So you are here after seeing my post on the fertility window and how to calculate it.
And I am assuming you are someone who is trying to get pregnant right now, or in the coming months or years, maybe. Or you have someone very close to you who is trying to get pregnant, and you want to help them out.
I will tell you the basic fundamentals that you have to be thinking about when you are trying to get pregnant, and also how we run our conception programs over 3 to 6 months.
Before you even try to get pregnant, or think of trying to get pregnant, it is very important to do blood work.
One of the most important tests is AMH.
AMH, or Anti-Müllerian Hormone, gives us an idea of your ovarian reserve, which is the number of eggs remaining in your ovaries. While it does not tell us the quality of the eggs, it helps us understand your fertility potential and how much time we may have to work with.
This value is very important.
It is not that when you have a low AMH, it becomes difficult to conceive, or anything like that.
Most IVF specialists may scare you by saying that if your AMH is low, your time is running out and you have to get pregnant as soon as possible. They may tell you that within the next one or two months you have to start IVF.
Nothing like that.
Please do not fall into that fear.
Even with an AMH of 0.05, patients have conceived through our programs.
AMH is not the biggest indicator or the only parameter that decides your fertility journey.
AMH is not a fixed number. It can vary from test to test, and I have seen patients whose AMH values have improved over time. So please do not look at one report and assume that your fertility journey is over.
On the other hand, people with extreme hormonal imbalances may have very high AMH values, such as 7, 8, or even higher. This is commonly seen in PCOS.
In such cases, the hormonal imbalance has to be addressed first. Even before trying to conceive, we have to correct these imbalances.
Basically, we have to start by creating the right environment for conception.
If the body is not functioning optimally, the eggs may not be of good quality, the womb may not be in its healthiest state, the embryo may not be of optimal quality, implantation may not happen well, and the pregnancy journey itself may become more challenging.
The goal is not just conception.
The goal is to create the healthiest possible environment for conception, implantation, pregnancy, and ultimately the birth of a healthy baby.
Another thing that you have to check is your FSH and LH levels. These hormones play a very important role in ovulation and fertility. If these hormones are out of balance, especially in conditions such as PCOS, we have to work on correcting the underlying hormonal imbalance before conception.
The next thing is your menstrual cycle.
How good is your cycle?
Do you have excessive bleeding such as menorrhagia or metrorrhagia? Do you have very scanty periods? Do you have irregular cycles?
All of these need to be corrected.
Usually, it takes around three months to correct these issues, optimize the body, and prepare it for conception.
So these three months should be viewed as preparation months.
Then comes another very important value, your thyroid levels.
Ideally, your TSH should be less than 2.5.
If you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, that also has to be brought under control before conception.
Because if you conceive when these issues are not managed properly, maintaining the pregnancy can become difficult.
Many miscarriages happen because the body was not adequately prepared before conception.
Once these factors are addressed, that is when we move forward.
If you are overweight, try to lose weight.
Even a 1 kg weight loss can bring you closer to your fertility goals.
So work on that too.
When all of these things are done right, we are preparing the body for conception.
Now, what is one of the most important things you need for conception?
You need healthy intimacy and connection between partners.
A lot of patients struggle with this.
Sometimes they do not have time. Sometimes they are stressed. Sometimes they are disconnected from each other.
If you want to conceive, and you want to conceive in a healthy way, I would strongly suggest that you make time for yourselves.
You want to bring the healthiest baby possible into this world.
You have to work towards it.
You cannot keep saying, “I don’t have time.”
You have to dedicate yourself to the process.
If you are able to do that, the pregnancy journey, the health of the baby, the immunity of the baby, the prakriti of the baby, and even the overall pregnancy experience can benefit tremendously from the care taken during conception and pregnancy.
That is one of the reasons our conception programs are six months long.
For around 90% of people, the first three months are spent preparing and optimizing the body.
However, some people come to us already healthy, fit, exercising regularly, eating well, and following an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
For such patients, we may directly start with a three-month conception program.
Now, Ayurvedic conception is all about improving the quality of both the egg and the sperm.
It is not just about the egg.
If you have been told that the egg alone decides everything, that is not true.
The quality of the sperm is equally important.
That is why our conception programs are not only for women.
We do not run conception programs with just the female partner.
Both partners need to be part of the program.
Only then is it complete.
We have to address the sperm as well.
A man may have sperm counts that appear normal, and there may be no issues with motility or function, but from an Ayurvedic perspective, we also look at the overall quality and health of the sperm.
The male reproductive system is designed in a fascinating way.
The testicles hang outside the body because sperm production works best at temperatures that are slightly lower than the body’s core temperature.
This cooler environment helps support optimal sperm health.
For women, much of conception treatment is focused on optimizing the womb and creating the ideal environment for conception.
Many of the medicines used in conception support are warming in nature.
Because of this, people with strong Pitta constitutions may not always tolerate these medicines immediately.
We first work on cooling and balancing the body, and only then do we gradually introduce conception-supportive medicines.
It is a process of understanding the patient in detail and then creating a plan accordingly.
That is why this program is more intimate than many other programs.
We work very closely with the cycles, hormones, emotions, and overall health of the couple.
Most importantly, no matter how much you optimize the womb or the sperm, Ayurveda says that the mind plays a crucial role.
“Saumanasyam Garbha Jananam”
Ayurveda tells us that a happy, peaceful, and harmonious state of mind is one of the most important factors for healthy conception and healthy progeny.
That is why we encourage couples to spend quality time together.
Go on adventures.
Do activities together.
Play sports together.
Create memories together.
Not just Netflix and chill.
We also provide support sessions for couples.
Sometimes there may be communication gaps, unresolved issues, or small conflicts that have accumulated over the years.
These things matter.
Our role is not traditional counselling in the conventional sense.
It is more about helping couples reconnect, improve communication, strengthen understanding, and create a healthier environment for conception.
This too is an important part of the conception program.
During the six-month conception program, we also use specialized Ayurvedic cleanses.
These cleanses are inspired by classical Ayurvedic principles and Panchakarma.
However, we do not perform them exactly as described in the textbooks.
There are many things mentioned in Ayurveda that are difficult to follow exactly as written in today’s world. There are a lot of restrictions and lifestyle requirements that may not be practical for everyone.
Our patients live in different parts of the world. They have jobs, responsibilities, family commitments, and different lifestyles.
So we modify and adapt these cleanses based on the patient’s lifestyle, work schedule, responsibilities, and overall health condition. This allows us to make the program practical while still staying true to the Ayurvedic principles behind it.
The conception cleanses, in particular, are highly individualized.
They are completely tailored and modified for each patient based on their unique constitution, health concerns, lifestyle, and fertility goals.
Along with the cleanses, we guide patients through diet, lifestyle, daily routines, and conception-supportive practices.
It is really a complete hand-holding process for couples who are trying to conceive.
The goal is not just to help you get pregnant.
The goal is to help you prepare your body, mind, and relationship so that conception, pregnancy, and the journey beyond can happen in the healthiest possible way.
Because preparing for pregnancy does not begin with a positive test.
It begins months before conception.
If you would like to know more about our conception program, if you would like to join the program yourself, or if you would like to gift the program to someone you love, we would be happy to share all the details with you.
Please WhatsApp the number for more information: +91 9901126331