Pulling Down the Moon

How to Improve Egg Quality

Oct 28, 2022
Tamara Quinn

Written By:

Tamara Quinn

Co-Founder of Pulling Down the Moon, Reg. Yoga Teacher,

Yoga Swami

When Pulling Down the Moon first opened our doors nearly 20 years ago, the word on the street was that there was nothing a woman could do to improve the quality of her eggs.  It's true that we're born with all the eggs we’ll ever have, unlike men who continually make sperm across their lifespan.  And while age remains the primary determinant of egg quality, it's not the numerical age that determines the egg quality, it's the age of the environment in which the egg matures that matters.  As we age, our body becomes more susceptible hormonal disruption, inflammation and poor circulation - all things that impact egg quality. 


So for years we've pushed against the message that you can't improve egg quality because time and again we saw improvement in clients’ egg quality when they used our methods - including acupuncture, massage, yoga and nutritional changes/supplements.  Flash forward to the present day and you will be hard pressed to find a Reproductive Endocrinologist who does not concur that egg quality can improve.  In fact, many refer their patients to us for that very reason. 

Strategies to Improve Egg Quality


So, here are our top 3 strategies for improving egg quality - and some ideas for ways to implement these strategies in your own life. 


  1. Increase blood flow to your pelvis.  If you read our recent blog about the promising data around electroacupuncture and fertility, you know that we advocate strongly for fertility acupuncture to increase blood flow.  There are other ways to increase pelvic blood flow including yoga poses that stretch and open the hips, abdominal wrapping, FEM massage and self-massage, and practices like breathing and meditation that help to stimulate our body’s relaxation response, which serves to indirectly move circulation away from the fight/flight skeletal muscles to the abdominal and reproductive organs. 
  2. Reduce oxidative stress.  Eggs are big honking cells that use a LOT of energy to develop and mature.  As such they are vulnerable (as are sperm which are smaller but reproduce very quickly) to oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress is a byproduct of the cellular processes that use oxygen, resulting in compounds that can actually damage cells and tissues.  While oxidative stress is a natural process that our bodies have many ways to cope with, our ability to manage oxidative stress declines with age.  In addition, our environment is increasingly filled with chemicals that increase the oxidative load in our body.  Ways to decrease oxidative stress include nutritional changes towards an anti-inflammatory diet and nutritional supplements like omega-3’s, antioxidant vitamins and CoQ-10 that have been proven to reduce oxidative stress.  Yoga, and other strategies that reduce stress can help, as stress can also contribute to the oxidative stress that can harm eggs.
  3. Make yourself more stress-resistant.  So, if you’re now stressed about being stressed, please know this - while you cannot remove the stress and anxiety of the fertility journey, you can definitely change the way your body responds to stress.  That’s one of the things that is so powerful about yoga.  We call it a “stress rehearsal,” where we do some (slightly) uncomfortable poses and practice remaining calm and relaxed.  That way, when stressors arise off the mat, we have tools to manage the stress response - which is great (remember what we said above about the body’s relaxation response and its power to increase blood flow and decrease oxidative stress). 


So, there you have it, our top tips for improving egg quality.  Please know we’re here for you if you have any questions or if you are interested in exploring our yoga, nutrition, massage and acupuncture programs for fertility.  Click here to contact us or call 312-321-0004 to chat with us directly! 


Meet Tamara Quinn

Tami, the Co-Founder of Pulling Down the Moon, played a pivotal role in transforming the care provided to women facing infertility. After a corporate career, she sought balance and meaning through yoga and ancient healing practices, eventually leaving the corporate world. Tami became a registered yoga teacher (RYT), immersing herself in mystical yogic traditions such as Kriology and Ayurveda. She also attained the status of a reiki master, a disciple of Kriya yoga, and an ordained Swami. Utilizing her extensive training, Tami creates fertility rituals, meditations, and yoga classes tailored to women dealing with infertility, some of which are highlighted in her co-authored book, "Fully Fertile, A 12-Week Plan to Optimal Fertility." Her journey remains ongoing as she continues to learn from her Guru and her students, demonstrating a deep commitment to her path.

