Caffeine, Conflict, and the Fertility Crisis: Why It’s Time to Break Up with Coffee

Imagine believing you’re healthy and fertile — bleeding every month like clockwork — only to find out you haven't actually ovulated. One of the tragically common things a fertility awareness educator sees in her clients’ charts is anovulation. Just like it sounds, anovulation is when a woman doesn’t ovulate in that particular cycle, despite even having what appears to be menstrual bleeding. 

Using FAM, we determine the occurrence of ovulation with basal body temperatures–low temperatures before ovulation, and high temperatures after ovulation. And the woman who doesn’t ovulate will have low temperatures all the way. Her body won’t receive the many benefits of progesterone (the hormone that elevates body temperature among other things, and is produced by the corpus luteum). 

Why does this happen to some women?

While allopathic medicine scratches its head and offers synthetic hormone injections and pills, and alternative medicine plays a sad little victim violin about all the toxins we’re exposed to on a daily basis through our food, water, air, and clothing that we just can’t possibly do anything about… I’d like to offer you a different lens.

What if your body was designed to be intelligent and self-healing, and problems like anovulation could be looked at as a wise adaptation to something that you — an organism — have perceived to be a threat to your survival?

Thankfully, this isn’t just a fun little thought experiment we get to have together right now. Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer has done the heavy lifting, and discovered the truth about our biology. He discovered the 5 Biological Laws, one of which I’d like to focus on as we journey into a discussion about fertility and wait for it…. Caffeine!

Girl, what? Where is this going? 

I know, I know, stick with me here. 

This is a story about sympathetic dominance, how caffeine fuels it, and how healing our nervous systems could heal our fertility and society. 

And yes, I do have some spicy and unpopular opinions about caffeine consumption that I want to get to, but I want to be clear that I’m not here to spin an oversimplified story about how coffee/caffeine is poisonous and you’re such a dirty, rotten sinner for enjoying that hot, brown, morning juice that is — frankly — delicious. So, first we need to lay the groundwork of how our biology even works. 

Let’s discuss the first two biological laws:

Law #1: The Iron Rule of Cancer

When an organism experiences (perceives) a conflict shock, tissues relative to the nature of the shock will adapt. Once the conflict is resolved, symptoms will appear. Hamer calls these special biological programs (SBS) of our unique tissues which each have a biological purpose. 

For example, the biological purpose of our ovarian tissue is to produce estrogen–the hormone essential for ovulation. When a woman experiences a conflict with the theme of loss (such as a sudden death of a loved one) or ugly conflicts with a male (divorce, bad fights with a boyfriend, etc.) her ovarian tissues will stop producing estrogen until the conflict is resolved (ex: a funeral helps her accept the death, or you make up with your man). After the conflict resolution, estrogen is produced again, resulting in increased sex drive, more facial symmetry, all generally increasing the likelihood that she will become pregnant — just as nature/God intended.

Law #2: The Law of Two Phases

Every SBS will have two phases (if the conflict is resolved). The “conflict active” phase immediately following the shock, and the “healing phase” following the resolution. We can think of these phases as the sympathetic, fight/flight phase, and the parasympathetic or vagatonic phase. The balancing of these two phases is mirrored in the day and night, light and dark, solar and lunar, follicular and luteal. This balancing act is the process by which we leave and return to homeostasis. 

When we are in a state of sympathicatonia (conflict active), our tissues adapt and we produce cortisol and adrenaline. Our blood vessels constrict, pulling blood and heat away from our extremities and to our vital organs and brain. Depending on the conflict theme and tissue type affected, we’ll experience cell ulceration or cell proliferation. Our body is helping us stay alive in this phase, and giving us a boost in being able to solve our problem. When and if we resolve the conflict, we’ll experience symptoms. Our body must return to normatonia, and something must be done about all of those dead or extra cells. We get snot, sneezes, inflammation, “cancer,” swelling, infections…. All the stuff we hate because it’s uncomfortable and what allopathy calls “sickness.” Thanks to Dr. Hamer, we know these healing symptoms are not a sign that something is wrong with us, but rather a sign that something is right.

Image credit: LearningGNM.com

You can learn more about the 5 Biological Laws and Dr. Hamer here.

So, what does all this have to do with caffeine consumption?

