Why Sun is the Ultimate Fertility Booster
This past winter I was sicker than I’ve been in years. I got a nasty seven day flu, had a major allergy attack and ended up with a lingering sinus infection. For someone who often brags about her holistic lifestyle and strong immunity, this was torturous. Granted there was stress involved. I moved across the country, lost my dog of fourteen years and underwent a massive change in my work-life.
Because of some hormonal issues and the fact that I still couldn’t kick these allergies, I saw a naturopath. She immediately had my blood tested and we discovered not only that my eosinophils were through the roof (allergies) but I was also suffering from a vitamin D deficiency. I immediately started supplementing with that and other immune boosters. I drove down to my parents house in Florida (to escape the allergens) and soak up the sun. In a week, I was healthy again.
As I mentioned here, vitamin D is invaluable to healthy hormones and immunity.
Besides immunity, statistics show (coincidentally or not) that 93% of people struggling with infertility are also low in vitamin D. Alissa Vitti, M.D and author of the invaluable book “Woman Code,” wrote about booking a trip away with her husband the week before trying to conceive. They escaped the grey winter of New York and soaked in the sun during her follicular phase. When they returned home, they conceived!
So how does vitamin D support fertility and hormonal health?
-Vitamin D regulates blood sugar. Stable blood sugar levels are important for your body to know its time to ovulate.
- Vitamin D supports your microbiome, both in the gut and vagina. This improves the chances that sperm will survive the often harsh environment of the vagina and make it safely to the fallopian tubes to fertilize an egg!
- Vitamin D also boosts progesterone, which is a must for maintaining pregnancy.
While there are some dietary sources like sardines, beef liver and salmon, it’s not likely that you’ll get enough vitamin D from food alone. You can supplement with cod liver oil, or a supplement that has vitamin D3 and vitamin K (they are needed together in supplement form to be properly absorbed). But the very best way you can be assured you’re getting an adequate amount of this vital nutrient is through spending time in the sun.
I know. The sun gets a bad rap these days and we blame everything from cancer to wrinkles on sun exposure. But the fact is that our bodies are made to absorb sunlight, much like plants with photosynthesis. When our skin is exposed to the sun, it makes vitamin D3 from cholesterol. This form of vitamin D3 is water soluble and the most easily absorbed version for the vitamin D receptors in our skin.
But how much sun is too much?!
The easiest way to get your recommended value of vitamin D is to soak in some midday sun. That doesn’t mean to indulge until your skin is crispy, but ten to thirty minutes in direct sun without sunscreen is generally safe, even for fair skinned folks. That should be enough time to stock your receptors for a rainy day. Bare as much skin as possible, as there are literally receptors everywhere in your body, including your armpits, breasts and vagina.
Of course, skin color makes a huge difference in how much sun exposure you can tolerate so bear that in mind. It also may take longer for darker skinned people to produce their vitamin D. There’s a great app called “D minder” that takes into account your geographic location, skin tone and other factors and tells you exactly how much time to spend outside (and when) to get your optimum levels of vitamin D.
What about sunscreen?
Sunscreen cancels out vitamin D production, so better to leave it behind. There are also so many chemicals in most sunscreens, and Nadine Artemis suggests that baking those chemicals in your skin is actually the cause of so many skin cancers these days. If you are sensitive, sit outside for as long as you can tolerate and then use a zinc oxide sunblock, which literally blocks all the sun’s rays and is a much more full spectrum sunscreen that others, which only block out UVB rays.
sources:
https://www.livinglibations.com/default/wise_interaction_with_the_sun
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-from-sun#time-of-day
https://www.floliving.com/do-you-have-enough-of-this-one-nutrient-to-get-pregnant/