What Causes Infertility? How to Balance Your Hormones and Improve Chances of Pregnancy

Infertility isn’t just a diagnosis. It’s an emotional journey that touches almost every aspect of life — from your relationship with your partner to social stigmas and the idea that your body has “failed.” It’s difficult to go about daily life with more questions than answers.

To be diagnosed with infertility, you must be unable to conceive for a year or more. It’s estimated that over ten percent of women struggle with infertility, and those numbers are on the rise.

If infertility is part of your story, you’re familiar with diagnoses like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and diminished ovarian reserve. While helpful, these diagnoses only offer a small window into the full picture of your fertility.

Let’s unpack common root causes that could be driving your struggle to conceive.

What Causes Infertility? Root Cause Issues to Consider

A quick Google search will tell you that hormone imbalance, PCOS, diminished ovarian reserve, and other chronic illnesses cause infertility.

But it’s been my experience that we can dig even deeper and get to the root behind these diagnoses. For example, PCOS could result from poor liver health, while endometriosis has connections with poor gut health.

It’s important to find the root cause of your symptoms, so you can find the right treatment.

To get you started, here are some common root causes of infertility I see with my clients…

Infertility and Gut Health

The human microbiome is an ecosystem made up of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other living creatures. A careful balance between these organisms is essential for maintaining regularity gut health. If you’ve spent any time in the holistic health community, you know poor gut health is a driving force behind many diseases.

And the same goes for infertility. Recent studies linked endometriosis with the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. Similarly, there are many hormones that are made in the gut. It’s easy for these hormones to become imbalanced if the gut is overgrown with bacteria or yeast or simply not metabolizing food properly.

Infertility and Inflammation

Inflammation is a driving force behind many diseases, including infertility. It’s associated with PCOS, endometriosis, and hormone imbalance. You can test for inflammation with simple lab testing. If inflammation is present, it’s important to find out what’s causing it. Look at toxin overload, mold exposure, chronic illness, or a lack of nutrients in your diet.

Infertility and Toxin Exposure

Toxin exposure can range from heavy metal poisoning to mold exposure to the hormone disruptors in your personal care products. Simply put, too many toxins in your body (or in your environment) can lead to inflammation and poor liver function. When your body is inflamed or your liver is clogged, it becomes difficult for your body to manage and support proper hormone function.

Infertility and Liver Health

Hormones serve a powerful function, but they also must keep a careful balance. When too many hormones are present in the body, they get eliminated through the liver. The problem is, we face so many environmental toxins today that it’s difficult for our livers to keep up. A clogged liver means estrogen and other hormones aren’t properly flushed. When those hormones stay in our bodies, other hormones have to overcompensate, which leads to imbalance and dysfunction.

Infertility and Hormone Disruptors

Many household items and personal care products contain chemicals called “hormone disruptors.” Phthalates, parabens, and microplastics are common hormone disruptors that mimic estrogen in the body. When consumed or applied to the skin, these chemicals trick your body into thinking you have estrogen dominance. Over time, hormone disruptors can lead to poor liver function and imbalanced hormones.

Infertility and Nutrient Depletion

Sometimes, we overcomplicate infertility. We spend all our time and energy trying to find a diagnosis when the answer is right in front of us: we’re not eating enough.

Growing up, women are encouraged to take up as little space as possible. This means watching their weight, eating fewer calories, and choosing low-fat food options. Over time, this can lead to extreme nutrient depletion — a space where fertility simply doesn’t thrive.

Fertility is built on safety. If your body feels safe in its environment, it’s more likely to conceive. But feelings of deprivation or depletion can activate primal instincts. If your body thinks it’s experiencing famine, it might wait for a more plentiful time to get pregnant.

How to Balance Your Hormones and Improve Fertility

There are a few simple steps you can take to balance your hormones and prioritize fertility. Even if you don’t have an official diagnosis, these steps are easy to begin and have lasting results.

Eat Enough Calories

If you’re chronically undereating, your body won’t feel safe enough to conceive. Check in with your body and your history with food. If you’re a frequent dieter or constantly watch your weight, it may be time to back off from deprivation and boost your calorie intake.

Build Your Nutrient Stores

Even if you’re eating enough food, you may not be getting the nutrients you need. Most modern foods are highly processed and nutritionally void. You may need to add nutrient-dense foods to your meal plan, like grass-fed beef liver, oysters, raw dairy, and sardines.

If you’re curious to know exactly what your nutrient stores look like, try holistic lab testing or a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. These are easy tests that shine a light on your nutrient stores and help you focus on the foods and supplements you need most.

Support Your Microbiome

Remember, a balanced and functional microbiome is key to fertility. It can support hormone function and relieve symptoms of endometriosis. To support your microbiome, you may consider functional testing. This will help you understand which bacterial strains need extra support.

In general, a diverse diet of fibrous foods combined with probiotic foods is the best way to improve your microbiome health. You can make your own kefir, kombucha, sourdough, and kimchi at home. You may also want to prioritize probiotic dairy products, like yogurt, high-quality sour cream, cottage cheese, and raw milk.

Check for Mold

Mold and other environmental toxins can throw your microbiome and hormones out of balance while depleting essential nutrients. Long-term mold exposure can eventually lead to yeast overgrowth in the gut, which can harm fertility.

Avoid Environmental Hormone Disruptors

It’s a good rule of thumb to avoid hormone-disrupting chemicals altogether. These are found in personal care products, fragrances, kitchen appliances, dishes, and common household items. Removing these products from your life is overwhelming, so I always recommend taking it one at a time.

If you regularly use lotion after a shower or get ready in the morning with fragrant makeup and skincare products, start with those. There are alternatives out there that are more effective and healthier for your hormones.

Handle Stress Intentionally

If you’ve been diagnosed with infertility, the last thing you want to hear about is managing stress. It’s so common for women to be told to “just relax.” But handling stress intentionally is about so much more than simply relaxing.

High levels of cortisol and stress hormones can throw your other hormones out of whack. Remember, our bodies are primal, and stress can signal to the body that it’s not a good time to conceive.

Here are some ideas to help you handle stress intentionally:

• Go for a walk

• Pay attention to your circadian rhythm

• Try somatic exercises

• Take breaks at work

• Eat enough calories, specifically protein

• Drink electrolytes and salt water

The Support You Need for the Fertility You Want

What if you knew exactly what root issue was behind your infertility and how to fix it? In my signature program Reclaim Your Fertility, I’ve helped dozens of women use lab results and lifestyle changes to reverse their symptoms and rebuild their hormones.

Because let’s face it, your infertility isn’t just an emotional struggle. It likely comes with other symptoms, like period pain, gut imbalance, acne, constipation, and more.

The good news is, these daily symptoms don’t have to be your forever. And with the right diagnostic tools and holistic resources, we can rebuild your fertility health from the ground up.

Are You Ready to Reclaim Your Fertility?