Keep on Truckin'

Hi, Friends. No fun news to share today. That bitch Flo showed up yesterday afternoon. She's no Auntie of mine.

My sweet sister knew that I would be testing on Saturday, so on Thursday night, she got me out of the house for one last bottle of wine (and also to spare my husband from mind-numbing symptom obsessing). We went to our favorite restaurant. It's this delicious little Ethiopian place and we are always the only people there. Has anyone else noticed that people have very strong reactions to Ethiopian food? Either they absolutely love it and can't get enough, or it keeps them awake all night violently ill. We generally only go on our sister date nights because we are the only people we know who fall into the first camp.

I started getting "that" feeling on Thursday, so I already had a feeling that my period would start soon. So, my sister (who is a midwife) and I spent part of our dinner discussing how to move forward. We also talked about things unrelated to fertility and related to her life. I'm not completely self-absorbed...only partly.

On Monday, I'm going to get some labwork done and then we're going to think about Clomid. I think I want one more shot at doing things the old-fashioned way before pulling out the big guns. My sis made some very good points about trusting my body. Quite frankly, right now I consider my uterus a real scheming bitch. I would like her to extend an olive branch before we try to push out a baby together. A great olive branch would be to get pregnant without making me go on meds that will give me headaches, make me gain more weight, and turn me into an even bigger loon that I already am. So, I'm giving her one last shot. Hear that, uterus? You've got one more shot to be the boss and then you're fired.

In the meantime, I'm going to spend this month really focusing on my nutrition. Over the last few months, my husband and I have trying to amp up our focus on fertility-friendly foods. (Okay, I've been amping up, he just eats what I give him.) Below is a list of some of the things that I've read will help with fertility. Like I've said before, I'm not pretending to be an expert or dispensing advice. These are just the things that I've read about and am giving a good ol' college try.

1. Tons of leafy greens (e.g. spinach, kale): Apparently, leafy greens are high in folate. If you are TTC, then you know all about folate and I won't bore you. It's good stuff and very important for growing healthy babies.

2. Healthy fats (e.g. avocados, nuts, salmon, pumpkin seeds): Once again, these guys are full of folate which is always a good thing. They are full of monounsaturated fat which apparently helps regulate important hormones like estrogen. Some say it's an aphrodisiac...they haven't made me feel like jumping in the sack yet, but that's what "they" say.

3. Whole milk: Have you tried whole milk lately? After spending my entire adult life avoiding fat and only drinking skim and 2%, whole milk is freaking amazing. There is nothing like a really cold cup of this creamy deliciousness. Especially if you make it chocolate. Wow. Anyway, whole dairy is supposed to help with ovulation. I don't know the science on this, but apparently women who eat a serving of whole dairy (without overdoing it) each day have less problems with ovulation.

4. Whole grains: We went to all whole-grain pasta and bread years ago for health reasons. I've actually grown to prefer it. (Unless we're talking about crusty French bread...dipped in olive oil and vinegar...with cheese...) This is supposed to help with insulin function because it takes longer to digest. Again, I don't understand the science of how insulin function relates to fertility, but apparently it does.

5. Sweet potatoes: These are high in beta-carotene which helps regulate the menstrual cycle. And, sweet potatoes are delicious. Especially when made into fries. Or tater-tots.

So, in addition to trying to work at least two or three of the above things into each meal during a day, I've been starting my day everyday with fertility smoothies. They are green and don't look very appetizing, but I promise you that they are delicious.

Fertility Breakfast Smoothie

1.5 frozen banana (high in B6 which one study from Harvard showed to improve conception odds by 40%)
3/4 cup whole milk
1.5 cups spinach
1.5 tbsp peanut butter (If you don't use White Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, you are only cheating yourself. Seriously. It will change your life.)
2 tbsp sweetened cocoa powder (I used to use chocolate soy protein powder until I read that it possibly negatively impacts fertility. I switched to cocoa powder because it's yummy and it is supposed to be an aphrodisiac. My husband would disagree with that last statement.)

Throw all of the above ingredients in a blender and blend until it's creamy and green. My blender is from 1972, so sometimes I have to add a little extra milk to get it all moving.

You might be asking yourself why you should try any of the above since I'm not an expert and my diet clearly hasn't been successful in getting me pregnant. To that I say...you're absolutely correct. Maybe you should do the complete opposite. Who knows?

Ya'll have a great Sunday! I'll be locked in my bedroom eating chocolate and watching trashy movies while I avoid the houseful of beer-drinking boys watching football in my living room.

Anyone have any food for fertility tips? Good recipes? I need advice!!