What causes female infertility? If you have problems conceiving, you are not alone. About 6% of married women 15–44 years of age in the United States are unable to get pregnant after one year of unprotected sex, and this is categorized as infertility. There are many reasons why you may not be able to conceive; listed below are some of the most common causes.

Vitamin D Deficiency
MTHFR Gene Mutation
Low Ovarian Reserve / Poor Egg Quality / Elevated FSH/ TSH/ Luteal Phase Defect
Uterine Issues
Poor Ovary Response
Estrogen Dominance Syndrome
Hypothyroid (Hashimoto) & Adrenal Fatigue
Immune Factors/Tests for Early Pregnancy Loss
Hormone Disruptors
Male Infertility
Unexplained Infertility

Vitamin D Deficiencytess-with-banana

Are you getting enough Vitamin D? This is the MOST overlooked vitamin when it comes to fertility. 99% of my infertility patients are below the optimal fertile range which is 55-75 ng. If your doctor tells you that you are in the range, chances are your marker is 32 which is the BOTTOM on the range. Please Google to find out vitamin D and fertility connections or visit my blog vitamin D. By the way; Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin, it is an Immune-Regulating Hormone. The newest data says 40-50 ng/ml is the sweet spot to keep your immune system up and running through people in New England generally require 50-60 ng/ml. My recommendation is 5,000 units of vitamin D3 along with vitamins K1+K2 to increase the absorption level of vitamin D. Some brands are sold with 10,000 units which you can take every other day. There are the capsule and liquid forms; both work well. Enlarge the infographic here to find out the importance of this vitamin. Please check here for my blog post and the article about vitamin D.

MTHFR Gene Mutation

If you have two copies of the genes of MTHFR, you need to be very careful about what you eat and which supplements to take. MTHFR is one of the common gene mutation issues and easy to get miscarried within 8 weeks after the conception. I have seen quite a few patients who were born from parents originally came from India and China – Ben Lynch’s site and video to learn more about Folic Acid and Folate. By the way, Folate deficiency is the cause of “Spina Bifida“. According to Dr. Ben Lynch ND, it is a methylation issue. If you miscarried in the second trimester and was given the high dose of Folic Acid, think twice and read this article and others to learn about how to prevent it from taking Folate. Not Folic Acid. Eat Dark Leafy Green Vegetables !!!! If you are interested in testing, here is the genetic genie and one more about MTHFR.

Low Ovarian Reserve / Poor Egg Quality / Elevated FSH/ TSH/ Luteal Phase Defect

Many women, particularly those over age 35, are diagnosed with “poor ovarian reserve”. Many women are also poor responders to stimulation drugs. Acupuncture treatments are especially beneficial for these women, though it requires a lot of patience and commitment to treatment.

The root cause lies in the overall health of the body, and poor circulation to the ovaries (life cycle of eggs is 150 days). This means that it takes 140+ days in order for primordial follicles to mature into Antral follicles and get ovulated. If your eggs are not high in quality and/or quantity during your last cycle, chances are it will take 140 days (4-5 months) for this to improve. A lot of my patients will get pregnant with IUI and IVF but these are not always the only options you to get pregnant. Acupuncture, proper supplements, and lifestyle changes will give you surprising results in a few months if you are diagnosed as a “poor responder”!

Luteal Phase Defect – I have seen this every single day!!! Most of the women come to see me are actually low in estrogen but relatives to progesterone being very low, estrogen becomes dominant – higher than it is supposed to be. This is the major cause of Luteal phase deficiency – it means your progesterone level in this phase is too low. I often suggest my patients to start taking Dr. John Lee’s progesterone cream as soon as you ovulate and ask my patients to come to see me 6-9 days after the ovulation. The chances are you might get pregnant naturally if this is the only cause.

This is a good example of Low Ovarian Reserve case –

Amy has a four-year-old daughter and wants another child. She had no success with IVF treatment. During the final IVF, her doctor gave her the highest dosage of stimulation drugs with the patch protocol, i.e, Estrogen Priming Protocol (This protocol is an aggressive form of an IVF antagonist protocol used for poor responders. Often women with high FSH are stimulated for a relatively long period.) This IVF cycle failed. At this point, any further treatments would no longer be covered by insurance. Her doctor told her that the only way to conceive is through donor eggs. During consultations, doctors at four other leading fertility clinics in the greater Boston gave her the same response. Here’s where our journey started. She came to see me twice per week. She was not obese but a bit on the heavier side. She lost 16 lbs. On the fourth cycle, she became pregnant. This time her body was making enough progesterone so that she was not required to take progesterone supplement. Her early risk fetal assessment test was normal. She delivered a healthy baby girl in January 2012.

