Infertility: My Personal Experience

Infertility, or the inability to conceive a child after having unprotected sex for an extended period of time, can be very frustrating. I know from experience, because I was infertile for years. I had my daughter at the very young age of 17 and by the time I was settled down and married at 26, I realized that I couldn't conceive again. We tried for over a year with no luck, and then finally I decided to talk to my gynecologist about the problem. After running several tests, my gynecologist discovered that I suffered from insulin resistance and wasn't ovulating. The insulin resistance was preventing me from ovulating due to high insulin levels circulating in my body. I was instructed to follow a low carb diet and take Clomid, which he prescribed to help me ovulate. Although I got the prescription for the medication filled right away, I decided that maybe if I lost some weight since I was quite overweight, it would help me to not only conceive, but it would also help me to have a healthier pregnancy if I did happen to become pregnant.

I dieted for about 3 weeks and lost 10 pounds. I was excited and inspired to continue with the weight loss, but I began to feel very fatigued, nauseated, and subsequently missed my next period. Not believing that I was pregnant due to my history, I ignored all my friends and family members' predictions that I was pregnant and continued to eat as healthy as possible for the next few weeks. Finally after not having a period for nearly a month, I could deny it no more. I made an immediate appointment with my doctor and discovered that I was in fact pregnant. I was elated but surprised as well. My infertility was cured by a mere 10 pound weight loss-wow! I went on to have a very healthy pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy 8 lb 1 oz baby boy several months later.

I again experienced infertility after the birth of my son. Of course my weight was high again, but since I wasn't actively trying to conceive, I didn't worry about the fact that I wasn't getting pregnant. My husband and I simply enjoyed being intimate without the worry of using birth control. However, in an effort to get my insulin resistance under control again, I began to diet when my son was 5 years old. After losing approximately 60 pounds, I got the surprise of my life-I was pregnant again. I weighed exactly what I weighed when I got pregnant with my first son, which brought me to the conclusion that once my weight falls below a certain point, my insulin levels drop and my fertility quickly returns. I gave birth 8 months later to another healthy baby boy (6 lbs 6 oz), and although he wasn't planned, he's loved as much as my other two children are.

So if you're suffering from infertility and you're overweight, you might want to be checked for insulin resistance. You'll also want to lose weight, because like me, you might be surprised at how easy it is to conceive once you're at a more normal weight. If you're not overweight yet still unable to conceive and you've exhausted all your options with your physician, you might want to try cleaning up your diet. Sometimes fertility can improve with just a few minor adjustments to the diet, such as adding in more whole foods and fresh fruits and vegetables, eliminating junk food and trans fats, as well as taking a high quality multivitamin.

References

Fertility Boosting Foods -http://www.gynob.com/fertility-foods.html

Mayo Clinic, Female Infertility -http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/female-infertility/DS01053/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs