Fertility Liver Detox: You Did What?

Fertility Liver Cleansing

I’m tired and weak. But then I knew this is how I would feel today after doing a fertility liver detox.

Last night, immediately before bed, I voluntarily drank 1/2 cup olive oil mixed with 3/4 cup grapefruit juice. Disgusting? Not really. Nausea inducing? Absolutely!

So the hundred dollar question: Why? Why would I subject my body to this – twice? (In December of last year and again now.)

All in the name of flushing my gallbladder and cleansing my liver, of course.

Yes, I too think this is a totally crazy and questionable thing to do. But what if it helps me have a baby?

I have yet to come across any direct scientific evidence that this is going to boost my fertility, but – and here is the big but – it might!

Why the Liver is Important to Reproductive Health

Fertility Liver DetoxZita West (a midwife, nutritionist, and acupuncturist specializing in fertility) in her book, Fertility & Conception, spells out just why the liver is so important for reproductive health:

“The hormonal balance needed for fertility depends on good liver function. Your liver detoxifies many substances…It chemically alters excess or used hormones for recirculation.”

Zita recommends cleansing the liver – not like I did last night – but with a 10-day liver detox diet that includes foods that are good for the liver, or those that do not make the liver work hard to digest.

My Fertility Liver Detox

This is something I’ve already tried though. Unfortunately, it did not clear my skin of acne, balance my hormones or make my cycle regular (symptoms potentially related to poor liver function). No, I needed something more.

So, for the past several weeks I’ve been drinking herb tinctures (from sensiblehealth.com) and following a restricted diet.

Then in the week, before the flush, I drank a liter of apple juice spaced between meals throughout the day (as recommended by Andreas Moritz in his book, The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse).

Last night came the ‘grand finale’, as Richard called it, when I drank the tasty concoction of olive oil and grapefruit juice.

If you never drank this before, I can tell you that it’s followed by the most overwhelming urge to, well, vomit. And the first time I did this cleanse, I gave in around 2:00 a.m. to this urge – my wood floor still reminds me of this!

This time, though, I was awake half the night with nausea, but was able keep the contents of my stomach from reappearing.

Gall Bladder Flush

In the morning, I got up and drank Epsom salts – and here is where the results are supposed to be apparent! You succeeded in flushing your gallbladder when you actually pass gallbladder stones.

Now this is a totally controversial topic because there seems to be no scientific evidence to say that the pebbles that come out, are really gallbladder stones, nor have I found evidence that this really cleanses the liver.

However, what I did find is that there is no indication that this is harmful to your health. Even those sources that feel the cleanse is not effective believe the worst case scenario is nausea.

So, I was hoping that I would pass stones like the ones pictured in Andreas Moritz’s book, or be able to write an infertility testimonial like the ones on sensiblehealth.com.

But there were no stones to be seen. And, yes, I checked thoroughly (except for when I went to the bathroom once in the middle of the night: I was too nauseas to look very long so I just gave it a quick once over).

I also can’t say that I feel any different or notice any observable health improvement.

Will I Do Another Fertility Liver Detox Again?

So well, that’s it. Can’t imagine doing a fertility liver detox again – but, then again, I said that last time didn’t I? Really though, I’m done. I suppose the effects could still surface, like if my cycle were regular this month or my acne cleared up. But since I’ll be moving on to other treatments it would be tough to truly attribute anything to this treatment.

For me, the liver cleanse is what I consider a wildcard. It’s a treatment that has not been scientifically proven or disproven. And since I didn’t feel it endangered my health, I was willing to try it.

Maybe it works for other people. Maybe one day it will come under scientific scrutiny, but until then, I’m done with it. For me, it seems to have been a dead end. I’m heading back into the realm of more founded methods. I’m turning my attention back now to a nutrition plan, a fertility diet.

If you enjoyed reading my fertility blog, please write a comment here or bookmark it to a social bookmarking site by using the link below. Thanks!

Fertility Diet has Taken Hold!

food to get pregnant

It’s hard to believe but I’ve been researching, testing and tweaking for over seven months now in order to find the perfect fertility diet- best food to get pregnant.

