Is one person to blame?

One of the first misconceptions about infertility is that it is someone's fault.  In fact, it often is a blend of both parents that create a situation where fertility is compromised.  Statistics tell us that in situations where only one parent has a low fertility profile, 40% of the time it is the male and 60% of the time it is the female.  Also the rate of sterility in men has risen in the past 40 years from .5% to 12% today.  Studies have shown that women experiencing miscarriages often had partners with lower sperm counts and half had visually abnormal sperm.  

The reason for the rise in male infertility can be for a number of reasons as well.  Smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use (including prescription drugs), exposure to chemicals in their job, poor nutrition, excessive physical injury are all at much greater levels in recent years.  Men also are experiencing more cases of varicocele (enlarged or varicose veins in the scrotum) which can strongly affect fertility. Women are suffering from chronically imbalanced menstrual cycles, loss of fertility due to contraceptives that prevent monthly periods, environmental pesticide exposure including BHA and PVC, unregulated estrogen dominance due to excessive exposure in foods, water and OTC drug remedies.  

But the problem that seems to appear again and again is undiagnosed low thyroid in women and immune rejection issues between the pregnancy partners.  This is something that conventional medicine fails to address in couples.  

Natural Medicinals for Male Fertility

The main focus for male nutritional support is Tribulus terrestris which is an incredible Bulgarian herb shown in clinical research to increase sperm quality substantially.  This along with high protein, natural hormone precursors and large amounts of minerals help create a healthy contribution to the conception challenge.  The male protocol is generally selected from the following options:

Catalyn - whole food vitamin/mineral complex.
Trace Minerals B12 - nerve-based minerals with whole food B12 which reduces the stress response in the body.
Zinc Liver Chelate - increases immunity balance and DNA development.
Fish Oil - essential Omega 3 fatty acids support nerve development.
Ganoderma & Shitake mushroom extract - this helps prevent immune rejection while supporting DNA development.
Vitanox - this is a plant-based herbal antioxidant.
Livco - herbal liver detoxifier.
Symplex M - food-based growth hormone control for male glandular balance of the thyroid, adrenal, pituitary and gonads.
Tribulus - Bulgarian herbal Tribulus increases sperm motility, formation and quality, and is a natural testosterone precursor.
Cataplex E - oxygenation vitamin factor for increased oxygen availability to sperm.
Chlorophyll Complex - sexual hormone precursors and high blood quality agents in natural plant-based chlorophyll.
Protefood - high food-based heat labile amino acids for protein synthesis.

The Path to Pregnancy:
Natural Fertility Work

Fertility is something that only couples that can't seem to get pregnant think about. Many women take fertility for granted, even going to great lengths to prevent pregnancy. But for those women who are desperate to become pregnant, the path of infertility is overwhelming, painful, expensive and often unsuccessful.  I was very lucky to study with my friend Dr. Angela Hywood, ND, a world-renowned lecturer and researcher into natural options for fertility. She has developed an incredibly successful program of evaluation and treatment for all of our couples experiencing infertility. Her success rate is evidenced by the many happy couples we have helped to bring new life into the world.  There is nothing more rewarding than helping couples experience healthy conceptions, pregnancies and deliveries of some of the most beautiful babies imaginable.  

Infertility is becoming more and more common for a variety of reasons.  Couples are wanting children later in life, often as part of a second marriage.  Some couples delay pregnancy due to careers, travel, living conditions or illness.  When a couple has tried to become pregnant for more than six months without success, or when a couple has experienced miscarriage, then the traditional path if one of IVF, surrogacy or adoption.  

Natural medicine offers more opportunities for a couple to have a healthy pregnancy.  This is because in natural medicine we are looking at the whole person including stress conditions, lifestyle, environment and toxic load.  Most fertility physicians simply administer blood tests to determine fertility, but we go much further in order to ascertain the reasons for difficulty.  

In my experience almost 75% of couples are experiencing infertility for reasons that will be undetectable to conventional medical testing.  Some of the most common reasons are:

• Female history of pelvic inflammatory disease or other undiagnosed infective condition.

• Unresolved female menstrual cycle dysregulation.

• Exposure to exogenous hormones that disrupt normal endocrine function.

• History of STDs, high viral load or chronic autoimmune condition.

• Male low sperm count or motility issues.

• Male varicoceles.

• Exposure to heavy metals or environmental toxins.

• Heavy toxic load in the body.

• Undiagnosed or insufficiently supported low thyroid condition in the female.

• Adrenal stress, emotional trauma or grief in the female.

• Weak blood volume, anemia, low blood pressure or poor circulation.

• History of uterine trauma including miscarriage history.

• Smoking or use of pharmaceutical drugs.

• Dietary and nutritional factors.

• Exposure to EMF electromagnetic fields, wifi, smart meters, laptops, cell phones.

Conscious Body Natural Fertility Program

The first step is to agree that both partners need to go through pregnancy preparation together.  This will help to reduce the tendency for an immune rejection between the partners and resolve undiagnosed issues that may be latent or invisible to testing.  

