Have you been trying to conceive for a long time with no results? Feel like you’ve tried everything: supplements, procedures, spent lots of money, and nothing. Everyone around you gets pregnant quickly without trying and here you are struggling. feels like your on a nonstop emotional roller coaster. Whether you blame yourself or your partner, and constantly clinging to hope that the next new thing will work. I know it’s difficult to get pregnant with autoimmune disease.
The decision to have a baby is supposed to be one of the most exciting times of your life. I can only imagine how tough this has been for you, and the amount of stress it has caused. But I ask you to stay hopeful and finish this article. Whether you’re a man or woman there are many others like yourself that have been successful conceiving using this information. While you’re reading this article it’s important to keep an open mind. If you want different results then you need to consider thinking outside the box and try something different. I know this because I was diagnosed with 3 Autoimmune diseases and told I would never have a normal life. Lets just say I flipped the script on them and I’m here trying to pay it forward.
The Relationship between Pregnancy and Autoimmune Disease
Chances are that if you have an autoimmune condition that it will be harder to get pregnant. There are close to 80 Autoimmune Conditions that include a few of the following:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Lupus
- Graves
- IBD’s like Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
- Hashimoto’s
These conditions are when the body (immune system) goes crazy and attacks our own tissue. This abnormal immune function can negatively affect fertility. A Woman’s immune system needs to accept a coexistence with the cells that are at least 50% foreign. Each one of these autoimmune conditions affects infertility in various ways.
Perhaps your reading this and thinking I don’t have any autoimmune problems so why the unexplained infertility issues? You’d be surprised to learn that 1 out of 5 couples with fertility issues experience something called immune infertility. Bottom line is that if you suffer from active autoimmune issues whether known or unknown they can negatively affect your chances of conceiving.
Can Autoimmune Disease Prevent Pregnancy
The simple answer is yes it can. In the last 10 years I’ve spoken with thousands of people who suffered from autoimmune conditions. Many of these people experienced difficulties trying to conceive, especially when their disease was active or in a flare state. It must also be noted that infertility rates amongst the general population are increasing. Sperm counts are less than half of what they were 40 years ago +.
Does Autoimmune Disease Affect Fertility in Males & Females
Many people think that the inability to get pregnant is due solely to the women’s health, genetics, and reproductive system, but this is not true. Did you know that 33% of all fertility issues stem from the man+. Usually 1/3 of situations are due to the female reproductive issues, 1/3 male reproductive issues, and 1/3 by a combination of both +.
Since it takes a combination of factors to conceive a child it can be related to the male or the female. For the males it’s usually related to the functioning of their testicles, or hormonal balance of the body. For the females it can be the functioning of their reproductive system (ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes etc) and or their hormones.
Why it’s Hard to Get Pregnant with Autoimmune Disease
Because these conditions have many implications that affect your entire body and its systems. Some of the reasons it might be hard to conceive are as follows:
- Medications used to treat autoimmune disease negatively affect fertility, like NSAIDs +
- Hormonal imbalances are present especially Estrogen + & Testosterone
- Poor Cholesterol Levels + (cholesterol is essential for cell functions, membrane integrity, fluidity, and cellular permeability. Without optimal cholesterol levels you can’t produce Vitamin D, or ensure testicular function for spermatogenesis
- Most autoimmune conditions negatively affect the thyroid (hypothyroidism linked to infertility +)
- Overtaxed immune system
- High Stress levels +
Does Gut Health or Digestive Problems Affect Fertility
There is no doubt that poor gut health negatively affects fertility on a variety of levels. Your microbiome (Gut Aquarium) contains many different microorganisms that normally live in a delicate balance.
- For a woman some of these microorganism contain microbes that can metabolize estrogen. If poor gut conditions this is not possible.
- Poor Digestion decreases the elimination of excess estrogen or harmful xenoestrogens
- Gut bacteria are linked to for thyroid hormones (T4-T3) during hormone synthesis
Leaky Gut & Infertility Connection
You’re likely familiar with Leaky Gut Syndrome or Dysbiosis. A condition where the gut lining becomes permeable and leaks. The immune system treats the foreign particles as intruders and attacks its own tissue. Dysbiosis occurs when your normal ratios of microorganisms & bacteria go from 80:20 (80% good guys: 20% opportunistic organisms) to a flipped ratio of 20:80 where the opportunistic ones take over. When this happens your likely to experience health issues and if prolonged you end up with Autoimmune Disease. As I mentioned previously I believe Leaky Gut Syndrome and Autoimmune Disease to be one and the same.
