Innovative Ways Of Dealing With Infertility

Innovative Ways Of Dealing With Infertility
Both male and female infertility rates have risen dramatically over the last fifty years. More than three million visits each year to North American physicians are for infertility.

The increased infertility is mainly due to environmental pollution of our air, water and food. In addition, due to chemical agriculture, our food and soil is severely depleted in many essential nutrients especially trace minerals. We are also subjected to electromagnetic radiation through computers and high voltage power lines which affect basic biological rhythms like reproduction.

Over the last fifty years the male sperm count has dropped by fifty percent. Dr. Niels Skakkebaek, Professor at Copenhagen University Hospital, examined studies of more than 15,000 men in over sixty studies and found a steady downward trend in sperm quality. He also discovered that some men had 50 percent abnormally formed sperm.

Organochlorines and other industrial chemicals can unlock the estrogen receptor in the body, like a key fitting into a lock, and thus cause an estrogen like effect. In women, this may cause relative progesterone deficiency and contribute to a rising incidence of female reproductive problems including infertility. In men, this has been associated with a decreased sperm count, infertility, undescended testis and other developmental abnormalities in young boys, and finally, prostate and testicular cancer.

In 1978, Lynn Barnes founded the Association for Promotion of Preconception Care in England. Also known as the Foresight Foundation, its doctors have been able to prevent miscarriage and birth defects through a comprehensive preventative programme. Of the approximately 5,000 couples who followed their protocol, only one baby was born with a birth defect and one in 65 miscarried, compared to the usual ratio of one in four.

In May 1995, the Journal of Environmental Medicine published a Foresight study in which 367 couples participated. Among the 204 couples with infertility, 86 percent achieved a healthy pregnancy. There were no malformations and only one child was born with a low birth weight.

So exactly what did the Foresight doctors do? After taking a medical and environmental history of both partners, they performed standard blood and urine tests, cultures for infection, semen analysis, cervical smear and prostatic secretion analysis. They also conducted special tests to determine vitamin and mineral status and hair analysis to check for the toxic heavy metal level. Foresight doctors commonly found that the main cause of the infertility problem was an undiagnosed infection.

Doctors working for Foresight emphasized preventive education of prospective parents. They focussed on the dangerous effects of smoking, alcohol, medications, and recreational drugs on both fertility and the fetus. At the same time, they stress the need for treating allergies, digestive problems, malabsorption, candida, and parasites before conception. Future parents must also eliminate contact with environmental toxins by eating only organic foods, drinking clean water and taking high quality nutritional supplements.

Dr. Marja Trossel, a leading complementary medical doctor in Holland, tests the mercury load of the body. If the results are positive, she uses at least ten chelation treatments to eliminate heavy metals from the body and boost the immune system, after mercury fillings or work exposure to mercury have been dealt with.

According to Dr. Trossel, the most commonly occurring toxic metal is lead, which has a detrimental effect on reproduction, causes fetal abnormalities, malformed sperm, low sperm count, decreased motility of sperm and interferes with sperm production.

Her clinic also promotes a healthy bowel ecology to enhance detoxification, promote absorption of nutrients and decrease allergies. In addition, she recommends exercise, low temperature saunas and an environmentally clean home.

Dr. Patrick Kingsley, a prominent Foresight doctor in Britain, says that infertility and birth defects should be regarded as any other chronic disease. Adds Dr. Trossel, "It's a signal of the body just like allergy, rheumatism or bowel problems that something is wrong. And it can be treated! Detoxification is the answer."

Dr. John Lee author of What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Menopause (Warner Books, 1996) believes that, "estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency has caused a near epidemic of infertility among women in their mid-thirties." He advocates the use of natural progesterone skin cream to enhance fertility.

If you do nothing else, remember a recent randomized controlled study of more than 5,000 women. Those who received a multi-mineral and vitamin supplement for at least one month prior to conception had a higher rate of pregnancy.

Foresight American Foundation For Pre-conception Care can be reached at 215-529-9026.

Lose weight – diet and exercise plans