The second step is to address the elements that have come up in conventional testing including hormonal imbalances, low sperm quality, poor blood quality or reproductive failure (this is a term for a structural or anatomical problem preventing pregnancy).  

Now we try to ascertain the most likely fertility challenges from the list below and recommend each partner going through one month of treatment for their specific fertility challenges.

Low Libido - chronic low libido can mean that the body does not have the ability to support the needs of reproduction. Adding glandular support, Tribulus, B vitamins and Fe-Max Iron Tonic can make the difference.

Radiation exposure - many occupations and geographical locations can subject the body to chronic radiation exposure over time. Working in television or radio, near power lines, with electronic machinery or even near power plants, can cause elevated toxin or radation exposure and high levels of infertility. We recommend a complete liver detoxification program and Eleuthero tablets.

Excessive anovulatory cycles - treat with Chaste Tree, nervine tonics and Blue or Black Cohosh.

Defective luteal function - treat with Chaste Tree and Blue Cohosh.

Viscous nature of cervical mucous - Wild Yam Complex and an alkaline diet can help to normalize mucous production. Celery Seed may also help to stabilize vaginal flora and alkalinize the reproductive system.

Immunological rejection of sperm - immune-regulating herbs such as Echinacea Premium and Rehmannia Complex are essential as well as addressing any factors which may cause immune dysregulation. This can often happen as a result of protein recognition, where the immune system mistakes proteins in the sperm for proteins encountered with a previous infection.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - this is an infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes and pelvic structures, often caused by Chlamydia or Gonorrhea. This needs to be treated with Echinacea Premium and Picrorrhiza with Wild Yam to support the female organs. Golden Seal is a mucous membrane tonic and corydalis can relieve the associated pain. Many times antibiotic therapy is highly recommended to prevent scar tissue formation or immune dysregulation.

Stress - stress and emotional factors are known to increase prolactin release, which may affect reproductive function. Oviductal spasm can be one of the results of stress, treatable with Cramp Bark. It is the incredible effects of stress that often lead us to suggest a long, tranquil vacation. And if you can't take a vacation, at least take Adrenal Complex, described as a Tahiti vacation in a bottle.

Diet - many factors in the diet can affect the body's ability to conceive. It is not just lack of nutrition or low body weight, but even 16 ounces of coffee per day can cause up to a 40% drop in fertility.

The 21 Day Purification Program: Essential for Fertility

Complete cleansing is really an important place to begin with fertility challenges. It addresses the liver, the gut and the blood while lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It also can help to identify other toxin concerns that may need to be addressed simply by the symptoms experienced during the cleanse. This is also strongly recommended for couples who have had pharmaceuticals, oral contraceptives, smoking or drug use in their history.

This involves a special, healthy diet with herbal and whole food supplementation to eliminate toxins and heavy metals while increasing the nutritional reserves of both partners.  Daily smoothies, healthy meals, fiber and herbal capsules  are done at home for 3 weeks to really clear the body's detoxification pathways.

All fertility challenges are able to be improved or completely eliminated with natural options, meaning your chances of falling pregnant increase dramatically with each challenge that you are able to resolve.

Natural Medicinals for Female Fertility

The main focus for female nutritional support is to increase food factors of calcium, folic acid B12, trace minerals and essential fatty acids.  In addition it is important to prepare the uterus for its role in conception and pregnancy while increasing female hormonal levels and balance.  The female protocol is generally selected from the following options:

Catalyn - whole food vitamin/mineral complex.
Cataplex E - oxygenation factor to increase oxygen availability to the ovaries and uterus.
Folic Acid B12 - whole food factors are essential for fetal neural development in early pregnancy.
B6 Niacinamide - this is a B6 food formula that increases circulation to the extremities including the uterus.
Calcium Lactate - lactate-based calcium is great for muscle development and balanced contraction of the uterus.
Organically Bound Minerals - iodine infused minerals for balancing the thyroid and nervous system.
Evening Primrose Oil - essential fatty acids for female hormonal support.
Fish Oil -essential Omega 3 fatty acids support nerve development.
Vitanox - this is a plant-based herbal antioxidant.
Adrenal Complex - a high grade blend of Licorice and Rehmannia for adrenal fatigue, high stress, urinary history and sleep issues.
Chlorophyll Complex - includes female hormone precursors as well as vitamin K, which reduces bleeding.
Thytrophin PMG - this is essential for women over 35 during pregnancy because the thyroid controls the child's development. *The fact that women over 35 tend to have a higher risk of mental retardation or stunted growth patterns may be due to the fact that more women over 35 have thyroid problems, many of which go undetected.
Utrophin PMG - this is growth hormone support for the uterus, essential for any history of uterine insufficiency, trauma or miscarriage.
Chaste Tree - this herb helps to balance female hormones to keep estrogen and progesterone steady and cycling normally.