Well, if you know a little bit about caffeine, you know that it is a stimulant. A stimulant of what exactly…? Your adrenal glands, which produce adrenaline and cortisol. Maybe you see where I’m going with this…

Caffeine activates your sympathetic nervous system by stimulating the adrenals, and blocking adenosine receptors (adenosine is one hormone that tells you when to sleep, and you make more of it the longer you’re awake). Increased adrenaline and cortisol constricts blood flow throughout the body, including to your uterus and ovaries.

Let’s take a bird’s eye view of coffee/caffeine’s affect on your body:

Nervous System & Sleep Disruption: blocks adenosine receptors, disrupts circadian rhythms, reduces deep and REM sleep, exacerbates anxiety and psychosis.

Circulatory & Stress Response: stimulates adrenaline and cortisol, raises heart rate and blood pressure, constricts blood vessels (withdrawal = headaches aka healing phase).

Digestive & Metabolic Impact: increases gastric acid, disrupts blood sugar regulation, can cause dehydration.

Toxicity & Healing Inhibition: inhibits neurogenesis of the hippocampus, increases toxicity when combined with medications, lowers the body's natural healing responses.

In short, drinking coffee keeps you sympathatonic. You smell what I’m steppin’ in here?

“Come on Bailey, so all coffee drinkers are infertile because they’re keeping themselves ‘conflict active’?”

No. Shock first, symptom second. The Iron Rule will always apply. But, I think one of my favorite keepers of the Germanic Healing Knowledge, Freya Kellet says it best: 

“Chronic stress can make it more likely that a person will experience a conflict shock. They’re like a simmering pot ready to boil over at any time.”

One study showed that approximately 90% of adults in the US are caffeine drinkers. That’s a lot of boiling pots walking around, bumping into each other, navigating the stresses of an ever increasingly technocratic, lonely, and disconnected society. Is it really any wonder that we have a fertility crisis in our country? Ovaries are not the only ones running SBSs that keep us from procreating, mind you. Are you a boiling pot? And a better question: what spills out of you when you are tipped? Do you really believe caffeine makes you a kinder, calmer, easy-going, faithful person? Women, do you feel your most feminine and receptive, most trusting, and most open to life when you’re tweaking on adrenaline?

What’s that? You’re triggered that I’d come for your caffeine addiction? How interesting…

Something Fertility Awareness Educators and other holistic practitioners often recommend is for clients who are struggling with fertility issues to stop consuming coffee first thing in the morning, and at least wait until after eating a substantial, protein-rich meal if not eliminating caffeine from one’s diet entirely. This is because of coffee’s effect on blood sugar regulation and the domino effect that has on your hormonal cascade, among its other interruptions to your natural rhythms. I also take a bio-logical approach, and like to consider what kind of person you may become when you’re high on adrenaline and cortisol. How does this affect your relationship with your man? And if you are spiritual, I invite you to consider whether or not a new soul coming to this earth to herald the New Creation would like to be raised by a mother who trusts God’s design, or one who artificially awakens and jolts herself into getting through another dysfunctional and dis-harmonious day. 

I told you my opinions were spicy…

Now, is caffeine really the primary villain in our collective story? Is it the main culprit behind the birth rate crisis? Probably not, but I’ll invite you to consider how long we have been a “coffee people” in this country, and how this country was founded by “tea people” (which yes, black tea still has caffeine). Next to gun-powder, coffee and tea were perhaps some of the most important substances and symbols in the American Revolution. Caffeine has perhaps provided fuel for the conflict activity of our forefathers and mothers for centuries. And these substances have become more and more available and celebrated–revered, even–as time has marched on. Look around any metropolitan area and you’ll see a green mermaid on nearly every corner, calling you in with her siren song of caffeinated drink, full of syrup and social status (you paid five whole dollars for that thing). How widely accepted in our culture is the notion “don’t speak to me until I’ve had my morning cup”? Even T.S. Elliot measured his life in coffee spoons, supposedly…

So, consider for a moment the kind of culture and society we could build if we healed our caffeine addiction. Consider the choices we might make, individually and collectively, if we operated from a state of normatonia–homeostasis–instead of the agitated and defensive survival state of caffeine induced sympathicatonia? 

If caffeine is the spirit of our age — fueling revolutions, literary genius, and bleary-eyed commutes alike — then perhaps it’s time we entertain another companion for the journey: the humble dandelion. Yes, the same plant you once made wishes on as a child, or maybe cursed while pulling from the cracks of your driveway, has a lot more to offer than we tend to give it credit for.

