What Causes Infertility? How You Can Naturally Enhance Your Hormones

Hormone imbalance and infertility are on a continuous rise in the U.S., With 1 in 6 people dealing with infertility, according to the World Health Organization. Our hormones are the primary messengers in our body that help us regulate our weight, skin care, gut health, emotions, sleep, recovery, and much more. In today’s society, so much research is coming out about the toxins in products that contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals. It is no wonder we are dealing with this epidemic. In today’s article, I will discuss the top products you should avoid and ways to naturally enhance your hormones.

**This should not be taken as medical advice. I am a holistic expert sharing research, and you should ask your doctor before changing medications.

What is Infertility?

Infertility is a sensitive topic and a massive problem worldwide, with many people struggling to conceive a baby. Infertility is a hormone imbalance condition where men’s sperm and women’s eggs are not potent enough or strong enough to create a baby. Mostly, women will notice if their period is off, a man’s libido is lowered, or natural testosterone levels are not where they need to be. Getting tested if you feel you are struggling with infertility or hormone misbalancing symptoms is always a good idea. In addition, genetic mutations can play a role; they are rare but can affect people’s ability to get pregnant.

Causes of Infertility & Hormone balances

The causes of infertility are unknown, but many factors contribute to infertility. These factors affect both men and women. Eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, excessive alcohol and drug consumption. Exposure to toxins and chemicals, STDs, and smoking (which plays a role in about 13% to 15% of infertility cases. Obesity and imbalances in your thyroid.

These are just a few causes of infertility; understanding how these causes affect our hormones is essential for us to know what to avoid and how to avoid them.

Let us start with obesity and eating disorders; these are from emotional circumstances in someone’s life. Whether they are faced with trauma at a young age or in an unhealthy environment as a child. The way these affect your hormones is when you are overweight, your body cannot regulate the hormone leptin, produced In fatty tissue. This can disrupt the hormone balance and reduce fertility. When you do not eat enough or are anorexic, it affects women’s menstrual cycle, decreasing ovulation, which is the point at which a woman can conceive.

Plant-Based Cosmetic Products

Anything we put on our bodies ends up in our bodies, which is why the chemicals in cosmetics and other skin care products cause many problems that we don’t see or feel. Most of the time, we may notice some blemishes, but those are signs of something more severe going on internally; these chemicals drastically affect our endocrine system, causing neurological issues and hormone imbalance.

These endocrine disruptors have been shown to cause fertility problems in men and women. These products contain phthalates, Triclosan, parabens, and heavy metals.

Being careful of which products you buy protects you and your family. Some great apps and companies are out there now making more natural products. The Yuka app does a fantastic job at this by scoring what products are safe and which are not. (Click here) to Learn more.

Ultra-Processed Foods

We all know by now the effects of food on our hormones. Mainly processed foods, with that being 90% of the average American diet, we should become familiar with what these ingredients can do to our hormones. These foods contain ingredients that also have endocrine disruptors that can create reproductive problems. From seed, oils causing insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes, and preservatives that are endocrine disruptors that lower the libido in men and women, causing hormone imbalance. These foods contain a combination of artificial flavors, seed oils, food coloring, and preservatives, all of which have a substantial inflammatory response in the body, which causes weight gain and severe hormonal imbalance.

Also, living in a high-stress society, the amount of emotional instability we have and having an unhealthy relationship with foods that contain harmful ingredients can be even more detrimental to our hormonal health.

Long Term Medications

*This is not medical advice for you to get off medications; this is just research showing the correlation between long-term medication use and infertility. Do your own research and talk to your doctor before making any decisions.

Western medicine has its place in helping many people heal and recover from long-lasting illnesses. Some conditions requiring long-term medication usage or people abusing their medications could be at risk for hormone imbalances and infertility. How does this work with certain medications like SSRIs or antidepressants, NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anxiety medications, birth control, and ADHD medication all affect our endocrine system?

SSRIs and anxiety medications raise prolactin hormone levels that affect ovulation and reduce fertility. Medications like Advil and Motrin jeopardize the release of the egg during ovulation. In addition, these medications contain artificial ingredients that can act as endocrine disruptors.

Anabolic steroids can constrict natural estrogen production in men, raising the risk of infertility. Medications like ADHD can affect the adrenal glands, lowering certain hormones that play a role in reproductive health.

Please take your medications responsibly.

Ways You Can Improve Hormones & Naturally Prevent Infertility

Find quality products: When shopping, look for products that are natural and seek products that are free of Phthalates, plastics, harmful oils, and heavy metals. Some of the best companies that you can purchase from are listed below:

- Just ingredients

- Earth Harbor

- Acure

Eat Hormone-enhancing foods: Our diet is crucial in maintaining our health and hormone balance. Following a more whole food-based approach is necessary in keeping your hormones balanced. A diet consisting of animal foods, good portions of fruit and vegetables, and the proper amount of dairy can tremendously benefit keeping your hormones flat and enhancing fertility.

Eating higher protein animal-based foods, such as grass-fed and grass-finished beef, beef organs like liver, heart, pancreas, kidney, and spleen contain so many hormone stimulating nutrients like iron, B vitamins, minerals, magnesium, zinc, and all 9 amino acids, which all are great for proper menstrual cycle health and help with ovulation.

Fruits, vegetables, and high-quality fats all contain specific nutrients that your body needs for energy and for good hormone secretion; eating avocados, Grass-fed butter, avocado oil, and extra virgin olive oil all contain omega-3 fatty acids that are crucial for hormone secretion and reproductive health. Healthy portions of fruits like cucumbers, watermelon, kiwis, berries, and pineapple all contain digestive enzymes, antioxidants, flavones, and polyphenols essential in lowering inflammation, which helps with hormone secretion. In addition, enhances serotonin levels, which is necessary for fertility. Some of the best vegetables are root vegetables like sweet potatoes; butternut squash contains hormone-balancing nutrients like vitamin A, a crucial vitamin that helps with reproductive health.

Last, the proper amount of gut bacteria is essential to keep your immune system strong and build a good foundation for hormones and the reproductive system. Raw dairy is an excellent source of organic grass-fed dairy. It contains natural levels of Vitamin D and K, essential prohormones that help balance your thyroid and Growth hormone levels. Raw kefir contains natural levels of colostrum, a vital nutrient for growth hormone. It also contains natural probiotics, which are essential in raising serotonin levels and immunological cells.

Hormone balancing supplements: **Please ask your doctor if you are taking medications before incorporating any new supplement.

There are supplements on the market that can help with fertility. For women, some of the best nutrients are red raspberry leaf, stinging nettle, maca, shavarti, cocoa, fish oil, a healthy prenatal, beef organs, and mineral supplements, which are all great for enhancing your hormones and increasing your chances of pregnancy.

For men, making sure your testosterone is in a good place is the first start, and also, making sure your libido levels are balanced will help you know the best supplements for you. However, some that can help our beef organs, like the liver, testicle, kidney, spleen, heart, fish oil, tong kat ali, shilajit, maca, and mineral supplements, can enhance your reproductive health and hormones.

Please wear clothes made from natural materials: With so many garments containing harmful chemicals and plastics, it is best to wear wool and cotton clothing as they have the least chemicals. You can find these clothes on Amazon, Cotton Natural, Duck Worth, and other companies that use natural resources to develop clothes.

The Takeaway

With everything we have learned in this article, what I would recommend would be starting with getting tested to see where your hormones are and then begin to make changes to your lifestyle by shopping for the right products, introducing the right foods and supplements, and take it day by day until you find what works for you.