In January 2012, I made two decisions that forever changed my life. That month my husband and I decided that after 3 1/2 years of marriage it was finally time to start trying for a baby. I was 41, almost 42, and wondered if we’d waited too long but was going to give it my all anyway.
I did something else that January that proved integral to my health and fertility journey: I signed up for a winter cleanse as part of a New year’s goal to be the healthiest that I could for trying to conceive.
I knew that I didn’t have age on my side, so I wanted to do anything I could to be healthy and give myself the best possible chance to get pregnant and have a baby.
I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I figured I’d eat some food, get some clean living tips, and be on my way.
What I wasn’t expecting was that I’d undergo such a physical and emotional transformation in 10 days that I’d sign up for another cleanse the following spring. The next thing I knew, an entire year had gone by and I’d cleansed every season.
Now it’s 8 years later and not only do I try to reboot my body each season, but I’m a mom of a rambunctious kindergartner, a fertility coach, and lead my own whole foods-based cleanse – a comprehensive seasonal fertility cleanse program – to help other women on their fertility paths to see the same benefits that I did back in 2012.
While cleansing, I kept trying to conceive. And I got pregnant. After just a year of trying. With my own eggs, despite my doctor’s prediction of less than a 2% chance of doing so. Without donor egg IVF. Without any kind of IVF. With the tools of clean food and clean living on my side. Those were the building blocks that got me through the journey to conceive.
What is cleansing and how can it boost your fertility?
Cleansing or detox is a process of gently removing toxins from your body to improve your overall health, and for those of us on the fertility path, to get our bodies ready for conception.
A cleanse will clean our entire body inside and out, but focuses primarily on the liver, and for fertility, the uterus. Our liver’s primary job is to remove toxins from our bodies, and sometimes in the process of doing so gets overworked, and needs its own time to be cleaned.
Our uterus, as our baby’s first home, needs special attention, particularly the uterine lining where our embryo settles in for its nine-month gestation. In cleaning the uterus through periodic cleansing, you’re giving your baby its best possible start in life – before it’s even conceived!
A gentle whole foods-based cleanse will clean both of these organs through natural, seasonal whole fruits, vegetables and grains that promote our body’s natural craving of balance with nature.
Think of cleansing as pressing the reset button on our body – and in the process of getting our bodies back into good working order for ourselves, we’re also creating the best possible environment for our future baby to be conceived, and to grow and thrive.
What are some of the benefits you can see from cleansing?
In addition to the obvious – improved fertility – there are loads of benefits of cleansing for your overall health and wellbeing.
Everyone’s cleanse experience is different but here are some of the most commonly realized benefits and the things that keep me coming back each season:
• Weight Loss
• Improved Sleep
• Increased Energy
• Mental Clarity
• Better Mood
• Reduced Stress
• Feeling More Comfortable in Your Own Skin
For fertility, cleansing helps to normalize ovulation through restoring hormonal balance. Issues with ovulation are the leading cause of female infertility, and hormonal imbalances have a direct correlation with irregular or absent ovulation. Eating seasonal, whole foods during a cleanse will help bring our bodies back to their natural balance, which is the first critical step to reclaiming both our health and our fertility.
Every season offers something unique and special for a cleanse experience, which is why it’s great to do a cleanse every season. Fall is a wonderful time for renewal, to harness all the energy from the summer to prepare to go inward for the winter.
Much like the trees that shed their leaves every fall, the season gives us the opportunity to take stock of what really matters in my life, and let go of the things that no longer serve me, physically and emotionally. This is what I really love about cleansing in the fall (and I love all the yummy fall foods!).
Renewal for Fertility, will give you that same opportunity. Through an emphasis on clean, whole, fertility-boosting foods and giving ourselves both the time and space for self-care, we’ll reboot our body, mind and spirit for the fertility journey, as well as our journey toward optimal health.
What’s included in Renewal for Fertility?
I’ll provide a complete, step-by-step meal plan and guide for the 10-day cleanse, including menu plan, recipes and shopping list.
Also included in the program is a prep guide, to help you get yourself ready for the cleanse before it even starts, kickoff call to give you all the information you need, live support and coaching from me for the duration of the program, a journal to record your experiences, and a plan to help you keep up with your new healthy habits after the cleanse is over.
I’ve also lined up a complete list of amazing guest speakers, experts in various areas of fertility, health and wellness to give you a complete fertility and self-care toolkit to take with you after the cleanse.
In addition to support from me, you’ll also be given access to a private Facebook community, where you’ll connect with your fellow cleansers, other women like you on the fertility journey, looking to create the best possible environment to conceive and deliver the baby that you dream of.
Everyone who signs up for Renewal for Fertility will get a FREE, 30-minute fertility coaching session with me where we can discuss your fertility issues and get you on a path to conception.
You’ll also receive $100 off the comprehensive DUTCH test – seriously, one of the best hormone tests out there.
Learn more about Renewal for Fertility and sign up here!
After I had my son and started to come out of the all-consuming fog of the fertility journey, I realized that my fertility journey and my health journey were interconnected. Reclaiming my health through cleansing not only prepared my body for conception, it gave me the confidence to reclaim my fertility too, and buck my Diminished Ovarian Reserve diagnosis and my advanced maternal age status. I know it can help you too.
Are you ready to feel great turn over a new leaf for your fertility this year?