So at 28, I’m at a point in my life where my friends are getting married and thinking about children. And as someone who works in the hormone and fertility space, that means I quickly become the go to person for all questions around TTC (“trying to conceive”).

So rather than answering it in piecemeal, I figured I’d break it all down for you.

If I were trying to get pregnant this year, here is my list of things I would do to best prepare my body, my hormones, and my mind for the journey ahead.

We’re going to be breaking it down step by step, but for those of you that want the quick and dirty, here’s the list:

1. Take 3-6 months to myself without trying to conceive
2. Start a high quality prenatal
3. Eat wild, fatty fish 2-3 x week
4. Do a lil liver loving
5. Be mindful of my chemical use
6. Breathwork every morning
7. Consider eating liver
8. Get to know my ovulation
9. Connect with my partner outside of just baby-making
10. Get hormonal blood work done

1. GIVE MYSELF 3-6 MONTHS TO PREP

This is a big one. I actually recommend that all my clients try to take at least 3 months to simply focus on supporting their body. This gives you the time, space and grace to support your hormones, digestion, nutrient stores, etc. WITHOUT worrying about getting pregnant.

Think of it as a prep phase – a time that is just about you and helping you to feel your best before supporting another life and body.

Many clients come to me because they want to conceive but have an irregular cycle, aren’t ovulating, or are just getting off of birth control. And it can be very stressful to try and tackle these things while *actively* thinking about trying to get pregnant. Instead, give yourself some TIME to just work on these things, bring your body into balance, and support your hormones BEFORE trying to get pregnant.

THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE COMING OFF OF BIRTH CONTROL – birth control depletes the body of many nutrients that need to be restored to help support a healthy cycle and fertility. And it takes about 3 months to build up these nutrient stores.

2. START A HIGH QUALITY PRENATAL VITAMIN

Extra points if you start this in that 3-6 month prep phase (which is what I recommend).

The body requires extra vitamins and minerals to support fertility, ovulation and early pregnant. As such, we like to look at a high quality prenatal as a safety net…it’s not meant to *replace* a high quality diet, but it is meant to come in and act as an insurance policy.

Let’s put it this way….

over 90% of Americans do not reach their vegetable intake…

and since we get so many vitamins (like folate (vitamin B9), vitamin C, etc) from veggies , it is safe to assume that most of us may be falling short of this vitamin. And these vitamins are CRUCIAL for ovulation, egg quality, and early pregnancy. So go eat those greens! But also take a high quality multi just in case.

“okay Amanda, but I eat tons of fruits and veggies and have a balanced diet…do I really need a prenatal”

I hear you. I consider myself to do the same.

And yet, if I was TTC, I would be taking a prenatal vitamin (in fact, I actually take one right now anyway…).

And that’s because even with a well-balanced diet, we have so. many. factors. working against us.

From depleted soil to medications, it has become increasingly hard to meet our needs from food alone.

Here’s a checklist to see whether a prenatal vitamin makes sense for you…

• Have you been on hormonal birth control? if yes….take a prenatal
• Or you vegetarian or vegan? if yes…take a prenatal
• Do you have dietary intolerances or allergies? if yes…take a prenatal
• Do you smoke, drink alcohol, or have a hx of substances? if yes…take a prenatal
• Do you have a hx of an eating disorder? if yes…take a prenatal
• Do you have issues with malabsorption (SIBO, IBS, etc)? if yes…take a prenatal
• Have you used medications or antibiotics? if yes…take a prenatal

So I see that this is most women.

So what are the best prenatal vitamins on the market? again, which you take depends on you, but here is a quick list of my favs…

• FullWell – 8 pills- use code Rootstoleaves for 10% off
• Perelel – 6 pills
• Needed – 3 or 8 pills depending
• Tend – snack bar – use code Rootstoleaves for 10%
• Seeking Health – 3 or 8 pills

or check out my Fullscript for discounted supplement recs

supplement recs

3. EAT WILD, FATTY FISH 2-3 X WEEK

Fish is so important for fertility. The omega-3 content, a type of fat, helps to reduce inflammation and support egg quality. For this reason, many practitioners will recommend fish oil pills…but fish oil doesn’t contain all the other benefits that fish does! So if possible, we’re looking to include whole, wild fish sources.

Outside of just omega-3s, fish contains iodine, protein, and even some calcium, alllllll of which will support the body, hormones and fertility.

So how much fish? We’re looking at 2-3 servings of fish x week. 1 servings = ~4 oz (or the size of your palm).

The best fish for fertility?

• Salmon (wild please!)
• Trout
• Sardines
• Anchovies
• Shrimp
• Bivalves in general (oysters, clams, etc)

4. DO A LIL LIVER LOVING

OOoooOh the liver. Our detoxification organ. The one that helps us digest, remove toxins, and helps us recover from our less than ideal choices (like after a night out with your college friends).

The liver is key is regulating our hormones, especially one called estrogen that can otherwise go a lil haywire. When our liver isn’t functioning properly, it can lead to a bit of a back up of estrogen. This can lead to missed or skipped ovulation, breakouts, irregular cycles, and so on.

So how do we support our liver…

• Try bitters before meals
• Include bitter foods (think arugula, radicchio, etc)
• Abstain from OTC medicine (unless necessary)
• Limit alcohol (ideally, nix it completely)
• Try a castor oil pack (Queen of Thrones is the goat)
• Consider liver support herbs like milk thistle or dandelion root

5. BE MINDFUL OF CHEMICAL USE

We’ll dedicate a whole other post to chemicals and endocrine disruption, but for now, here is the takeaway.

Chemicals, found in everything from plastics to our food supply, can interfere with our hormone production and lead to issues like abnormal egg quality, missed ovulation and irregular cycles.

Other chemicals, even if not considered an EDC, can still impact egg quality and/or early pregnancy, making a quick no on my list.

So if I was TTC, I’d spend a good amount of time being really mindful of my chemical use to optimize my eggs and my fertility picture.

Now, we don’t have to go crazy, but there are a few no-brainers that I like to suggest my clients limit when TTC. These include…

• BPA found in canned foods (no canned tomato sauce please!)
• Phthalates found in plastic water bottles
• Parabens found in cosmetic products
• “Fragrances” like in scented candles
• Retinol (not pregnancy safe)
• Smoking

6. BREATHWORK VERY MORNING

Stress can directly impact your fertility status.

Read that again.

Stress can directly impact your fertility status.

To read the rest of this article, click here.