Infertility is a serious issue these days. It has been estimated that some 6.1 million American couples are impaired in their ability to have children. 2.1 million of these couples are infertile. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause of infertility because ovulation, fertilization, and the journey of the fertilized ovum through the fallopian tube to the uterus is a very intricate process. Many events must work together perfectly for pregnancy to occur. For men, infertility is most often the result of a low sperm count or anatomical abnormality. A variety of factors can result in low sperm count including alcohol consumption, endocrine disorders, exposure to toxins, radiation, recent acute illness or prolonged fever, and more. In women, the most common cause of infertility includes ovulatory failure or defect, blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. It has also been said that psychological issues such as stress may play a role in infertility as well. Here are some natural and nutritional therapies that may help with lessening infertility.
- Avoid all alcohol because it has been shown to reduce sperm count in men and prevent implantation of the fertilized egg in women.
- Boost adrenal energy with brown rice.
- Do not smoke and avoid being around cigarette smoke.
- Eat magnesium-rich foods like almonds, green salads, avocado, carrots, citrus fruits, lentils, salmon, and flounder.
- A balanced diet is incredibly important! Avoid fried foods, sugar, and junk foods.
- Heavy use of Echinacea, gingko biloba, and St. John’s wort may cause infertility in men.
- Astragalus extract has been reported to stimulate sperm motility.
- Investigate the possibility of heavy metal intoxication which may affect ovulation. Hair analysis can reveal heavy metal poisoning.
- It has been said that caffeine consumption may prevent some women from becoming pregnant.
- Soy foods offer a natural estrogenic effect for women. Cruciferous vegetables may help metabolize “bad” estrogens.
- Eat foods rich in essential fatty acids such as seafood, sea greens, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
- Get plenty of zinc from foods such as liver, oysters, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Resources
Page, Linda. (2006). Healthy Healing. Healthy Healing Inc.
Balch, P. A (2006). Prescription for Nutritional Healing. New York, NY: Penguin Group
