Herbal Supplements

• Herbal medicine has long been used as an alternative to modern medicine. Since fertility treatments can be invasive and expensive, turning to herbal medicine can assist a woman over 40 in becoming pregnant. The American Pregnancy Association recommends that women who are looking to use herbal remedies to conceive should do so under the care of a licensed herbalist or a doctor who specializes in herbal medicine.
  
  A range of herbal supplements are designed to assist conception. Fertility blends and fertility aids are available in most health food stores. These supplements have a few ingredients in common that aid conception and help promote a healthy pregnancy. Since herbal supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, it is recommended that women who use them consult a doctor before starting and stopping treatment.
  
  Agnus castus is an ingredient in many fertility supplements. This plant is believed to regulate hormone imbalances and induce ovulation. For women over 40, where not every menstrual cycle may be an ovulatory one where an egg is released, this is particularly important for conception. Red clover is another common supplement ingredient. It contains B vitamins, protein and calcium, which promote general health during conception. Red raspberry leaf may also be used. According to the American Pregnancy Association, this herb tones the uterus and is rich in iron.
  
  Fertility supplements vary on when and how much should be taken, which is why working with a licensed herbalist or doctor will be beneficial. The nature of herbal medicine is that what works for one woman may not work for another. Women over 40 can look to herbs to increase ovulation, regulate hormones and prepare their bodies for conception and pregnancy.
  
  

Managing Menstruation

• For women over 40, their body may already be preparing for menopause, not childbirth. Regulating your menstrual cycle and making sure you are ovulating is very important to ensure conception. As your ovarian reserve diminishes, your cycles may continue but ovulation may become sporadic. Encouraging ovulation ensures that an egg will be present to meet with sperm on your fertile days.
  
  Ovulation can be encouraged by balancing the two hormones that regulate menstruation, estrogen and progesterone. During the first half of your cycle, taking 80 to 100 mg of soy isoflavones on cycle days three to seven or five to nine will increase estrogen production and encourage ovulation. After ovulation, using a progesterone supplement from the day of ovulation to the day of your expected period helps ensure that your luteal phase is long enough to support implantation and your uterine lining is sufficient to support the embryo. By managing these hormones, women over 40 can help ensure that they are releasing an egg each cycle.