Dry | Fertility Types | Making Babies

The Dry Type

A Chinese Medicine Perspective

From a Chinese medicine perspective, we refer to this type as kidney “yin” deficiency. Yin describes the functions of the body that are cooling, nourishing, & dampening; without enough yin, the body gets hotter & dries out. This is reflected in low estrogen levels, thinner uterine lining, & less cervical fluid. It can also cause premature ejaculation, low semen volumes, & frequent erections. Yin naturally depletes with age, but some people use up their yin faster either through lack of sleep, poor diet, & exercising in intense bursts.

Our Advice

Here is some advice on steps you can take to improve your fertility and help optimize your chances of conceiving. Click through the list below to learn more about each of these steps and how they can help.

Hydrate
Get plenty of fluids
Drinking lots of fluids and keeping your body hydrated is important. To nourish the follicles while reducing water retention and bloating, we recommend drinking lots of water. Coconut water is also a great and natural way to balance electrolytes in the body.
Here's our advice on hydrating, naturally
Incorporate Fatty Acids
Omega 3 Fatty Acids regulate hormones, promote ovulation and increase cervical mucus, making this an excellent choice for dry-types with scanty mucus and an ender resourced follicle that leads to low progesterone in the luteal phase of the cycle. There is research that shows that taking Omega 3 Fatty Acids can help to improve egg quality.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
You can incorporate Omega 3 Fatty Acids into your diet through foods like fish (particularly salmon, mackerel, tuna), nuts and seeds (particularly flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts) as well as plant oils (like flaxseed oil, soybean oil, and canola oil)
The easiest way to add a consistent level of fatty acids is to get yourself a high-quality Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplement. An incredibly pure fish oil soft gel sourced from Norwegian cold-water fish, our EPA/DHA is batch tested by a third party to ensure that every bottle is free of heavy metals and contaminants.
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Take an Herbal Formula, Tailored to Your Needs
Clinical research supports the use of Chinese herbs showing that taking a Chinese herbal formula can improve pregnancy rates twofold. That’s why they are such an important part of our toolkit at Yinova, where we use them to create measurable physiological and hormonal changes.
Add Tailored Herbs to Your Routine
When crafting treatment plans for our patients, we always create a regimen that fits each patient’s unique internal landscape.
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Consume Nutrient-Rich Foods
The expression “dry” not only means a lack of fluids and moisture (the body is hotter and “dries” out) but a lack of substance. When the body loses its ability to be properly nourished, the foundation and structure of the body thins out and becomes less substantive. Eating nutrient-dense foods that are moistening and nourishing helps to rebuild the foundational level of the body with building blocks that let tissues thicken, grow, and strengthen. We are adding physical amplification to the body itself. “Dry” does not just mean a lack of fluids, it means a waning of substance and physical form. We need to provide our bodies nutrient-dense building blocks to strengthen and grow!
Add Healthy Fats
Try to incorporate dark leafy greens, soy products (for phytoestrogens), and healthy fats into your diet.
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Get More Iron
Chinese medicine emphasizes the quality of blood as a precursor to yin, and so we use Floradix as part of our approach to treating the Dry Type’s yin deficiency. Unlike other iron supplements, it does not cause constipation making it the right choice for dry-type patients, who tend to have dry stools.
Get More Iron
Floradix is a gentle iron supplement with herbs that increase its absorbability.
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Avoid Alcohol, Sweets & Greasy Foods
Research on alcohol and fertility is a bit of a mixed bag. Some studies have found no link between moderate drinking and fertility issues. But some show that even low levels of alcohol can cut fertility by as much as one-half. As there is no agreed-upon safe amount of alcohol, it’s better to be safe and simply avoid drinking it altogether when you are actively trying to conceive.
Limit Consumption of Alcohol
It’s a good idea to limit alcohol as much as possible, but a good rule of thumb is to leave at least two consecutive days alcohol-free.
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Avoid Spicy Foods
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Dry Type is kidney “yin” deficient, which means the body gets hotter and dries out. This is reflected in low estrogen levels, thinner uterine lining, and less cervical fluid.
Eat more nourishing foods
Chinese medicine encourages foods that are moistening and yin nourishing which include seeds, nuts, beans, sardines, and vegetables like zucchini, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes to name a few.
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Take L-Carnitine
Research shows that L-Carnitine supports ovarian health at a cellular level and promotes hormone balance. The Dry Type often has a lower ovarian reserve, so we use it to help each egg live up to it’s potential.
L-Carnitine
Vegetarians are prone to becoming Dry Types and are often deficient in L-Carnitine, making this an essential supplement if you don't eat meat.
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Reduce Stress
Stress will impair ovulation and deplete progesterone, two nonnegotiables when it comes to creating a child. Progesterone is the hormone produced at ovulation from the corpus luteum, a temporary gland. It is responsible for continuing & maintaining the build-up of the lining of the uterus (endometrium), which creates a hospitable environment for implantation.
Stress relieving tips
Some of our favorite stress relieving recommendations are journaling, meditating, breathing, moving, supplements, customized herbal formulas, and acupuncture.
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Use a BBT Thermometer
A BBT thermometer records temperature in smaller increments than a conventional one that is used for fevers. Keeping track of your BBT (basal body temperature) gives you two key pieces of information for trying to conceive: if you are ovulating, and how well progesterone sustains during the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle is. By the time your temperature goes up, ovulation has already occurred. Over time, however, understanding your body’s patterns and rhythms will help you identify when you ovulate so you can take action accordingly.
Use a BBT Thermometer
Get yourself a BBT Thermometer and start keeping track of your temperatures. This information will be incredibly helpful for your practitioner to decipher
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Stay Active, But Avoid Excessive Exercise
Here at the Yinova Center, we see many patients who are hesitant to exercise whilst they are trying to get pregnant. Some doctors don’t want to recommend exercise to patients who are planning to conceive and some even warn against it. In reality, exercise, if done in moderation, can actually benefit your fertility. The only thing to be mindful of is over-exercising.
Exercise mindfully
Try more relaxing forms of exercise like yoga, tai chi, or qi gong. The key is to not overdo it. You can keep tabs on how much exercise is too much for you not by the number of minutes spent exercising but by the intensity. Exercise should make you feel good, physically and emotionally, not completely drained or exhausted. While you are trying to conceive, stay away from your peak exercise level. If you exercise to the point where you get that endorphin rush, try to scale back. That rush is a sure sign you’re overdoing it from a fertility perspective.
Here's Our Advice Exercise While TTC

