In retrospect, I obviously wished I had read several fertility-related books in the early stages of TTC, or even before we started TTC. I've read a couple PCOS TTC books, but whenever I would go to the bookstore to peruse the shelves I was always disappointed by the regular books about TTC. They are seemed rather simple. I needed something more in between books about IVF and books about the basics of getting pregnant. That's why I was thrilled to find Making Babies. It's written by a reproductive endocrinologist and a licensed acupuncturist, so it takes a balanced approach between Eastern and Western medicine. It leans more toward the side of avoiding expensive and invasive fertility treatments for as long as possible, which appeals to me.
It's almost time for me to return this book to the library (after I renewed it!) so I thought it was about time I shared these insights from the book before I lose them forever.
The book captured my experience from the beginning of the introduction, on page ix, where the authors write:
You want to do everything you can, but you want to be smart about it. You don't want to rush into expensive treatments with their inherent risks and side effects. You don't want to waste your time any more than you want to waste your money. You don't want to be guided by unproven old wives' tales, but you don't want to dismiss something that might work either. Truth be told, you'd try just about anything if it meant having a baby.
OK, that's me, this book is made for me.
As I kept reading, I used pink and yellow Post It flags. Yellow is for general fertility; pink is for PCOS fertility. Here's what I came up with.
Yellow general fertility flags:
- Self massage: The acupuncturist recommends self massage techniques in four stages to encourage the repositioning of the uterus to increase blood flow: menstruation, pre-ovulation, ovulation, and potential implantation. I have not tested these out, but the techniques sound simple and appealing (92-97).
- Beta-carotene: "The corpus luteum, which helps produce progesterone necessary to sustain a pregnancy, has very high levels of beta-carotene. Research shows that cows deprived of beta-carotene develop ovarian cysts and are slow to ovulate, and their fellow mammals -- humans -- work much the same way. You get beta-carotene in your diet from yellow and orange foods (including carrots, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes), as well as from broccoli and leafy greens such as spinach" (102-103).
- Omega-3s: "Omega-3 fatty acids have a broad range of benefits, including increasing blood flow to the uterus, thereby increasing the chances of implantation and pregnancy. They also fight inflammation and can soothe menstrual pain and help with other problems that can interfere with conception. Increased blood flow also benefits the placenta, supporting optimum growth of a fetus and ultimately reducing the risks of premature birth and low birth weight" (105).
- Tea: "Women who drank tea every day [in a Kaiser Permanente study of 210 women] -- even just half a cup -- were twice as likely to conceive as women who never drank tea....Scientists suggest that tea might promote fertility in two ways. First, the hypoxanthine in tea might be necessary for the follicular fluid that helps eggs mature and get ready for fertilization. Second, powerful antioxidant polyphenols in tea might help prevent chromosomal abnormalities that can cause an embryo to miscarry or fail to implant...The study did not get into what kind of tea the women drank, but we recommend green tea to our patients. Green tea has up to ten time more polyphenols than black tea and only about half the caffeine. Three cups of green tea a day will keep you within our caffeine guidelines" (109).
- Eating through your cycle: Menstruation = foods rich in iron, vitamin C, protein. Pre-ovulation = protein, foods rich in vitamin E. Ovulation = B vitamins, zinc, vitamin C. Potential implantation = pineapple (or pineapple core, which has the most bromelain and helps with implantation), eat warming foods and avoid cold foods (111-112).
- Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs): "This is the most important supplement after the prenatal multivitamin. Ideally, women should take EFAs for at least three months before they conceive to allow time for them to be fully incorporated into all the tissues. EFAs help ensure that follicles have all the resources they need. They are key to cell membranes and growth in the ovaries. They help form body tissue, including tissue in eggs and in a developing fetus, and are essential for brain development in the fetus. Fish oils, a prime source of EFAs, are natural clot busters and so may be particularly useful to anyone who has had recurrent miscarriages" (125).
- Prenatal vitamin content recommendations and other fertility supplements recommendations for women handy-dandy chart on pages 132-133.
- What's your fertility type??? The authors believe women facing fertility issues fall into one of five types: tired, dry, stuck, pale, waterlogged. If you want to find out your type, you can answer questions in the book, or, in my opinion it's much easier to take the online quiz at www.makingbabies.com. If you take the online quiz, the authors recommend you still read through the five descriptions in the book to see what makes the most sense for you.
- Finding an acupuncturist: The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine "tests practitioners to ensure they are knowledgeable about Chinese medicine and appropriate sterile technique" (287).
Pink PCOS fertility flags:
- Trans fats: Even though I think most of us have eliminated trans fats from our diets, here's further reason to do so: "Eliminate trans fats altogether, because, among other things, they can cause of exacerbate insulin resistance and ovulatory dysfunction and interfere with hormone production and balance. There is no safe level of trans fats in your diet. Eliminating trans fats is crucial for women with PCOS" (104).
- Unsaturated fats: "Unsaturated fats are the way to go: olive oil, nuts and seeds (and their oils), and avocados are the most nutritious sources. These are important for everyone, especially women with PCOS" (105).
- Vitamin-D deficiency: "Vitamin D is an antioxidant, so it helps protect sperm and eggs against genetic damage. Vitamin D also supports the production of estrogen. In some cases, bumping up vitamin D intake to adequate level can restore ovulation in women with PCOS" (119).
- NAC: "Take N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplements to help reduce circulating testosterone, cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins, and insulin. NAC included in a multivitamin is fine. Nutrient 950 with NAC by Pure Encapsulations is also good" (207).
- Three-month plan: The authors recommend treatment (diet, 30 minutes of exercise daily, stress management, supplements) for three months before trying to conceive. "Follicles exposed to excess androgens will be of poor quality and lead to a higher risk of miscarriage" (207).
- Give up yams?!: OK, I eat yams at least once a week (not even sweet potatoes, even though I always call them sweet potatoes, we're actually big yam eaters). "Although yams are often touted as fertility boosters, they have too many carbs for PCOS bodies" (315).
- Clomid: "For patients with PCOS who have high or high normal levels of male hormones, I prescribe dexamethasone, too, to enhance the effectiveness of the clomiphene by suppressing the production of male hormones" (321).
