The goal for women with Energy PFPs is increasing their energy reserves to improve their fertility health. We all experience fluctuations in energy levels, but Energy PFP women consistently feel less energetic than most of their friends and colleagues. All body processes rely on energy, and being tired or exhausted affects fertility levels and the health of pregnancies.
Sometimes Energy PFPs have only been feeling tired relatively recently, but it can be something they’ve had since childhood. We all know that muscle power relies on energy, and it’s just as crucial for the growth of eggs, follicles and the womb lining. Energy levels are also crucial during pregnancy as the body has to make significant immune and structural changes, as well as nourish the growing baby, and low energy reserves can make pregnancy more challenging. The more energy we have, the better we are at coping and adapting to change and challenges, including getting pregnant!
The constitution we inherit from our parents forms the basis for our energy levels, but as we age, this energy reserve is affected by our diet, lifestyle and life events, which combine to determine how much energy is currently available for fertility. There are two variations to the Energy PFP, which relate to how and when energy reserves become low, and we’re calling these “Constitutional” and “Gut” Energy.
Our constitutional health is primarily the genetic packages we inherited from our parents. The genes on our chromosomes determine much about us, and we all have genetic traits that affect our metabolism, blood function and energy levels. However, genes aren’t 100% stable, and their behaviour (and structure) changes in response to age, diet and the environment:
“Gut Energy” covers most of the non-genetic ways we become tired, and poor diet and weak digestion is the usual cause, although overwork, trauma and stress are other possibilities. One of the classic signs of Gut Energy is cravings for sweet or stodgy food and energy dips around mealtimes.
Blood sugar levels (BSL) are a central issue in this, and this is controlled by the release of insulin and glucagon from the pancreas. The pancreas is also responsible for releasing many of the enzymes that digest our food, which makes the pancreas crucial for digestion and blood sugar control. When people have poor pancreatic function, it can cause hyperinsulinaemia and Type II diabetes, which increase the chances of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and other fertility conditions.
Gut Energy isn’t the same as diabetes, but we’ll use diabetes to illustrate the point. Diabetes has become so widespread (and generally well controlled) that we’ve almost forgotten how serious it is and that without medication, the symptoms are:
Low Blood Sugar | High Blood Sugar |
---|---|
Tired, lightheaded, dizzy and weak | Extreme tiredness and thirst |
Sudden extreme hunger | Sudden extreme hunger |
Racing heart rate | Rapid weight loss |
Irritable, anxious or confused | Irritable, anxious or confused |
Loss of consciousness, seizures | Kidney failure, impotence |
34.2 million Americans had diabetes in 2018 (10.4% of the population), and 90% of the cases were diet-related (Type II), with a staggering $327 billion spent on diabetes care that year. Despite the massive expenditure, 50% of people with diabetes will die prematurely.
Energy is crucial for the healthy balance of the immune and nervous systems, and without a reliable energy supply, cells and organs can’t function fully, which affects general health and fertility. Fluctuating or low energy supply creates hormonal imbalances and inflammation that disrupt menstrual cycle dynamics and reduce egg quality. Two of the most common female fertility conditions are PCOS and luteal phase deficiency, which typically involve high insulin levels or diabetes, which are core “Gut Energy” issues.
All women with Energy PFP should focus on supporting their digestive and constitutional health as this will improve the genetic health of their children and the chances of healthy pregnancies. Each cycle involves a “batch” of eggs being recruitment from the ovarian reserve and the process:
Focused lifestyle changes and the addition of herbal combinations are 3x more successful for unexplained infertility than IVF.
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We also outline the best ways for Energy PFPs to adjust their weight and manage stress to improve monthly conception rates. The different profiles have different challenges and needs, which is all part of the PFP discussion, along with personalised ways to improve fertility health, and the tests and treatments most likely to be appropriate for you. The morefertile approach: