By Pip Reed
Director and Co-Founder of The Health Clinic
Does it seem like fertility issues are becoming more prevalent in today’s society? Being a nutritionist, I see many many clients for myriad reasons, from weight loss and acne, to getting ready for a wedding, and one of the things we always discuss is their reproductive organs, their want (or not) for children, the contraception they are using, and their period history.
Most of the time, those who want children are lucky enough to end up pregnant 3-6 months after we begin treatment and preparation. But it seems that there are more and more women struggling to fall pregnant, and age is certainly not the only thing to blame.
Unexplained fertility refers to women and men who are struggling to have children despite getting a full health clearance from their Doctor. This clearance may be due to test results being in the correct pathology test range – ie the statistics used to determine whether one’s health is perceived as normal or not; or the patient not presenting with the classic signs and symptoms associated with infertility, eg painful periods or irregular periods associated with PCOS and endometriosis.
Fertility issues can be heartbreaking for anyone. The constant longing for a child; quietly obsessing over any slight sign that they may be pregnant only to realise the nausea this month was from a bug, or taking supplements on an empty stomach; the monthly heartbreak of getting your period; getting excited over sore breasts only to realise it’s from too many pushups; the endless pee tests with the dreaded single line. It’s hard to watch for a partner, and it’s hard to be the person going through it.
There are so many aspects to consider in anyone struggling to get pregnant, including those going through IVF. Everything from stress, hormones, immunity, gut issues, food intolerances, thyroid issues and nutrient deficiencies, to undiagnosed Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and/or Endometriosis, structural blockages, STI’s including Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and toxicity. And this is only 50% of what could be going wrong, with male fertility issues making up the other 50% (yes, we are 50:50 when it comes to unexplained fertility).
The good thing though is that these problems can be tested for, diagnosed and treated with efficient and effective natural health care, including hormone balancing supplementation, achieving ‘optimal’ health over simply what’s considered ‘normal’ health, diet and lifestyle changes, heavy metal detoxification, gut repair, reversing thyroid dysfunctions without medication (unless autoimmune), and doing extensive signs and symptoms analogy for correct diagnoses.
My best advice is not to take one course of action in understanding why you may be struggling with fertility. There are many paths to investigate and courses of action to take in both partners, and the sooner you start the investigation, the sooner you may just have a little family addition. Speak to your health practitioner, or find one who understands your needs.
