This past year, I’ve had three back-to-back miscarriages in January, March and April.
Each loss was extremely emotionally and physically draining and I couldn’t help but wonder, what the heck is wrong with me?!
On paper, I was always super healthy and had never experienced serious health issues. The first time we tried, we had no trouble getting pregnant and had zero complications during pregnancy and delivery. I thought, surely, we can have another baby easily - no problem! Boy, was I wrong.
During the miscarriages, I’ve seen many different specialists including an OBGYN nurse, health coach, nutritionist, and acupuncturist. I also did muscle testing, blood work and a hormone panel - all of which I passed with flying colors. Each specialist told me nothing was wrong with me, but I knew in my gut - something was off. I felt like no one really listened to me until I met Dr. Lisa Abell. I was referred to her by a friend and started working with her after my 3rd miscarriage and honestly… It’s been really amazing so far!
Each time we meet, Dr. Lisa gives me a 2 month protocol to follow and I noticed a HUGE change after the first month. The main difference I feel is emotional stability during my Luteal Phase (weeks leading up to period.) Before pregnancy, I hardly had any PMS symptoms. After 18 months without periods (during pregnancy + BF), my period came back with a vengeance and my PMS was worse than I ever experienced! I was moody, irritable, easily overwhelmed, anxious, and had intrusive thoughts - all which were new to me. I had no idea what was going on with me until later when I learned that my nervous system was totally off. After working with Dr. Lisa and making these lifestyle changes, I noticed that my PMS symptoms are nearly non-existent again. PRAISE!
Now, I won’t go into every single detail of the protocol since it will be different for everyone, but I’ve picked out 8 tips that I think ANYONE could benefit from. Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor, but these are tips that were advised by my doctor. With that being said, I will not use any scientific doctor lingo and just share them as a fellow woman working on her fertility and health. If you’re cool with that, keep reading!
1. Switching to all organic
That means grass fed, pasture raised, and organic when available for meats, vegetables, nuts, grains, etc. We also try to limit processed foods, food dye, and sugar (she says NEVER eat artificial sweeteners.) When I'm having a sweet tooth craving, I like to make my diy popsicles, yum.
2. Grounding
I never knew this was a thing, but I guess EMF is a huge factor when it comes to fertility! Because we are exposed to EMF all day long through wifi, phone, screens, etc. it’s important that we ground ourselves to get rid of some of this exposure. Dr. Lisa had us purchase a grounding blanket so we sleep on that each night. I also go out barefoot in our backyard for about 30 mins each day.
3. Detox Baths
Warm baths are a great way to relax AND detox toxins from your body (who knew?!) Dr. Lisa recommended I take 2-3 baths per week with 4 cups of epsom salt and 4 cups of baking soda. It was SO relaxing and my skin was extra soft because of the baking soda! I also love doing 2 cups of epsom salt with 2 cups of dead sea salt, which are filled with good minerals.
4. Fermented food daily
This was my favorite protocol because I LOVE fermented food. We started pickling our own veggies (recipe here), but my favorite of all has got be kimchi! It’s gives any meal a nice spicy kick and is filled with probiotics - gut health baby!
5. Adding Saturated fat
Another favorite protocol was adding more saturated fats to my diet. Dr. Lisa recommended grass fed butter when cooking because it has Vitamins A, E, D, and K which are all great for fertility. Butter up!
6. Cod Liver Oil
Everyday, our whole family takes 1 tsp of cod liver oil after dinner and it’s become a part of our daily routine! It’s packed with vitamin A and D, which are amazing for your immune system, cellular health, eye and reproductive health. You get used to the taste after a while (we get the one with lemon) and Everett actually loves taking it!
7. Removing Seed Oil
We were already in the process of eliminating seed oils from our kitchen so this was an easy switch. We now cook with grass fed butter (or Ghee for DF), avocado oil or coconut oil! I really want to try tallow or lard next. Oh and we only use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for flavoring, not cooking (as recommended by my doctor.)
8. Bone Broth
Bone broth tastes amazing and is SO good for you! I like making a large batch and freezing them for later. If you’d like to make your own homemade bone broth, check out my step-by-step recipe here.
I hope these tips are helpful to any women struggling with infertility or PMDD!
If you’d like to check out Dr. Lisa, you can find her info here: www.bewellhealthclinic.com