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So many women have heard at one point or another:

“Your biological clock is ticking,” or “Women need to be on a stricter timeline if they want to start a family.”

But is it really that cut and dry?

At the age of 39, my patient was told by two fertility doctors that she’d have little success in getting pregnant without medical intervention.

Both doctors told her that her labs reflected an extremely low egg reserve. She was even told by one of the doctors that—based on her labs—she was likely approaching menopause.

Anyone hearing this news would easily conclude that they had very little chance to conceive, but after making key lifestyle changes, my patient went on to have two healthy children without any medical intervention.

So…is her story just a rare miracle? Or are women able to improve their fertility wellness through key lifestyle changes?

What so many women are being told:

After the age of 35, your ability to get pregnant drops.

At a certain age, IVF is your only option.

If you have low egg reserves, you’ll probably need an egg donor.

While doing IVF and getting an egg donor are amazing options for so many women, not all women feel aligned or feel intuitively that it’s their only option. Many women who come in to see me for acupuncture are often looking for ways to support their reproductive health naturally. This can be supportive whether they decide to try to conceive on their own, or prepare their bodies for a successful IVF cycle.

The Truth about the Fertility Timeline:

The reality is that fertility does decline with age, but it isn’t necessarily as drastic as it is made to be in some of the shared guidelines. Since every “body” is different, and there are so many variable factors that it can be nearly impossible to create a blanket statement that is true for every woman.

What we do know is that as we age, oxidative stress increases and our mitochondria (which are the powerhouses of each cell) become less effective over time. Mitochondria are central to egg and sperm quality, and they are often the center of focus in many anti-aging protocols because their vitality and strength contribute to our cells behaving younger. Oxidative stress, which increases as we age, contributes to genetic abnormalities, which also contributes to poor egg quality in women.

How Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views Reproductive Vitality and Anti-Aging:

Traditional Chinese Medicine views the kidneys to hold the essence that supports reproductive health. This essence—referred to as “Jing”—is passed down to us by our parents. This can be viewed as our inherited vitality bank account. While we have no control on how lucky we are with the genes we inherited, we do have control on how we spend and protect our inheritance by choosing a lifestyle that supports our vitality.

One of the ways that we, as practitioners, approach healing, is to facilitate an environment of harmony in the body so that it supports a natural state of self-healing. What many people don’t realize is that practitioners don’t directly heal our patients, we simply find ways to support a state of balance that encourages the body’s innate healing process. Just as wounds heal when cleaned and dressed properly, our bodies have an innate intelligence that is always seeking to repair and balance itself.

Understanding this concept of self-healing reveals a sense of hope and empowerment in knowing that there are options to improve our reproductive vitality in order to support conception, even at an advanced age.

How You can Support Reproductive Vitality at an Advanced Reproductive Age:

>> Support your body’s overall vitality by eating high antioxidant foods that support mitochondrial health. This includes dark leafy greens, wild salmon, beef liver, and berries. Antioxidants are crucial in helping to reverse oxidative stress that increases with age and impacts mitochondrial health. Over time, this can help improve egg (and sperm) quality while having an anti-aging impact on your overall health.

>> Get regular acupuncture. Acupuncture works to support the body to get into a self-healing state by resolving pattern imbalances. Acupuncture also helps local blood flow to the pelvis, which helps to carry nutrients via the blood to the ovaries and uterus. It also supports a robust uterine lining, optimizing the environment for implantation and pregnancy. Acupuncturists also provide herbal support to improve kidney and overall qi (life force vitality) to enhance and protect kidney jing which reflects in egg quality.

>> Optimize vitality by regulating your nervous system. Nervous system regulation helps your body go from a very taxing state of survival to a restorative and regenerative state of safety. The nervous system plays such an important role in vitality, growth, reproductive health, heart rate, hormone regulation, digestion, and much more! The vagus nerve, which is a cranial nerve that plays a role in supporting nervous system regulation can be a great tool for encouraging the body to move into a restorative and energy efficient state of growth. Practices such as humming, meditation, walking in nature, or breathwork can support the vagal tone which can help optimize our nervous system.

>> Meditate daily. Studies show that meditation may slow down the aging process. When we practice meditation, we essentially access a state of rest that is unique and different from the rest we get with sleep. Meditation can help us find ease in our response to life events, which will naturally protect our energy from being drained, especially in situations we don’t have control over. Meditation also helps insomnia, and sleep is vital to support reproductive health.

>> Have a balanced exercise regiment. Exercise can help increase ATP (energy units in mitochondria) generation. It also helps improve circulation, calm the nervous system by releasing stress, and forces us to take in more oxygen. That being said, it’s crucial to have a balanced exercise practice because too much exercise can have an adverse effect on reproductive health and can deplete the body’s energy reserves. Women who engage in extreme exercise routines can risk harming their menstrual cycle regularity.

Creating a Balanced Approach:

While there is a lot you can do to support your overall reproductive health and vitality, it’s important to have a great team of medical doctors and practitioners to help you find a balanced approach. Having a fertility doctor is extremely important even if you’re not planning on doing ART treatments like IVF. Fertility doctors know what to test for when it comes to reproductive health and can uncover underlying conditions that may be contributing to challenges you might be facing when trying to conceive. It is also important to get a few opinions if you feel like one perspective doesn’t completely align.

Having perspectives from different doctors and practitioners is ideal in order to get a clearer picture on your next steps on your fertility journey. And don’t forget that your emotional well being deserves nurturing and attention as well!

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