I’m there.

  • I have my energy back
  • My digestive system is regular and healthy
  • My acne has completely disappeared
  • I have no more muscle cramps

In short – I feel great!

food to get pregnantThere have been setbacks and long periods of waiting while my system adjusted to the food to get pregnant, but I’ve reached the point where my body is telling me, “Yes!”

Gluten Free

It hasn’t been easy though. Just four weeks ago I was feeling so bad that I went in to see my doctor to make sure there weren’t any serious health issues. He found none and even tested me for gluten intolerance, which came out negative. This wasn’t surprising since the test has to be conducted while on a diet that includes gluten – mine at the time was virtually gluten free.

I listened to my body though, and stepped my diet up to 100% gluten free. This is one of the best decisions I’ve made so far. After following it for three weeks, the bleeding during bowel movements disappeared, my acne cleared up and my muscle cramps disappeared.

Gluten was the last step in my fertility diet but quite possibly the most important one for me.

I still have a big question: What affect is this diet going to have on my long, irregular menstrual cycles- ill they become regular?

I’ll have to wait another few months to see a trend, but given the way my overall health is improving I’m very optimistic. We’ll see how it goes.

If you enjoyed reading my fertility blog, please write a comment here or bookmark it to a social bookmarking site by using the link below. Thanks!

Added notes:

Does gluten-free diet increase fertility?

If you have Coeliac Disease, then removing gluten from your diet will improve fertility. If you are not a Coeliac, there is no scientific evidence to support that a gluten free diet will improve your chance of getting pregnant. 

Food to Get Pregnant

  • Full fat dairy
  • Good fats (unprocessed- like coconut oil)
  • Legumes
  • Sweet potato
  • Berries
  • Eggs
  • Dark leafy greens
  • Quality meats
  • Avocados
  • Fish
  • Omega 3’s (non-animal sourced)
  • Whole grains
  • Nuts and seeds

How Fast Can It Take to Get Pregnant?

How Fast does it take to get pregnant

How fast can it take to get pregnant? I’ve asked myself this question so many times. And I know I’m not the only one.

Fast is relative, so let’s look at the two main options to facilitate conception (a.k.a. hurry up and get pregnant): natural treatments and conventional medicine.

How Fast Can It Take to Get Pregnant with Conventional Medicine?

Originally, I thought that conventional medicine would offer the fastest way to get pregnant. But as advanced as many of the conventional fertility treatments are, I discovered that they are not the speeding bullet that I had once hoped.

It took me almost a year to find the right fertility clinic, get an appointment, go through the initial battery of tests, and execute the first treatment. Not to mention that the first treatment is just that: the first treatment.

To my knowledge there aren’t any statistics available on how long the treatment of infertility through conventional medicine usually takes until (if) it’s successful. And since treatment length seems to vary greatly between individuals, we still wouldn’t know how long it’s going to take each of us (where’s that crystal ball when you need it?).

How Fast Can It Take to Get Pregnant Naturally?

How fast can it take to get pregnantWomen have shown that we can increase our odds of having a baby through natural treatments, but the catch here is that in order to boost our fertility naturally we need time.

Before we all hit the panic button, remember that natural remedies for fertility generally focus on bringing the entire body back into balance.

This, for me, is gaining time. Why? Because bringing our body back into balance not only increases our chances of having a healthy baby, but can actually prolong our fertile years (as Julia Indichova describes in her book, Inconceivable).

It has taken me about four months to find the right fertility diet for my body. Once I found it, my body showed positive signs of health starting after just one week (like the disappearance of acne and a regular digestive system). And now I’m seeing a trend in my cycles: they are becoming shorter  –  a more normal length  –  having gone from 44 to 39 to 36 days.

A good trend. But can you wait out three cycles? That’s a long time for those of us in a race with our biological clocks.

But that’s the reality of it; it may take several months to bring the body into balance through natural methods.

There, I said it. What none of us wanted to hear: It takes time to boost your fertility naturally.

