Preparing the Palace: Getting Ready for an Embryo Transfer

Preparing the Palace is the Traditional Chinese medicine phrase that describes preparing for a pregnancy.  Although the uterus is technically the palace, we expand this to include your body, heart, and mind.  

Embracing this kind of language and approach puts humanity back into the experience, and encourages you to think of yourself as more than a person doing an embryo transfer.  It invites you to think of yourself as a precious being that has so much to offer your intended baby, not just a gestational incubator. 

When prepping for an embryo transfer you are constructing the prime luteal phase where the uterus is most hospitable.  In TCM, we equate this to planting seeds in fertile soil.  The ground must be soft and pliable, the temperature should be warm, and the moisture should be just enough. Under these conditions, a seed can sprout and an embryo can grow.

The language of Chinese medicine is flowery and romantic, yet practical and simple.  

Progesterone - which loosely translates into ‘promoting gestation hormone’- is one of the key elements for this phase. Although it’s a prime target, we know there must be other hormones, molecules or messengers at play in developing a healthy pregnancy. If progesterone was the only factor then every on it would conceive. 

The TCM approach encourages us to look beyond what is known and look deeper inside ourselves for the answers.  Science will never get ahead of life, and the mysteries contained within.  

In TCM,  the energy of holding and growing an embryo comes from the spleen, not the spleen organ you usually think of, but the energetic system of that organ that has a unique set of responsibilities.  This energy supports the development of a corpus luteum after ovulation and masters the strength to hold the embryo in place as it grows and changes.  

All organ systems have a seasonal element and spleen energy is the energy of earth.  To protect and strengthen the spleen we look to earthly foods and traditional cooking methods that generate warmth and moisture.  Spleen foods usually feel like autumn harvests as we reap the benefits of a summer growing season.  

Spleen foods are: 

• Warm and simple 

• Broth and stews

• Yellow and orange earthfoods

• Root vegetables  

• Slow cooked 

The spleen prefers soft foods for easy digestion with warming herbs to stimulate the central heating of the body. This keeps the womb warm and soft.  Spleen Energy also wants to avoid sticky and damp foods like melting cheese, peanut butter, bananas, and anything sugary or gooey. 

Here’s a quick list of ideal spleen foods: 

Butternut squash soup              
Chicken soup
Chili                    
Curries                                           
Sesame seeds & tahini
Garlic Shrimp in butter               
Spicy crawfish
Lentil soup  
Sweet potatoes 
Roasted beets
Turnips
Roasted radish
Glazed carrots
Butternut squash
Pumpkin
Steel-cut oats with cinnamon      
Grits with butter

You can’t go any further without a mention of bone broth.  Bone broth is mentioned in health and wellness information everywhere, but this food holds a special status as one of the most deeply nourishing to the essence and marrow.  The minerals and collagen are incredibly important but beyond that, it’s the concept of essence. 

Essence is the root of life and the contribution you make to your child, endowing it with the wisdom that is passed down through generations and from plant to animal to human through the food chain.  Essence includes DNA and how we pass along our genes, but it goes beyond that.  It’s one of those TCM concepts that takes lots of English words to describe it.  

When you extract the essence of an animal into a broth, you fully utilize all of its gifts.  It’s a sacred contract, and taking the time to make the broth, and give thanks for the continuum of life, is what bone broth is all about. It’s much more than nutrition, it’s a sincere appreciation for the cycles of life. 

Letting go of the woo-woo for a moment, let’s turn toward another crucial factor, blood circulation.  Blood flow and “heat health” are ubiquitous themes.  Protecting the heart is easy to understand. Put simply,  The heart is a blood-filled muscular organ that contracts to facilitate circulation.  The uterus has a very similar nature.  What’s beneficial to the heart is beneficial to the uterus. 

It’s also important to enhance the circulation of blood through the pelvis and strengthen the connection between the heart and the uterus. Like the spleen energy, the blood should be warm, moist, and filled with nutrients.  TCM views the heart as a living and vibrant substance, not an inert fluid that gets passed around.  The connections between the spleen, heart, and uterus strengthen the ability to carry a child to term.  Add in red foods to strengthen the heart, preparing to build the amazing placenta organ.

Cherries
Pomegranates
Berries of all kinds 
Lamb
Beef
Wild-caught salmon 
Kidney beans
Adzuki beans
Red peppers 

If the seeds need fertile soil to germinate, then seedlings or sprouts represent the energy we are trying to achieve. The uterus needs strong qi (energy) to hold the baby as it transforms,  so we add microgreens and sprouted seeds to feed the energy of germination. The energy of these foods is in their highest growth phase and encourages the embryo to take off and grow.   

Soaked chia or flax seeds     
Microgreens                                       
Bean sprouts                     
Sunflower sprouts
Pea shoots     
Sprouted grain breads                                 

Finally, add lots of leafy greens and herbs to your foods to ensure you are getting plenty of their nutrition like folate, B vitamins, magnesium, iron, etc.  Leafy greens help the smooth flow of energy through digestion and the liver, where your body sheds unwanted elements. 

Now that you’re eating to prepare the palace, here are a few more things to consider. 

Be sure that you’re having a healthy bowel movement every day, and eating this warm and nourishing diet will assist in healthy bowel habits.  The uterus shares the blood flow of the large intestine, so a sluggish or dry bowel can impede its health.

Sleep is a necessity for a healthy pregnancy and that should begin with transfer.  Setting a good sleep hygiene routine is so important.  Make your sleep a priority.  Check out all the resources in TFR Lifestyle section. 

In making yourself feel precious, move your body.  Not just for exercise, working out, losing weight, or hitting a target.  Move your body for the sake of being a human being who is capable of moving and grateful for the strength and abilities of your body. 

Take walks or cruise on a bike ride.  Stretch. Dance and be silly.  Go to yoga, pilates or barre.  Play pickleball or go paddleboarding.  

Think of your body like a ripening fruit living up to its fertile potential. Take pleasure in movement with no expectations. 

Finally, let’s talk Mindset. The most important of all.

Stop thinking about an embryo transfer, start thinking of yourself as the palace.  You are preparing the palace for your child.  You are the palace.  You are taking care of yourself and getting yourself in order.  

Make yourself feel beautiful, important, and connected to the history and traditions of your family and your culture.  Surround yourself with beauty and art, nature, and loving relationships.  Eat your food in celebration, not in your car. 

Slow down, and connect to yourself.  Connect to your partner. Ask your family members about things they did to celebrate their pregnancies.  

Create a ritual of giving thanks and celebrating your experience.  Let your loss live beside your joy. 

Create the environment you imagine to bring your new baby earthside.  

You are the palace.  

Blessings!