Toxicity and Infertility Part 2 with Dr. Leah Gordon

Dr. Leah Gordon is a naturopathic and functional medicine doctor who is passionate about fertility and women’s health. She runs Womanhood Wellness, a natural wellness education platform that empowers women to make wiser and more informed choices for their health.

Toxins Harm the Reproductive System

Toxins are bad for the body on two counts:

• They cause oxidative damage
• They mimic or interfere with hormones

Exposure to toxins leads to oxidative damage in the body. Often, this leads to issues with sperm and egg quality. 

Since toxins also interfere with the body’s natural hormone system that regulates essential bodily signaling, they can be uniquely harmful. In fact, they can even contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes.

Stress Hijacks the Reproductive System

Stress can disrupt with the hormonal symphony of the reproductive system. 

Under stress, the body may feel like it needs to take measures to increase its chances of survival . The glands may stop producing ovulation-related hormones in order to conserve resources and avoid the physical demands of pregnancy. 

What Can You Do to Improve Fertility?

To improve your chances of becoming a parent, you should engage in healthier activities that reduce stress and energize you.

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You should aim to:

• Get adequate and timely sleep
• Strive to eat regularly
• Have a balanced and nutrient-dense diet
• Organic if possible
• Avoid news, media and shows that are stressful
• Engage in activities that relax you

Prioritizing sleep is crucial. The production of important hormones like the human growth hormone and testosterone is manufactured during sleep. And these are crucial for male fertility. So when men forgo sleep in favor of stressful workouts, Dr. Gordon says this may be hurting their chances of conceiving.

Nourishing your body and providing it with all the nutrients that it needs is crucial for fertility. It teaches your body that it is safe to spend resources on reproduction.

Spending time in nature can also help refresh us and boost our sense of calm and wellbeing. 

Introducing supplements that boost your health and fertility can also be wise. However, supplements are best with good nutrition and sleep etc. It can’t replace them.

If you don’t have your stress, sleep, and nutrition under control, you can take all of the vitamins in the world and it’s not going to help.

Prenatal supplements are not a replacement for a good diet. They should merely add another layer to your health by supplementing your diet. 

Advice for Women on Childbirth

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the location of birth. Some women may be better off giving birth at home, while others may do better at a hospital.

The idea is to find what works for you and your individual health and family circumstances. It is a vulnerable moment and mothers need to feel “safe”. Safe may be in a hospital ward or at home. But whatever the location it needs to be where she can feel relaxed, secure and protected.

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You can find Dr Leah Gordon hereShe’s in the HBO docuseries Not so Pretty
Her instagram and websitehttps://www.womanhoodwellness.com