Dr. Usha

It is not clear how exactly stress impacts fertility. It is not known whether high levels of stress can prevent pregnancy or affect a woman's chance of conceiving. We do know that reducing stress provides a better quality of life during times of intense personal challenge. 

What is stress? 

Stress is often defined as an event that a person sees/ feels is threatening. In order to protect itself, the body responds with a fight or flight response. How can stress impact a fertility patient? sometimes, infertility patients respond to the stress of being unable to conceive by aggressively pursuing treatment and procedures. Other patients withdraw and isolate from family, friends, and community. Neither of these extremes is ideal for patients who seek to treat their infertility and build a family. 

How can I reduce my stress? 

Having less stress in your life while pursuing fertility treatment may not, in and of itself, result in a pregnancy. However, developing better coping strategies to manage stress related to an infertility diagnosis and treatment can help you feel more in control and improve your overall well-being. 

It has been shown that stress does interfere with making rational and well-thought-out decisions. Reducing stress can allow patients to research, explore, and consider all the options available with a clearer mindset. By reducing stress, the pros and cons of one treatment course over another can be more effectively weighed and considered. 

Reduced stress is good for your health. While no one expects patients to approach fertility treatment stress free, finding ways to minimize stress while pursuing treatment can help. It is helpful for patients to look for ways to reduce the burden of infertility treatments and medical protocols. 

There are many stress-reducing techniques; some of the more popular methods recommended to fertility patients are: 

acupuncture 

aerobic exercise (may be reduced during treatment) 

collaboration with experts in stress reduction 

guided imagery 

journaling 

listening to music 

massage therapy

meditation 

mind-body groups 

mindfulness 

progressive muscle relaxation 

psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy 

self-help books

support/educational groups 

visualization 

walking/hiking 

yoga

How can I help my friend/loved one? 

Friends and loved ones are facing a challenge. Telling patients to be less stressed can make them feel more responsible for causing their own infertility and feel blamed. Telling someone to relax can cause greater stress. However, asking how couples/friends are doing and suggesting concrete and pragmatic ways to reduce stress will enhance quality of life and give the patient back some sense of control. For many struggling with infertility, just having friends/loved ones available for listening is greatly appreciated. 

The goal of stress reduction is to minimize, not eliminate stress, by finding the technique that serves the patient's needs the best.

The paleo diet includes whole, unprocessed foods that resemble what they look like in nature.

Our ancestors were genetically the same as modern humans. They thrived eating such foods and were free of diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Several studies suggest that this diet can lead to significant weight loss (without calorie counting).

A paleo diet meal plan-

The basics

1. Eat: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, healthy fats and oils.
2. Avoid: processed foods, sugar, soft drinks, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine and trans fats.
3. Avoid these foods

Avoid these foods and ingredients:

1. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup: soft drinks, fruit juices, table sugar, candy, pastries, ice cream and many others.
2. Grains: includes breads and pastas, wheat, spelt, rye, barley, etc.
3. Legumes: beans, lentils and many more.
4. Dairy: avoid most dairy, especially low-fat (some versions of paleo do include full-fat dairy like butter and cheese).
5. Vegetable oils: soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil and others.
6. Trans fats: found in margarine and various processed foods. Usually referred to as “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
7. Artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame potassium. Use natural sweeteners instead.
8. Highly processed foods: everything labelled “diet” or “low-fat” or has many weird ingredients. Includes artificial meal replacements.

Foods to eat on the paleo diet-

Base your diet on these real, unprocessed paleo foods.

1. Meats: beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and others.
2. Fish and seafood: salmon, trout, haddock, shrimp, shellfish, etc. Choose wild-caught if you can.
3. Eggs: choose free-range, pastured or omega-3 enriched eggs.
4. Vegetables: broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
5. Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados, strawberries, blueberries and more.
6. Tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, etc.
7. Nuts and seeds: almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and more.
8. Healthy fats and oils: lard, tallow, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and others.
9. Salt and spices: sea salt, himalayan salt, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, etc.

Try to choose grass-fed, pasture raised and organic if you can afford it. If not, then just make sure to always go for the least processed option.

These are perfectly healthy in small amounts:

1. Wine: quality red wine is high in antioxidants and beneficial nutrients.
2. Dark chocolate: choose one that has 70% or higher cocoa content. Quality dark chocolate is very nutritious and extremely healthy.

What to drink when you’re thirsty -

Glass of water

1. When it comes to hydration, water should be your go-to beverage.
2. These aren’t exactly paleo, but most people drink them anyway:
3. Tea is very healthy and loaded with antioxidants and various beneficial compounds. Green tea is best.
4. Coffee is actually very high in antioxidants as well. 

A sample paleo menu for one week -

Monday

1. Breakfast: eggs and vegetables, fried in coconut oil. One piece of fruit.
2. Lunch: chicken salad, with olive oil. Handful of nuts.
3. Dinner: burgers (no bun), fried in butter, with vegetables and some salsa.

Tuesday

1. Breakfast: bacon and eggs, with a piece of fruit.
2. Lunch: leftover burgers from the night before.
3. Dinner: salmon, fried in butter, with vegetables.

Wednesday

1. Breakfast: meat with vegetables (leftovers from night before).
2. Lunch: sandwich in a lettuce leaf, with meat and fresh vegetables.
3. Dinner: ground beef stir fry, with vegetables. Some berries.

Thursday

1. Breakfast: eggs and a fruit.
2. Lunch: leftover stir fry from the night before. A handful of nuts.
3. Dinner: fried pork, with vegetables.

Friday

1. Breakfast: eggs and vegetables, fried in coconut oil.
2. Lunch: chicken salad with olive oil. Handful of nuts.
3. Dinner: steak with vegetables and sweet potatoes.

Saturday

1. Breakfast: bacon and eggs, with a piece of fruit.
2. Lunch: leftover steak and vegetables from the night before.
3. Dinner: baked salmon with vegetables and avocado.

Sunday

1. Breakfast: meat with vegetables (leftovers from night before).
2. Lunch: sandwich in a lettuce leaf, with meat and fresh vegetables.
3. Dinner: grilled chicken wings, with vegetables and salsa.