I often find myself yelling “bodies are so cool!” and “bodies are so weird!”. As a physician, anatomy professor, and business lady, you would think I could find something more professional to say. But when it all comes down to it, I settle on one of those two statements several times a day. I could ramble on about hormone cascades and neuronal pathways, but even in human physiology we run out of answers to the question, “why?” … So my eternal answer will be bodies are cool and weird, and I love them.
Female bodies are especially cool, and weird, and lovely. They are able to sustain life within, while providing for themselves and others externally. Because I specialize in pediatrics and prenatal care in my clinic, I’m often face to face with women struggling with infertility. Infertility can be complicated, but a lot of it boils down to a simple concept: you need to make an environment in which a little person would like to live and grow. If you have hopes of housing your own little human (soon, or in the distant future – no pressure!) there are some simple and non-invasive lifestyle changes you can make to build your body up, and make a positive place within.
1. Add more good!
Ideally, we’d be able to get all of our nutrients from the food we eat. That’s always best, but even on some of the healthiest diets you’ll have trouble getting enough nutrients for two. Your prenatal vitamin is important, but isn’t the only thing that should be on your radar. Calcium and Vitamin D help grow a new set of bones, and Omega 3’s aid in brain development. We need plenty of B vitamins, which are CRUCIAL for building a babe (they prevent birth defects and also help with morning sickness). However, we need them in the best forms.
Here’s the thing about B vitamins I wish everyone knew:
- B9 (folate) is often given in the form of Folic Acid. However, 50% of the population has a genetic mutation called MTHFR which means they can’t metabolize Folic Acid. These people need Folate. It’s hard to know whether you have MTHFR unless you get tested. So to be safe, make sure you’re taking the folate form of B9 which is friendly in both cases.
- B12 commonly exists in 2 forms: cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin. Be sure to take the methylcobalamin form, because the other is synthetic and hard for the body to deal with. Think cyano… cyanide… cyanide is poisonous… that might help you remember which one you need!
If you’ve ever been on birth control, B vitamins are doubly important! I took an oral contraceptive for years before I knew what it was doing to my body. I was tired, and my sex drive plummeted. There’s a history of stroke on my mother’s side of the family so I wasn’t thrilled about a correlated risk with that either. I felt a little better a few months after I went off the pill, but it wasn’t until I ran some labs on myself that I really saw the damage. From a blood and urine sample, I could tell how deficient my body was in B vitamins. Oral contraceptives deplete B vitamins, and no one had told me. Not my doctor. Not the pharmacist. I was fatigued, my hormones were wacked out, and no one had bothered to tell me why. The day I started on a B complex, I felt like I’d had a triple espresso shot injected into my veins. I finally gave my body what it needed after years of depleting it. I don’t have children yet, but I’m forever grateful for the friend who suggested I run my labs. I would’ve gone into childbearing without the nutrients needed to build vital structures in a child.
2. Limit the bad!
Did you know we live in a toxic soup? I don’t mean to scare you, but unless you’ve done some legitimate leg work to replace common household items you could be exposed to endocrine disrupters. These hormone manipulators can have a negative effect on fertility, so do your best to limit the following:
- BPA: often in plastic cups & containers. Try subbing out for glass and stainless steel options.
- Paraben & Phthalates: common in cosmetics, soaps, hairsprays, etc. Look for natural options without them. I often buy my body products at health food stores instead of salons for this reason.
- Organophosphates: found in herbicides, and pesticides. This is why eating organic when you can is important. Your body has to spend energy to fight these toxins, when it should be using that energy to make you stronger and smarter. Don’t make your body work overtime to combat things you could avoid.
3. Get your emotions in check
Stress can interfere with our hormones, and making a child requires a delicate hormonal balance. Working 80 hours a week, or swimming in a soup of depression and anxiety might not make for a pleasant internal environment. Cortisol and adrenaline associated with stress and anxiety can suppress ovulation, and interfere with critical hormones for pregnancy. Moms and babies are in tune emotionally right from the start, after all you’ve been carrying your eggs even since YOU were in the womb. That’s right, your mom carried her grandchildren in her own womb for a bit, how crazy is that?! Bodies are so COOL. Do your best to stabilize your emotional environment, and find stress solutions before babies.
The bottom line is that a healthier you is important no matter what stage of life you’re in. Nutrition is your friend. It gives your body the building blocks to make energy, and sustain life (x2!). It’s best to use that energy more for efficient processing and less for fighting toxins, so eat clean and be aware of what you put in, on, and around your body. Do your best (you don’t have to be perfect!) to cope with stress and negative emotions. Take comfort in knowing that your body is cool, and weird, and lovely, and has miracles and surprises built in everywhere. You’re magic!
Dr. Hannah Anderson is a Chiropractor in Iowa who focuses on pediatric and prenatal care as well as nutrition. She’s the co-founder of Well Labs (mywelllabs.com), on online source for high quality physician grade nutrition. Each purchase from Well Labs helps provide preventative lifestyle medicine to underprivileged and disadvantaged children. Find out more at mywelllabs.com.
photo credit: Grilled Mandarin Chicken Salad from Saladworks ($10.99) via photopin (license)
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