There is mounting evidence that a Leaky Gut has a negative effect on fertility.The gut microbiome is one of the principal regulators of estrogens (through secretion of β-glucuronidase) This process is disturbed when dysbiosis is present. Also Recurrent pregnancy loss when couples have experienced multiple miscarriages is also associated with a leaky gut +. So if we can find a way to heal our Leaky Guts then we can correct these issues.
Fertility and Diet: Does Food Matter
Yes of course it does! What we put in our body directly affects our health INPUT=OUTPUT aka Garbage In = Garbage Out or a Toxic body means a Toxic cell
We know that the following factors negatively affect fertility:
- Leaky Gut caused largely by a Western Diet + full of processed high carb junk food
- Eating Grains (Gluten sensitivity and celiac negatively affect fertility +)
- Insulin Resistance +
- Being Obese +
- GMOs and Pesticides +
- Impaired Cholesterol Function (Essential for good health)
Can You Reverse Infertility Naturally
I know this is the question you really want answered and the reason you are reading this article. The answer is a sounding Heck YES!!! You must realize that the body is self healing and self regulating. Your body wants to conceive as it’s built in to extend the life of our species. If you’re unable to conceive it’s likely the body’s way of saying your current state of health is not conducive to reproducing safely and efficiently. Yes there are rare conditions and exceptions but that’s not our focus. We’re focused on the factors the negatively affect fertility that we can change and control like what we put in our body.
How to Get Pregnant with Autoimmune Disease
Since the things we’ve be doing up until now aren’t working we must consider changing it up. We also need to consider that we don’t know everything, probably haven’t tried everything, and remain open to the possibility the medical fertility model might be wrong.
The people I have spoken with over the years were able to get pregnant once they were able to heal the gut, reduce autoimmune symptoms, or get out of active autoimmune flare states. You may find this hard to believe but you can find a wealth of testimonials of people who changed their diets & lifestyles and were able to conceive. I passionately believe if you take personal responsibility for your health you can and will get pregnant.
Change Your Diet: Low Carb Diets Increase Fertility
Since we’ve established that Input = Output it’s time to change your eating habits. We know gluten, sugar, processed carbs, and insulin resistance promote infertility. The best approach is to adopt a Low Carb Diet. Low Carb Diets have been known to increase fertility upto 4 times compared to people consuming the standard american diet.
There are a variety of Low Carb diet approaches such as:
- Carnivore Diet
- Keto Diet
- GAPS
- SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet)
- Paleo & Primal Diets
There are a variety of low carb diets and new ones popping up all the time. So which ones are ideal for naturally increasing fertility? I’ve been primarily a low carb eater for the last 12+ years I’ve tried each one of these approaches and my favorites are Keto & Carnivore hands down. The reasons that these 2 options are my favorite is that they are easiest to follow and keep you super satiated. At the end of the day picking a diet approach is really finding one that you can adhere to. Remember this doesn’t have to be your forever diet but rather a tool to help you improve your life. Once you’ve achieved your results you can add some other foods and adjust accordingly. The goal is to eventually become an intuitive eater where you pay attention to how foods make you feel
The CARB Lowdown
Our bodies are designed to be hybrids where we use carbs and fat for energy. Our bodies can only use so many carbs for energy before we store them as body fat. Technically speaking the body can store a small amount of carbs in the liver and the majority in muscle tissue in the form of glycogen. The average person can store 300-500 grams + of glycogen before the tank is full and the rest will be converted and stored as fat (adipose tissue). Most of this stored glycogen is depleted when doing physical exercise, playing sports, and during strength training. If a person is not active and continues to consume carbs, glycogen won’t be depleted and fat will accumulate. Unless you’re a serious athlete who requires constant burst strength you probably don’t need a few hundred grams of carbs every day.
An Obesity Epidemic
It’s safe to say that a lot of people probably have full glycogen tanks. We have no shortage of obese people. 69% of Americans are overweight and 36% are clinically obese. These obesity rates are becoming a global trend. I’ll admit I’m over simplifying this concept for the sake of this article. Other factors such as such as insulin resistance (metabolic syndrome) and genetics affect how carbs are spent and where fat is allocated.
For most people consuming excess carbohydrate increases insulin which means more carbs stored as body fat. The single most important reason why ketogenic diets are successful in reducing body fat is they normalize insulin. We aren’t that different from the bear who gets fat during summer to survive the winter. The bear eats berries to pack on the fat and then taps into the fat when food isn’t available. The problem is humans are in never ending summer mode. Food is always available so there is no need to tap into stored body fat. Never in history have humans had this much food at their fingertips. For much of our history food was scarce, so you ate lots when it was around.
