# IBS and Trying to Conceive - How does IBS affect fertility?



## Merankie (Mar 22, 2015)

Hi All

I have a question on IBS and fertility.

I have been off all contraceptives for 2 years, but we started trying to conceive 6 months ago. No luck yet.

About 2 weeks ago I was finally diagnosed with IBS, after years of suffering (and even the brief confusion of Endometriosis).

So my question is: is it possible that my IBS is affecting my ability to fall pregnant?

I am definitely ovulating (doing the BBT and O-testing and get a positive every month) and there is nothing wrong with hubby's sperm count...so we should not have any problems, right?

And yet, every month is unsuccessful. The worst was last month, when I was 18DPO and then started period...gynae confirmed a chemical pregnancy...

Is it even worth it to start with Fertomid?

I would LOVE to hear from all the ladies on this group, I am so overwhelmed with the longing to be a mother, and so disheartened with all the negatives that are currently racing through my thoughts and my body...

Please share your experience with me if you can relate at all. I would really appreciate any positivity at this stage!!


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## Amanda Nicole (Jul 14, 2013)

So sorry to hear about your difficulties with conceiving!

There can definitely be a connection between IBS and fertility. When there are things in the body that are out of whack, the body isn't in the best position to carry a healthy/successful pregnancy. With IBS in particular, not only is there usually an underlying inflammatory component (inflammation created by food/chemical sensitivities that contribute to the symptoms that you experience as IBS), but the very nature of IBS usually creates an environment where nutrients aren't being absorbed as much as they should be (which is also not ideal for pregnancy).

Another common component of IBS is stress (stress can aggravate symptoms and the occurrance of IBS also creates stress on the body, creating a seemingly endless cycle). During the stress response, a lot of chemical and hormonal changes usually take place in the body and one of the outcomes of that can be a (temporary) halt to reproduction.

Were you on birth control pills for a while? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if that contributed somewhat to the inflammation/IBS (since birth control pills can negatively affect the immune system). Some people have more negative reactions to birth control than others.

There's a lot you can do nutritionally that can help with getting your body in a better position to conceive (fertility is an area that I have special interest in and I'm actually in the process of putting a program together that is specifically aimed at boosting fertility through nutrition). Food sensitivity testing is something that I would higly recommend to reduce some of the underlying inflammation (in most cases, IBS improves and absorption of nutrients improves along with it as long as the the right kind of testing is used and the test results are utilized appropriately). You may also want to explore some stress-reducing activities - yoga, meditation, Emotional Freedom Technique (a.k.a. tapping), etc.

I hope this helps!


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## an0chick2 (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm really sorry you're having trouble conceiving. I really don't have any advice
.. but I really hope it doesn't affect fertility. I'm sure it might affect it with some people but not others. Bc I've heard of people who have ibs and get pregnant...maybe the cause of IBS could possibly play a factor. (This is a guess...) hope you are able to conceive.... maybe ask your gyno or your gastro.


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## ChrissyLynn (Oct 18, 2010)

I have had 3 kids and my doctors have never said anything about my IBS having an effect on getting pregnant but they did say it can mess with birth control causing it to fail which with my first it did end up failing which is when the doctor informed me my IBS could cause it to fail, would have loved to of known that information before hand lol.

I can tell you though that many pregnant women do experience constipation problems. Mine was awful with my first pretty much up until delivery and with my second it was awful the first few months. Luckily with my 3rd there was no issue. Most women also tend to get constipated after birth which I had a problem with it after having my second. I had to take MOM and ducolax in order to finally go after 3 weeks of not having a BM


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