We’ve heard this story before. You’ve been trying to get pregnant for a few months, everyone around you is announcing their bundles of joy and you’re left wondering “why not me”?
“When is it my turn?”
“Why is it easy for everyone else?”
We spend years of our life doing everything we can to not get pregnant. Unfortunately when you’re ready to grow your family it may not be as easy as just stopping prevention.
In the conventional medical world, couples often won’t be assessed until they have been trying without success for 12 months. This is when you are officially diagnosed with “infertility”.
We do not operate this way.
We believe couples deserve to be assessed right away or at any point during their fertility journey. Why wait till you’ve been suffering for a year? If there is something preventing you from getting pregnant you deserve to know now.
Each of our couples get a thorough work-up, including a health history intake and appropriate lab work. What labs are run is dependant on your case, but there are a few basics you will want to look into if you’ve been struggling to get pregnant.
TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, comes from your pituitary and tells your thyroid to produce T3 and T4. When it comes to fertility, research shows that TSH needs to be below 2.5, and some studies show below 2 is even better. You may have no symptoms of thyroid dysfunction except the fact that you aren’t getting pregnant. If TSH is elevated, levels can be reduced using natural therapies, but gold standard of care would be the prescription medication synthroid. Your TSH changes during pregnancy and will need to be monitored closing to ensure proper levels for fetal development.
Progesterone is the main hormone in the luteal, or second half, of your cycle. It’s produced by the corpus luteum after ovulation and continues to rise if a fertilized embryo implants to help maintain pregnancy. A very common cause of miscarriage is low progesterone and this can be treated with vaginal suppositories if needed. Progesterone needs to be checked 7-days post ovulation to get a good idea of your peak levels. If it’s too low, it’s possible that even if a fertilized egg is starting to implant it may not be able to take ahold before progesterone levels dip low enough to trigger a period. Depending on your levels, we may recommend support through herbs or through bioidentical progesterone cream.
Estradiol is the dominant form of estrogen in your body. It’s the main hormone in the follicular, or first half, of your cycle. Estrogen rises after your period to support follicle maturation, thickens your uterine lining for implantation, and tells your cervix to make the fertile mucus right before ovulation. You want to check estradiol on day 3 of your cycle. If it is low, you may have long cycles, lighter periods, or little to no fertile mucus around ovulation. This can be supported with flax seeds or various herbs in the first 2 weeks of your cycle.
Knowledge is power. Getting this information even before you start trying to get pregnant can make the world of difference. If you’ve already been trying for a few months with no success, we highly recommend finding a fertility practitioner in your area – or feel free to contact us here at HHA for a virtual appointment!
If you’re curious to learn more about what lab tests can help give you answers when it comes to your fertility, download our free lab guide here. This includes 3 other tests we think are important and what they may be telling you about your fertility.