INFERTILITY FORUM

Our Infertility forum is principally about how natural therapies are used to help with infertility. But we start with a definition, and then summarise the basic causes and orthodox treatments used to date.

Definition: "The inability of a couple to conceive and reproduce. Infertility is defined as the failure to conceive after one year of regular intercourse without contraception or the inability of a woman to carry a pregnancy to a live birth. Infertility can affect either the male or the female and can result from a number of causes. About 1 in every 10 couples is infertile, or somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of the population". © Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/infertility.

Causes:1. Blocked Fallopian tubes (the tubes through which the ovaries travel to reach the uterus); this can be caused by genetic factors, infections and scar tissue. 2. Irregular or absense of ovulation  (creation and release of eggs), including Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (which is caused by the excessive production of male hormones); 3. Diabetes; 4. Thyroid diseases ( thyroid hormone controls cell growth and activity in the body); 5. Adrenal disease ( the adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys and produce adrenaline and noradrenaline, cortisone, hydrocortisone and testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone among others); the two resulting syndromes are Addison's disease and Cushings Syndrome which generally result in infertility, 6. Deficient Hypothalamus ( a hormone producing gland) activity causing decreased function of the glands that produce sex hormones (Kallman's syndrome); 7. Environmental factors such as heavy smoking, being exposed to chemical toxins, radiation etc. 8. Male infertility: many of the factors mentioned above apply to men. Men can also be affected by mumps, cancer, varicocele( an abnormal enlargement of a vein in the scrotum), obstructions of the Vas deferens(ducts through which sperm travel), and erectile dysfunction.

Medical treatment: Fertility drugs such as Clomifene which causes an increase in the release of gonadotrophin hormone which helps stimulate the ovaries; direct injections of gonadotrophins for both males and females; Metmorfin is sometimes used in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. 
Surgery: to correct fallopian tube structure, for endometriosis( where cells similar to the ones which make up the lining of the womb are found elsewhere in the body), to help patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, to remove fibroids, to remove an obstruction of the epididymis in the testicles.
Intrauterine Insemination where sperm is taken from the male and inserted directly into the uterus,
Invitro Fertilisation where eggs are taken and placed in a test tube/dish and mixed with sperm in order to produce an embryos which are then palced in the uterus; 
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer where the eggs/sperm mixture is placed directly in the fallopian tubes to fertilise; 
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection where sperm is injected into the outer shell of the ovum (a technique used where it is believed that the sperm are unable to break through the outer coating of the egg;
Egg donation: where the eggs of a donor are used; 
Embryo donation;  Reproductive Immunology: a treatment based on reducing the numbers of Natural Killer cells( cells which normally help fight infection) when it is found that there is a defect in the immune system causing rejection of the embryo. The research in this field is still at an early stage and it is still not known how successful it may be. 
Kisseptin: still at an experimental stage; it is a hormone which stimulates sex hormone (Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinising Hormone); 
Ovary Transplants where the ovaries are taken out, frozen and then re-inserted at a later date at the patient's choice (again at an experimental stage); 
Womb transplants, again at an experimental stage.

Natural Treatments: Arvigo Therapy is a special type of abdominal massage which helps to re-align the uterus. Click HERE for more information. 
Herbs such as black cohosh and vitex agnus castus can be used to help with infertility: a nutritional supplement called Fertlity Blend (containing agnus castus, antioxidants, amino and folic acids, vitamins and minerals was tested by Stanford University and found to help with hormonal imbalances. More about herbalism HERE. Chinese herbal medicine was effective in lowering Follicle Stimulating Hormone: Cuscuta (Tu Si Zi) , Psoralea fruit (Bu Gu Zhi) and Eucommia (Du Zhong), The Infertility Cure, Radine Lewis 2004.
Acupuncture: A number of studies have come out positively for acupuncture: eg. " Auricular acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility" Dept. of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproduction, Heidelberg Women's Hospital. There was also an interresting trial "Quantitative evaluation of spermatozoa ultrastructure after acupuncture treatment for idiopathic male infertility" Fertility and Sterility􏰁 Vol. 84, No. 1, July 2005. For more about acupuncture click HERE.. 
Counselling: there is generally a close link between infertlity and emotional stress, and many couples have found counselling to be beneficial as was shown in this study, "High ratings of satisfaction with fertility treatment are common: ®ndings from the Copenhagen Multi-centre Psychosocial Infertility (COMPI) Research Programme", Human Reproduction 18(12) ã European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 2003.Click HERE to read more about couselling.
Hypnotherapy: hypnosis is another technique to help patients reduce their stress levels which may be impacting on their ability to conceive; a study published by the Journal of American Medical Women's Association 1995 vol.54, stated that 60% of women who had received hypnotherapy conceived within 6 months of treatment compared to 24% in the control group. For more about hypnotherapy click HERE 
Homeopathy: this form of treatment has helped patients as was revealed in the following study "Individualized homeopathic therapy for male infertility", Homeopathy. 2002 Jul;91(3):133-44. Read more about homeopathy HERE
Aromatherapy: apart from its inherant relaxing qualities, essential oils are believed to help the reproductive system (Rose and Basil), hormone balancing (Geranium and Melissa), and the libido (Lavender and Jasmin). For more about aromatherapy click HERE.
Reflexology: this is another therapy which has been found to help with infertility. Four women were successfully treated with reflexology in this study: Dong Dahai, Xu Ping, Dong Congjun, Wei Lihua, "Treatment of 4 Cases of Infertility with Foot Reflexotherapy," 1998 China Reflexology Symposium Report, China Reflexology Association, Beijing, pp. 58-59. Click HERE for more information.
Yoga: Harvard University published research results that showed that women partaking in high impact exercise were less likely to be able to conceive. But it has been shown that moderate exercise like yoga can help increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, lower stress and regulate hormones. Click HERE to find out more.