Help! We want a family!
You would very much like to have a baby, but your body seems to have other ideas.
It’s not just you. Infertility seems to be on the rise, but some of this is because women are waiting to a later age to try to become pregnant. The older a woman is, the more difficulty she is likely to have, made worse by the anxiety that the age window for having children is rapidly closing.
In many cases, infertility has causes that can be corrected. The causes can be as simple as toxins and nutritional habits, and the remedy can be as simple as dealing with these things. But first you need to know what to look for.
Stressors can be the key to infertility
Anything that stresses the body can interfere with fertility, or with good health in general. These stressors include toxic chemicals and metals, poor diet, structural problems, and emotional stress. The key to reversing the effects of stress is to figure out, with the help of a knowledgeable practitioner, what these stressors are, and take action to reduce them
Actually, the relationship between physical/emotional stress and fertility makes good sense. When a person or any animal is under stress, the body in its wisdom sees that this is a poor time to reproduce, and directs your limited resources towards healing your own body, not making a baby that may not survive.
Unfortunately, and ironically, a major emotional stress for women trying to conceive is the process of and worry about trying to conceive itself. The fact that many women who finally give up on conception and adopt, and then get pregnant, shows just how crucial emotional stress and its relief can be.
Are your dental fillings the problem?
Mercury in dental fillings is a major culprit in reproductive problems. Mercury lowers zinc levels, which then lowers progesterone levels, and progesterone is needed both to get pregnant and to bring a pregnancy to term. Infertility is common among many young female dental workers due at least in part to their mercury exposure. Attempts to get pregnant should be postponed to at least six months after amalgam removal and chelation to remove mercury from the body. Zinc supplements can then help to bring up the body’s zinc levels.
Smoking
Cadmium is a toxin that is related to mercury and has the same effects on zinc. A major source of cadmium is tobacco smoke, which is also toxic in other ways. If you smoke, simply quitting smoking can make a difference. And this goes for the man, too; tobacco toxins and low zinc levels can lower sperm production and activity.
Maybe it’s your glands
Your endocrine glands – thyroid, adrenals, and gonads (ovaries and testes), among others – make hormones, and a proper amount and balance of hormones is crucial for pregnancy, both getting pregnant and maintaining the pregnancy.
Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, can account for a good percentage of women who have difficulty getting or staying pregnant. Infertility, in fact, is such a characteristic symptom of hypothyroidism that this may be one of the first things an alert doctor will check. Getting to and correcting the cause of hypothyroidism might just take care of the problem.
Toxins, emotional stress, and food sensitivities stress the adrenal glands, which would in turn inhibit adrenal production of these necessary hormones.
Or maybe it’s your diet
A significant amount of toxins come from processed and adulterated food. Sensitivities and allergies to certain foods can cause your body to see these as toxins and react as it would to any stressor – in this case, keep you from getting pregnant.
A major study had shown that a higher intake of animal protein is correlated with infertility. A factor not considered in this study, however, is the quality of animal protein – most people eat commercially raised and factory farmed meat, which typically contains added hormones that can unbalance your own hormones as well as antibiotics and other toxins. Another factor is that those who eat a lot of meat usually eat fewer vegetables, and it might well be the nutrients in the vegetables that are the biggest influence.
Nutrients that should be taken by both partners include:
- GLA oils for hormone production and removal of toxins
- Zinc, especially needed for proper male reproductive function
- Iodine to support thyroid function
- Enzymes that help biochemical reactions in to body to work more smoothly as well as digesting food and extracting the nutrients
- Vitamin E
Structure and infertility
Structure refers to the spine and the nerves that come out of the spinal canal. A problem with your structure, especially in the lower back where the nerves serve the reproductive organs, can reduce the effective function of these organs. A problem in your neck, such as from whiplash, can cause your thyroid to produce less of the necessary thyroid hormones. A good chiropractor can help by both determining and fixing structural problems.
Are you bugged?
Certain microorganisms, which themselves are more likely to take hold when there are other stressors, can cause infertility and early miscarriage. These include mold, Lyme disease bacteria, and some sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia.
Getting a charge
Electromagnetic radiation, such as that from electric blankets or nearby high-tension wires, can suppress ovulation. It’s a good idea to not use electric blankets for this and other reasons.
You may be pregnant but not home free
It’s not just about getting pregnant – it’s also about carrying a pregnancy to term. Some women have no problem getting pregnant, but staying pregnant is their challenge. Toxins of the kinds already mentioned can keep a pregnancy from “taking” properly, and would need to be eliminated from your environment and your body for reproductive success.
A woman needs enough GLA oils such as fish oils to prevent miscarriages, as well as other nutrients such as folic acid, zinc, and CoQ10.
It’s not just about the woman
Many times, when there are infertility issues, the woman is the one that the doctors focus on. But just as often it’s the man; his sperm might be too few or too weak. In some cases it’s both partners, or a combination of factors, especially since both partners would be eating a similar diet and having similar toxin exposure.
Many chemicals such as some pesticides and plastics have estrogenic activity, which can throw off the man’s hormones and sperm production. Mercury from dental fillings can affect the fertility of men as well as women.
As with women, proper nutrition for men is important, especially zinc, selenium, GLA oils, and CoQ10.
So how can you tell what the problem is?
A practitioner such as those at CAM can do a complete evaluation, including testing for hormone status, nutrition, chemical toxicity, and poisoning from heavy metals such as mercury. Once the most likely causes of your particular infertility problem are diagnosed, they can begin to be addressed.
