Weight Loss Drugs and Fertility
“Weight loss drugs may improve a woman’s chances of conceiving!”
the latest headlines. Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, doctors explain that it is not the drugs themselves that boost fertility but the “side effects” of these drugs. They explain: Weight loss from these drugs can cause hormones to return to more normal levels, which in turn leads to regulation of the menstrual cycle further resulting in more regular ovulation.
Attaining healthier weight,
regulating hormones and regulating menstrual cycles are goals that many women aspire to; however what has not been highlighted is the negative side effects of these drugs and the long term implications.
Excess weight
and hormone imbalance are very difficult issues for many women, which is why these drugs exist in the first place, but as we know, all too well, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. I’ll walk that back a little. These drugs are literally a life saver for some people and even though there are potential side effects, some may choose to live with those side effects because of their extreme health issues. Still others may experience side effects which will demand the halting of these medications. Another consideration is that your body can get used to these drugs causing them to not be as effective. And further, all the manufacturers strongly recommend eating a healthy diet and exercising anyway.
Given all this information, what is a more natural solution?
Honestly, it involves total transformation. Some people will read that statement and run in the other direction. But others will read it and say “yes!!!!! My life is not going in a direction that feels healthy or fulfilling and I want a transformation!”
So, where to start?
- Start exercising a lot!!!!! Full stop.
- Eating is a very complex topic and suffice it to say if you are over your recommended weight….you are taking in more calories than you need to, to function healthfully. It’s that simple, and that complicated!!!!
This is where the transformation comes in.
We are bombarded with so much, dare I say ‘brainwashing’ from advertising! Yes, subliminal messaging is a thing. In my former life I studied advertising at University but I did not pursue a career in that field because I soon discovered that basically I was being taught how to lead people into believing they needed/wanted things that they really didn’t need or want. So here we are.
I have been practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine now for 30 years
and one of the most powerful healing techniques I have learned during my long career is educating and supporting people in their personal journey of health transformation. Helping people realize what they really need to be truly healthy.
Each of us lives in what I call ‘our belief systems’.
Some of these belief systems are helpful and beneficial to our health and lives and others are destructive and detrimental. Belief systems are basically the beliefs we have about ourselves and all the things we interact with in our daily lives – the things that we have our internal dialogue about. We come to think that these beliefs are facts but really they are just the beliefs we hold. They are built from our families, our social circles and, yes, advertising.
If you are not quite sure what I am talking about here’s a very simple, rather superficial, example but I think it does a great job explaining the point…
Gray hair.
For years women have been dying their hair to cover up the gray because the belief system they held was that it made them look old, less attractive, etc…etc… This started as a marketing ploy which became a societal rule. Recently, some women started coming out from under that delusion and started letting their hair go gray. Many women have now joined this movement and let their hair go gray and they look beautiful and healthy. They were just living in a false narrative a.k.a., a belief system.
Let’s use this concept to look at our relationship with food and see where it takes us.
Hopefully it will take us away from weight loss drugs to help with our fertility and back to the belief systems we have in place that are not working for us and thus to the beginning of our transformation.
This is a huge topic that I want to dive deeper into with you
but I will leave it here with this homework. Start to review and list all the belief systems you live by then consider which ones you should keep and which ones need to go. Suggestion…keep the ones that make you healthy – mentally, physically and spiritually – and ditch the ones that do not!
Please check back, as there is so much more to talk about on this topic.
Take Care,
Patricia
