JUNE 20 2011 MANAGING AND ENHANCING FERTILITY

At least 15% of heterosexual couples have difficulty in conceiving children. Some estimate that 1/3 of the time it is the man, 1/3 of the time it is the woman, and 1/3 of the time it is a combination of the two. When I sit with a couple who come to me for other causes of infertility I give them realistic hope in the way of other possible causes and other treatments. Although ovulatory dysfunction is the cause of infertility in 45% of the cases, I persist to test other causes.

The causes of infertility that I have seen in my practice are the following:

1. Low Vitamin D 25

2. Hypothyroid - subclinical; Positive symptoms but normal thyroid function

3. Heavy metals in the body

4. Food allergies - most common are dairy and gluten--basically their DIET

In addition to not smoking, reducing caffeine and alcohol and the above (especially heavy metals from ingestion of tuna or sushi) I focus on the woman who is underweight. Underweight women need to gain some weight in order to conceive.

I am not a fertility specialist, and by no means a gynecologist, but I have seen many woman who just cannot get pregnant.

Two supplements that I encourage are L-arginine and PABA. Studies have shown that 100mg of PABA, four times a day and L-arginine (an amino acid) at 16 grams per day improve fertilization rates in women.

Do you think there are any herbs to help with fertility ? The answer is a certified - YES.

The following herbal/botanical supplements have been used:

1. Chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus castus)

2. Black Cohash (Cimicifuga racemosa)

3. Rhodiola - this herb enhances thyroid function without causing hyperthyroidism. I would not take if health care practitioner already started natural thyroid supplementation.

4. Dong quai (Angelica sinensis)

5. Cramp bark (Vibermum opulus)

6. Both types of unicorn (true and false)

I have personally never used cramp bark or true unicorn. I have used False Unicorn in helping to reduce the size of fibroids that have caused heavy bleeding.

I forgot to mention that I always use an adaptogen for women trying to conceive. The one I use regularly is Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthrococcus)

There needs to be a systematic approach to determine the cause of infertility. In this situation I use the data from the conventional approach combined with the nutritional and botanical approach. The herbs selected have a track record that is indisputable with much safety.

My approach along with other modalities such as acupuncture, meditation and yoga ultimately has resulted in the birth of a normal baby for patients who were chosen by their Higher Power to have children. I cannot say this approach yields a result 90% of the time, but I will say that I am proud that many of my tough fertility cases have resulted in pregnancy and delivery. I wonder why no one has named their child--Patrick Michael? Guess all the babies were female.

Until tomorrow...