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Naturopathy and Fertility

Naturopathic FertilityUnfortunately, couples are having more and more trouble conceiving in this modern age.  Once upon a time most of the blame lay with the woman, however it is currently believed that 40% rest with the male, 40% rests with the female, 10% is with both and 10% is unknown.

Common causes for infertility;

  • Medication
  • Subnormal semen analysis results
  • Infection
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Stress
  • Cigarettes, alcohol and recreational drugs
  • Toxicity
  • Aging
  • Thyroid abnormalities
  • PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids
  • Obesity and low BMI

 

How can Naturopathy help with fertility?

Your naturopath will take a very thorough case history as well as review any medical tests that you have, so please bring these all with you. We will then suggest dietary and lifestyle changes, as well as necessary medicinal herbs and nutritional supplements. Ideally, it is beneficial to be on a 3 month pre conception plan, as this will give your bodies the best chance for conception and prevention of miscarriage.

 

Can I use natural therapies in conjunction with IVF?

Yes naturopathy can be very complementary to IVF and works well with couples who are taking this route due to medical reasons.

 

Can a Naturopath help with both male and female infertility?

Yes we can help both male and female infertility. It is very important that the male’s health is considered and addressed, as 50% DNA will come from the male.

 

Interesting facts about fertility.

A woman ovulates only 12-24 hours of her monthly cycle, the window of opportunity is small, however luckily the sperm are persistent and can survive 4-5 days

A woman’s basal temperature will rise the day after ovulation due to a spike in progesterone levels, this will stay high until menstruation where progesterone levels drop off, or stay high if implantation is successful and progesterone levels continue to rise

Approximately 200-500 million sperm cells are released during ejaculation, most of these die immediately, and the remainder make their difficult journey to the newly released egg. At this point there are roughly 200 sperm remaining

More on Naturopathy

Health In The Bay Aloe

What happens in a Naturopathic appointment?

An initial consultation takes an hour or so. Your Naturopath will take an extensive medical history and will ask many questions about your past and present health – physically, mentally and emotionally. Sometimes a physical examination will be required, and your Naturopath may take blood pressure and use diagnostic tools such as iridology, tongue and nail analysis to help get a complete picture of health. You may also be referred for allergy testing, blood, stool or salivary hormone tests.

 

What’s so good about Naturopathy?

Importantly, a reputable Naturopath will work with you to establish which particular health priorities need to be addressed, and to develop a treatment protocol that best suits your individual situation and requirements. Naturopaths also educate and empower their clients to make the necessary lifestyle changes to improve health.

Naturopathy treats the whole person, not just a single symptom, and the brilliant thing about this is that a client may come in to have one health problem treated, and as that problem is being treated, other health issues clear up at the same time! This is because Naturopathy addresses the cause, and this underlying problem may be affecting other systems of the body.

Naturopathy is a complementary medicine, rather than alternative medicine. In many cases, a Naturopath prefers to work with and in consultation with other health care providers including your GP, specialist and other health care practitioners to ensure the best long-term health solution.

 

Is Natural Medicine safe?

Generally speaking, nutritional supplements and herbal remedies are safe whilst being effective. They usually have less side effects than pharmaceutical medicines. However, herbs and nutrients do have potent actions, and so it is always best to see a naturopath, nutritionist or medical herbalist to ensure that the supplements you take are the most suitable for you and won’t interact with any other medicines you may be taking.