The Link Between Adrenal Fatigue & Fertility
The Link Between Adrenal Fatigue & Fertility
Is blog post is taken from Week 9 of The Fertility Formula - an easy, six-step online program that can help boost your fertility naturally & make your DREAMS of growing your family come true.
I break down the importance of your adrenal health, what to watch out for, why it is important to support your adrenals and what steps are needed to take to improve your adrenal health naturally and increase your chances of a successful pregnancy.
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Just like with the thyroid, all the work you've put in over the past four weeks is going to have a big fat positive impact on your adrenal health! You've discovered that;
Reducing Your Caffeine Intake,
Decreasing Your Stress Levels,
Making Sleep a Priority,
Maximizing Your Diet,
Spending More Time Outside,
Slowing Down & Learning How To Rest & Recover &
Finding the Right Type of Restorative Movement
are important for your fertility health! Again, there's little to add on top of the diet & lifestyles you've already made 🥳 But I did want to take a little time to highlight again why it's so important for you to give your adrenals some TLC.
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
An easy way to understand these concepts is to imagine your health as a checking account. If you make enough deposits (good sleep, eating well, frequent relaxation), you will be able to withstand some withdrawals (late nights, a few glasses of booze, the odd drive-through lane 😉 ). But it’s all about balance. If you many too many withdrawals and not enough deposits, your health can start to suffer, and your fertility can start to decrease.
This is the situation with adrenal fatigue. If the HPA axis suffers too many stressors (or withdrawals), it loses its ability to function appropriately.
Notice it’s the HPA axis as a whole that is implicated—not just the adrenals. The old view of ‘adrenal fatigue’ was that the adrenal glands simply stopped being able to make cortisol. We now know this isn’t always the case. The symptoms of adrenal fatigue stem from different mechanisms in varying parts of the body, so ‘HPA-dysfunction’ is probably a more accurate term.
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Are You Dealing with Adrenal Fatigue? You might already know your adrenals need some TLC, but if not, here are the symptoms you should look out for:
1. Decreased ability to handle stress
2. Fatigue or lack of energy, especially in the early morning and late afternoon
3. Brain fog
4. Insomnia
5. Need to snack or eat frequently to maintain normal blood sugar
6. Dizziness upon standing
7. Mild anxiety or depression
8. Craving salt
9. Decreased Immune Function
10. Gaining weight around the midsection
How the adrenals impact your fertility:
The adrenal glands produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions. If your adrenals can't cope then important functions that support a healthy pregnancy can go wanky.
It negatively impacts thyroid function: The hypothalamus controls thyroid hormone production by releasing Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH), which then signals the pituitary to release Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to stimulate your thyroid to release thyroid hormone. In periods of chronic stress, this too, can shut down! Refer back to the Thyroid module on how to better your thyroid health.
Low Cortisol:: The pituitary gland—a pea-sized gland situated at the base of the brain—produces adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which is a hormone that signals to the adrenal glands to make cortisol. Secondary adrenal insufficiency happens when the pituitary gland fails to produce adequate amounts of ACTH, leading to a lack of cortisol production by the adrenal glands and thus low cortisol levels.
Low Progesterone:: Progesterone is a precursor hormone to cortisol. This means that when stress increases, more progesterone is shuttled to make cortisol and progesterone subsequently decrease. Adequate progesterone is necessary for the support of the development of the eggs [then embryo], implantation, and preventing a miscarriage.
Increases SHBG: SHBG is a protein that binds testosterone. When testosterone is bound, it is not free to act on cells. You want free testosterone, not bound! Elevations in cortisol during stress trigger the liver to release more sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Adequate testosterone is necessary for a healthy libido and is essential for egg quality [AND sperm health].
Low GNRH: Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone [GNRH] is released by the hypothalamus to signal the pituitary to release FSH and LH. FSH is important for egg maturation and LH is important for ovulation. Without appropriate GNRH signalling, egg development and release can be impaired or even halted. This is an extremely important factor to consider in hypothalamic amenorrhea.
NEXT STEPS:
🦩Make sure you really making an effort to SLOW THE F*CK DOWN & giving your whole body some much-needed rest and recovery time!
🦩Take an Epsom flake bath a few times a week. When you’re stressed, the first mineral your body burns through is magnesium (this is why so many people are magnesium deficient!). Soaking in a bath with 1 cup of Epsom flake and a good book!
🦩 Short-term supplement support: Adrenal Cortex for 1-2 months [depending on how stressed out you think you are] & then switch to Optimal Adrenal - 3 months & then re-evaluate.
Who shouldn't take it: As with any glandular extract or supplement, we recommend that you only use the Adrenal Cortex when needed and as directed by a healthcare professional. Consult with a healthcare professional prior to use if you are using any medications (esp. blood pressure medications, hormone treatments, blood-thinning medications), or if you have any medical conditions (esp. diabetes, stomach ulcers, heart conditions, or autoimmune diseases).
EMPOWER YOURSELF:
If you have any questions, reach out [email protected]
Let's Do This Together 💚
Monica
Monica
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Anything written or said about health and diet are my opinions, that I have formed over the years, through trial and error, study, reading, listening and observing. What worked for me may not work for you. I am not a doctor, nutritionist or dietician and all medical advice should be gotten from a qualified professional. Product recommendations are based on what I used during my infertility journey or wish I had.