We all want to run away from the fact that there is no quick-fix. However, if you’ve made it this far in the article (even though I don’t have a magic supplement, a miracle pill, or a stand on your head trick to share) you’ll probably want to stay for the good news  –  I promise it’s coming.

Why Does Increasing Fertility Naturally Take Time?

When we think of getting pregnant, we most often think that each cycle is a fresh start: an egg develops and releases. We’re born with about 350,000 follicles. Each needs longer than one cycle to develop into an egg. In fact, the entire growth phase of a follicle is longer than 220 days or eight menstrual cycles.

Hormones

During those 220 days, the follicles go through various stages, and although scientists don’t know all the hormones responsible for the health and development during each stage, they do know that the hormone ‘Follicle Stimulating Hormone’ (FSH) is vital in the later stages and I believe it plays a role in the earlier ones as well.

Natural fertility treatments, like diet and exercise, can create healthy levels of FSH, and therefore healthy eggs. How? Through insulin – the hormone your body uses to regulate sugar. If insulin levels are high (often a result of eating poorly or not exercising) the amount of free insulin-like growth factor increases, which inhibits the function of FSH.

Knowing this, it’s not hard to imagine that a healthy growth phase (220 days) requires a healthy, balanced body.

Natural Pregnancy Risk Free and Painless

Dr. Jeremy Groll, an expert in reproductive endocrinology and fertility treatment, has experienced this with many of his patients. In his book, Fertility Foods, Dr. Groll says, ‘I am not selling a get-pregnant quick scheme, but I am offering a solution to your infertility that’s risk-free and painless.’

He goes on to say that ‘the diet and exercise program may work in just a month or two, but that several months may be required to get your insulin levels in check and your body responding properly’.

Herbalist, Stacey Roberts from Sharkey’s Healing Center, also reports that her patients need about 6-8 months to balance out their bodies and become pregnant.  Interestingly, her patients that use the herbs and supplements prior to undergoing IVF, to increase there chances of success, reported producing healthier eggs.

Having a Healthy Baby!

Getting your body healthy and into balance prior to pregnancy also increases your chances of having a healthy baby: after all our desire is to have a healthy baby – not just get pregnant.

There’s a long list of proof that a healthy body has better chances of giving birth to a healthy baby. Like a mother who gets enough folate prior to conception has a reduced chance of having a child with neural tube defects and a mother with healthy insulin levels has a lower chance of miscarriage.

How Fast Can It Take to Get Pregnant?

So, for those with clear cut infertility issues that can be addressed directly with conventional medicine going to an infertility specialist could be the fastest way to get pregnant. However, for those of us with unexplained infertility, or an issue that has no effective treatment, natural treatments could be our fast track to getting pregnant and to having a healthy baby.

 

Fertility Foods- Keeping Track Of What You Eat

fertility food diet

It has to happen now and then. I take the palm of my hand to my forehead and say, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” So, what did I do and what has this got to do with fertility foods?

Keeping a Fertility Foods Log

I was reading Fertility Foods by Jeremy Groll, and he casually wrote that one of his patients uses an online food log to help her keep track of what she’s really eating. With a daily count of calories in terms of carbs, protein and fat, she found it to be one of the most important parts of her low-carb fertility lifestyle.

Now this is exactly what I need to know.

I haven’t yet concluded what the optimal daily caloric distribution is for carbs, protein and fat, but I have absolutely no idea what I am getting right now.

First, I thought I’d figure out the optimal distributions and then find out what I’m eating. Bad idea. Why? Because although I don’t know the exact distributions yet, I have a very good idea.

Here’s what I Know About Balancing Fertility Foods

fertility foods logCalories from protein should at least match the number of calories from carbs, and fat should be about half of that: so roughly 30-40% carbs, 30-40% protein, and 20-30% fat. These are just ranges, however, it still gives me a good idea of about where I want to be.

So, I stopped reading mid-paragraph and made a bee line to my computer.

In less than ten minutes, I created an account on FitDay.com (the same website Dr. Groll’s patient used) and entered what I’d eaten for breakfast into my account – for free! Oh how I love the internet – you just need to know where to go.

