Baby Food (for you)

For the best chances of conceiving, revamp your diet long before the pickles-and-ice-cream cravings kick in.

By Deirdre Shevlin Bell

Thoughts of pregnancy—of nurturing a growing body inside one’s own—inspire many women to discover a new respect for their own bodies and health. They forego prepackaged dinners, suddenly finding both the time and the money to cook fresh, organic foods; they pass up that double mocha for a decaf green tea; they muster the memory twice each day to take their vitamins, which used to go forgotten for weeks at a time.

According to experts, these nutritional changes not only make women healthier, but actually can increase their chances of getting pregnant. Naturopathic physicians and holistic medical doctors often treat infertility with a three-pronged approach: detoxification, dietary changes, and herbal supplements.

Estrogens, everywhere

By the time most women want to start a family, they’ve spent a good 20 years exposed to environmental and dietary toxins. Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, drugs, certain foods, and all things plastic contain substances known as xenoestrogens. These estrogen-like compounds fit into the receptor sites on cells normally reserved for naturally occurring estrogen. Once there, they either mimic the hormone’s activity—thus increasing the overall level of estrogen activity—or trigger different effects in the cell, both of which can upset the delicate hormonal balance women and men need to reproduce successfully. According to Ellen Kamhi, PhD, RN, author of Cycles of Life (M. Evans and Company, 2001), xenoestrogens “aggravate the cell structure and can cause all kinds of changes, from an interruption in the normal function of hormonal release to the development of fibroids and cancer.”

In terms of infertility, xenoestrogens are a double-edged sword: Not only do they contribute to infertility, but they also create symptoms that mask other biological causes. That’s why Cathy Carlson-Rink, ND, OB/GYN, recommends getting rid of them first as best you can, and recommends a gentle detox as a first step for every couple she sees at her Langley, British Columbia, practice. “You get a clearer picture of what’s truly hormonal and what’s just the effect of improper digestion and poor liver function,” she says.

Supporting the body’s detoxification organs—specifically the liver and bowels—carries special importance for women. At different times of the month, a woman’s body produces varying levels of its many hormones. When the intricate interplay of those hormones is in balance, the reproductive organs function as ... [continue to next page]