Struggling to Conceive? Your Gut Could Be the Missing Link

All the tests your doctor has requested - Done... still no answer.

So. Many. Tests.

Fasted blood tests on certain days of your cycle.
Constant ovulation tests.
More blood tests.
Ultrasounds.

Then when everything comes back 'normal'...

You get labelled.
Labelled as "unexplained infertility".
But tests miss the infertility explanation.
The answer could be in your gut.

Gut microbiome and fertility is linked more intimately than initially thought.

So your uterus is to blame for infertility. Right?
...Right?
It's not that clear cut.
Truth is, everything in our body is connected.

Fertility depends on how receptive the endometrium,
hormones and immune system are.
Your gut has a direct impact on how all of them function.

Research shows there's a link to gut dysbiosis (a condition when the gut bacteria become imbalanced) and infertility.
It promotes conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis,
low testosterone and poor sperm quality.
Dysbiosis is key to "unexplained infertility".

Let's be honest with each other for just a moment.
Unexplained infertility diagnosis' get handed out a lot.

But its rarely unexplained.

It takes guts.

Gut microbiome is home to billions of bacteria.
Playing a crucial role in body function.
Specifically, hormones, immune system and nutrient absorption.

They're incredibly important for having a baby.

A high number of women struggling to conceive have gut dysbiosis.
Signs they have it are:

• gas
• fatigue
• brain fog
• bad bloating
• food sensitivities

No one wants those symptoms on top of the chaos that infertility brings.

When bad bacteria takes over it crowds out the good bacteria.
Giving rise to intestinal permeability.
Also known as 'Leaky Gut'.

Tiny gaps in your intestines let nutrients pass.
In 'Leaky Gut' gaps get bigger.
Allowing toxins and harmful bacteria into your blood.

Resulting in a whole body inflammatory response.

Inflammation can turn chronic.

Your immune system doesn't work optimally with poor gut health.
Progressing to a state of chronic inflammation.
That's bad.

Chronic inflammation is linked to:

• pregnancy loss
• implantation failure
• low progesterone levels
• autoimmune disease impacting fertility
• development of anti-sperm antibodies preventing fertilisation.

Gut inflammation has a bigger impact than even most doctors realise

A study from 2016 found that women with unexplained infertility have 3.5 x higher chance of having coeliac disease.

About 6% of women struggling in this category have undiagnosed coeliac disease.

Gut bacteria influences hormones.

Your gut is powerful.

It converts unusable bound estrogen to free active estrogen that can be used.

When the gut microbiome is unhealthy it becomes impaired.
Leading to estrogen excess.
A key contributor to infertility. Particularly endometriosis.

Treating gut microbiome to modulate estrogen levels is essential.
Especially when you know there's an excess.

Support a healthy gut microbiome:

It can be done with food:

• Fibre rich fruits and vegetables.
  Its no secret, I'm obsessed with fibre!
  It keeps you regular and creates a diverse gut microbiome.
  Vary the vegetables you eat, aim for the rainbow.
  It's easy to get stuck eating the same vegetables. Aim to include more variety.
• Probiotic-rich foods.
  Think fermented food such as sauerkraut and kimchi.
• Omega-3 fatty acids
  They are anti-inflammatory and are amazing for gut health.
  Salmon, sardines, chia seeds, flaxseed.
• Whole grains
  Such as oats, quinoa, brown rice, sourdough, buckwheat.
• Protein
  Lean proteins, eggs, legumes, chickpeas, beans, quiona, tofu, tempeh.
  Protein is essential for egg and sperm quality.
  Animal products are an easy way to get your protein requirements in.
  Aim to have a good range of plant proteins in your diet.
  They have a double up as a fantastic fibre source.

If your fibre intake is low, ease your way into it.
Last thing you want to do it give your gut a freak out.
Seriously.

Can you just take a probiotic?

The short answer is yes and no.

The problem with throwing any probiotic at your gut health is,
you don't really know what you are dealing with.
And it's a bit of a gamble.

Sometimes it makes you feel better.

More than often it's not enough.
If you suspect your gut is not right get your microbiome tested.

Find out what you are dealing with.
Then you're empowered to treat it.
Same goes for the guys.
Their microbiome affects sperm production and quality!

Testing your microbiome can be expensive.
Expect to pay $250USD (400 Aussie pesos).
But it's absolutely worth it IMHO.

The key,
as always is finding the right person to interpret your results.
Honestly, the right practitioner can make or break how effective the treatment is.

I've seen hundreds of microbiome maps in consults.
Over half are from patients that have been poorly treated.

Leaving the patient feeling frustrated that they wasted so much money and are still dealing with horrible symptoms and no baby.

Practitioners I recommend working with:

• Susan Hunter https://www.susanhunter.com.au/
• Rhianna Hardingham and team https://www.rhreproductivehealth.com/
  

Research around the connection of gut microbiome and fertility is in its infancy.
But the clinical results are amazing.

My patients are feeling so much better.
They're also getting amazing results in their IVF cycles.

More importantly they're finally getting pregnant.

If you're feeling paralysed on your journey,
feeling like you have done everything.
But have no answers,
your gut could hold the key.

Jaya xx