After I learned my patient really got pregnant naturally, I asked her to write about her journey (Molly’s blog) since she has “vivid” memories. It is quite long but you will be inspired by reading her story. She delivered in November 2014. Here’s a short good article about “egg quality and Chinese Medicine”.

This is the blog you might be interested to read. Here’s one link you should read and do not give up! “DHEA Treatment“,  Having Children After Being Diagnosed with Premature Menopause“.

Supplements for Poor Ovarian Reserve and Improve Egg Quality?

  • Co-Q10 Ubiquinol 600 mg with foods, NOT Ubiquinone
  • Myo-Inositol (take it with DHEA)
  • DHEA (15 mg smaller dosage)
  • Melatonin (3 mg)
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acid
  • NAC
  • L-Argentine
  • Glutathione
  • AcaiBerry -> Acai Berry 3 x per day with the meal. Please check this blog to find out more.

     AMH – What does it really mean? written by Randine Lewis, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Uterine Issues

Acupuncture is the most relaxing way for women to gain hormonal balance and proper uterine blood flow

Low Uterine Blood flow Treatment (Swedish Study) – I learned this technique from the acupuncturist work at CCRM. It works for the poor ovarian responder and women who have thin endometrial lining during the follicular phase (stimulation phase). Reduction of blood flow impedance in the uterine arteries of infertile women with electro-acupuncture

Frequent / Early Miscarriage

As well as a miscarriage in the second trimester (commonly 23-25 weeks into the pregnancy).

A natural approach to treating uterine fibroids

Endometriosis and Infertility

        Immune Aspects of Female Infertility includes Antibody Formation, Autoimmune aspect of Infertility, and Anti-sperm Antibodies


Poor Ovary “Response”

There are many reasons for poor ovary response. I have seen plenty of patients on this issue but their doctors did not explain the reasons the big “WHY?” and “HOW” to improve it. The following article might explain the hormonal connection to the ovary and hypothalamus in the brain.

Understanding the HPO Axis (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary).kelly-c

HPO Axis (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary)

HPG Axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal)

Estrogen Dominance Syndrome

Estrogen Dominance Syndrome I see this every single day!!! Most of the women who come to see me are actually low in estrogen but relatives to progesterone being very low, estrogen becomes dominance means higher than it supposes to be. This is the major cause of Luteal phase deficiency (low progesterone). The simple remedy is to eat more brussels sprouts, kales, beets, and beets green as often as possible. If you cannot, there is the capsule and tablet form of supplement available.  You need to cleanse the liver and gallbladder by opening up the liver 1 & 2 methylation pathways. Acupuncture, acupressure, supplements and lifestyle changes help tremendously.

Hypothyroid (Hashimoto) & Adrenal Fatigue:

Hypothyroid Disease and Adrenal Fatigue are leading causes of early miscarriage. Ask your doctor to the st following: T3, Free T4, Free T3 and rT3 (reserve T3); otherwise conventional doctors will test you only T4 (=TSH). Sometimes, your TSH will test normal, but you have all the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. You may have what is called sub-par thyroid problem (p. 77) which does not show on your blood test, but the hair analysis test does. If you are suffering from hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, or sub-par hypothyroid symptoms, you may want to consider taking trace mineral called selenium & iron from supplements.

  • Selenium – 200 mcg of selenium helps T4 ->T3 transformation on the thyroid which is crucial for fertility. I use a hair analysis test to determine the imbalance if it is necessary. Alternatively, one Brazilian nut every other day will boost your selenium level up and running again.
  • Magnesium – Most of us are deficient. Try “picometer-sized” (a trillionth of a meter) forms of Mg to get absorbed at the cellular level at 100%. Most of the Mg-like oxide is poorly absorbed.
  • Iron – I have a few supplements in the clinic for this category. Recommend to eat Iron from red meat and take food-based iron (and selenium) supplement per day
  • Ferritin – Check your serum Ferritin (protein binds to iron-optimal 90-110 ug/L). If your ferritin level is low, chances are your stomach is not digesting nutrients which mean T4 to T3 conversion is poor

And PLEASE read this article

#1. Hashimoto’s and Pregnancy: How Hypothyroidism affects Trying to have a baby and why it matters!

#2. Adrenal Fatigue & Pregnancy.

Visit the Adrenal Fatigue & Thyroid page for further information.