FAT “might” be Humans Preferred Energy Source
There’s a strong argument that fat is human beings preferred energy source. Initially I thought this was crazy talk, but my research and experience have leaned me towards the fat preference. Of course I didn’t want this to be true because I love carbs, all kinds of carbs, and I dream about carbs…. on the regular. But there is no denying how I feel after eating a bowl of pasta, cinnamon bun, and soda pop etc. I feel the onset of a food coma followed by an extended gut. I know that these are dirty processed carbs compared to eating fruits and veggies but this is equivalent of SAD Diet (aka Standard American Diet)
Now compare how I feel after I consume a delicious piece of meat (steak, roast, burger patty, bacon, ribs, the fattier the better) combined with some low carb veggies (salad, broccoli etc) drizzled with butter, ghee, or olive oil. I feel satiated, relaxed, no food coma, and I have energy to go do stuff. It’s very easy to overeat carbs but try overeating meat..good luck!
Keto Diet for Fertility & Conception (Male & Female)
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about the Ketogenic Diet because of its ability to shed body fat quickly. The Ketogenic Diet is taking the nation by storm with Keto groups, tribes, and new experts popping up every day. The benefits of this diet go well beyond shedding extra pounds. This diet can improve your health.
What is The Keto Diet?
Keto is a Low Carb High Fat diet approach where you eat no more than 30-50 grams of carbohydrates per day. In terms of macro nutrients a standard Ketogenic Diet would be 75% Fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs (75/20/5). The goal is to get your body into a state of nutritional ketosis which simply means that you’re metabolizing fat in the form of ketones for energy.
Why Keto is a Good Starting Point to Improve Fertility
Keto is a great place to start especially if you’re new to Low Carb Lifestyle. There are lots of Keto friendly foods, and restaurants that will accomodate you. You can easily grab a lettuce wrap instead of a burger, or a cauliflower crust for your favorite pizza. Keto has become so big there are no shortage of options or resources available to you.
BENEFITS of Keto Diet
- Normalizes Insulin and other hormones
- Normalizes Bodyweight (reduces body fat)
- Reduces toxins such as gluten and sugar
- Reduces Inflammation (by removing toxins and normalizing insulin)
- Helps heal Leaky Gut
Drawbacks of Keto
Keto is one of my favorites but there are a few things that can cause autoimmune symptoms such as consuming:
- Too much dairy
- Overindulging on “nut” products (nut butter, nut flours)
- Lectins (plants defence mechanisms linked to Leaky Gut +)
- Peanut Butter (not a nut and contains lectins know to cause issues in people with autoimmune conditions)
- Switching a SAD DIET for Sad Version of Keto Diet (bacon, pork rinds, fat bombs, nut flour baked goods)
So if you decide to try Keto be aware of these common issues.
Carnivore Diet to Increase Fertility & Libido
The Carnivore approach is my overall favorite because it’s the most simple. It acts as the ultimate calorie rich elimination diet, there is less guess work and you will feel satiated. The Carnivore Diet is a dietary approach where you eat mostly animal products. Let’s call it a whole food animal based diet.
One of the main benefits to Carnivore is that it works to heal a Leaky Gut. I wrote an article explaining how Carnivore affects Gut Health. You will experience a reduction in many autoimmune symptoms and learn what it’s like to feel awesome again. Once you feel awesome you can try adding in 1 new food per week and tweak accordingly. Please remember there’s no need to rush when you are in this healing zone.
Why The Carnivore Diet would be my First Choice for Fertility & Libido
I love the simplicity of this diet because there is less guess work than with Keto. Carnivore starts off very basic and you can add foods along the way. You’re likely to notice that results will happen fairly quickly. Since the Carnivore approach is virtually ZERO-CARB you get all the benefits of being in nutritional ketosis with less guess work. If you’re looking for results and ready to dive in, then Go Carnivore!
Carnivore & Keto Improve Fertility Because They:
- Normalize Insulin
- Increase fat soluble vitamins (A, D, & K)
- Remove Toxins
- Lower Inflammation
- Provide raw materials to heal gut (collagen and gelatin)
- Optimize Cholesterol Function
WHY Cholesterol Matters if You Want to Get Pregnant
Optimizing Cholesterol is one of the single most important factors to successfully conceiving. Over the last 5+ decades there’s been so much disinformation about Cholesterol….The Low Fat Revolution and people are fatter and sicker than ever.. just saying. It turns out that Cholesterol is way more important than we previously thought.
Cholesterol is essential for:
- Cellular function. Saturated fats and cholesterol make cell membranes firm but permeable.
