If you read this headline and thought, “What in the FRESH h*ll is fertility maxxing?” you’re not alone. An X user named Amanda had the same question. In the most basic terms, “fertility maxxing” refers to maximizing your fertility — but we have to go a little deeper into the history of the term to truly understand it.
Let’s start off by defining the suffix “-maxxing.” The suffix began popping up with the term “looksmaxxing,” a word that originated on misogynistic message boards. According to Dazed Digital, “Once confined to incel message boards, the meaning of its origin, looksmaxxing, is in the name: maximizing one’s appearance.”
The suffix has since been added to a variety of other words: “sleepmaxxing” if you’re changing your lifestyle to boost your sleep hygiene, “gymmaxxing” if you’re working out all the time, and “watermaxxing” if you’re doing everything you can to drink more water and boost your hydration.
So that brings us to “fertility maxxing.” One person on Threads described it as “a very weird thing I’ve seen popping up in the trade-off, alt right, Christian circles.” She continued to explain, “They’re eating raw beef testicles and ovaries and drinking raw milk to help them have like 10 kids on a homestead.”
According to Megha on X, fertility maxxing is popular among Gen Z. In a Tweet, she wrote, “If lululemon was smart they’d make a line of loose, cotton, breathable workout clothes that still look cute. Gen z is fertility maxxing. They’re no longer interested in restricting lymph flow with slave manufactured plastic body condoms for workout clothes.”
Much of the conversation seems to have been sparked by a video created by Cali, a 20-year-old content creator who wants to be a tradwife. She shared this video on her Instagram account (@christwithcali), where it got 1.7 million views:
According to many of the young women who are fertility maxxing, the method includes doing things like: sunning your genitals with an infrared chicken lamp, spending time in a sauna and ice bath, eating sardines and raw liver, refusing vaccines, drinking raw milk, and more. While some of these activities have fertility-boosting health benefits (like eating fatty fish and iron-rich foods), most are incredibly dangerous. For the record, sunning your genitals, avoiding vaccines, and drinking raw milk are not healthy decisions and could lead to serious issues.
The reasoning behind why these women are fertility maxxing is also cause for concern. For the most part, it has to do with the tradwife movement, fundamental Christianity, and a rejection of feminism. Many people who believe in fertility maxxing think it’s their God-given destiny to birth and raise as many children as possible. They often believe a woman’s role is to submit to her husband, stay home and take care of all the domestic tasks, and commit to living biblically.
Another woman on X, Kai said, “I don’t like it for the reasons I’m seeing in it on social media, but there are legitimate benefits to some of these foods for those of us with actual fertility issues (I don’t have one of my ovaries anymore).”
Kai has a point: There are actual benefits to making some health and lifestyle adjustments when you’re trying to get pregnant (or want to address underlying fertility issues).
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are a few things you can do to increase your fertility:
- Maintain a healthy weight (being too underweight or too overweight can negatively affect your menstrual cycle)
- Prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Prioritize sleep (try to be awake during the day and asleep at night, otherwise you may experience hormone level issues)
- Don’t smoke or use other tobacco products
- Limit/avoid alcohol
- Limit caffeine
- Focus on moderate exercise (exercising too much or too hard can affect ovulation)
- Avoid toxins like pesticides, lead, and dry-cleaning solvents
So, if you’re trying to conceive, should you be fertility maxxing?
The short answer is no. If you want to focus on improving your fertility, that’s totally fair — but fertility maxxing is an extreme method that is often based on pseudoscience and right-wing ideals.
*Disclaimer: The advice on Mom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