Immune Factors/Tests for  Early Pregnancy Loss:

Hormone Disturbance for Infertility

Top 6 Endocrine Disruptors to be checked:

  • Hormone disruptor – #1 – Fluoride – Is your water purifier filter “fluoride”? Most of the water purifiers do not filter this chemical which is toxic to the thyroid gland. This is Big News to Infertility but barely discussed at the doctor’s office. This is the best unit I was able to find ->  Aqua True is the best!!!!! This countertop model requires once a YEAR filter replacement. The taste of water is the best I have tasted so far.
  • Hormone disruptor – #4 – 1, 4-Dioxane commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products which listed ingredients as “Polysorbates, Polyethylene Glycol, Polyethylene, Polyoxyethylene.”
  • Hormone disruptor – #5 – BHT (Butylated Hydroxy-Toluene) is often added to foods as preservatives and also used in cosmetics, It is also known as a stabilizer in pesticides, gasoline, lubricants, and soaps. Do you eat cereal? Please check the ingredients list. (and if you have a dog, read this!)

Top Hormone Disruptors

Male Infertility

Male infertility occurs in up to 40% of couples. It takes 75 days to turn around a better semen analysis report (sperm counts, motility, morphology, and viscosity/resistance to flow). I use various whole-food-based supplements as much as I can, both with and without acupuncture treatment. For more information, visit Male Fertility.

Unexplained Infertilitysonia

Your reproductive endocrinologist run the all tests and you got A+ on that BUT you are experiencing one after another failing IVF cycles or you can only get to the 7 weeks mark into the early pregnancy and they are simply suggesting you keep trying. Does it sound familiar to you? Where do you go from there? Here are just a few tips for you to think about.

  • Autoimmune Infertility – The Fertile Soul
  • Hyperhomocysteinemia :
    • Methylation disorder easily prevented by taking the right methylated supplements
  • Omega 3 Fatty Acid (phospholipid) Deficiency:
    • Are you taking Omega 3 Fatty Acid (DHA/EPA) knows as Fish Oil? Cod, Anchovy, Sardine, Salmon, or Krill oil? Omega 3 Fatty Acid is very important for you and a fetus’s brain development but it often deficient because the modern diet is overwhelmingly high on Omega 6. There is a test (see Page 5 & 6) to find out your fatty acid status. (Interpretation Guide for the Fatty Acid Test).
  • Adrenal Fatigue/ Exhaustion/Burnout:
    • If you are having infertility issues conceiving your 2nd or 3rd child, then chances are you are more tired than you think you are. Take a look at this article. My treatment focused on Adrenal Fatigue/Thyroid/Sugar balancing works well.
    • Read this article about “adrenal distress syndrome.”
    • Have you got your Thyroid Panel checked? Having the TSH is in the range does not mean your thyroid is nice and healthy. I have seen women in high TPO (Hashimoto’s Autoimmune), very low Free T3, and high rT3 patients all came with normal TSH.
  • Gluten and Dairy Food Sensitivity:
    •  I have started seeing this WAS the root cause of unexplained infertility for couples coming to see me. It often does not cause any pain in the stomach but clearly caused numerous symptoms related to infertility. You may find out gluten sensitivity issues and learn the code for gluten. If you are from foreign countries or your family members have celiac disease, you may test 23& me and TruReport and find you have genes not able to tolerate glutens – HLA, HLA DQ2, and HLA DQ8 to start with and most importantly start avoid glutens AND dairy. Yes, Dairy. 100%.
  • B-12 Deficient Anemia:
    • When is the last time you got a blood test for B-12? B-12 deficiency is often overlooked as the factor in infertility
  • Environmental Chemical Toxins Causes of Infertility :
    • This comes up a lot when I run the environmental toxin urine sample test. It is a bigger issue than you think. BPA in plastics containers is just ONE of them. It staying your body as Xeno (bad) estrogen and inhibit you to get pregnant. This is the complete list of environmental chemical toxins panel – Test 1 and Test 2.
  • Artificial Sweeteners: this is not a joke. Just one packet of sweetener in the morning with a cup of coffee will shake the ground to make you infertile. Is your AMH low or very low? Please read the following article and think twice!
  • Ferritin Deficient Anemia:
    • Is your iron ‘STORAGE” marker called “Ferritin” above 30? Many of my patients have this marker below 30. Not enough iron will make the process difficult.
  • Eating the meal at the wrong timing:
    • How are you managing your stress level? Eating constantly, or time-strained timing? Eating healthy organic meals does not mean anything if you are eating at the stressed timing because the nutrients went to your small intestines and got poorly digested. Excessive exercise is also stressed to the body. Acupuncture seems to offset the stress level nicely.
  • EMF –
    • Some people are very sensitive to it. This is definitely an emerging hidden trigger
  • Supplements :
    • You are taking the wrong supplements. 9 out of 10 patients come to see me are taking the wrong kind. Taking the low grades supplementation not only helps you to get pregnant but inhibit you to get pregnant. Even though taking the right supplements, timing and dosage are not optimal. You need the full inventory check on anything you take every single day.

 

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