How to thicken uterine lining

This article and yoga class was created in response to one of the ladies in my Online Yoga Circle. She is currently going through IVF and was told she needed to thicken uterine lining before they undergo another round. I share this class and information here in case it is helpful to you as well. If you’d like to request a class or choose from my other fertility yoga classes, start with a free trial of my Online Yoga Circle here.

The uterine lining (or endometrium) in incredibly important when you’re trying to conceive as it’s basically your baby’s first home. A thick, nourishing lining approximately 7 – 8mm thick is the ideal for your embryo to implant itself into.

While I don’t think it’s helpful to get caught up stressing about the numbers, it is worth learning how to thicken uterine lining to improve your overall fertility.

What causes uterine lining to be too thin?

Lack of blood flow to the uterus

Poor blood flow and circulation can cause whole lot of issues when it comes to fertility. While I don’t think it’s worth getting stressed over the details (because ironically stress makes circulation worse), I think it is worthwhile learning a few easy ways to improve blood circulation in your body. See below for some quick wins when it comes to increasing blood flow.

Too little oestrogen

When it comes to hormones, it’s all a balancing act. Too much oestrogen is not great, nor is too little. Honestly, the best way to balance your hormones is to take a holistic approach. Eat well. Get enough rest. Move your body regularly. Manage your stress. No, it’s not a sexy “quick fix” but it will work.

Scar tissue or adhesions in the uterus

Blood flow to the uterus can be affected by scar tissue and adhesions in the uterus. Obviously you’ll need to see your doctor about this one to find a treatment that will work for you.

Trauma to the uterus or reproductive system

Unfortunately for many of us the road to conceiving is not a straightforward one. Trauma caused by infertility treatments and other procedures (like a D&C) can affect the blood flow to the uterus. In some cases the trauma may be a physical, however it’s also important to consider how the emotions of trauma can affect you as well. I highly recommend working with someone (a counsellor, energy work, yoga therapist, a fertility massage therapist, etc) to help you process the trauma of your experiences that may be affecting future conception.

Long term use of fertility medication (eg. clomid)

Unfortunately it’s a really shit reality that some fertility treatments can also impair your fertility long term. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned this might be the case for you.

Long term use of hormonal contraception

I don’t want to entirely knock hormonal contraception because it has it’s place. But for many of us, we were put on it far too young and for the wrong reasons (before our body’s natural cycle could even mature.) As a result hormone levels have never had the chance to balance and the whole system is thrown off. If you’ve been on hormonal contraception for a long time, consider taking some time to rebalance your hormonal system without the added pressure of trying to conceive.

How to improve thickness of the uterine lining?

Balance hormone levels

It’s important to focus on balancing your hormones because they play a direct role in growing a nourishing uterine lining. If oestrogen and progesterone are out of balance your body will not know to grow the uterine lining in preparation for implantation. Whilst there are a billion articles out there on how to do this, I like to keep it simple.

Get enough sleep.

Eat good food. (Real whole foods your Grandma would recognise)

Move your body.

Manage your stress.

Improve blood flow / circulation

You can improve blood flow in the body through a number of different ways. Movement and getting the blood pumping helps. So does reducing stress and making sure that you’re drinking enough water. Yoga helps with 2/3 of these which is why it’s a ‘must do’ in my opinion (of course I’m completely biased). Try this yoga class below or download my free fertility yoga guide if you’re brand new to yoga. Acupuncture and self-fertility massage are helpful in improving circulation to the reproductive organs.

Use blood building herbs and supplements

The following herbs and supplements have been shown to improve blood and circulation, which assists the body in building the uterine lining. It’s best to visit a naturopath or TCM doctor to get the right dose for your body. Dong Quai, Nettle, Raspberry leaf, Rosehip, L-Arginine and Vitamin E. If you’re looking for more information on what supplements to take I highly recommend the book It starts with the egg. It has loads of science based information on what can improve your fertility as a whole, but also specifically the uterine lining.

What now?

Look, I’m obviously very biased but I think you should start with this yoga class below. (Or scroll to the bottom of this post to see a quick reference guide of the five poses included in this practice.)

Why start with yoga?

I know when I was looking for answers to our fertility issues, it was so easy to fall down the rabbit hole of Google and discover ALL the things I needed to be doing yesterday or else I would never have my baby. And all that did was make me feel incredibly stressed.

Instead of worrying about all the things you’re doing ‘wrong’ start with yoga. It will help you start making some better choices from a calm and centred place rather than that place of stress and anxiety. And it’s also going to help improve circulation and thicken your uterine lining – so it’s a win win really.

Once you’ve practice this class, won’t you pop back and let me know how you went. I’d love to hear.