My Results

My caloric distribution shocked me! I thought I wasn’t getting enough carbs because I was relying heavily on vegetables – eating only a small portion of whole grains each day.

What I found is that vegetables are a good source of carbs and my carb intake was about equal to my protein intake, which is good.

What isn’t good is that I was getting 52% of my daily calories from fat!

They were healthy fat sources like olive oil and lean meats, which are essential to the fertility diet, but over fifty percent is not a balanced diet.

Immediately, I adjusted my diet by cutting down the amount of olive oil I used in recipes and stopped eating a whole avocado every day. I then upped my vegetable and poultry intake to keep the calories the same.

It’s looking good. Not there yet, but my fat is down and varies somewhere between 35 to 45 percent. It’s progress.

And an awesome add on to this whole calorie counting log at fitDay.com is that it also gives you a complete breakdown of your daily intake of nutrients and compares them to the recommended daily allowances.

Sometimes, life is easy!

Fertility Foods to Consider

Fats for Fertility

  • Organic free range eggs. They contain vitamins A, D, and E, all essential vitamins for fertility.  Also Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) and choline.
  • Eat oily fish such as wild salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring (2-3 portions a week). These foods contain essential fatty acids which can improve female fertility due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Fish oil is very beneficial for maintaining a healthy pregnancy and important for the baby’s brain development.
  • Eat coconut oil and use it for cooking rather than other oils. It can withstand high heat without oxidizing. Coconut oil contains lauric acid providing anti-viral properties, and it is metabolized easily for energy.
  • Eat nuts, seeds, avocado, and flax seed/flax oil.
  • Include some saturated fat in your diet such as butter, full fat milk, cream and red meat.

Carbs for Fertility

  • Starchy tubers- sweet potatoes, batata, jerusalem artichoke, cassava, tarot, and bamboo
  • All fruits
  • Brown rice
  • Vegetables

Proteins for Fertility

  • Eat organic grass fed or wild animal protein. Not all animal proteins are equal. grass fed animals offer much healthier nutrition as opposed to animals raised in intense agricultural settings where they are fed on grain and are full of hormones and antibiotics.
  • Add a quality protein powder to your food. Whey protein or plant based protein powders.
  • Organic free range eggs.
  • Nuts, beans, chick peas, quinoa, lentils, pumpkin seeds.
  • Organic oats,
  • Cottage cheese, greek yoghurt
  • All types of fish.

If you enjoyed reading my fertility blog, please write a comment here or bookmark it to a social bookmarking site by using the link below. Thanks!

Fifteen Weeks Pregnant

Gardening whilst pregnant

I’m fifteen weeks pregnant! I don’t tend to think of myself as being very far along in the pregnancy because at this stage you don’t have the big recognizable pregnant belly and you can’t feel the baby moving around all the time. But I actually realized that by the end of this week, that’s fifteen out of just forty already done!

Fifteen Weeks Pregnant- Getting Out in the Garden

This week we have had beautiful mild weather, and we took advantage of it by spending a lot of time working out in our garden.

Our house has a large (and previously very overgrown) vegetable patch that we want to have cleared and planted for the spring.

We picked weeds, pruned back bigger plants, and pulled out enormous root systems for stinging nettles and brambles. We turned over the soil to get it ready for new plants.

Moderate Exercise During Pregnancy

Fifteen Weeks PregnantRegular exercise is recommended during pregnancy, and garden work is a great way to get that. However, you should always be sure not to overexert yourself.

Strenuous exercise can actually cut off blood flow to the placenta, so if you begin to feel out of breathe or overly tired, stop for a rest.

Luckily, we had our inquisitive toddler out working with us (she loves being outside and has her own little set of gardening tools).

We had frequent stops to admire the things that she found to show us, including worms, stones, and even a bone that had been in the soil. We also found an old bird’s nest, and she enjoyed learning about that.

I believe that being outside in the fresh air and getting some sun is good for you. However, make sure to stay well hydrated, especially if you’re working outside.

Also, although I normally like feeling the earth and plants on my hands, I wore gloves all week when working outside. Pregnant women should wear gloves and then thoroughly wash their hands afterwards when working with soil because of the risk of toxoplasmosis in the soil.

