March was a tough month. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking root and dramatically increasing in the United States most reproductive therapies including IUI, IVF, FET and the diagnostic procedures associated with them were postponed. This news was difficult for our patients since most have been trying to get pregnant and have a baby for an extended amount of time and have been repeatedly told that “time is of the essence”.  Now they have to involuntarily wait.

If you are someone who is trying to conceive and has had their procedure postponed I would like to give you some useful things you can do now to keep (or get) healthy and support your fertility.

Nutrition: Eating healthy is important and can be really confusing as there is so much contradictory information out there. My advice is to eat a Whole Food Plant Based Diet. This means eating 70-80% of your meals in the form of vegetables with the rest being from whole grains, fruits, nuts & seeds, and legumes. Avoid sugar, alcohol, coffee, processed foods, meats, eggs, and dairy. For more information see Forks Over Knives website.

Hydration: Stay hydrated in our dry desert climate. Aim for 100oz of water per day. Add electrolytes if available.

Cut out the alcohol (and other substances): This is not the time to rely on alcohol for comfort. Alcohol use leads to insomnia, anxiety & depression, and is very unhealthy for the body. Do yourself a favor and just stop and develop other social habits that promote health not disease.

Sleep: It is important to practice good sleep hygiene and get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night. If you have sleep issues try one of the meditation APPs before bed.

Meditation & Relaxation: Uncertain times raise our stress & anxiety levels. Meditation APPs like Calm and Headspace are very beneficial.

Exercise: Aerobic exercise slows down the process of aging and increases blood flow throughout the body. Get  at least 45 minutes 3 times per week of aerobic exercise but daily is much better.

Abdominal massage: there is abdominal self care massage that you can do to increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. Please call or email and we would be happy to share our handout.

Herbs and Supplements: We use individualized herbal formulas and advanced high quality vitamins to promote fertility. These are available during a routine visit or tele-TCM visit.

Acupuncture: At the time of writing ilumina is open for acupuncture visits at our office. We are checking in daily with and adhering to local and state guidelines for clinic operation. Advanced safety measures have also been put into place.

If you are feeling a bit disheartened right now please know that there are things that you can do to promote your fertility now and we are here to guide you through that process. Once the reproductive medical clinics can resume your fertility cycle we will be there too helping to increase your rate of success.

Most importantly, stay safe and healthy. Practice the current guidelines set forth on social distancing and disease prevention.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.