Infertility

Infertility

Infertility is when a couple is unable to conceive after 1 year of unprotected intercourse OR in 6 months if the women is over 35 years old.

Globally, the rates of infertility have been increasing for both men and women.

If you are a healthy female in your 20s or early 30s, the chances of conceiving each month is 25–30%. But by the time you reach 40 years old, the chances are 10% or less.

Our biological clocks are real so it's important for younger women to plan ahead and prepare their bodies if wanting to conceive successfully in the future.

Unlike the younger age group (with flexibility in their efforts) older women should NOT wait. It is critical that women over 35 years old focus on developing a healthy diet and lifestyle targeted at normal ovulatory cycles, healthy reproductive cells, tissue and fluids and a nutritional status that will properly nourish the baby and mother during and after pregnancy.

 

Who is at Risk for Infertility?

Women over 35 years old are considered advanced maternal age. They have about 6% of their 1-2 million eggs (at birth) remaining. Egg quality also declines with age:

• At age 20, 20% of eggs are abnormal
• At age 40, 80% of eggs are abnormal

Irregular or abnormal ovulation accounts for 25% of female infertility. Causes of this are many and include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), high stress, elevated prolactin, thyroid dysfunction, premature ovarian failure or low ovarian reserves.

Healthy weight is important and 12% of infertility problems can be related to women who weigh too much OR too little. The right amount of body fat is necessary for the body to process hormones needed to ovulate. Obesity can also contribute to pituitary dysregulation which is important for healthy follicular growth and stimulation.

 

The average cost of one treatment is about $12,000 and does not usually include the medications required for Step 1. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, you can see how expensive having a baby can become.

For many women, especially those with advanced maternal age and low ovarian reserves, it may be the only option. For others however, there are several interventions that can be implemented before having to resort to IVF therapy.

Many of these same treatments used in a functional/integrative medicine approach to infertility can help a woman maintain her healthy pregnancy even when using IVF therapy.

 

What Can Be Done to Improve Your Chances of a Successful Pregnancy?

The most important thing to understand is WHY you are having problems conceiving. This will allow us to create targeted therapies to address your bodies unique imbalances, deficiencies and infertility related factors

• Is there too much stress in my life?
• Is my sleeping poor?
• Am I not eating enough nutrient dense foods?
• Do I have blood sugar imbalances or PCOS?
• Have all of the anatomical factors been ruled out by my gynecologist (endometriosis, pelvic adhesions, etc)?
• Has my sperm been analyzed to make sure they are healthy, mobile and in sufficient enough quantities?
• Is my weight too little or too much?
• Am I exposing myself to elevated levels of pesticides or environmental toxicants?
• Could my alcohol or caffeine intake be playing a role?
• Is my pelvic pain a factor in infertility?
• My doctor said I had an “unhealthy microbiome” Is this is a problem?

There are many Dietary and Lifestyle Factors that can impact fertility and should be addressed no matter what the underlying physiologic causes are.