. Typically, the easiest way to introduce these herbs into your system is in a capsule, or supplemental, form.
4. Food and Minerals
In addition to adding specific herbs to your diet, you will also want to make sure that you are getting the proper amount of the following minerals each day:
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B6
- Indole-3-carbinol (I3C)
While these minerals can be taken in a supplemental form, they are also found in several foods. Shellfish, beef and pumpkin seeds are excellent sources of zinc. To help you reach your daily intake of magnesium, you can grab some nuts to snack on and include whole grains into your meal plan. There are high levels of both magnesium and vitamin B6 in beans and spinach. Walnuts, bananas and lean red meat are also excellent sources of vitamin B6. For your daily dose of I3C, you can chow down on some cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts.
5. Essential Oils
It seems like everybody is using essential oils now, and for good reason! Essential oils are pure, highly concentrated and hit your bloodstream almost instantly. When using essential oils, it is important to research how many drops you should use, how you should use them and how often. A few of the essential oils that are highly beneficial to those who are trying to conceive are thyme, marjoram, frankincense, roman chamomile, cypress and clary sage.