Wow! It's hard to believe that all of those details about your health and lifestyle can impact your fertility, right? We know. Nobody talks about it. But by being here you're staying on top of it...and we're so glad to have you.
We are totally pumped that you've taken this first step in your baby-making journey. Starting early and being proactive is the key to baby-making bliss.

Your quiz results show that you are halfway there already, mama! You have some incredible habits that will support you in conceiving and carrying a healthy baby to term. It's probably also not surprising to you that there are several areas of your life where you may consider making a few upgrades. Maybe you're dealing with a chronic condition or two, maybe your holiday season lasted a little bit longer than usual this year, maybe your stress levels have gotten the best of you lately. Don't worry. It happens to the best of us. Just know that these things impact your ability to get pregnant. And the changes that you make starting today will help improve your chances of conceiving when you're ready to do so. (And BONUS: they will also have major health benefits for your developing baby once you do get pregnant). So, if baby-making is on the agenda for 2018, now is the time to start cleaning things up!

Factors that affect your fertility (and your overall health) can be split into 3 major categories: body, mind and environment. 

This includes your dietary habits and your movement routines. Poor food choices can raise blood sugar, increase inflammation and even prevent the body from receiving the raw materials necessary to make your baby-making hormones. Eating a balanced, nutrient dense diet isn't just "in vogue" - it's essential to providing your body with the building blocks it needs to make the hormones that will eventually create your baby. Beyond this, your movement practices also have the power to push you towards or away from babyland; the key here is to adhere to the "Goldilocks principle" - not too much, not too little, just right. If you move your body too infrequently, it can increase inflammation & insulin and decrease blood flow - no bueno for baby-making. On the contrary, if you move your body too much or too vigorously (e.g., ultra marathon training), it can cause your stress hormones to displace your sex hormones - and too few sex hormones means not enough building blocks to build-a-baby.

This includes your environmental toxin load (e.g., from food, water, medications, personal care products and more) and your ability to detox that toxin load (e.g., by sweating and bowel movements). It's a sad fact, but toxins are lurking everywhere - in your canned foods, in the receipts you get at the grocery store, in your couches, in your body lotion, and in many more unexpected places. Because of this, it's impossible to completely eliminate all sources of potential toxicants...but it is possible to minimize them significantly. Choosing cleaner food, personal care and home care products is a great place to start. Next, if you're not having a daily bowel movement, you are constipated! Constipation may be common, but it's definitely not normal. Your body is designed to have 1-3 gently formed bowel movements per day; if that's not happening, start by increasing your water intake, your fiber intake and your movement practices. Sweating is also a great way to move icky things out of your precious body.

This includes your stress management practices, your mindset and your support network. To be clear: the goal is not to eliminate stress completely. Not only would that advice be unhelpful, but it would be impractical. The goal is to manage your response to stress because, as we mentioned before, too many stress hormones mean too few sex hormones. We are biologically programmed this way - no way around it. Now that you know, you can work with this biological principle rather than against it. Managing your stress levels paves the way to better baby-making. And, believe it or not - your mindset matters. If you are feeling unsure about your parenting ability, if you are feeling unsure about your partner's parenting readiness, if you are feeling anxious about your ability to afford a baby - all of these fears can translate into your physiology and affect your ability to get pregnant. It's common to be a bit nervous about getting pregnant and making the transition to being a parent - totally normal, totally natural. However, if these fears are more than that (and only you know how pervasive they are!), then they need to be addressed before you truly start trying to conceive. Thoughts become things and this has been proven out in the lab over and over again.

If you're interested in discussing the results of your baby-ready assessment in more detail, subscribe to the Pre-Conceived Kit and receive a complimentary fertility consultation (normally $250).