If you’ve ever sought help managing your fertility, you know firsthand how much information is out there, and how much of it is conflicting. Every day, I hear my patients talk about these four fertility myths they learned on the internet.

Maybe you’ve even tried some herbs, supplements and diets that made you feel better, lowered your PMS symptoms and gave you some more energy.

So why do alternative treatments for fertility make you feel a bit hesitant?

Let me guess…

• You don’t mind paying a professional, but exactly who is qualified to give that kind of information?
• You love the idea of optimizing our fertility with nutrients and herbs, but don’t love the thought of swallowing handfuls of pills every day.
• You’ve got a ton of knowledge and a cupboard full of expensive supplements, but can’t seem to integrate them with your lifestyle, diet and  exercise is a way that feels sustainable.

Busy women (like you and me) don’t have a SECOND to waste on activities that aren’t going to get you results. If you’ve ever tried tracking cycles, doing the ‘baby dance’ and drinking litres of pineapple juice, you know that sinking feeling when you realize that you’re no longer confident you’ve picked the right plan. (Ugh! It’s the worst, isn’t it?)

In my experience, I’ve found that four major internet myths are to blame for all the confusion about natural fertility management.

I’m going to debunk those myths for you, and show you how to replace them with truly effective practices that I’ve used to help many women change their cycles and support healthy pregnancies.

Myth #1: Drinking pineapple juice during ovulation will help you conceive.

We hear a lot about the ‘bromelain’ in pineapple and how antiinflammatory it is, but this is only partly true.

What most people don’t hear is that most of the bromelain is in the core of the pineapple, not the fruit. I wouldn’t suggest risking your teeth (literally) by chewing on a hard, bitter core of pineapple to gain a mild anti-inflammatory effect for 24 hours.

As a culture, we have a lot to gain from changing our lifestyles to decrease inflammation. Our modern foods and lifestyles promote inflammation that causes all chronic conditions, low energy and infertility.

Most women see their fertility efforts as tasks meant for the months they are trying to conceive. In fact, those months constitute less than half of an entire, well-integrated fertility prep STRATEGY.

A truly effective wellness strategy involves 5 Key Modalities (Nutrition, physical medicine, bodywork, herbal medicine, liver cleansing), all of which need to be integrated in perfect harmony in order for the plan to be sustainable and enjoyable.

In short, a natural approach to fertility isn’t a single tactic, but an entire daily routine that optimizes wellness of the WHOLE body, creating all kinds of positive side effects along the way.

When I work optimize fertility, my wellness strategy is so much more than a list of supplements.

Specifically, I am strategic about making sure the right foods, supplements, yoga, self massage, herbs, chinese medicine and hydrotherapy aligned with a daily routine that is integrated in 4 phases and adjusts to your own cycle. I also include detailed daily checklists and reference sheets so the reasons for each task is never forgotten.

And when the routine becomes second nature, the organs find balance, the mind finds peace and the power of your fertility becomes the core of your month, giving you the opportunity to enter pregnancy without fear, and do the ‘baby dance’ out of pure desire and no pressure.

Myth # 2: Taking a decongestant will make you more fertile.

Of the four fertiltiy myths on the internet, this one really annoys me. It’s true that the active ingredient in popular decongestants, guaifenesin, will increase the water content in your cervical mucus.

But that doesn’t mean that it has fixed the hormonal imbalance that has prevented your cervical mucous from being fertile in the first place. Fertile cervical mucus is related to proper estrogen metabolism, not water.

From pairing together the simplest formulas of the most reliable fertility herbs, you can encourage a re-balancing of hormones that encourage estrogen to rise and be excreted, ovulation to occur, cervical mucus to thin, and uterine lining to build a fluffy, happy home for a new egg.

And for the woman that possesses her own little herbal plan, the idea of simply taking a drug to produce thinner cervical mucus seems inefficient. After all, if one does become pregnant, wouldn’t it create some confidence to know that the hormones started out in their right places? Anyone who has been through pregnancy can appreciate the peace of mind that comes with a healthy start.

Just to name a few, some of my favorite fertility promoting herbs include chamelirium, vitex, and angelica. I encourage you to check google them and see just how widely they have been used by herbalists in North America, Europe and China for hundreds, even thousands of years.

And on a final note, YES, I know the impatience of waiting for a positive pregnancy test and the things you might be tempted to resort to if you have been trying to get pregnant for a while. But if you’ve already spent hours googling and sifting through forums to find the magic answers, you’ve already proven that you’re willing to do some work. You need some reassurance that the effort you’re putting in isn’t a waste of your time.

Myth #3 – I’m fine; I take a prenatal vitamin.

While it’s awesome that you got a head start on nutritional supplementation, the very same advantage you might have by taking a multivitamin with folic acid, it can EASILY become a detriment to you if you fail to see that the balance of your macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs) are AT LEAST as important to your fertility.

Our modern food source is not our grandmother’s…

Our hormones aren’t coping well with all the GMOs… (Thanks, Monsanto.)

We weren’t built to sit in chairs and drive cars most of the day…

The quality of herbs and supplements on the shelf is so overwhelming now….

The diet plans have never been more numerous or more conflicting….

Hint: It’s not enough to just take a prenatal and call your nutrition sound. Your foods affect your hormones by their fat content, their glycemic index and the way you’re own genetic tendency reacts to them.

So when you add it all up, there’s very little you can bank on from the tactics of years past if you want to achieve vibrant reproductive health.

Myth #4 – I ovulate on day 14.

Sure, you might.

…but if you’re having trouble conceiving it could just be your timing. More than half women I see ovulate on day 16 or later, sometimes day 20-23!

So the best strategy is…wait for it…

Fertility management as a COMPLETE lifestyle plan.

And if you’re reading this post RIGHT NOW, then you’re in a unique position to make the changes today that can impact your health and your fertility without spending more time lying with your legs up and hoping for the best.

Now that you know the four fertility myths from the internet…

My wish for you is to sidestep the internet traps that make most women’s fertility journeys frustrating, and instead learn how to create a feeling of deep knowing at every phase of your cycle.

I’ve been studying nutritional, herbal medicine and yoga for over 18 years now and I’ve made many mistakes along the way. You don’t need to do the same! Reach out to chat with me about your naturopathic fertility management.