Trying to conceive with a chronic illness is possible, and thousands of women have done it successfully. This post covers 5 things most health practitioners never explain about fertility, pregnancy, and birth when you are chronically ill, drawing on Muneeza Ahmed’s experience supporting thousands of women as a Natural Birth & Health Practitioner.
Key takeaways
- Trying to conceive with a chronic illness is possible when you prepare your body with the right healing protocols.
- Your immune system drops significantly during pregnancy, making symptom management more important than ever.
- Adrenal fatigue directly interferes with fertility by disrupting the hormones your body needs to conceive.
- Supplements can be safely managed during pregnancy when you understand how each one interacts with your body.
- Staying on healing protocols through pregnancy is possible, even if the approach looks a little different.
- A comfortable, low-pain birth is achievable regardless of your prior health conditions.
Pregnant with my second baby, I started to experience heart palpitations, fatigue, varicose veins, and swelling on top of asthma and allergies.
Pregnancy is already demanding as your body changes and grows to accommodate a whole new life. Throw chronic illness into the mix and things can start to feel overwhelming. The thing is, I did not even know I was dealing with chronic illness symptoms, because most people attribute everything they experience in pregnancy to, well, being pregnant.
But once you know the truth about symptoms in pregnancy, you start wondering: How do I successfully navigate both? Am I strong enough for this? These are common thoughts women who are trying to conceive with a chronic illness have.
There are programs that talk about birth preparation. In Blossom, we talk about birth preparation for women who are chronically ill. Women with chronic illness need a different kind of focus and preparation than what most programs offer.
Just know that I have complete faith in you to successfully conceive and birth a baby, even if you are chronically ill. Below I go over 5 things no one tells you about trying to conceive with a chronic illness. The reason so many health practitioners skip these is that the root cause behind chronic illness is still a mystery to most of them. I have helped thousands of women as a Natural Birth & Health Practitioner successfully give birth and heal from chronic illness.
1. Have faith in your body’s ability to conceive with a chronic illness
According to author Anthony William, Medical Medium®, a woman’s immune system drops around 50% during pregnancy. So if you have a prior chronic illness, you will need to manage your symptoms more carefully and be thoughtful about the foods you eat and supplements you take.
That being said, do not worry. If you are able to get pregnant, it shows you are in pretty good health. It takes a certain level of health to conceive and carry a pregnancy. What matters is planning and preparing with healing protocols so you can favorably navigate anything that comes your way. In Blossom, that is exactly what I help you do.
Have some faith and trust that your body knows how to grow a baby, and that it will also protect you as much as it can from symptoms and viral growth.
A body that can conceive already has more health than you may realize.
2. How to manage supplements during pregnancy with chronic illness
Many women with chronic illness worry about reducing their supplements during pregnancy and losing control over their symptoms. In Blossom, I teach you in depth how to choose and dose your supplements so you never have to worry about that again. This gives you confidence in your ability to manage your symptoms while pregnant.
I take you through the supplements in the Medical Medium® directory and teach you how each supplement interacts with pregnancy. You will leave knowing exactly what is safe, what to adjust, and why.
“In Blossom I teach you in depth how to choose and dose your supplements so you never have to worry about it again.”
3. The link between adrenal fatigue and fertility
The one thing that affects nearly all women with chronic illness is weakened adrenals. This is so common because the factors that create overworked adrenals are universal: extra stress, overwhelm, and foods and drinks that spike adrenaline and caffeine. It is not a sustainable way to live, and over time it takes its toll.
Coffee, chocolate, matcha, and other caffeine sources negatively affect adrenal health. Animal foods like meat and bone broth add extra adrenaline into your system from the animal releasing adrenaline at the time of its death. These factors add up over time and can leave you feeling burnt out, reliant on those crutches, and struggling to conceive.
I have seen it time and time again: women who come to me with adrenal and chronic fatigue and completely turn their health and reproductive possibilities around. That is how important adrenal health is when you are trying conceive with a chronic illness. I recommend minimizing or cutting out these foods and altering your diet. This is one of the most important things you can do to prepare your body for conception, pregnancy, and birth. I teach this in depth in Blossom.
“Adrenal fatigue can also get in the way of fertility, because much of a woman’s progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone are produced in her adrenal glands. When the adrenals are under- or overactive, her reproductive hormones are out of balance and can interfere with fertility.”
Adrenal health affects progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone — all three hormones needed for conception.
4. Staying on healing protocols while pregnant
Many women with chronic illness ask me whether they will be able to handle their healing foods while pregnant, particularly if nausea is a concern. The beauty of Medical Medium® information is that there are so many options for foods and healing tools that you will find a way through. I have supported thousands of women through their pregnancies, and whatever symptoms come up, we find a way.
Throughout your pregnancy you can continue to apply healing protocols. It may just look a little different than what you are used to. If you were eating a high-raw diet beforehand, you might include more cooked foods. Wherever you land, you can continue to eat in a way that does not feed pathogens. That is the key.
“Know that throughout your pregnancy you can continue to apply healing protocols, but it might just look a little different than what you are used to.”
5. A pain-free birth is possible, even with chronic illness
Do not worry about birth being difficult or painful because you already struggle with pain. The pain of birth, or what people believe to be the pain of birth, has very little to do with physical factors. It has to do with fear.
This is what Blossom specializes in. You can have a comfortable birth experience with little to no pain, regardless of your prior health conditions. The methods I teach come from my experience as a natural birth instructor and health practitioner. They are tried, tested, and effective.
For a comfortable birth, it is as important to prepare mentally as it is physically. Learning why birth does not have to be painful and how to prepare is deeply empowering. It allows women to reclaim the sacredness of birth.
The pain of birth has more to do with fear than with your physical health history.
What Blossom can offer you
Blossom is a three month program designed to support women who are trying to conceive with a chronic illness through fertility to conception, pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Whether you are navigating pregnancy after miscarriage, healing from chronic illness, or simply trying to feel informed and prepared. It is for the woman who feels overwhelmed by the business of giving birth, or is trying to have it all whilst healing from an autoimmune condition.
I have had the privilege of supporting thousands of women through the passage of pregnancy and beyond. This is why I created Blossom, to help every woman feel empowered through every stage of pregnancy. I bring in guest experts, provide a private community forum, lead community connection circles, host weekly live Q&A calls, and teach through weekly content-rich video trainings.
All of this is provided to answer your questions so that you feel calm, clear, confident and supported about your journey from conception to birth. Every week touches upon a different learning topic or focuses on community circles, led by me.
Topics include:
- Fertility and conception
- Pregnancy
- Preparing for birth
- Your body and birth
- Your mental state and birth
- Postpartum for mama
- Postpartum for baby
A 3-Month Program to Support Women Through Fertility to Conception, Pregnancy, Birth & BeyondGet the support you deserve to have a positive, empowering & healthy conception & birth.
- Weekly Content-Rich Video Training & LIVE Q&A Calls
- Community Connection Circle
- Blossom Community Garden
- Workbooks
Frequently Asked Questions
I would love to hear from you. Are you currently trying to conceive with a chronic illness, or have you already been through this journey? If you have a question about this topic leave it in the comments below.
There is no such thing as a question too small here. And if this post spoke to something you have been quietly carrying, I would be honored to know. I read every comment personally.