This is usually harmless to adults (in fact you probably won’t even notice that you’ve been exposed to it), but it can be really dangerous for your little baby.

Although it’s still not usually obvious, I felt like I began to show this week. I can still wear my non-maternity clothes, although I did begin wearing some of my maternity clothes (mostly just to expand my wardrobe). If you’re not already, most women begin showing around this time.

Baby Development

As far as your baby goes, they are in a period of rapid growth. Most babies are just over 3 inches long by now and weigh about 80 grams. They are already preparing for life outside of the womb, and can move around, swallow, suck, and practice breathing. The bones in the baby’s ears are developing, which means they are beginning to hear for the first time.

If you enjoyed this post, go check out My Fertility Blog for more on my pregnancy journey.

Unclear and Waiting

Unclear and Waiting

Going in was easier today. All I needed to do was get my blood drawn to test my HCG value and give the doctor the ultrasound results from yesterday. In and out. That was my plan. It all looked good with a waiting room with only two other patients. Before I even cracked open my magazine they called my name to draw blood. I sat down and examined my needle marked arms. The right arm looked like it would take another needle.

Putting pressure on the fresh prick in my arm, I waited outside the doctor’s office. Hand him the results and this will all be over for today, I thought while waiting. He called me in. I stumbled over my words when I handed him the ultrasound scans from the clinic we went to without his prior knowledge. He paused with a raised eyebrow but accepted the printouts. Initially, he said he saw no reason to do another ultrasound today. I agreed. Then he looked over the results and I told him they had found a cyst on the left ovary. He face became serious. He looked over the ultrasound pictures and said he changed his mind we wanted to look. “Um, OK,” I said. What the hell, I thought; it’ll be over faster than me arguing with him.

He looked around and before long said he could find no cyst on my left ovary. This didn’t surprise me since his ultrasound does not have near the resolution as the one yesterday, but OK. For some reason I am not the least bit concerned about his finding and this existent/non-existent cyst. I want to know what is going on with this pregnancy. Whatever information comes in addition to that is put on the ‘to be dealt with later’ shelf.

He moves on to examine my uterus and does find something new. Loose blood. He shows me the area at the top of my uterus that is a grey speckled circular area. “Don’t be surprised if you begin bleeding soon,” he says to me and examines it for the next few minutes. Finally, he removes the wand and I get dressed and head back into his adjoining office. ‘I can go home now’ is for some reason the only thought that wants to be in my head now.

To say the least I am surprised when I sit back down at his desk to see his every increasing look of concern. He goes on to tell me that should I have any pain I need to go immediately to the hospital. “OK,” I say obediently. “And depending on your values today we will potentially have to conduct daily ultrasounds to avoid any dangers with an ectopic pregnancy and keep you overnight in the hospital.” Alright, he is sounding serious which is good that he isn’t taking me lightly anymore. Maybe the visit to another office had that effect, or maybe he truly is convinced that this is a dangerous ectopic pregnancy, in which case makes me less committed to my get in and get out motto for the day.

The phone call regarding my HCG value is supposed to finally put an end to all this. I have five hours until my cell phone will ring. Somehow the hope that crept in yesterday has left while I wait for the call without anxiety – working and getting back to my life before all this. As the time gets closer though I realize I’m not one hundred percent indifferent and Richard sits down to watch a recorded episode of Seinfeld with me. About thirty seconds into the show my phone rings. My value fell by 4. It is now 756 instead of 760. “Stop taking the progesterone,” the nurse says, “and come in on Friday for another ultrasound.”

Richard is obviously disappointed, “It’s like we don’t know anything new. The value didn’t go up or down.” “Yes, but it should have doubled if this were a viable pregnancy, and if it’s ectopic then it seems like my body will end the pregnancy by itself,” I counter. His disappointment is palpable. Back to Seinfeld.

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Just a Painful Miscarriage?

The Pain of Losing an Unborn Child · Pint-sized Treasures

The Pain of Losing an Unborn Child · Pint-sized TreasuresI find myself here…again.

