It’s really inspiring to me when people take the challenges of infertility and make something great out of it (besides a baby!).  A great example being Allison, the founder of FertileGirl as she struggled with infertility herself and found successful with IVF after going back to the basics of managing stress, exercising more and of course focusing on optimal nutrition and then turned her knowledge into a company that helps others going through the same thing.

What’s also inspiring is that at some point in her journey she decided to stop being quiet about her struggles and share her story with anyone who would listen. She is a great example of a “Script Flipper” (the theme for National Infertility Awareness Week, which is this week!) because she’s become an advocate for others going through infertility encouraging women to support each other and take control of what they can throughout a process that often seems completely out of one’s control. Take a look at the video they just released this week about spreading the word!

It seems that she’s a big believer in your own personal balance being a contributing factor to the process working and that’s something I believe in as well so I was super intrigued to try her product. I ordered a sample pack and wanted to share my little (rave) review of these so others might find her company and be inspired to find their own personal balance too.

What it is:
FertileGirl is a pre-pregnancy nutrition company that produces supplemental nutrition bars packed with superfoods to give your body extra support for conception. The idea behind these bars is that an optimal diet for fertility includes plant-based protein, healthy fats, and superfoods. According to their website, Allison began making her own snack bars during her infertility treatments to ensure she was getting the right nutrition and that’s how these bars came about. They are non-gmo, gluten and soy-free, an excellent source of plant-based protein, a good source of calcium, iron, and vitamin A, full of omega3s and packed with superfoods including:  Maca, Goji, Flaxseed, Chia Seeds, and Spinach. Here’s why each of these items is especially important to fertility:

• Plant-based protein: According to WebMD protein is important for the body because: “Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.” And what is baby-making? The base of all building blocks really that’s based on optimal hormone levels so you can see why protein would play an important role.
• Calcium: Calcium helps to alkalize the body which makes for a more receptive environment for the sperm and fertilized egg. An alkaline environment is said to encourage sperm to meet the egg with strength. One study has shown that it is a vital ingredient needed for the process of triggering growth in embryos too. It also helps a baby grow a strong heart nerves and muscles as well as develop a normal heart rhythm, blood-clotting abilities and for growing strong bones and teeth. For the pregnant mother, calcium is needed to help reduce the risk of hypertension and preeclampsia.
• Iron: Iron is needed for red blood cell production. If you don’t have enough iron, you won’t have enough red blood cells (aka anemia). Since red blood cells deliver oxygen from your lungs to all the cells, if you are low then your cells won’t get enough oxygen and oxygen is essential for growth. This includes cells within the reproductive system so over a period of time this deficiency could weaken your egg cells and they may become unviable. If you are successful with conception, but do not have enough iron the embryo will have a tough time getting enough oxygen to grow and divide those cells. Not only does a developing baby need that (of course) but a mother’s womb depends on optimal blood flow to maintain a pregnancy.
• Vitamin A: This is important for fertility because it promotes better, more nourishing cervical fluid and assists with helping follicles mature properly. Once pregnant it’s important for many of the initial building blocks including development of the heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, and bones as well as the circulatory, respiratory, and central nervous systems.
• Omega3s: Getting enough of these in your diet helps with visual and cognitive development of the baby. For the mother Omega3s are essential for maintaining the balanced production of the hormone-like substances called prostaglandins which helps regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, nerve transmission, inflammatory and allergic responses, the functions of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract and the production of other hormones. Having sufficient intake has also been shown to increase your mood.
• Maca: This superfood is nutritionally dense and has been shown to help regulate hormone levels – it helps balance the progesterone and estrogen in our bodies which is essential for optimal fertility. It’s also said to increase egg health and sperm count/activity along with boosting energy, decreasing stress hormones and helping to regulate cycles.
• Goji: Goji berries are a great source of vitamins and minerals and are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help boost the immune system and fight free radical damage which helps protect the body from inflammation. They also help promote healthy skin, healthy eye function, helps detoxify the liver, helps stabilize blood sugar.
• Flaxseed: These are high in both Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids which help balance hormones.
• Chia Seeds: Chia has the highest Omega-3 content of any plant-based source, which again, helps balance hormones.
• Spinach: Spinach is the ultimate leafy green as it’s packed with folic acid, iron, zinc and antioxidants. It’s and excellent source of vitamins & minerals including vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. Iron and folic acid are two nutrients that are important to reproduction and fetal health. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects in the fetus and iron helps promote healthy oxygen levels in cells, organs and the fetus.

Why I like it:
Aside from being ultra nutrient-dense they are made with fantastic ingredients including almonds, granola, organic pumpkin seeds, organic cashews, organic sunflower seeds, cinnamon and sweetened with organic agave nectar and organic clover honey. The taste of these bars is SO great! Many nutrition bars I’ve tried are bland or taste weird but I just love these. I think it’s because it has a slightly variable texture coming from the seeds, nuts and granola and is proportionally sweetened, not too sweet and not too tasteless. I also really love that the cinnamon comes through. If I had to name the flavor I’d call it vanilla cinnamon almond. One more note that is unrelated to taste, I LOVE that a portion of net proceeds will be donated to Baby Quest Foundation, “a non-profit charity granting financial assistance to those who cannot afford the high cost of fertility treatments.” AMAZING! Because there are SO many people that could benefit from financial assistance in this process. And one more completely unrelated but important note: the packaging design is just unbelievably beautiful!

Who it’s good for:
I mean anyone could eat these but they are marketed for those who are in the pre-conception phase of life. You don’t have to be going through infertility treatments to eat these either, you could just be starting out on the baby making journey, but for those of of with infertility they are especially helpful.

When & How I use it:
Eat these whenever you want! I ate them as a snack but I suppose they could be a breakfast bar or something like that. I guess I wouldn’t suggest it as a complete meal replacement since they are only 250 calories and getting enough calories is important for fertility, but it could supplement a meal. Also, another side note, these would not replace a good prenatal vitamin but rather supplement the nutrition you get from those. The nutrition facts are as follows: Calories-250, Protein-11g, Vitamin A-18%, Vitamin C-5%, Calcium-10% & Iron-15%.

Where you can find it:
You can get them here.

Have you tried these yet? You’ll have to let me know what you think!