Is Hustle Culture Hurting Your Chances of Getting Pregnant?

Hustle culture- this urge we have as a society to work harder, faster, stronger, & constantly be productive- is doing a lot more harm than good when it comes to your health. 

Hustle mode keeps the body in fight or flight, steeping the body in stress hormones.

(OK, first before I hear some backlash on this- no stress doesn’t necessarily CAUSE infertility. And yes, infertility DOES cause stress)…

But stress, perfectionism…the hustle…is not helping hormone health and for some folks this eventually can impact the chances of getting pregnant.

When stress hormones are chronically high, we eventually see things like…

Poor Sleep

Mood Changes

Premature aging

Digestive issues

Hormone Imbalances

These Hormone imbalances eventually lead to: 

Irregular cycles/irregular ovulation

Low progesterone/luteal phase defects

Severe PMS

Infertility

I know first hand the effects of hustle culture. I’m a recovering Type A perfectionist who has a history of insomnia, anxiety, cystic acne, irregular cycles/PCOS, allergies and hypothyroidism…and magically all of these issues improve when I say to no the hustle

Some of you have likely become very successful by hustling, and the thought of slowing down seems CRAZY in part because society is pushing it like it’s the only way to live and in part because it’s all we know. But is this how YOU want to live? Is this how you want your children to live?

If hustle culture is all you’ve ever known, but you’re also trying to make a baby, hustle hormones are actually in direct opposition to baby making hormones. It’s time to untangle ourselves from hustle culture. 

But how does one untangle themselves from hustle culture? 

1. Take an inventory of priorities – what is truly important to you?
2. Define what your ideal life looks (not just the things you have or the title you’ve earned, but how do you desire to FEEL each day)- come back to this desired state daily
3. Limit your To Do list to mandatory only…like 1-3 items per day. I know, I know, this one is the HARDEST for me. But once I see that the world and my success actually don’t crumble, it is incredibly freeing!
4. Schedule yourself some downtime. If you like lists and have the urge for the entire day to be booked, be sure to book in the lunch break, the walking break, and the “do whatever the hell I need to to decompress break.”
5. Rest as hard as you work. Rest is productive. Burning the midnight oil to finish a deadline is only going to further deplete your energy, adrenal function and you guessed it- baby making hormones. If you’re trying to get pregnant, please please please prioritize sleep! 7.5-9 hrs per night is what I recommend to most of my patients.

If you’re a hustle bug but you’re also trying to get pregnant, I challenge you to take a look at how you might even bring the hustle along on the fertility journey (ie eating perfectly, meditating every day, taking ALL the supplements)…how’s all of this feeling for you? 

I hate seeing how stress and perfectionism is wrecking my patients’ hormones and fertility potential. I want to show people there is a better way and it involves resting and doing things you love and being successful (by your definition, not society’s).

If you’re ready to cancel hustle culture &  get started on a hustle-free plan to support your fertility journey, apply HERE to work with me

Check out these resources to bring more confidence and calm to your fertility journey:

Fueling Fertility: a fertility nutrition workshop with lifetime access to trainings and handouts in a private Facebook group. Fertility nutrition does not have to mean all rules & restriction and no fun.

The Fertility Tapping Circle: a weekly meetup to release fears, limiting beliefs and stuck emotions so you can feel more joy, peace and relaxation while trying to conceive.