I’m having a miscarriage, but it may be worse – yes, there is a worse – it could be another ectopic pregnancy.

My HCG values which should be going down since I am miscarrying have decided instead to stay the same. On Monday the value was 125 and on Wednesday it was 142. So actually it went up slightly but my gynecologist said that she considers the values to be the same since HCG is normally measured in the thousands and the slight difference in the hundreds is outside the measurement’s precision.

Originally, I was scheduled to have my HCG values tested on Thursday but the terrible cramps that woke me up in the middle of the night on Tuesday prompted me to reschedule my appointment for Wednesday.

Wednesday’s visit didn’t provide me with any new answers though, just a prescription for pain medication. Since then I’ve been bleeding and each night I have terrible cramps. The pain medication certainly helps but could this please just come to an end. My frustration is building and my sense of relief that I spoke about in my last blog is dwindling.

My next appointment is set for Tuesday. She’ll be checking my HCG values and probably doing another ultrasound.

I hope my body figures this out on its own. Luckily, I have a gynecologist that also wants to give my system a chance to short this out. Until then I have a winter wonderland to look out the window at and two cats that think it’s cool I’m lying on the couch. Friends have invited us over for an evening of cooking and a movie this weekend. Hopefully, I feel up to it because an evening with friends couldn’t sound any better than right now.

Digestive Health: A Fertility Diet Principle

Best fertility foods to help you conceive

Best fertility foods to help you conceive

My digestive system has quite a personality. And I mean that literally. When it’s not working right, it influences my mood drastically. I’ve been known to head into the bathroom in the morning in a foul mood emerging a short time later with my hands in the air and a smile on my face screaming, “Wahoo!”

This sounds ridiculous, but that’s my life.

My bowels get slow sometimes. I’ve gone days before without relief, which not only puts me in a bad mood but over the last couple of years has left me wondering, “Is this affecting my fertility?”

Julia Indichova, author of two books on infertility and director of the Fertile Heart™ Studio in New York, in working with infertile couples has noticed a link with the observation, “…a large number of these people had digestion-related complaints” (1).

This isn’t a total surprise though since we know that the digestive system plays a crucial role in our overall health. Our digestive system is responsible for breaking down and absorbing the nutrients, energy and water we need to live from the food we eat. If all goes well, the body gets everything it needs and the waste products are ushered out the back door.

So how do we know if everything is indeed working well? According to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen in their book, YOU The Owner’s Manual, an important diagnostic for measuring your digestive health is, yep you guessed it, how shall I say it – your poop.

Let’s not try and make this sound scientific: let’s be direct. Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen give the following criteria for healthy poop:

  • banana shaped (not pellets)
  • attached to you when it hits the water

Or as Foxx-Orenstein, president of the American College of Gastroenterology, stated, “An ideal stool looks like a torpedo—it should be large, soft, fluffy and easy to pass.” What isn’t good is a stool that is hard and dry, liquidy, pencil thin, grey or black, floats and smells or is bloody (2).

And with regard to regularity, Foxx-Orenstein says that although bowel movements should be regular everyone is different. Regular can mean as few as three bowel movements each week and still be healthy. What isn’t good is diarrhea or constipation (constipation being defined as too much straining with bowel movements, passage of small hard stools or a sense that the bowels have not completely emptied) (3).

So what have I done about my digestive health?

Well, initially I did what all the experts recommended: I ate lots of fruits and veggies (easy as a vegetarian at the time), got plenty of exercise and drank plenty of water. This didn’t seem to be the solution to my problem, though, so I did a colon cleanse. Although the cleanse helped, I still had bouts of constipation.

More recently, I eliminated all cheeses and increased my vegetable intake further, especially including regular servings of parsley and the green leafy vegetable called rocket or arugula. This wasn’t enough so I traded my regular morning breakfast for vegetable soup. This helped quite a bit, but it caused a new problem – too much weight loss.

Then, ironically, in an effort to meet my other diet principles I added something that seems to have solved my digestive problems: poultry (see my blog: Vegetarian no more…).

