Ayurveda has a long tradition of supporting and promoting pregnancy. In fact, Ayurveda emphasizes the preconception period just as much, if not more, than the pregnancy period itself. The preconception time offers a golden opportunity to provide the best of the both of you to your future child. Ayurvedic preconception care takes advantage of our body’s natural ability to cleanse and renew. No matter what your past experiences with fertility are, Ayurveda offers a complete approach to fertility that embraces both the male and the female roles as equally important.
Four Essential Elements of Fertility
For conception to occur, Ayurveda says that there are four essential components that must work together optimally—timing (rtu), the field (kshetra), fluids and nutrition (ambu), and the seed (bija).
Timing (Rtu)
Most couples focus on this one factor more than any other. It begins with the most basic question—“Are we ready?”—and continues as you follow the female’s menstrual cycle to determine when ovulation occurs. Even seasons can be incorporated into timing, since nature, as a whole, is most fertile during spring—trees are budding, eggs are hatching, and the juiciness of spring replaces the dryness of winter. Consider the factors in Table 1 for examining how timing is manifesting in your life, understanding that it is not as black and white as the table illustrates and that there are shades of gray in between.
The Field (Kshetra)
Like timing, the field (kshetra) also has a macro manifestation of the entire human body, which applies to both men and women, and a more micro manifestation of the uterus, literally the field in which the pregnancy grows. Beginning with a healthy body supports a healthy microsphere. A great illustration of this relationship is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition that some of you may be very familiar with. In this condition, high levels of unprocessed kapha in the body, particularly from sugar and increased resistance to insulin, contribute greatly to decreased, and in many cases absent, ovulation.
Healthy and Nutritious Fluids (Ambu)
When people speak of ambu, healthy fluids, such as plasma and lymph and blood, usually come to mind. We can expand the definition of ambu to also encompass the nutrients themselves that nourish the male and female alike. These include hormones, specific vitamins and minerals, and ojas (the very essence of vitality and immunity).
The Seed (Bija)
The seed, or bija, of fertility refers to the egg and sperm. According to Ayurveda, this reproductive tissue is the very last tissue in our bodies to be created. It is the most refined, most complete tissue after we digest and process all the food, thoughts, and emotions that we ingest. As such, its perfection requires the best of the best—the best food, the best thoughts, the best environment. This is especially true for men, since fully mature sperm are produced, on average, every two months. For women, maintaining a healthy environment protects the quality of the eggs that they were born with.
As you enhance the health of each of these factors, your fertility will begin to blossom. The following sections will walk you through a six-month preconception process and show you how each step enriches one or more of the four elements that we just addressed. The first phase is a three-month cleanse period, followed by a three-month rejuvenation period. The culmination is conception. Ideally, you should see an Ayurvedic practitioner before this process, as he or she may be able to hone in on subtle imbalances or challenges that are specific to you.