Light Periods & Fertility

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If you’re trying to conceive, having a robust endometrial lining is the key to a successful implantation and a healthy pregnancy. One of the ways to determine if you may be having an issue with a thin endometrial lining impacting your fertility is determining whether you may be having too light of a light period or not. If you think you might fall into this category, read on because this could be a reason if you are experiencing fertility issues. In this article, I’ll go over how our periods are a key sign of the health of our uterine lining and what you can do to improve your light periods and improve your fertility.

I’ll begin with a story about a patient I saw in my clinic about 4 years ago named Nadeen. Nadeen was 39 years old, a marathon runner, and came to see me because she had been trying to conceive over the last 4 years unsuccessfully. She’d had 4 failed IUI cycles, 2 early miscarriages, and was at her wits end with trying to figure out why she couldn’t conceive and hold a pregnancy. Her fertility doctors had recommended she move to IVF, but she was worried about the cost and also worried that the real reason she was not getting pregnant was not being addressed by the doctors and there may be a deeper issue.

Nadeen lived out of town and came to see me at the urging of a friend of hers who was a successful fertility patient of mine. When she came to see me, she was feeling frustrated and hopeless that the body she had taken such great care of with exercise and food choices seemed to be failing her. One of the first things I asked her about was her period. What was the color? What was the consistency - was it watery or thick? How much did she bleed during her menstruation and for how many days (how many pads or tampons and were those soaked or not)? She definitely was a bit surprised at the level of questioning I had for her, but answered all of my questions in detail. 

At the end of our initial and only session (she lived out of town), it was clear to me why she hadn’t been able to conceive and hold a pregnancy. Her uterus was not receiving proper circulation or nourishment, and so her body was unable to build a healthy, plush uterine lining for implantation to occur. This was also a key reason she had experienced early miscarriages.

Nadeen’s periods were very light, only about a day and a half in length and she mainly only needed to use pantyliners. Light periods are a big sign that the uterine lining is not getting the circulation it needs to really build up to the thickness for an embryo to implant. Unless steps were taken to discover the reason why the lining may be so thin and to also work on improving the thickness, it would continue to be difficult for Nadeen to conceive and she would be at risk for another miscarriage. No one had ever assessed her for this - not her gynecologist or her fertility doctor! 

Since Nadeen lived out of state, I sent her home with a list of acupressure points, a handout on how to do castor oil packs, a list of blood building foods to eat more of, and a supplement that helped build her blood. Within the first month of beginning my recommendations, her period flow improved. Three months later, she became pregnant naturally and went on to give birth to a healthy baby boy at the age of 40. 

Nadeen’s case is not uncommon, I have seen many many women with a similar light menstrual cycles become pregnant rather quickly after we reversed the underlying issue - sometimes after years of trying to conceive or multiple miscarriages.

What is the Endometrium & Why is it So Important?

The endometrium is the inner layer of the uterus and is the site where embryo implantation occurs. In response to hormone changes in your body (namely estrogen levels increasing), the endometrial thickness builds to get ready for implantation. If an embryo does not implant in a given cycle, the endometrium sheds and leads to the start of your menstrual cycle.

I like to think of the endometrial lining as this big, plush shaggy carpet. It’s there to be a welcoming environment for its most important house guest, an embryo. It’s there to be welcoming and nourishing enough for the embryo to implant into and grow.

Once the embryo implants, the endometrium is also the location where the placenta develops. The placenta plays a crucial role in fetal development and growth. This blood-rioch, remarkable organ is also important in delivering oxygen and nutrients and bringing out waste products. Ensuring a healthy endometrium can help create a healthy placenta.

What Causes a Thin Uterine Lining

In my experience, the main cause of a thin uterine lining (and light menstrual blood flow) is poor blood flow to the uterus. 

Here are the main causes for a thin uterine lining:

  • Poor blood flow to the uterus

  • Long term birth control use

  • Damage to the basal endometrial layer - from a D& C, pelvic inflammation, or scar tissue

  • Low estrogen 

  • Use of clomiphene (Clomid) - a typical fertility drug used to enhance ovulation

How To Determine if You Have a Thin Uterine Lining

There are a couple different ways to find out if you might have a thin uterine lining. 

First, if you’ve done an IVF cycle previously, you most likely have been made aware of the thickness of your uterine lining. During IVF, fertility doctors will closely monitor your endometrial (uterine) lining to ensure it is thick enough for transfer of an embryo. Studies have shown a lining that is at least 6mm in thickness is needed for implantation to occur and most IVF centers will cancel an IVF cycle if the uterine lining is not at that level.

The other key way to know if you might have a thin uterine lining is by assessing your menstrual cycle. Do you have light menstrual bleeding (use only panty liners or lite tampons)? Does your bleeding only last for 1 or 2 days? If you answered yes to either of these, you may have an issue with a thin uterine lining that could be causing issues with your ability to fall pregnant.

How to Improve a Thin Uterine Lining

First, it’s important to find the root cause of why your uterine lining is thin. In Nadeen’s case, she needed to cut back on running for awhile as it was contributing to her blood deficiency. In addition, she did not test as being anemic, however her iron storage levels were low. So, we worked on improving her iron stores with diet and supplements and then I taught her how to do acupressure at home on points to improve the blood flow to her uterus. 

Here are some key ways to improve a thin endometrial lining:

Are you a woman trying to get pregnant and looking for more personalized guidance and support into natural ways to increase your fertility? Book a FREE Fertility Audit call with a member of our team here.

Laurie Terzo