Couples want and need to feel empowered on their fertility journeys no matter their age, perhaps even more so after age 35. Unfortunately, many women we talk to feel overwhelmed with feedback telling them they are running out of time to get pregnant or they have reached advanced maternal age. Additionally, they may not be getting the support they need from their doctors or OB/GYNs. We know male and female fertility and hormonal health can benefit from natural approaches in the mid 30s and beyond.
Best Ways to Optimize Natural Fertility Over Age 35
1. Eat antioxidant-rich fertility foods! Antioxidants are one of the most important components of a natural fertility program that every woman and man need to focus on, particularly as they age.
Over time, the reproductive system (and eggs and sperm) are subjected to the damaging effects of free radicals. For optimum fertility, feed your body high-antioxidant foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables top the list! However, make sure your daily diet is balanced. Extremely restrictive diets are counterproductive for fertility. Especially watch out for excess caffeine. Excess caffeine (500mg of caffeine daily or more) has been linked to decreased fertility.
Follow the principles of the Fertility Diet for the best results. It’s anti-aging, antioxidant, and fertility enhancing! Then learn about a supplement containing a complete network of antioxidants like Choice Antioxidants and Ubiquinol.
2. Try a Fertility Cleanse! Kick off your natural fertility program with a cleanse! Couples I work with feel energized and motivated after fertility cleansing. It’s a great feeling to know you’ve helped your body get rid of toxins and xenoestrogens that affect hormonal health. To learn more, visit our guide: Prepare for Conception with a Fertility Cleanse…
After following a Fertility Cleanse, some say their digestion improves. This is a great bonus because having a strong digestive system enhances fertility. Women often share they experience less PMS, or that their cycles are better as well.
For both men and woman, a cleanse only takes around 30 days and allows you time to focus on healing your body before you try to conceive.
3. Follow a 90-day Egg Health Program. Egg quality is one of biggest concerns women have over age 35 when trying to conceive. While we cannot increase the number of eggs a woman naturally has at 35, we can take steps to increase egg quality. Further, in many cases, while egg quantity naturally reduces, existing egg quality can still be good.
A 90 Day Egg Health Program includes targeted antioxidants, promotes a healthy reproductive environment where egg cells can thrive.
4. Learn to chart your cycle (if you’re not already doing it). Fertility Charting through basal body temperature (BBT) monitoring is one of the best ways (besides medical supervision) to tell you if and when you are ovulating. It can also reveal abnormalities in your cycle that may be hard to detect through other methods.
You can chart along with checking for fertile cervical mucus and using ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). All of these techniques combined together can give you a clear picture of your fertile window, so you can properly time intercourse on the months you’re trying to conceive. Tip: Most women become pregnant the day of ovulation or the two days preceding it (when you are most likely to see fertile cervical mucus)!
5. Ladies, don’t forget about the uterus! So many women over 35 are so worried about egg quality, they forget to take measures to protect uterine health. Self-Fertility Massage (SFM) is my favorite “go to” technique to enhance uterine health (see below), but there are other good choices. Castor Oil Therapy often compliments SFM. Many herbs are excellent uterine tonics. I recommend drinking Red Raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus, spp) tea or a DIY Uterus Strengthening Tea up until ovulation for uterine support when you’re trying to conceive. For women prone to uterine cramping or pain, the formula UteriCalm can help soothe symptoms while helping to promote a strong uterine environment.
- Self-Fertility Massage: Poor circulation to the reproductive system can lead to fertility challenges. I recommend Self-Fertility Massage to nearly all of my clients. Self-Fertility Massage is a way to use bodywork to enhance fertility and ease the effects of stress. Results can be profound! For clients who are tired of taking a lot of supplements, Self-Fertility Massage is an easy, convenient and affordable technique to support the reproductive system naturally in the comfort of your own home.
6. Men should support their fertility too. Studies are proving delaying fatherhood may impact sperm health. Given this and other factors that might impact male fertility health; diet, lifestyle, stress levels, exposure to toxins, etc., men should support their fertility naturally as they age too.
- For men over age 35, pay close attention to your diet. Include more fresh foods every day. Add a green superfood powder like FertiliGreens to your daily juice or Fertility Smoothie
- Consider an antioxidant supplement, as described above in #1, to help make sure healthy sperm count and morphology is encouraged.
- If you’re exposed to toxins on the job or have a history of smoking or alcohol use, try a Male Fertility Cleanse to get started.
- Male fertility-enhancing herbs like Maca (Lepidium meyenii) and Tribulus (Tribulus terrestris) may also help many men with age-related fertility concerns.
Living Your Most Fertile Life
As you move forward with your plans for fertility building over 35, please know that we are lifting you up with our love and support. We understand and applaud the fact that today many couples choose to wait to build their families until the time is right for them. There is no greater joy than finding yourself in the right moment to create a new life to nurture and love!
Choose natural therapies to optimize your natural fertility over 35! Always start your program by addressing any known fertility issues you have. Then, use supportive therapies to make sure your ongoing reproductive health is supported. Even if you pursue medical fertility treatments, natural fertility therapies can help you prepare your body and ease your stress.
- Barton-Shuster, D. (2018). Preparing for Conception over 40. Retrieved from: http://natural-fertility-info.com/preparing-for-conception-over-40.html
- Optimizing Natural Fertility: A Committee Opinion. (2013). Fertility & Sterility; 100(3): 631-7. Retrieved from: http://www.asrm.org/globalassets/asrm/asrm-content/news-and-publications/practice-guidelines/for-non-members/optimizing_natural_fertility-noprint.pdf
Sarah has worked in the field of natural foods and herbalism for over 20 years. She’s a published author, Certified Herbalist, and health and wellness consultant. Sarah Graduated from the Professional Herbal Studies from the East West School of Herbology, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Working with women on their journey to wellness is her passion and she loves to share what she has been blessed to learn from naturopaths and other herbalists over the years.