This seems so odd, but I haven’t changed anything else in my life over the past several weeks. I’m thinking the poultry did something. There is one other possibility though. I stopped eating gluten about two months ago – suspecting it as a culprit to my digestive woes. So, it’s also entirely possible that the gluten free diet has slowly taken hold (more about gluten and fertility in an upcoming blog). Right now, I’m going to celebrate my happy digestive system, “Wahoo!”

If you enjoyed reading my blog, please write a comment here or bookmark it to a social bookmarking site by using the link below. Thanks!

Probiotic Bacteria in My Diet

Probiotic Bacteria in My Diet

To say the least, things have been bumpy lately.

I moved across town. I’m totally excited about the move but whether I’m happy about it or not, moving is considered to be a major life event – or in stress terms: a major external stressor (not to mention that it was postponed by a week due to my miscarriage). On the day we moved things also got a bit hectic – can moving day go any other way? I tried to eat well and stay relaxed. But, no, it did not work.

For lunch I threw some chicken in the oven to go with the potato salad my mother-in-law made. Being in the hectic mode I was in, I forgot to ask what was in the potato salad. Well, it turns out she put in some sunflower seeds – seems harmless but, they are the bag of sunflower seeds I gave her because I couldn’t eat them with a clear allergy warning on the back that they may contain gluten. Yes, I told her they contained gluten when I gave them to her. But apparently, she forgot, and fed them to me.

After we finished hauling in the last boxes, we stood in our new kitchen with friends and toasted with our Champagne glasses bubbling with…water. No, water just didn’t seem to represent celebration, so, I raised my glass full of Champagne just like everyone else.

Stress, gluten and alcohol. These things have never equated to fun for my body. Why should now be any different? I got my acne back, my hair started falling out again, I lost weight that I didn’t want to loose, and I’ve been pretty exhausted. I finally started feeling better last week (the move was over four weeks ago). All I can do is hope that this episode is coming to an end and that I’m recovering.

So what about the probiotic bacteria?

Well, in the same haphazard fashion of the move: I didn’t stick to my plan. The plan was to first introduce probiotic bacteria naturally with fermented foods and then, if necessary, add probiotic supplements.

That’s not what I did. Instead it was like this: I’m standing in my new kitchen with my body totally peeved (acne, tired etc.) and I saw the gluten free probiotic supplements sitting in the middle of the otherwise empty fridge. I thought, “Oh, what the hell.”

I took them for two weeks every morning with my mid-morning snack and except for a little bit of a butterfly feeling in my stomach sometimes, there’s not much to report. My bowels were actually a little slower during that period but since everything was out of whack it’s really hard to say how my body reacted specifically to the probiotics.

I’ve stopped taking the probiotics and I am also feeling better. Connection? No idea. My head is on straight now, though (I think) and I am going back to food sources to get my probiotic bacteria. Here’s what I’ve chosen:

Probiotic Food I’m including:

  • Organic Raw Sauerkraut – I sprinkle this on my salads.
  • Organic Vinegar – I use vinegar to make a simple but yummy salad dressing (2 Tbs olive oil , 2 Tbs vinegar, 1 crushed garlic clove, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper: shake in a jar and enjoy).
  • Miso Paste – I found some that’s gluten free and I use it to make miso soup. Yes, this is a product made from soy, which I avoid because several studies suggest that too much soy can lead to infertility. So why do I eat miso if I’m avoiding soy products? Fermented soy products offer the benefits without the drawbacks of non-fermented soy. Soybeans are high in phytates and enzyme inhibitors which cause gastric distress and can bind to minerals like zinc, calcium, and iron in the digestive tract and prevent their absorption. Fermented soy contains only low levels of these culprits.
  • Tamari Sauce – This is like soy sauce but is gluten free. I use this sauce along with ginger and olive oil to bake my chicken. I also add it to steamed vegetables. Yes, this is a soy product that I allow because it is fermented – see Miso Paste above for why I allow fermented soy products in my diet.
  • Organic Pickles – I eat this as a snack but I’m careful to buy the truly fermented ones: not in vinegar but listed on the package as fermented.

