What Tea is Good for Fertility?
You might be surprised to know that though we love our coffee, more and more people are finding that they adore tea. High-quality tea brands are popping up everywhere, spearheaded by folks like Steven Smith, who co-founded Stash Tea and Tazo Tea, and then started Smith Tea, which continues today. Partly because of tea’s popularity, at the end of an initial acupuncture visit, after I suggest reducing or removing caffeine, I expect these questions right away: What kind of tea can I drink? What tea is good for fertility?
If you are avoiding or reducing caffeine to support your fertility, you’ll still want your warm daily beverage, especially waking up on a cold or rainy day. You could half your caffeine or have a very light green tea, or try one of many herbal tea ingredients to enjoy something beneficial for your fertility.
For example, peppermint tea is high in antioxidants, benefits fertility, and soothes an upset stomach (win-win!). Red clover tea increases fertile cervical mucus quality, helping both female and male factor concerns. Around ovulation, cervical mucus thins which allows sperm to swim in and upwards toward the fallopian tubes, and also extends sperm survival up to five days. With all of the guessing around when you ovulate, you’ll definitely want to appreciate cervical mucus for giving you the signal, so check this herb out.
There are also a few teas with less direct but still helpful side effects for fertility. Cinnamon tea is helpful with balancing blood sugar and hormone levels. But if you tend to have big swings in blood sugar, it might be too strong for you, so do be cautious or discuss its use with your provider. Raspberry leaf tea relaxes the uterus, so it’s helpful before conception but is discontinued when pregnant. Finally, chaste tree berry tea has the amazing benefit of helping luteinizing hormone surge, which promotes ovulation. That’s good tea! The caveat: It is not helpful for male fertility, as chaste tree berry can decrease sperm count.
Luckily, you can still have your warm beverage, just be sure to read the fine print, and check all herbal teas out with your doctor before starting any. If you have more questions or concerns, always address these at your next fertility appointment. Enjoy your warm teas!
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At Portland Acupuncture Studio, we have three highly skilled acupuncturists ready to help you on your journey. Contact us today to see how we can support you both on the path to building your family. We are here to help you succeed.
Established patients can schedule online, patients who haven’t seen us at Kwan Yin Healing Center call (503) 701-8766, or email us to schedule your appointment.
