Should You Detox Before Getting Pregnant?

 

Should You Detox Before Getting Pregnant?

Our bodies are naturally equipped to detoxify. The most important organs of detoxification and elimination include the liver, kidneys, gut, and skin. When these organs are working at their best and in unison our bodies are able to neutralize harmful toxins we ingest, inhale, and absorb, and get them out of our systems. However, in today’s world we are exposed to a variety of environmental toxins through our water, food systems, air, occupations, and household products which can overburden our system. When we are unable to keep up with neutralizing these chemicals they remain stored inside our bodies instead of properly cleared. Though adult bodies may be able to tolerate a higher load of chemicals and heavy metals, developing babies and young children are greatly impacted by these toxins.

Paying closer attention to your environmental exposures, and engaging in a detox prior to trying to conceive has the potential to improve fertility rates, and protect your children from your personal toxic burden. Yes, you should detox before getting pregnant - here’s why!

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS & FERTILITY

Infertility and sub-optimal fertility rates are on the rise. In Canada, 1 in 6 couples struggle to conceive. Though there are a variety of different reasons why a couple could struggle to get pregnant, it is no secret that environmental exposure and endocrine disruptors are playing a role in some cases of infertility. Reproductive cells (eggs and sperm) are particularly vulnerable to environmental toxins that cause oxidative stress and DNA damage. Mitochondria are the energy-generating organelles found within a cell. Each sperm cell houses 50-75 mitochondria, and each oocyte contains 100,000-600,000 mitochondria! Mitochondria generate a lot of cellular energy, but this process also produces high amounts of free radicals that need to be neutralized by antioxidants. When the body is burdened with environmental chemicals and toxins, our antioxidant capacity gets depleted by trying to neutralize those toxins. Very little antioxidant capacity remains to support the quality of our reproductive cells. You only get to give your future child one of your cells. Don’t you want that cell to be of the highest quality! Therapeutic detoxification and antioxidant support can help reduce your toxic burden, and improve egg quality to optimize fertility and prepare for pregnancy.

TOXIC EXPOSURES & CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Pregnancy is a metabolically active process. In order to meet energy demands the body mobilizes stored energy from fat and muscle tissue. In mobilizing this stored energy, chemicals and heavy metals are released primarily from fat cells. Environmental chemicals such as Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are fat-soluble toxins are released during pregnancy and can harm the developing fetus. Lead is an example of a harmful heavy metal that is known to cross the placenta and get to the baby. A 2009 study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found 232 toxic chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. These toxins are known to cause endocrine system disruption, asthma, allergy, impaired brain function and behavioural abnormalities, and cancer. Bisphenol A (BPA), a building block of plastic found in thousands of consumer products, was also found in cord blood. BPA is a well known endocrine disruptor, known for its ability to alter the way hormones function in our bodies. In a growing fetus BPA can affect sexual differentiation and development. Exposure to environmental toxins in pregnancy and early childhood can overburden a young child’s system, leading to a variety of genetic, metabolic, endocrine, behavioural, and immunological health concerns. A medically guided detox program conducted prior to trying to get pregnant can help lower maternal toxic burden and reduce the transmission of environmental chemicals and heavy metals to your baby.

WHEN SHOULD YOU DETOX?

As previously mentioned, during pregnancy toxins are naturally mobilized. This is why a detox cannot be done in pregnancy. A detox should be done at least 3 months prior to trying to conceive. Once the medically guided detox is complete, it should be followed by supportive prenatal care plan to prepare for pregnancy. Detoxification commonly depletes vitamins and minerals in the process of drawing harmful chemicals out of the body. It is important to restore vitamin and minerals levels prior to conception to support a healthy pregnancy.

HOW SHOULD YOU DETOX?

Detoxification should always be done with medical guidance or supervision. Detox requires our bodies to be prepared to excrete and eliminate the toxins. If we increase detoxification pathways without first establishing channels to eliminate toxins from the body, you can end up with dangerously high levels fo toxins circulating in your blood. You must first have the ability to have regular bowel movements, proper digestive function, good kidney function, and the ability to sweat. Then we can address the phases of liver detoxification, and pulling toxins out of your cells.

Interested in preparing your body for pregnancy with a medically guided detox? Book a visit.

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Take care, 

Dr. Laura Nicholas, ND 

This content is not intended to be substituted or interpreted as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health concern. Please book a consultation with me or a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any information presented here.

References

  • EWG. 2009. Pollution in minority newborns: BPA and other cord blood pollutants. Retrived from https://www.ewg.org/research/minority-cord-blood-report/bpa-and-other-cord-blood-pollutants.

  • Lanzafame, F. M., La Vignera, S., Vicari, E., & Calogero, A. E. (2009). Oxidative stress and medical antioxidant treatment in male infertility. Reproductive biomedicine online, 19(5), 638-659.

  • Ko, E. Y., Sabanegh Jr, E. S., & Agarwal, A. (2014). Male infertility testing: reactive oxygen species and antioxidant capacity. Fertility and sterility, 102(6), 1518-1527.

  • Babayev, E., & Seli, E. (2015). Oocyte mitochondrial function and reproduction. Current opinion in obstetrics & gynecology, 27(3), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1097/GCO.0000000000000164

  • Zhang, D., Keilty, D., Zhang, Z. F., & Chian, R. C. (2017). Mitochondria in oocyte aging: current understanding. Facts, views & vision in ObGyn, 9(1), 29–38.

  • Ziv-Gal, A., & Flaws, J. A. (2016). Evidence for bisphenol A-induced female infertility: a review (2007-2016). Fertility and sterility, 106(4), 827–856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.06.027

  • Lanphear, B. P., Vorhees, C. V., & Bellinger, D. C. (2005). Protecting children from environmental toxins. PLoS medicine, 2(3), e61. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020061

  • Grason, H. A., & Misra, D. P. (2009). Reducing exposure to environmental toxicants before birth: moving from risk perception to risk reduction. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 124(5), 629–641. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335490912400505

 
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