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Since I started specializing in fertility, I have noticed a common belief in which women trust their fertility will stay strong until the early forties.  As part of the treatment process, I discuss family planning with all reproductive aged women.  There are so many misconceptions around fertility and beliefs about when to conceive, most young women (late teen age years to late twenties) don’t comprehend how this is will be a long journey for some.  Too many women see other ladies in their forties pregnant and believing it occurred naturally.  Women don’t realize the pregnant forty something moms have undergone […]

As part of the process of helping women conceive, a complete discussion of their menstrual cycle history is an important factor in Chinese medicine.  When asked “Do you have problems with your menstrual cycle?” most women will answer its normal.  It has become clear to me that women have little knowledge of what a normal menstrual is like.  From a Chinese medicine perspective a normal cycle will be:

 
*Regular 27 to 30 days between bleeding

*No spotting or very little spotting before the period.

*No breast tenderness

*Minimal mood swings or changes in bowel movements before or during the period

*Minor cramping (cramping should […]

Inositol, a member of the B-vitamin family, has been center of great interest.  Forms of inositol have been found to improve insulin levels in diabetic patients and improved follicular growth/ovulation/menstrual cycles in PCOS women. 

What is inositol?    It is a B-vitamin and the sweet nature of inositol comes in part from the properties that make up the nutrient, in particular the component of cyclohexanehexol. While still a form of sugar, inositol works differently from glucose. Inositol is a compound that has nine different forms. The most well-known and nutritionally active form is "myo-inositol", which most people simply refer to as […]

Dysmenorrhea is defined as severe uterine pain during menstruation.  How does dysmenorrhea affect fertility?  Depending on the cause of the dysmenorrhea (fibroids, endometriosis, and polyps) can change the environment of the uterus resulting in monthly pain and an unfertile atmosphere.  In cases of large fibroids or polyps, it is best to have them removed with surgery.  With endometriosis, if the scar tissue or adhesions are numerous, once again surgery is the best mode of action.  Post surgery, acupuncture and herbs are extremely helpful.  Even though the surgery has removed the problem, it has not changed the cause which allowed the […]

There is much debate in the fertility profession about the inhibin hormones, which could be an indicator of egg abundance and quality.  Research has found Inhibin B to be an good indicator of the number of follicles recruited for the current menstrual cycle.  The higher Inhibin B is, the great number of follicles is present for selection to become the dominant follicle at ovulation.  

Currently there is much contemplation about how to integrate Inhibin B into the baseline testing.  According to Resolve the FDA has not approve the test and the test is only offered by a few laboratories due […]

I find most women who come to me for fertility issues are not taking supplements and have a poor diet.  Even with moderate healthy eating habits, women are still not getting the vitamins and minerals to support proper ovulation, thyroid function and metabolism.  Thus it is important to supplement our bodies with multi-vitamins and minerals.  This particular research article has found a clear connection with ovulation and the intake of folic/B-vitamins.

When working with an acupuncturist to improve fertility, they should go over basic supplements to help you conceive.  Depending on the client’s symptoms, basic minerals (such as magnesium and zinc […]

SIRM has a local clinic close to my office.  I just finished treating a client who completed a cycle with SIRM, with great success!  She was refused by 2 other fertility clinics due to her long and complicated history.  I think for some women SIRM offers interesting protocols and strategies for couples with usual cases.  SIRM published a journal article about one of their protocols.  I find the theory behind it to be a solid solution for “poor responders”.  My client, the “poor responder”, did not have a poor response with her IVF cycle and had 10 follicles retrieved with […]

As usual, the journal Fertility and Sterility has tons of interesting research.  This particular article grabbed my attention, since every year one of my clients will have problems with hyperstimulation.  The article discusses the use of a GnRH agonist (encourages the pituitary to secret higher levels of FSH/LH) as the trigger before retrieval.  Most IVF cycles use HCG (identical to FSH/LH) as the trigger, which has a long half life (it lingers for a long time in the blood stream before the body can eliminate it) and it can encourage the continual growth of follicles.

OHSS is serious consequence of IVF, […]

Coming Soon.

Increases FSH Receptors and Estradriol Release

Whether increased granulosa cell sensitivity to FSH arises primarily from the ovary or secondarily as a result of non ovarian factors is unknown. Studies have shown that granulosa cells from PCOS have greater binding of FSH compared with normal ovaries.

1. FSH Receptor Hyper-responsiveness and Hyperstimulation

Despite a lack of ovulation, studies have demonstrated that PCOS granulosa cells are extremely sensitive to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulation when compared with normal cells.Studies find women with PCOS have estradiol secretion in response to FSH (during stimulation) that is comparable to normal women. Yet, beyond a certain threshold […]