Many people just try and 'hope for the best' when it comes to their fertility. You can have a blood test taken with your local GP, which unfortunately tells you pretty much nothing about the actual functionality of your organs. You might be 'trying' for a couple of months (or years) before attempting to find out if everything works.
Before you try IVF, there are many ways Natural Medicine can assist you to find what the cause might be of yours or your partner's infertility.
According to Angela Hywood, founder of Tonic Australia, functional pathology provides us with a far deeper understanding of factors involved with individual cases of infertility. Recent research has linked subfertility and infertility to environmental toxicity, heavy metal exposure and xenoestrogen ingestion, amongst other factors.
What tests are available?
Adrenal Hormone Profile- tests your cortisol and DHEA at specific times of the day, to give an accurate depiction of your adrenal function.
I touched upon it in previous posts- stress can wreak havoc on your menstrual cycle, and affect the viability of sperm. Why? Because stress can cause inflammation. Inflammation causes oxidative damage (this is why antioxidants are important).
In males, oxidative damage can affect the fertilising potential of sperm, and the sperm's ability to form a healthy embryo.
Who would've thought this could then lead to a risk of miscarriage or health issues in the baby? A lot of people are shocked to find out, that's for sure!
Many women blame themselves for the infertility, however, males make up 50% of the subfertility or infertile cases, I kid you not.
Baseline Hormone Profile
Females: This tests your Oestrogen (all types E1, 2 and 3), progesterone, testosterone & DHEA-S
Males: This tests your Oestrogen (E1 and E2), testosterone, DHEA-S and Cortisol
The baseline hormonal profile gives accurate and valuable information about your hormonal status. If you have recently gained weight, have mood swings, disturbed sleep, loss of libido, anxiety or depression, you may find a huge benefit having this test!
Female Hormone Profile- Full cycle/Luteal Phase
By measuring different hormones on specific days of your menstrual cycle, it gives an insight into imbalances that may be affecting ovulation, endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovaries, PMS, irregular periods, or a history of miscarriage.
Women are told it is 'normal' to have pain, heavy bleeding and feel terrible when they have their period. Yes, these symptoms are common, however, a 'normal' period (when you have balancd hormones) is actually pain free and PMS doesn't even enter your radar...*Gasp*
Comprehensive Urine Elements Profile
Assesses the urinary excretion of 15 nutrients and 20 toxic metals which may reveal the need for detoxification and correction of deficiencies.
Toxins such as glue, volatile solvents or silicones, chemical dusts, and pesticides have been linked to infertility. (Think twice before taking that job in the mines!)
Smokers are 60% more likely to be infertile than non-smokers, not to mention an increased risk of ALL cancers. Certainly not something you'd like your baby to inherit!
Thyroid Hormone Profile
The thyroid is responsible for metabolism.The thyroid hormone profile is different to the one your doctor might send you off for. This tests levels of TSH, free T4 and free T3, which give a true indication of your metabolic rate.
Underactive thyroid is extremely common in women, attributing to weight gain, fatigue, constipation, dry skin and hair and depression. You might have more frequent (sooner than every 28 days), heavier bleeding with clots and painful periods.
An overactive thyroid is less common and has symptoms such as rapid heart rate, anxiety, frequent bowel movements, weight loss despite increased appetite and heart palpitations. You may have scanty (light spotting) or irregular periods (irregular ovulation or no ovulation at all).
Hormones tend to work in a 'one out, all out' fashion, so it is valuable to have the tests done if you feel you are out of balance. The sooner, the better!
Stay tuned for the next post :)
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