- Our brains need Cholesterol to create memories via synapse development +
- Vitamin D is synthesized from Cholesterol +
- Immune system function (Vitamin D Modulates immune system +)
- Creating SEX hormones
Without optimal Cholesterol levels we would not be able to have children. I guess you could say that cholesterol is a gatekeeper of male and female fertility. The Low Fat Diet & Anti-Animal product craze might be directly related to the infertility epidemic. Many people report increased libido when they adopt a Keto or Carnivore Diet. Partly because they are consuming cholesterol rich foods like fresh organic eggs, butter, lard, cold water fish, cod liver oil, and ghee. I also experienced an increase in libido and sex drive, especially in the morning. Cod Liver Oil & Egg Yolks are the best sources of dietary cholesterol so make sure to add them to your approach. If your curious to learn more about the role of Cholesterol this is the best article I’ve read, and here’s my favorite video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHsog5lKg6Y
Gut Health & Erectile Dysfunction
You will find that poor gut health and Erectile Dysfunction go hand in hand. When I suffered from active autoimmune symptoms I had virtually no sex drive and my tool didn’t work either. This was one of the most depressing and embarrassing parts of suffering with an autoimmune disease. Apparently this is very common for people with Autoimmune Issues + . Once I got out of my flare state these functions slowly returned. Gut inflammation like that seen in Leaky Gut (dysbiosis) can prompt ED symptoms + . As you heal your gut you will see your sex drive and libido increase.
The Carnivore & Keto Diet work to normalize insulin and optimize cholesterol you should see your sexual function improve rather quickly. In my experience the closer I stay to Carnivore the better my sex drive is. So make sure to eat the foods I mentioned that are rich in cholesterol.
Healthy Skepticism: An Underrated Quality
I think healthy skepticism is great so don’t just take my word for it .. seek out your own answers. Ask yourself does this stuff make sense on a basic level? Are there other people who successfully tried this approach? Search out testimonials for people that got pregnant using Carnivore & Keto. (Leyla used Carnivore, some testimonials of people who used Keto)
I’ve often heard people say these experiences are purely anecdotal, and that might be partially true. If you see enough anecdotal experiences you should be prompted to bite down and see if there is any merit to their logic. I know that you care about one thing, RESULTS. I would have lived on cardboard and water if it got rid of my autoimmune symptoms. I was sick, miserable, and really just tired of living.
My life changed when I went to see Tony Robbins in 2008.. yep that motivational dude. He should be known as the question dude who makes you think differently about your problems. Tony introduced me to a concept called modelling. This is where you find someone who has already achieved what you’re seeking and you copy them. Instant epiphany! I was so consumed with suffering I didn’t spend any time looking for people who overcame their diseases. I was fortunate to meet Tony after the event and he is truly genuine in his mission. I’m grateful for his effort because it sent me on a different path, one that changed my life. That path led me to study autoimmune remission and what the people did to get there. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you change your focus.
Keto & Carnivore Got Us Pregnant
My wife and I consume Keto-Carnivore Diets 5 days a week, and 2 days a week we eat whatever we want. Yes anything!! These days keep us sane. We also enjoy intermittent fasting (16:8) on a daily basis as it keeps us lean with minimal effort. We’ve done this for 5+ years and it’s easy once it becomes a habit. There are so many diets and gimmicks out there but they usually work until they don’t. The only way any diet approach will be successful is if you can make it part of your lifestyle. Our habits make or break us, so make your habits serve you. This is why we have 2 days a week where we can indulge and enjoy. For the majority of time we are eating healthy and on point.
If you’re considering a HFLC diet like Carnivore or KETO to get pregnant with Autoimmune disease you might want to exclude these indulgence days early on. Instead try going full Carnivore or Keto for the first 2-3 months.
Blessed with a Daughter in 2019
I wrote this article because I was blessed with my daughter Vienna in May 2019. Becoming a dad has changed my life in every way imaginable. I’ve learned the meaning to live for someone else. Over the last few years I’ve been a little selfish (a little too “ME” focused) and having my daughter changed that quick fast. The ironic thing is that I’ve never been happier than when I’m acting in service of others. I feel an immense sense of love and purpose, even when I’m changing a poopy diaper. My daughter melts my heart every time I look at her.
Hopefully I can assist you in your journey to find this same heart melting happiness. The diet approaches mentioned is this article have been successful helping other people like yourself. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain. I wish you nothing but the best and please make sure to drop me a line and send pics when you or your loved one gets pregnant. Seriously it would make my day.