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By Beth Heller • 13 Sep, 2024
There are many reasons that a therapeutic yoga program may benefit women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS presents very differently in different women but the syndrome as whole is associated with infertility and other adverse health conditions including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Women with PCOS may also have higher levels of chronic inflammation and elevated levels of circulating stress hormones. The good news is that more and more research suggests that lifestyle intervention including lifestyle intervention including diet and exercise may be the best way to manage PCOS. In addition, new research is showing the benefit of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat the hormonal imbalances, symptoms like hirsutism and acne, and menstrual irregularity that is associated with PCOS. Another element of PDtM’s PCOS “Action Plan is yoga. Yoga has been shown to lower levels of stress hormones and women with a regular yoga practice have been show to have a “healthier physiological response to stress". Yoga has also been shown to reduce markers of oxidative stress and blood sugar control in people with diabetes as well as improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels in heart disease patients (1). Some of the goals of a therapeutic yoga practice for PCOS include: Standing and seated yoga asana that create an invigorating, but not exhausting, exercise session Twisting poses, which in yoga physiology are believed to help decrease abdominal fat Postures that bring blood to the thyroid gland, an important endocrine gland for metabolism Stimulating agni, the digestive fire, that supports complete digestion and metabolism of foods Mudras (hand yoga) that stimulate different physiological and energetic systems Breathing exercises that induce the relaxation response While lifestyle changes can be very helpful with PCOS, they are not enough on their own. Working in partnership with you physician or Reproductive Endocrinologist and ensuring they are kept up to date on any holistic treatments you may be using is the smartest approach for PCOS management. Yoga for Fertility to support PCOS is available at Pulling Down the Moon in-center starting on Sept 21st and virtually starting on Sept 30th . If you would like to learn more about PDtM’s PCOS Action Plan to manager your PCOS Action Plan with holistic health treatment ( Acupuncture , Massage , Nutrition , and Yoga ) then contact us at 312-321-0004 or email info@pullingdownthemoon.com to get started today! (1) Field, T. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 17 (2011) 1e8
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As I’ve said before, it took me seven years and five pregnancies to get two kids. So, while pregnancy was a joyful time for me on some levels, it was also a time of stress and sleepless anxiety. In fact my business partner Tami will often joke that my pregnancies were some of the most stressful times of her life. Honestly, though, without yoga, massage and acupuncture I think I would have bitten my fingernails to the quick waiting for Jackson and Calvin to arrive safely. What I didn’t know then was that seeking relief for anxiety through holistic means was also good for my boys. A growing body of clinical evidence now suggests that prenatal stress, depression and/or anxiety is linked to adverse health outcomes for both moms and babies including preterm birth, preeclampsia and even future risk of chronic disease and obesity (1). Women, especially women who have struggled to conceive, may feel guilty about experiencing anxious emotions during this “blissful time". Yet preparing for a new baby, no matter how hard one had to work to get it, can be stressful. Changes in the body during pregnancy, including the strains of a growing belly and nighttime muscle cramps, can also disrupt sleep, which increases stress. Rather than worry about worrying, we suggest you take the bull by the horns and enjoy a 360 degree self-care program during pregnancy. And honestly, it will never again be as easy to justify self-care like acupuncture , massage and yoga as it is when your efforts are a “double-dip – good for mom and great for baby. Here are several strategies for decreasing maternal stress and improving overall well-being during pregnancy: 1. Get acupuncture. A 2010 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that acupuncture treatment alleviated symptoms of stress and depression in pregnant women and women experiencing infertility (2, 3). Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective at managing morning sickness, back and pelvic pain and labor pain. Make sure, however, that you see a practitioner who is experienced in treating pregnancy. 2. Do prenatal yoga. Compared to controls, women who did prenatal yoga experienced significant reductions in physical pain from baseline to post intervention compared with women in the third trimester whose pain increased. Women in the yoga group showed greater reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety in their third trimester than women from the control group (4) The same women also experienced better sleep and less wakefulness (5). 3. Get prenatal massage. Research shows that women who received prenatal massage reported decreased depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain. Cortisol levels decreased, which decreased excessive fetal activity; the rate of baby prematurity was also lower (6). 4. Seek expert prenatal nutrition counseling. There are specific nutritional strategies for managing weight gain, avoiding conditions like Gestational Diabetes and Pre-eclampsia and improving digestion (less heartburn, avoid constipation). At Pulling Down the Moon we target our prenatal nutrition consults based on trimester. Get your passport to pregnancy relaxation by getting started today with prenatal care in Chicago , Highland Park , or virtually ! Gift certificates are also available at our online store shop.pullingdownthemoon.com . 1. Entringer S et al. Prenatal stress and developmental programming of human health and disease risk: concepts and integration of empirical findings. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Dec;17(6):507-16. 2. Smith CA. 1. SMith The effect of acupuncture on psychosocial outcomes for women experiencing infertility. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Oct;17(10):923-30. Epub 2011 Oct 6 . 3. Manber et al. Acupuncture for depression during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Mar;115(3):511-20. 4. Beddoe AE et al. The effects of mindfulness-based yoga during pregnancy on maternal psychological and physical distress. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2009 May-Jun;38(3):310-9. 5. Beddoe AE et al. Effects of mindful yoga on sleep in pregnant women: a pilot study. Biol Res Nurs. 2010 Apr;11(4):363-70. 6. Field, T. (2010). Pregnancy and labor massage therapy. Expert Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology , 5, 177-181.
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