Читать книгу Zita West’s Guide to Getting Pregnant - Zita WEST, Zita West - Страница 32

I often get asked how you can tell if your body is producing enough oestrogen, and what might make you oestrogen – deficient:

• body weight 15–20 per cent below your optimum can cause menstruation to stop, and levels of oestrogen to drop

• an excess of fibre in the diet

• antibiotics – though occasional use is OK

• excessive exercise

• smoking.

Modern women aren’t actually making more oestrogen; it’s just that today’s diet and lifestyle encourage higher levels of the hormone in the body. This is in part due to environmental oestrogens, delaying childbirth and breastfeeding, and an over – refined diet. The methods used to clear ‘old’ oestrogens from the body involve optimum digestive and liver function, which are often compromised by a poor diet and stressful lifestyle. Changing to a low – fat and nutrient – rich diet with adequate (but not too much) fibre can significantly influence the balance of hormones and help to optimize the conditions for getting pregnant.

Equally, an excess of oestrogen can be counter – productive to conception. But take heart: there are ways round these issues – we’ll be taking a look at them in the Nutrition chapter.