My Eggie Protocol

Jul 1

It all matters, and none of it at the same time.

At the end of the day, the practice is… S U R R E N D E R.

Is this going to help you with a successful IVF cycle? I have no idea. There are a million varieties of things that could be wrong, however theres an overwhelming amount of people who have undiagnosed reasons why they are struggling to conceive, and environmental toxins and hormonal imbalances caused by the way we’ve treated our planet and prioritize convenience is likely the reason for many of the the challenges couples face.

I am not a doctor. I read a lot of articles and books, and tried as hard as I could to validate the internet info and quality brands vs. garbage. The book “It Starts With The Egg,” which was recommended by my Parsley Health doc as well as many friends, is the best place to start. Take from below what feels right for YOU. No one knows your body better than you do. There were some days I didn’t take any supplements. I don’t know why - call it intuition. I just did what felt right. If you are reading this, you are probably a women. Your intuition is your power. Just know that you know, and your body knows.

I am not a spiritual leader. I firmly believe in the significance of intention and mindset. Taking care of yourself not only because they say “keep stress levels down” but because each act of kindness and gentleness towards oneself is more than just self-comfort; it's a declaration to the world and yourself that you are deserving. It's an affirmation of self-worth, self-love, and a tender regard for one’s well-being, including that of your eggs. Mediate, talk to your eggs, love yourself, positive affirmations. And not in a toxic inauthentic way. This shit is also hard. Feel your sadness and pain, don’t let challenging emotions get stuck in your body. There is a long, exciting, often exhausting, draining, scary road ahead.

Take this all with a grain of salt… Do whatever feels good. I may have gone overboard control freak at times, and at others was too relaxed about it. These are thing I did, and I bought, and it doesn’t mean you “should.”

tl;dr - start a high quality prenatal, stop using toxic cleaning and beauty products in your home and life, get a Function Health test, have your partner do sperm test so you know what challenges you could try to solve early, and stop stressing.

FYI - when they* say stop putting stress on your body, they don’t mean you should stop working. Let’s be real. They mean stop choking your body with toxic substances (it’s really stressful for your body to fight toxins all day), and practice mindfulness to reduce the inevitable chaos of the human condition. Both will go a long way.

*they = the functional medicine docs, fertility docs, and the collective internet

Things I Started:

Prenatal Supplement - I use WeNatal because it is only 3 pills daily which is less than others (some are 8-10 pills), plus research on quality / what is in it. WeNatal offer Female and Male versions.
I added Coq10, R-Alpha Lipoid Acid, Vit D+K drops, and Fish Oil (scroll below for brands). WeNatal has these things, but not enough for a 37 year old who has been trying to get pregnant for a few months.
Folates and folate-rich food
- Green leafy veg, eggs, legumes, beets, citrus, nuts+seeds, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, liver
Get your teeth cleaned
Acupuncture - promote blood flow (ideally someone who has a focus on fertility)
Massages + meditation = RELAX. Less stress on body and mind. Remind yourself that you are worthy
Drink even more water! I never drink enough :)
FunctionHealth - see where your health is at! I learned a lot of other things here.
Tracking insulin resistance. I bought the Levels CGM. Insulin spikes = inflammation = could lead to fertility issues. High insulin levels can cause miscarriage.
- Reduce refined carbs. Eat protein with every meal.
I purchased an at-home vaginal microbiome test called Evvy. I learn a lot about my vaginal microbiome which no one really talks about, but IMO, how would it NOT matter??

Things I bought to replace what I was using before:

Credo.com has all clean beauty - it’s not cheap but there is a variety of products and I replaced every non-clean face, body, and hair product, more legitimately tested than your average sephora “clean beauty standard”
Natural body wash - I use bar soap from Whole Foods
David’s Toothpaste - its the best I could find that still feels like it’s cleaning my teeth.
Reduce your caffeine intake = Everyday Dose is my absolute favorite
Cleaning supplies (fragrance-free… bc fragrances are usually very bad). I use Branch Basics but you can use vinegar + water and put an essential oil in there!
All glass tupperwear, I threw out all plastics.
All wood cooking utensils, replacing plastic.
Get plastic out of your life where you can.
- Including workout clothes and underwear!

Things I reduced or stopped completely:

Be kind to yourself + realistic. Don’t make yourself crazy or spend more than you can afford on these changes. But do what you can. Some of these things are for your overall health, not just for fertility / eggs.

Stop using toxic cleaning supplies.
Stop using perfume, getting mani’s and pedi’s, using nail polish (a buffer is a great replacement). TBH I got a few mani’s and pedis, but fewer.
Change your teflon/non-stick pots and pans ESPECIALLY if there is even the slightest scratch on them
Minimize bpa /bpf exposure as much as you can (water bottles, eating from plastic)
Stop eating canned food - soak your own beans.
I stopped eating most sushi / tuna altogether because I had high mercury levels based on my Function Health tests.
Reduce take-out/eating out - Kitchens use plastics/BPA, inflammatory foods, seed oils, and you have no idea what else.
Stop accepting receipts. Just say no thanks, or if you need it, have them place it directly in the bag and only touch if necessary, OR wash hands after handling receipts
Reduce or stop alcohol intake, recreational synthetic drugs.

For the men in your life…

Read the last Chapter in the book! (It Starts With The Egg)
Get a sperm test - including DNA fragmentation, in some places it’s more expensive but DO IT.
- DNA quality matters
SESA - SESA diagnostics ** most accurate test for fragmentation
Get cotton or wool boxers
Prenatal Supplement. We both use WeNatal
He added R-Alpha Lipoid Acid, Omega3 Fish Oil
L-Carnetine (if struggling with pregnancy)
Folates and folate-rich food
Cut back on alcohol, palates + BPA/BPFs/ avoid canned foods.
Lube: choose one (brand - pre-seed)
Cell phone in pockets / keep phone away
Avoid very tight underwear, avoid hot baths, saunas, steam rooms, long hot showers, take breaks from sitting