Your Ovaries
They may be only the size of almonds, but your ovaries are powerful organs that churn out estrogen, progesterone – the hormones that are instrumental in regulating your fertility – and also testosterone.
Through the action of estrogen, your ovaries could be said to play an important role in maintaining the health of your skin, heart, breasts, and bones, as well as regulating your metabolism and body temperature. Then there’s the amazing miracle of ovulation. Every month your ovaries release a mature egg, and, if a healthy sperm meets it, the egg will become an embryo that will eventually become a baby.
However, despite their awesome power, your ovaries are not immune to dysfunction. Among the most common ovarian problems are polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and ovarian cysts. Fortunately, there are a number of natural treatments that can not only treat these problems successfully but also help prevent them from occurring in the first place.
There are many ovarian problems that will need intervention or treatment by a medical doctor. Natural therapies, including nutrition and herbal medicine, can help hugely in the majority of cases, but it’s vital that you obtain a correct diagnosis from your doctor and work with him or her to ensure the best, most effective treatment for you – perhaps including both conventional and natural approaches.
Taking care of your ovaries
Taking steps to balance your hormones will help ensure that your ovaries are working efficiently, keeping your fertility and overall health at optimum levels. Adopt the hormone-balancing diet and, in particular, be careful about the amount of sugar you eat. You need to try to keep your blood-sugar levels stable, so cut out refined carbohydrates and stimulants (such as caffeine) and opt for a low-GI diet.
Smoking is linked to problems with estrogen production from your ovaries, so if you haven’t’ already, quit now. Balancing your weight is also key. If you’re overweight, your fat cells are likely to produce excess estrogen, and if you’re underweight, you may not ovulate at all because your body goes into survival mode, thinking that it wouldn’t be safe for you to have a baby during what it perceives is a time of famine. Stress can also inhibit ovulation, again because your body thinks there must be danger. Pay attention to your stress levels and try to make time to relax, even just for 20 minutes a day.
Finally, bear in mind that the Pill can sometimes play havoc with your hormonal balance, and also the action of your ovaries when you decide to stop taking it. If you take the Pill for contraceptive purposes and then decide you want to have a baby, give yourself at least three months after you stop taking it to get your body back into balance before deliberately trying to conceive.
