According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 percent, or 6.1 million, women in the United States have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant each year.
Here, Ayurvedic practitioner Heather Grzych, author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility: A Natural Approach to Getting Pregnant, offers a gentle, holistic approach to understanding the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of fertility based on Ayurveda, an ancient form of medicine that originated in India that means “the science of life.”
iStock
In Ayurvedic philosophy, fertility increases when the conditions in the environment are conducive to the creation and growth of a child, and these conditions can differ case by case because each baby has its unique nature, or prakruti, as does each mother and father. (Modern medicine refers to the genome, which is a part of prakruti.)
Ayurveda creates a natural harmony by connecting a person’s inner world (the mind, body, and spirit) with the outer world (the seasons, environment, and larger macrocosm). Ayurveda does this by attempting to prevent and reverse disease, improve quality of life, and increase longevity for the individual’s unique constitution, and it has been doing so for thousands of years. It is absolutely possible to tip the balance toward health, even in a shifting environment.
Furthermore, the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda brings us back to the very simple biological ideas behind how life is created. There are Four Fertility Factors to consider for natural fertility and reproductive health.
See also What I Discovered About Manifestation on My Journey Through Infertility
The Four Fertility Factors of Ayurveda
1. Seeds are the ovum and sperm that join together and get implanted in the uterus. Seeds are also the intentions a woman has for supporting another life on the planet. They are given a chance only when the conditions are right for them to grow.
2. Season is synonymous with timing: time of life, time of year, monthly cycle, and day. There are optimal times for each woman to have a child.
3. Field includes the uterus and other reproductive organs, which contribute to the creation and gestation of a fetus and the nurturing of a child, as well as the larger environment around mother, child, and family. The field is a welcoming home for a new baby.
4. Water is what flows through the field to nourish tissues of both mother and child, delivering messages via hormones and lubricating the body for the immense physical changes taking place during the menstrual cycle, gestation, and birth. The water element is a nurturer, a carrier, and a mixer. It maintains the stability of the temperature inside the body so that metabolic processes can take place within their optimum range.
To influence the fertility factors, Ayurveda focuses on optimizing a person’s day-to-day routines, diet, and lifestyle with self-care and attunement to the environment. You plant your seeds, and at the right time, in the right environment, and with the right care, you might start “sprouting” a baby. However, the goal here is not just to get pregnant. You also want the rest of your life and health to go well. Your health is one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone, including yourself, your partner, and potentially your future baby.
See also When You Want to Have a Baby...But Can't
Adapted from the book The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility. Copyright ©2020 by Heather Grzych. Printed with permission from New World Library.
