INFERTILITY

One in five couples in the U.S. have not been successful in getting pregnant for 12 months or have experienced a miscarriage.  Infertility causes tremendous emotional pain and disappointment.  Causes can include structural problems like blocked ovarian tubes, physical abnormalities, and varicose veins (in the scrotum).  Other barriers are low sperm count or poor motility, antibodies produced by the woman that attack sperm, lack of ovulation, and stress induced hormone imbalances. 

Structural abnormalities require medical intervention to correct. Low sperm counts and poor motility can be positively influenced with nutritional supplements: selenium, zinc, vitamin C & E, and L-arginine, and Siberian ginseng.  If antibodies are present to the man’s sperm it will be necessary to abstain from oral sex and to use a condom for a period of 3-4 months while the antibodies decrease.

Stress is the cause of the majority of infertility in the U.S.  Stress will alter the balance and production of many hormones that are needed to maintain a healthy cycle and sustain a pregnancy.  Many women who suffer from stress-induced infertility have a history of other hormone related symptoms: low energy, depression, PMS, diminished sex drive, weight gain, headaches, mood swings, sleep difficulty, cycle irregularities, and more.

Stress comes in three primary forms.  The first is mental and emotional events such as work demands, financial pressures, and relational conflict.  A second chronic stressor of the hormone system is poor blood sugar control.  Skipping meals and eating high carbohydrate diets will change the hormone balance.  Lastly, any infection or chemical stress resulting in chronic inflammation can adversely alter hormone balance.

Hormones changed due to stress include: estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, prolactin, cortisol, and DHEA.  Each plays a critical role in the maintenance of the female hormone cycle, conception, and implantation.  The biggest fluctuation occurs in progesterone and prolactin levels.  As stress increases, progesterone production falls and prolactin levels increase.  This combination produces a barrier to implantation known as a luteal phase deficit during the last half of the monthly cycle when implantation occurs.  Adequate progesterone from both the ovary and adrenal glands is required to facilitate implantation until the placenta is formed and takes over the primary duty of producing the necessary progesterone to maintain a pregnancy.  Luteal phase deficits are the most common cause of miscarriage and infertility.  And remember stress can cause a luteal phase deficit.

In order to balance these hormones, lifestyle changes are required, especially blood sugar control.  In addition, select nutritional supplements often augment the body’s natural hormone production necessary to achieve full-term pregnancy.  Results using these methods are consistently successful.

If you or someone you know is struggling with infertility, call our office today to schedule an appointment with a natural health practitioner.