One key area of fertility many women forget is their uterine lining!
An embryo loves a soft, thick and cushy uterine lining to implant into.
If you have a thin uterine lining, it means the difference between conceiving a baby or not.
Whether you’re conceiving via fertility treatment or conceiving naturally, a thin uterine lining is important for your fertility.
But how do you fix a thin uterine wall?
Thankfully, there are many natural at-home methods to thicken up your uterine lining to get that little embryo to stick!
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How Thick Does The Uterine Lining Need To Be?
A uterine lining varies throughout your cycle. Since the start of your cycle begins on the first day of your period when the uterine lining begins to shed.
It makes sense that since the lining is shedding, the walls of the uterus are at it’s thinnest.
Once you period ends, the uterus starts to rebuild itself by becoming thicker and thicker to prepare for ovulation and (hopefully) implantation of an egg.
It’s at this point in your cycle where the uterine walls are the thickest.
But how thick does the uterine lining need to be to help an embryo embed itself?
A lining under 8 mm equals implantation failure. An optimal thickness during ovulation is 7 to 11 mm.
After ovulation the walls thickens up to 16 mm during the luteal phase awaiting that tiny egg.
For implantation to be successful you need to have a uterine lining above 8 mm.
What Are The Causes Of A Thin Uterine Lining?
- Poor blood flow to the uterus
- Absent periods
- Periods shorter than 4 days
- History of bacterial infections
- Fibroids
- Surgical procedures
- Hormonal imbalance
How To Know If Your Uterine Lining Needs To Be Thickened
Of course if your going through fertility treatment, an vaginal ultrasound and your doctor can tell you if you have a thin uterine lining.
But if you’re trying to conceive naturally it can be a bit more difficult to tell if you have a thin lining.
For those trying to conceive naturally, here are a few signs that a uterine lining might need to be thickened!
- Troubles conceiving
- Abnormal periods
- Miscarriage
- Periods with abnormal pain
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to know that there’s other conditions that cause a thin uterine lining.
If you have a condition like endometriosis, you most likely will experience symptoms similar to these. It’s important to discuss the above symptoms with your doctor.
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How To Thicken Uterine Lining
Having a thin uterine lining is NOT permanent!
There are at-home natural ways to thicken your uterine lining in preparation for natural conception or fertility treatment.
Exercise
Exercise is a way to get the blood flowing in your body. Especially to the uterus.
Since a thin uterus can be the result of insufficient blood flow, it’s important to increase physical activity.
When we live a sedentary lifestyle, the blood flow slows.
It’s recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services to do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise.
This breaks down to roughly 30 minutes a day of activities like brisk walking.
Start incorporating daily physical activity into your schedule. You don’t have to start running a mile a day, just add gentle, low impact exercise like walking.
One of the gentlest exercises to promote blood flow to the uterus is yoga.
An easy yoga pose to begin with is legs up on the wall pose. Simply site sideways on the floor against a wall.
Pivot to lay your back on the floor and straighten your legs to rest against the wall.
Not only does this pose help increase blood flow to the uterus, but it also provides relief from menstrual pain and cramping!
You only need 10 minutes of light inversion of your pelvis to promote blood flow to the uterus.
To learn more yoga poses for fertility with Yoga and Fertility: A Journey to Health and Healing.
Beetroot
Beets are loaded with iron and nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is responsible for dilating blood vessels to deliver oxygenated blood flow to the uterus.
Iron also helps increase blood flow to the uterus by sustaining red blood cell counts to deliver oxygen to the uterus.
This will help sustain and increase cell integrity of the uterus lining.
According to The Harley Street Fertility Clinic, 300 mls per day of beetroot juice is recommended for women going through IVF treatment until implantation.
This boosts production of blood flow to the uterus to prepare for implantation.
Beetroot remains one of the best natural supplements to thicken uterine lining, but if you happen to find beets disgusting as I do, you can always supplement with a beetroot powder.
Herbal Supplements To Thicken Uterine Lining
Two common causes of a thin uterine lining are low estrogen levels and decreased blood flow circulation to the uterus.
Both problems can be solved with the help of the following herbal supplements to thicken uterine lining!
