Your gut health has a crucial role in your ability to fall pregnant – be it naturally or with aided facilitation. This is a much-overlooked area when going through infertility treatment. Yet, it’s the critical key to unlocking the opportunity of falling pregnant.
Following 5 years of In Vitro fertilisation, I got in contact with a Professor of Immunology with a specific interest in infertility. Having met him, he explained the importance of the gut in relation to fertility/infertility.
If we consider that 70-80% of our immune system lies in the gut (https://bit.ly/2R81ZAL), we start to understand the importance of gut to overall health, well-being and fertility. In the ideal case the “good” bacteria keep the “bad” ones and other pathogens, such as yeast, fungi or parasites (that might enter via food, air or skin) under control. A healthy gut ensures that the body is not in a state of inflammation and that the immune system is not on ‘red alert’. If the body’s immune system is relaxed and the good bacteria are in control, then it won’t be so aggressive and better positioned to ‘allow’ an egg to be fertilised by the sperm (which essentially enters the body as a foreign element) and furthermore, it will allow development of this fertilised egg.
Here’s the general starting block advice:
- A Probiotic to be taken in the morning (1 tablet) – (Amipro or a similar ‘living’ probiotic). Found in the fridge at certain health shops and Dischem
- Olive Leaf Extract (something like Solgar Brand)
- No wheat (Sourdough, Ryvita and 100% Rye are suggested substitutes)
- No Mango, Grapes or Pineapple
- No dairy milk or Soya products (only dark chocolate, feta and unprocessed cheese). I found Goats milk to be the closest to normal cow’s milk as a substitute as it doesn’t have a smell and the consistency is the same.
- Alcohol: Only Fortified wines, MCC bubbles and red wine are allowed
- Caffeine: limit to 1 or 2 cups a day
- Water – plenty!
We then did a follow up test 3 months later and he advised another tablet specific to me but all round, all the indicators had improved which showed my gut was healthier. I feel more energised and the redness on my cheeks has disappeared. All round, better healthwise!
Another NB tip: If a baby is born C-Section, swab the mother’s vagina and ensure those bacteria are wiped into the baby’s nose and mouth to ensure it starts to build its immune system from the word go.
To assist women experiencing infertility, please ‘Follow’ www.ivfsupport.co.za and ‘Like’ https://www.facebook.com/IVFSupportSA/
And remember, you are not alone.
#IVFSupport #YouAreNotAlone
Professor Patrick Bouic – Synexa Group: www.synexagroup.com