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The Dry Type: Yinova's Herbal Blend

This herbal blend is designed to prompt the body’s dampening and cooling functions. We use it to treat Dry Types in perimenopause who are suffering from night sweats, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and to support fertility in cases of diminished ovarian reserve.

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Yinova: Based on formulas we've used to treat 1000's of patients with measurable results, our 20+ years of experience in fertility enhancement is reflected in this herbal blend.
Efficacy: This herbal blend has been carefully crafted using whole herbs to ensure the potency & consistency of their active ingredients.
Sourcing: We source carefully from growers & manufacturers we trust to supply us with herbs that are pure, effective & free from contamination & pollutants.
Ingredients: This formula contains herbs that nourish yin, promote healthy estrogen balance, improve fluid metabolism, clear heat & reduce inflammation.
The Dry Type: If you are perimenopausal, suffer from dry skin or vaginal dryness, have hot flashes, elevated FSH, low AMH, or low estrogen - you may be a Dry Type.
More Support: We offer consultations, both virtually & in-clinic, where we can gather more information, provide specifically tailored herbs & a custom fertility plan.

Vitamins & Tools to Support You

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Virtual

Fertility Coaching & Support Groups

Together we can help you enhance your fertility, based on the Making Babies program designed by Jill Blakeway, where each week will have a specific theme geared towards troubleshooting common fertility issues. Our aim is to share information, help you understand your fertility situation & provide a community of like-minded people to lean on.

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Making Babies: The Book

Jill Blakeway (& co-author Sami David, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist) draw on the best of both Eastern & Western medicine. By identifying your “fertility type,” inspired by the classical patterns of Chinese Medicine, you can focus on helpful strategies for your particular situation & avoid the things that may be causing you problems.

Buy the Book

The Book: A proven 3-month program designed to help people get the best of Eastern & Western medicine to enhance fertility & increase chances of conception.
What's Inside: Information about conventional medicine & explanations of how Chinese medicine can boost fertility, based on your fertility type.
Learn More: Explore our fertility resources page & our blog archive for fertility advice from Jill & the team & join us for events where we dive deeper.
The Author: Yinova Founder Dr. Blakeway is a fertility expert. She continues to see patients at Yinova where she also trains & advises our clinical team.
Experience: Enhancing fertility is a Yinova specialty: our team are fertility experts who have been trained in delivering the Making Babies program.
Also from Jill: Jill has also written two other books, Energy Medicine & Sex Again, & was the host of the popular CBS podcast Grow, Cook, Heal.

Locations

The Dry Type

The Dry Type

A Chinese Medicine Perspective

Estrogen and Progesterone Imbalances

Recurrent Miscarriages

Elevated FSH

Our Advice

Take Your Health In Hand.

The Dry Type: Yinova's Herbal Blend

Vitamins & Tools to Support You

Virtual

Fertility Coaching & Support Groups

Making Babies: The Book

Resources for the Dry Type

Making Babies

Making Babies

TTC

Making Babies

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