Since before the time of Cleopatra, people have been using plant resins and flower oils for adornment, to balance emotions, and to enhance health. Using essential oils for IVF or to support other fertility treatments is becoming increasingly popular. The practice of aromatherapy is based on many traditional uses of natural plant oils and plant resins, including age-old favorites like frankincense, peppermint, and lavender essential oils. You may wonder if it is safe for you to use aromatherapy and essential oils when trying to conceive (TTC) and undergoing IVF fertility treatment.
During TTC (trying to conceive), or preconception stage, when you’re trying to get pregnant, you will want to be especially careful not to use any essential oils that your doctor tells you to avoid or oils that will interfere with fertility treatments you are undergoing. Some aromatherapy treatments or oils may counter indicate medical procedures such as IVF. This is because some essential oils could possibly affect your hormone levels, which are monitored and controlled very strictly during IVF or other fertility treatments, so a few types of essential oils must be avoided when you are trying to conceive. Other aromatherapy treatments and essential oils are considered safe and are a pleasant way to enliven your senses as you prepare for pregnancy. As with many other holistic treatments used for IVF, like fertility acupuncture, it is important to discuss the use of any essential oils with your health care practitioner or fertility doctor, particularly any treatments that are topically applied (massaged into the skin).
While many essential oils are helpful for IVF and other fertility treatments, you should not use the following oils when trying to conceive:
Generally, the use of a few drops of one of these essential oils on a pillow or in an aromatherapy diffuser is considered safe for IVF and fertility and can be used when you are trying to conceive:
If your fertility doctor has told you it is safe for you to use essential oils during your IVF or other fertility treatment, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:
While using essential oils for fertility (and avoiding some of them when trying to conceive) may have some positive impact on your health and wellbeing, it’s also important to always follow a healthy diet (eat like you’re pregnant before you’re pregnant) and avoid foods that can hinder your ability to get pregnant. You may also be interested in researching other treatments and superfoods that are known to aid fertility, such as:
Here at Santa Monica Fertility we offer a range of advanced fertility treatments, including IVF, egg donation and surrogacy and we are available to answer any questions you may have; please contact us or call our clinic on (310) 566 14 70.
While a number of natural treatments and products are known to aid in your preconception stage when you are trying to conceive, we strongly advise you to seek the advice of your general health care practitioner once pregnancy has been established, to ensure that aromatherapy or any other holistic practice does not interfere with the healthy progression of the pregnancy, and as always, please consult your physician before starting medical therapies.
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