Induce Ovulation Naturally

You want to have a baby. However, if you're not ovulating regularly, getting pregnant is difficult. If you want to keep things natural, you can try some herbal home remedies, which help some women with ovulation. You should always consult with your doctor before taking a supplement, though, particularly if you have other health conditions. You can also practice healthy habits to increase your chances of ovulation.

Steps

Using Home Remedies

1. Try out milk thistle. Milk thistle is an herb that can detox the liver. In turn, that may help your body process estrogen better. What that means is your hormones may be better balanced, so you may start ovulating more regularly.
   • You can take 80 to 160 milligrams up to 3 times a day. Always ask your doctor if you can take supplements safely.
2. Take a drink of Job's Tears. Job's tears has been used in India to induce ovulation. While most evidence is anecdotal, it may help you, too. Make a tea of the leaves by steeping them in hot water. You can also take the seeds as a supplement, which may also help induce ovulation.
3. Use chasteberry. Chasteberry may help increase your chances of ovulating, as some women find it beneficial. It likely works by telling your body to produce more luteinizing hormone, which in turn promotes ovulation.
   • Try taking 1,000 milligrams once a day in the morning. You shouldn't take this drug if you're also taking birth control pills or hormones.
4. Add Tribulus terrestris to your regimen near ovulation. For this drug, you'll only take it on days 5 through 14 of your cycle. Some women find it helpful for ovulation. Try 750 milligrams once a day, just on the days when you're near ovulation.
5. Use a Chinese herbal mixture. Many women have luck using Chinese herbs to help induce ovulation. You should be able to find a Chinese herbal mixture specifically for fertility at Chinese herb stores. Look for ingredients like Dang Gui, Gan Cao, Bai Shao, and Chuan Xiong.
6. Go for some acupuncture. If needles don't bother you, acupuncture may help with ovulation. In some women, it lowers the level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) when it is too high. For instance, if you have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), your FSH level might be too high, which in turn can mess up your cycle and how you ovulate.
   • Don't worry. The needles used in acupuncture are very small, and most people don't find them painful.

Practicing Healthy Habits

1. Get to a healthy weight. You may have heard your doctor drone on about maintaining a healthy weight, but you may not know your weight can affect ovulation and fertility. This rule applies both if your overweight and if you're underweight. Aim for a BMI between 20 and 27.
   • If you don't know your BMI, ask your doctor, or use an online calculator where you put in information like your height, weight, and age.
   • Eating a healthy diet, full of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy can help you lose weight if you need to and may also help your fertility.
2. Try eating vegetable-based protein and full-fat dairy. Some women have luck eating some vegetable-based protein (such as nuts and beans) in place of meat-based protein to increase the chances of ovulation. Others find eating at least one serving of full-fat dairy a day helped increase their chances.
3. Sleep at night. If possible, stick to sleeping at night. If you have a job that puts you on the night shift, see if you can switch to the day shift. Sleeping during the day may throw your hormones off-balance, which in turn may mess up your ovulation. Plus, most people get better sleep at night.
   • Getting enough sleep (7 to 8 hours) may also be helpful.
4. Cut down your caffeine intake. You don't have to skip that morning cup of Joe that jolts you into your day. However, if you're downing more than 200 milligrams in a day, it could be affecting your fertility and ovulation.
   • For reference, a typical 8-ounce cup of coffee has anywhere from 95 milligrams to 165 milligrams, while black tea ranges from 25 milligrams to 48 milligrams.
5. Stop smoking. You may have been looking for a reason to quit, and here's the perfect one. Smoking can decrease your fertility overall, including ovulation. So put out that cigarette, and ask for help. Quitting is always easier with help!
   • Support groups can help, as can letting your friends and family know that you're quitting. They can help you when you're feeling restless and need something to do besides smoking.
6. Slow down on the alcohol. You probably don't need to give up alcohol altogether, but you should skip drinking binges. A glass of wine every now and then is fine, but chugging shots and beers on Friday night is probably not going to do you any favors when it comes to ovulation.
   • It's also a good idea to avoid recreational drugs altogether, such as marijuana and cocaine.
7. Slow down on exercise. Don't get too excited here. You still need to exercise. But when you exercise too hard, it can affect your ovulation, which is especially true for professional athletes. To increase your chances of ovulating, you shouldn't exercise more than 5 hours each week but talk to your doctor about what's best for you.
8. Be wary around chemicals. Exposure to some chemicals, such as herbicides, pesticides, and chemicals in manufacturing jobs, may affect your ovulation. Try to limit your exposure to any chemicals that could possibly have a negative effect on your ovulation.
   • Also, look for BPA-free plastics for foods and liquids.

Sources and Citations

See also

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• Make Sex Last Longer
• Increase Libido
• Have Safer Sex
• Stop Wet Dreams
• Increase Sperm Volume
• Increase Testosterone Levels Naturally
• Get Rid of Uterine Fibroid Pain
• Stay a Virgin
• Last Longer in Bed Naturally

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