Red Raspberry leaf- Contains tannin, an astringent known for reducing inflammation and increasing blood flow to the uterus.
Red Clover- Increases estrogen to help the thicken uterine lining.
Dong Quai Root- Helps improve red blood cell count to boost circulation. Dong Quai Root is used for restoring absent periods, fatigue after a period and improves conditions such as endometriosis, cysts, fibroids and PCOS.
Royal Jelly- Beneficial for infertility issues related to hormonal imbalances. A 2007 Japan study found Royal Jelly is able to mimic human estrogen and potentially increase the size of uterine cells.
Shatavari– Used for “nourishing the womb” to prevent miscarriages and tone the uterus to prepare it for pregnancy.
Maca Root– Boosts the immune system and balances hormones like estrogen.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a ancient Chinese medicine that involves pricking the skin with needles.
Be forewarned that not all insurance companies cover acupuncture.
Even with a prescription from a fertility specialist.
Although that’s a major downfall, acupuncture is known for its holistic approach to increasing fertility.
Research shows that women who undergo acupuncture before an IVF embryo transfer are more likely to get pregnant.
For women going through fertility treatment, fertility specialists take this practice very seriously.
When I went in for my fertility consultation for intrauterine inseminations, it was suggested to me to start acupuncture to increase my fertility chances.
They even referred me to a nearby acupuncture clinic!
Acupuncture has the ability to release beta-endorphins that will provide two benefits to you:
- Relieve stress
- Relaxes blood vessels so the uterus can receive more blood
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L-Arginine
L-arginine is known for increasing oxygen flow and circulation. This includes increased blood flow and oxygen to the uterus.
Along with increasing blood flow to the uterine lining, l-arginine also helps create nitric oxide in the body.
An increase in nitic oxide helps keep inflammation down of the uterus. Inflammation related fertility issues include PCOS, fibroids and endometriosis.
By introducing the supplement l-arginine, you body will reduce inflammation to the uterus to aid implantation while trying to conceive.
This amino acid for thin uterine lining is often combined with vitamin E to increase lining thickness.
But be advised that for some individuals with herpes simplex, symptoms may be worsened by taking l-arginine.
Vitamin E
As mentioned in my article 7 Vitamins To Boost Fertility in Women, vitamin E is an essential antioxidant that promotes cellular growth. First, it works in the body by increase blood flow to the organs in the body. Then, increased oxygen flow in turn promotes the increase cell growth in the uterus.
A study from Fertility and Sterility in 2010 found 600 IU of vitamin E per day increased oxygen flow the uterus by 72% and thickened the uterine lining 52%.
If you don’t want to supplement with vitamin E pills, the following foods are high in vitamin E!
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Sunflower seeds
- Trout
- Shrimp
- Olive oil
- Broccoli
- Wheat germ oil
- Almonds
Final Thoughts
A thin uterine lining does mean the end of your fertility journey! Yes, you need a thick uterine wall of 8 mm or more for an embryo to implant.
Thankfully, there are natural ways to bulk up the thickness of the uterine lining.
All you need to do is use a natural method that promotes more blood flow or estrogen to the uterus.
Whichever natural remedies you choose is up to you!
Some of the above methods can be combined together.
However, it’s important to discuss all natural remedies with your doctor before beginning any new treatment (natural or prescribed).
While I whole heartedly believe in the wonders of herbal supplements for aiding fertility, it’s probably best not to use them in combination.
For instance, if you’re already regularly taking red raspberry leaf tea, don’t combine it with maca root.
Better safe than sorry when it comes to too many herbal supplements to thicken uterine lining.
More supplement use doesn’t mean more effectiveness.
But one herbal supplements to thicken uterine lining can be combined with exercise, acupuncture and an increase in vitamin E.
All of these remedies can be used while trying to conceive naturally or with fertility treatment.
Works Cited
Thin uterus lining causes
3 easy ways to increase uterine wall lining
Beetroot- the new fertility hero
Fertility herb dong quai
Natural ways to increase uterine lining thickness
What is thin uterus lining
How to improve your uterus lining
What to do if you have a thin womb lining