Long before we labeled it a weed, dandelion was a celebrated herb, known across Europe for its powerful cleansing properties. Its name, "dent de lion" — tooth of the lion — points to its jagged leaves and fierce spirit. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, dandelion has long been revered as a "blood cooler" — a friend to the liver, a herald of spring’s detoxifying energy. This little plant doesn't just survive; it thrives, sending roots as deep as 15 feet into the earth, loosening soil, enriching ecosystems, and quietly cleaning up messes we didn’t even know we were making.

Dandelion speaks the language of balance. Its roots and leaves help eliminate metabolic waste, neutralize acidic conditions, and nourish the body with minerals that modern diets often lack. It stimulates the liver and gallbladder, supports protein absorption, pulls excess fluids and toxins from the system, lowers cholesterol, soothes inflammation, and even lends a hand to the delicate dance of blood sugar regulation with its inulin content. It’s a digestive bitter, too — encouraging proper digestion the way our ancestors once trusted bitters to do.

Imagine, for a moment, a society less ruled by the sharp, frantic whip of caffeine, and more guided by the quiet, rooting energy of plants like dandelion. A culture where mornings start with nourishment rather than nervous energy; where we respond instead of react; where homeostasis, not survival mode, becomes our norm.

Healing doesn’t always require a revolution or radical intervention. Sometimes, it starts with simply noticing what’s been quietly offering itself all along — growing at our feet.

“So… what… we’re supposed to pick dandelions from the ground and make coffee out of them? How romantic. You think I’m some kind of foraging woodland fairy with all the time in the world?”

Now, now my little cynicist. All that caffeine has got you so feisty! You don’t need to pick dandelions or live near a meadow, or even a soccer field (though I’d never recommend eating soccer field plants of any kind). You don’t even need to buy dried dandelion root from your local herbalist or TCM practitioner to steep into tea yourself.

Dandy Blend has done it better for you.

Made from roasted dandelion root and chicory, Dandy Blend offers the immense health benefits of dandelion root in an incredibly convenient, shelf-stable powder. I’ve been drinking this instead of coffee for years now, and have known it to help convert even the most staunch coffee addicts (hi Mom).

I recommend Dandy Blend to all of my clients, and any coffee drinker. Whether you are open to quitting caffeine altogether, or just cutting back, Dandy Blend is, in my opinion, the best replacement for that morning cup. 

I understand how lovely it is to roll out of bed and let coffee be the first thing to kiss your lips in the morning, so for those who are struggling to achieve optimal cycle health, take comfort, because Dandy Blend saves you from making such sacrifices. Drinking Dandy Blend instead of coffee, at least for that very first cup in the morning before breakfast, has the potential to drastically improve your blood sugar regulation and metabolism, among all of the other aforementioned benefits.

For all my crunchy girls, worry not. Since Dandy Blend is processed and packaged in Poland where GMOs are illegal, it contains no GMOs.There are also no pesticides. Despite these facts, they even offer a certified organic line.

Its flavor is nutty, bold, and full-bodied. I personally love to mix up how I enjoy it, and lately have been adding a little bit of vanilla bean paste, though my go-to is black strap molasses (for the iron content and the punch-you-in-the-mouth intense sweetness). Depending on your powder to water ratio, weak tea lovers and strong espresso lovers can equally find happiness with plain Dandy Blend, too.

So, trade your morning jitters for grounded energy. Trade your blood sugar crashes for stable power. Step into a different way of living — one where you nourish your body instead of fueling a neverending state of conflict activity.

I’m proud to share that I am an affiliate of Dandy Blend. This means that if you choose to purchase through the links I provide, I may earn a small commission — at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I truly believe in and personally use, and Dandy Blend is a beautiful example of the kind of nourishment I want to champion, not to mention an invaluable tool in our collective turn away from the frantic and troubled society we have formed with caffeine at our backs.

Cheers to Dandy Blend, a company whose mission is to provide a coffee alternative that helps people around the world to eliminate or decrease their caffeine intake while enjoying an herbal beverage that still feels like coffee. 

I hope you’ll support them and enjoy their brilliant product as much as I do. And, if you’re struggling with your fertility, I hope this resource assists you in your journey toward motherhood, better health, and blissful states of normatonia. Whether it’s fertility, vitality, or simply a gentler start to your day, your body already knows the way home.

Blessings xoxo,

Bailey Jo