An Acupuncturist's Tips For When You're TTC: How to Boost Fertility in your 30s and Beyond
Updated: 4 days ago
Optimize your fertility with tips on what to eat, what to steer clear of, your body's fertile signs, and more!
As a mom of two little ones who were born during my 30s, the journey towards TTC (trying to conceive) is a topic I am very passionate about. There is nothing more rewarding than supporting a patient through the planning, preparing, conceiving, and birthing process with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine!
Just a note: this information applies to anyone trying to conceive, whether that is at home without any medical interventions or those going through ICI, IUI or IVF cycles. We can support you along every step of the path towards parenthood, no matter what that looks like! Let's dive in!
What are common reasons that can make TTC challenging?
irregular periods
years of hormonal birth control use
an overworked, stressed out lifestyle
history of excessive use of caffeine, alcohol, other drugs and/or pharmaceuticals
history of chronic health issues in either partner
Often Western Biomedicine also indicates age (35 years and older) as a factor that can make conceiving more difficult. While age is certainly something to consider, it is important to remember that health is on a spectrum. Consider your health history and your current state of health (of both you and your partner) rather than assume that "advanced age" (which is a Western medical term) means you will have a challenging time getting pregnant.
Wondering How to Boost Fertility in your 30s? First, Build Blood!
We want plentiful, healthy, nourishing blood and optimal iron counts (hemoglobin, ferritin, red blood cell count) during this time, both for conception and during pregnancy.
While we can all benefit from making sure these levels are within a healthy range, it is especially important for those of us who tend to already run a bit "blood deficient". This is often the case if we have a history of heavy periods, lead a stressful and overworked lifestyle, or have experienced years of insomnia or night shift work.
A few signs that you might be blood deficient and/or could benefit from increasing your iron stores include:
General fatigue, dizzy spells
Scanty or very light periods
Easy bruising
Anxiety, panic attacks
History of anemia or acute blood loss
How can I build blood? What foods can support me when TTC?
To build blood, it is important to:
Eat blood building foods (check out the list and use it as inspiration during your next grocery run!)
Eat 3 meals a day on a regular schedule and avoid skipping meals
Choose organic or pesticide-free and locally grown foods when possible
Eat warm, cooked, easy-to-break-down food (see below!)
In Chinese Medicine, we think of the gut as a "digestive fire". Like tending to a good fire, we should eat warm, cooked, easy-to-digest food so that this "fire" can easily and efficiently assimilate the vitamins, minerals, and energy from our food. A healthy digestive system makes abundant qi and blood (remember nourishing blood is important when TTC!), so it's good to incorporate these tips during this time, too. You can learn all about this at our post here!
Should I avoid certain foods if I am trying to conceive?
Yes. Like we said, we want the body to stay warm and nourished during this time.
It is important for both partners to lessen or avoid:
cold, icy drinks
cold food, such as cold smoothies, ice cream, eating something right out of the fridge
excessive intake of raw vegetables and fruit (which are considered "cold in nature")
excessive sugar
What supplements can boost fertility?
This is a time when high iron stores are important to build. A good prenatal with iron is appropriate. If iron pills tend to have slow your bowel movements or cause constipation, you should try Beef Liver pills (make sure they are from a grassfed source, like this one) or Floradix, which is a vegetarian-based liquid iron (many midwives recommend to their patients as well).
Both partners can often benefit from CoQ10, a supplement that can boost quality of both eggs and sperm.
Additionally, to improve sperm health, male partners should take:
at least 1000mg of vitamin C a day
up to 10,000 iu of Vitamin D a day, but no more than that (I love the liquid version Pure Encapsulations brand which comes with a dropper)
What else should we minimize when we're trying to conceive?
For BOTH partners, it's important to do what you can to minimize:
stress
intense exercise and overexertion, including overheating (saunas and hot baths)
caffeine intake (switching to half-caff is a great way to adjust to this)
alcohol use should be cut down, ideally to less than 3 units a week
smoking, cannabis, other drug use should be very rare to none
The point here is to help your body run well with minimal toxins and disruptions. We want your qi, blood, and energy all working towards creating good quality eggs, sperm, and maintaining a healthy environment in which a pregnancy can be supported. If the body has to regularly process, detoxify, and excrete unhealthy substances, then over time there is less energy and blood available to go towards conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Sperm is especially sensitive to these sorts of toxins.
A Note on When to Have Sex when You're TTC at Home
During your fertile time, it's best to have sex on days you start to see and continue to see substantial cervical mucus, especially when the consistency is like egg white: stretchy, and plentiful. Sperm can live in the uterus and fallopian tubes for about 5 days. If you have sex a few times before you actually ovulate, your chances for conception are increased since lots of sperm has been waiting there for the egg to be released. This means you don't need to worry about timing the exact day (or hour!) you ovulate!
You can do a deeper dive about cervical mucus and additional fertile signs (like the position of your cervical opening, basal body temperature) with the help of the amazing book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. This book can help you understand the inner workings of female hormonal cycles and is one of my favorites.
What about Fertility Acupuncture?
Yes! Fertility acupuncture protocols use acupoints that are known to:
boost blood flow to the uterus, ovaries, testes, and accompanying tissues and organs
reduce inflammation
regulate the menstrual cycle
improve sperm count, mobility and motility
help the body detoxify and kickstart healthy immune function
relieve stress, improve sleep, and help us transition into a new chapter of life!
Research shows: Fertility Acupuncture works!
Many fertility clinics around the world know that acupuncture increases their live births rates and they often recommend acupuncture to their patients! Numerous studies show how acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help improve pregnancy outcomes. Here are a few!
Different effectiveness of acupuncture treatment schedule on ART pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Point of Influence: What is the Role of Acupuncture in In Vitro Fertilization Outcomes?
Acupuncture and women’s health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women’s reproductive health
Can Chinese Herbs help us when we're TTC?
Yes!
For general blood building, we offer a Blood Tonic in tincture form, handmade in small batches by Sarah, an acupuncturist and our master herbalist at Hidden Root Acupuncture. Purchase in clinic or have it shipped.
Additionally, custom herbal formulas are a great way to boost your fertility on a personalized level. You can sign up for an herbal consult by booking with Sarah here.
What other resources do you recommend for TTC patients?
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Welschler. This is an old standard and a great resource for getting to know your cycle, the fertile signs/fertile mucus info, etc. It's been around since the 1990s and is a must-read!
Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy by Heng Ou, Amely Greeven, and Marisa Belger is another great book with Chinese Medicine info, fertility-supportive recipes, and more.
Yinova is a fertility/women's health acupuncture clinic in NYC. They have amazing blog posts with great Chinese Medicine-centered fertility info.
Come in for a treatment at Hidden Root Acupuncture!
We love supporting patients wherever they are on their TTC journey. Once pregnancy is achieved, Chinese Medicine could also offer relief from any symptoms of pregnancy you might experience, such as morning sickness, constipation during pregnancy, various aches and pains, ankle swelling or carpal tunnel, sleep issues, and more.
Now that you've read about how to boost fertility in your 30s, do you still have questions? If you're in the New Orleans, LA area and want to learn more about fertility acupuncture, email us or check out our schedule and book an appointment where you'll get even more personalized recommendations.
We'd love to support you on your TTC journey and beyond!
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