Planning on starting a family can be one of the happiest times in a couple’s life. From conception to pregnancy, the process that both the mother and father undergo can be a challenging, happy and joyful – and a life changing journey to say the least. However if you experience complications, health issues, or difficulty conceiving, this natural process can become one of the most stressful, worrisome and exhausting times a couple may go through together.
Kathryn & Luna
For conception to occur the female must be producing viable eggs during her monthly cycle and the male’s sperm must be strong and healthy in order to fertilize the egg during intercourse. Infertility, which is quite simply the inability to conceive, is becoming more common and this “natural and simple” journey can be a difficult challenge given all the contributing factors to fertility. Factors such as diet, exercise, weight, health conditions, stress levels, emotional and mental states, genetics and a high toxic load in the blood stream all play a major part in determining ones ability to conceive.
There are many ways to treat infertility however some treatments can be extremely off putting, stressful and expensive. One of the quickest and most effective ways at getting both the male and female ready for conception is by doing a fasting detox.
By undergoing a thorough cleanse the body has time to heal and regenerate itself on a cellular level. Fasting allows for all the toxins to be removed from the cells, hormones to be rebalanced, the liver to metabolise any excess hormones floating around the body such as xenoestrgens (found in chemicals, plastics and pesticides which create an imbalance in natural estrogen levels) and cortisol (stress hormone which can lead to inflammation, exhaustion, poor cellular function) which may be leading to infertility. Inflammation is decreased, all organs regenerated, blood sugars rebalanced, immune system boosted, nervous system rested and reproductive system balanced – amongst many other positive side effects – getting your body cleansed, detoxed, healthy and ready for fertility.
Fasting is also fantastic for couples that have undergone IVF without success or women who have been on various forms of synthetic contraception because it will “pull out” any excess or synthetic hormones, cleanse the liver, alkalise the blood stream and re boot the natural hormonal process of the body.
We have experienced the wonders of ‘fasting for fertility’ first hand at Natural Instinct Healing. In October 2011 we had the pleasure of hosting guests Brooke Toholka and Katherine Maslen for our 10 day Fasting Detox retreat in Bali. The girls enjoyed some time out away from the stresses of everyday life to rebalance their bodies, minds and hearts. Katherine (a qualified Naturopath and Western Herbalist and one of Brisbane’s [Australia] leading Natural Therapists in fertility) chose to come and detox as part of her preconception care. We were delighted when a few months after getting home we received a phone call from her saying “it worked”. Brooke and Katherine had no troubles falling pregnant after their cleanse and both experienced healthy and enjoyable pregnancies.
Brooke & Matylda
Brooke and her fiancé Justin welcomed Matylda into the world and Katherine and husband Max welcomed Luna – two little healthy girls born only a few weeks apart. Brooke and Katherine were able to implement all they had learnt about yoga, nutrition, meditation and taking care of themselves during their fasting retreat within their pregnancies and have been a wonderful source of support for each other. It has brought us so much joy in sharing in this journey with these beautiful women all the way through and we wish them, and their growing families, our continued love and support from all the team at NIH.
