Fertility-Boosting Remedies

Increase your chances of conceiving the natural way.

- Emily A. Kane, ND, Lac

Q: I’m in my late 30s and pretty healthy. My partner and I would like to start a family, but we’ve been trying unsuccessfully for over a year. Any advice? —Doris L., Baltimore

Emily A. Kane, ND, LAc, has a private naturopathic practice in Juneau, Alaska, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She is the author of two books on natural health, including Managing Menopause Naturally. Visit her online at dremilykane.com.a:Ironically, women living in developed countries are experiencing significantly fewer pregnancies than they did during our peak population growth. In the year 1800, there were only one billion people on the planet. Today there are 7 billion. So, declining fertility rates today are, in part, because of the shock of rapid population growth to the planet where we all live. But these statistics don’t change the disappointment for couples ready to welcome a child.

Toxic Troubles

The world is more toxic since the advent and widespread use of industrial chemicals that can impair fertility in both men and women. Numerous studies, for example, link pesticides to fertility problems in both men and women. Lindane, a pesticide commonly used to treat scabies and lice, affects the protective outer layer of sperm, which effectively inhibits the sperm’s response to female hormones at the site of egg fertilization in the uterus. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp ) may be even more problematic. The well-documented decline in testosterone levels over the past 25 years coincides with the introduction of GMO crops and the corresponding increased use of RoundUp. The solution? Eat organic food whenever possible.