If you saw a fresh maca root right after it was pulled from the ground, you might mistake it for a turnip or radish. In fact, this root was eaten as a vegetable by the ancient Peruvian herdsman who predated the Incan empire. Today it’s more commonly sold dried and powdered as an herbal supplement. Why did it make the jump from ancient side dish to modern supplement? Well, maca root offers a number of proven and speculated benefits to the body. Many of these health benefits may help you increase your natural fertility levels so you can conceive without costly and invasive fertility treatments.
Increased Sexual Desire
First, maca’s purported aphrodisiacal effects can help you have sex more often. While some couples believe that waiting one to five days between intercourse can increase the number of sperm, this kind of practice actually decreases the chances of natural pregnancy. You have the highest chance of becoming pregnant when having intercourse daily or every other day, but that can seem impossible when you’re living a busy and stressful lifestyle. Increasing your sexual desire and drive makes it much easier to enjoy the act of conception rather than feeling obligated to do it.
Improved Energy Levels
One of maca’s most wide demonstrated effects is its ability to improve your overall energy levels. Again, this makes a big difference when you’re trying to juggle work, ovulation monitors, the needs of your family, and your schedule for intercourse. Just a little extra energy each day can help you avoid missing out on that crucial window of peak fertility.
Works for All Genders
Many supplements and natural fertility practices are only useful for one gender, often leaving a partner of a different gender feeling like they’re not doing enough to contribute to the chances of pregnancy. Maca root is one of the few supplements that has been shown to have strong fertility boosting effects in both men and women. However, there is far more research on how maca root improves male fertility than female fertility. Maca root has been shown to increase both sperm count and sperm motility in men. All of the fertility studies on maca root’s effect on the female reproductive system have been limited to mice instead of humans, but it still showed a strong correlation to larger litter size in those studies.
Color Matters
While it’s true that maca root works for all people, not all maca roots are created equally when it comes to boosting fertility. Studies have shown that black colored maca had the strongest effect on men, and yellow maca showed the most noticeable effects on the studies involving female mice. It can be hard to find maca supplements graded by their color, but it’s likely worth the extra effort if your primary goal for taking it is to increase your natural fertility.
Stronger Immune System
Without a strong immune system, it’s easy for your body to become overwhelmed by what you’re exposed to on a daily basis and lower your fertility levels to compensate. Maca root is well known for helping support a stronger and healthier immune system, so it only makes sense that it also helps both with conception and with reducing the chances of an early miscarriage. Since maca root also helps regulate the body’s hormones, it’s a useful herb to take during the first few weeks of pregnancy if your doctor allows it.
Part of a Balanced Diet
Finally, maca root is high in two essential nutrients women in particular need to naturally conceive. The first is iron, which is essential for the development of a healthy uterine lining so that a fertilized egg has the right place to implant. Many women are chronically low on iron, so taking a Metagenics product like Wellness Essentials Pregnancy can also help if maca root alone isn’t enough. Maca supplements also have a healthy dose of iodine, which is essential to proper hormone production. Getting more iodine may be what you need to get your hormones ready for conception without the need for actually taking estrogen or testosterone. A healthier hormonal balance is helpful even when you’re not trying to conceive, but it’s downright essential during the quest for natural pregnancy.
Prime Wellness offers several Maca supplements such a Fem Pro Harmony, Femmenessence Pro, and Revolution Pro to help balance hormones, help fertility, and to increase sex drive, if you want to add this to your routine and increase your chances at getting pregnant, come in today for a consultation with Dr. Natasha our fertility specialist to see if it’s a good fit for you.