Top Ten Fertility Fundamentals
By Masina Wright, ND I
had two stepmothers who were infertile for various reasons, and have an adopted baby brother. Several of my close friends and family members have used IVF to conceive, and I have my eggs
cryopreserved. A few of my good friends have fostered and adopt- ed, and others have intentionally chosen childfree lives. As lesbian and gay marriage has normalized, and divorce rates have climbed, more and more alternative families are being created using sperm banks, surrogates, egg donors, known sperm donors and more. The quest for fertility is all around us, and has been for the past 30 years in ever-increasing numbers. The Internet has an enormous amount of information available on this topic, as the World Wide Web offers a private 24-7 cross cultural support network for women trying to conceive (#TTC.) Infertility is usually a silent disease without any visible disability associated; however, it draws deeply on the mind/body and soul in underground ways that cannot be explained to those who do not have to undergo its trials and tribulations. Thus, the web is a great way to connect, share information, and do research while maintain- ing public anonymity. An Integrative Medicine approach is key to enhancing fertility. Integrative Medicine combines the best of modern medicine (repro-
ductive technology) with time-honored complementary and alterna- tive medicines (botanical therapies, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, and stress management support.) After all, the quest to get pregnant (and stay pregnant!) has been a calling of doctors and midwives since the beginning of time and across all cultures. After ten years of fertility specialization, here are my Top Ten fertility fundamentals to know about when mapping your journey (in no particular order):
1. First, while on oral contraceptive pills, rings, or IUD’s and for at least 6 months coming off them, it is important to supplement with a good quality multivitamin that contains at least 10-20mg of all of the B vitamins and 800mg folic acid as well as magnesium and vitamin C. These are all depleted by synthetic estrogens, and a deficiency can cause long term fertility issues down the road. 2. If you have a family history of miscarriage, have had a mis-
carriage yourself, or have any anemia or high homocysteine on lab work, you may want to test for a genetic defect called MTHFR that leads to a folic acid absorption issue. For more information on this topic see:
http://www.apothecarybydesign.com/blog/archives/332. 3. DHEA is a fat-soluble antioxidant and hormone precursor
produced by the adrenal glands. DHEA is also a key player in egg health, showing improved embryo quality and higher live birth rates than controls. Studies have used 75 mg of DHEA daily. DHEA supplementation also evidenced higher rates of spontaneous preg- nancies in long-term poor responders to IVF in another study using 25 mg three times per day. DHEA supplementation slows the aging process by preventing lipid oxidation while improving energy and metabolism.
4. CoQ10 is imperative to egg health. Egg division from 46 to
23 chromosomes requires effective mitochondrial function. It has been suggested that mitochondrial DNA defects that effect meta- bolic capacity may be a cause of failure in egg maturation, fertiliza- tion, or early embryonic development. Aged eggs have decreased mitochondrial energy which can result in deficient energy to divide properly resulting in Downs’s syndrome and other genetic anoma- lies. All women over 30 who are still considering pregnancy should
10 Essential Living Maine ~ February 2015 Digital Edition
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29