Fertility & Pregnancy Support
In North America, 15-20% of couples struggle with infertility. A person’s fertility is a clear reflection of their overall health and wellbeing – when we are at our peak health, we are also our most fertile. Our fertility depends on a multitude of factors: genetics, current diseases, history of disease, medication use, nutrient status, stress, anatomy, age, exposure to toxic chemicals, diet, previous surgery, previous infection, drug use and many many more.
If you are unhealthy, you may have fertility issues. Genetically, we are predisposed to this evolutionary protective mechanism. Our body realizes that if our health is comprised, the genetic information we would pass on to the next generation would be suboptimal. As such, the body naturally protects passing on “defective” information and reduces our fertility.
At birth, woman’s ovaries contain approximately 1 million eggs. By the time of puberty, only about 300,000 remain. Of these, 300 to 400 will be ovulated during a woman’s reproductive lifetime.
In men, semen should have the following characteristics:
- 20-150 million/ml of spermatozoa
- At least 40 million in total per ejaculate
- Motility 20-40%
- 2 ml minimum volume
- 75% alive (25% dead)
- 30% normal shape
- At least 25 per cent of the spermatozoa should be swimming with rapid forward movement.
- At least 50 per cent of the spermatozoa should be swimming forward, even if only sluggishly.
The main causes of infertility are:
- Male problems: 35%
- Female problems:
- Ovulation problems: 20%
- Tubal problems: 20%
- Endometriosis: 10%
- Cervical factors: 5%.
- Unknown: 10%
Common causes of female infertility are:
- Ovulation disorders
- Abnormal FSH and LH secretion
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Luteal phase defect
- Premature ovarian failure
- Damage to fallopian tubes
- Inflammation of the fallopian tubes (salpingitis)
- Previous ectopic pregnancy
- Previous surgery in the abdomen or pelvis
- Endometriosis
- Cervical narrowing or blockage
- Uterine causes
- Polyps, tumors (myomas), abnormal shape, fibroids (+ or -)
- Clotting disorders
- Excessive exercise
- Eating disorders
- Poor nutrition
- Obesity
- Pelvic infection
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Tumor
- Celiac disease
- Age
- Smoking
- Caffeine
- Alcohol intake
- Sexual history
- Environmental risks
- Unexplained
Common causes of male infertility are:
- Varicocele
- Infection
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Lack of ejaculation
- Antibodies that attack sperm
- Cystic fibrosis
- Tumors
- Undescended testicles
- Hormone imbalances
- Sperm duct defects
- Chromosome defects
- Problems with sexual intercourse
- Celiac disease
- Certain medications
- Illegal drug
- Alcohol abuse
- Smoking
- Emotional stress
- Vitamin deficiency (C, Se, Zn, folic acid)
- Obesity
- Age
- Environmental
You can improve your fertility. We have had a lot of success with helping couples conceive and deliver a healthy baby. We offer a number of fertility programs that may improve your chance of conceiving a child. We have a keen understanding of what deficiencies may lower your rate of conception and increase your risk of miscarriage. With these tools, we are well suited to provide you with safe and effective treatments for fertility and pregnancy.