Probiotic Food I’m not including and why:

  • Fermented Dairy Products like cottage cheese, kefir and yogurt – dairy products remain controversial in their role in infertility and most experts recommend keeping them to a minimum, add on to that I don’t digest them well.
  • Tofu – several studies suggest that too much soy can lead to infertility
  • Soy sauce – contains gluten
  • Tempeh – again, several studies suggest that too much soy can lead to infertility
  • Beer & Wine – some studies suggest it may not be good for fertility and it’s dangerous to a developing fetus, not to mention that it throws off my digestive system.

And in my diet I also include the following foods that contain prebiotics (food for the probiotic bacteria):

  • Asparagus
  • Chicory
  • Chinese chive
  • Eggplant
  • Garlic
  • Fruit – I only eat fruit in small amounts so that I don’t spike my sugar / insulin levels
  • Jerusalem artichokes
  • Leeks
  • Legumes
  • Onions
  • Tomatoes

Here are the prebiotic food items I don’t eat and why:

  • Burdock root –  I have no idea what this is or where to get it
  • Peas – never really liked these little green pellets
  • Soybeans – several studies suggest that too much soy can lead to infertility
  • Sugar maple – can spike sugar levels / insulin

So, I’ll keep eating my probiotic foods and I’m even thinking about making some of my own sauerkraut. We’ll see in the next few weeks how my body likes the new critters in my digestive system.

Bye, Bye Mercury

Bye, Bye Mercury

Things That Went Wrong This Mercury Retrograde — a-zineI was at the dentist this week.

Exciting?

No.

But while I was sitting in that oh-so-comfortable dentist’s chair I was confronted with the fact that I have been trying to conceive for over three and a half years. Let me repeat that in case you skimmed: over three and a half years. All I could think about was the fact that three and a half years is a long time – almost ten percent of my lifetime so far.

So why did this dismal thought come to me while a guy in a white coat was trying to see how many sharp objects and mirrors could fit in my mouth at once? Because the fact that I am trying to conceive weaseled its way into the discussion I had with my dentist and now I was sitting back with nothing but my thoughts to distract me from the poking, pushing and drilling that was taking place in my mouth – which I consider a very small place for all that activity.

The discussion my dentist and I had started out simply. He informed me that one of my two amalgam fillings had to be replaced and that a few of my other teeth will probably develop cavities if they are not sealed soon. So replace it and seal em’ up, right? Not quite so fast.

For someone who’s trying to conceive the decision to replace an amalgam filling is a bit more involved. I wrote about this in my blog last fall: Dental Fillings with Mercury: In or Out.

In a nutshell: mercury is toxic and although organizations such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, and the Center for Disease Control currently agree that there is not enough evidence to show that the fillings are a health risk, the FDA states on their website, “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.”

The greatest exposure to the mercury in these fillings comes when the fillings are placed or removed. And since the body needs months to eliminate mercury, women trying to conceive could have elevated mercury levels at conception which presents a potential danger to the fetus. This is why I decided last fall to leave them in.

Now it’s different. One of them has to come out. Does this mean I should postpone trying to conceive even longer than the two cycle wait I’m in right now from my miscarriage to allow my body to eliminate mercury? After talking to my dentist I decided no.

He said the fact that the filling is so tiny combined with the special equipment he uses to remove the filling means there will be virtually no mercury exposure to my body. Sounds good. Sounded so good that I thought while he is in there he might as well remove the other amalgam filling. Because while there are no studies that show these fillings cause infertility there are some anecdotal stories out there from women who attribute the removal of their amalgam fillings to becoming pregnant. Totally weak to base a decision on anecdotal stories but it was somehow enough to tip the scale. I mean, I have to get one of them replaced anyways so why not wipe the whole issue from the table by replacing the other one too?

For my next appointment he’ll finish sealing the rest of my teeth and replace the other amalgam filling. When I’m reclining in the dental chair next time, I plan on thinking about the fact that I’ll be mercury free instead of dwelling on the three and a half years that I’ve been trying to conceive.

Mercury free. I like it.