Today on the podcast we’re talking about infertility warning signs and signs and symptoms that you may have trouble conceiving or help you brainstorm what could be going on with your body.
I know that sometimes it feels like our bodies are failing us, but as my journey has progressed, I have come to feel that our bodies are like finely tuned machines and that sometimes our body likes to send us warning signs that something might be wrong. As much as it totally sucks too – our fertility is often one of the first things to suffer when our health is out of balance and that’s because our fertility is non-essential for life. So if something goes pear-shaped with your hormones, that’s one thing, but if your heart just stopped beating… well, then you’d have a much bigger issue.
So when our body is out of balance, there will often be changes that affect our fertility first, and it’s up to us to listen to these warning signs that could be indicating that something is not right and rectify them, not just in order to conceive and fall pregnant, but in trying to be the healthiest version of yourself and prevent further health issues down the line.
First and foremost, if you have been trying to conceive for over six months (especially if you are over 35 years of age!) it’s a given that something is probably wrong. If you are under 35, then something is absolutely wrong.
You first need to know exactly when you’re ovulating. Check out my upcoming post on how to track your ovulation properly, as well as this podcast on ovulation to ensure you’re getting it right. Research estimates that as many as 57% of women are incorrectly timing ovulation.
But let’s say that neither of those things are happening, here are some ways you can diagnose that something might be going on (and then, even do some of your own research as to what that might be)
So what are the 4 warning signs that something is wrong:
- Your cycle length and timing
Not many women at all have perfect 28-day cycles, however, when we are in optimal health our cycles should be pretty close to that. Some big indicators that something might not be right is in a too-short follicular (before ovulation) or luteal phase (after ovulation). Likewise, if either of these are too long, it could also signal a problem.
Your cycle should also be regular and consistent – if it is neither of those things it could indicate a problem.
And if it is more than 40 days, that may also signal a problem.
One tip is that I often find that when there is a short luteal phase, Traditional Chinese Medicine is better at working through this, whereas Western Medicine sometimes dismisses it as nothing. If you are in this category, this may be something to consider.
2 Pain
Pain is not normal y’all. Sometimes when we are growing up, it’s almost like we are expected to have painful cycles, and sometimes that is the case as our bodies adjust to puberty, but certainly by your early 20s, if you are experiencing really painful periods that require days off work, it could be an indication of endometriosis.