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Article by Dr. Randine Lewis re: high FSH (PART II)
There is another option that has been grossly overlooked. The reason it is overlooked is that physicians do not learn anything about reproductive health when they study medicine. In medical school, we were trained to treat disease. And infertility is not a disease. It is an epidemic of ignorance. We have not been taught how to care for our own reproductive systems. Let's pretend for a minute that there are no such things as hammers and nails. Consider the possibility that we have all of our fertility solutions within our very makeup. Ovarian health depends upon three factors - nutritional status, blood flow, and the balance of reproductive hormones with stress hormones.
1) Nutritional status - the reproductive system, like the rest of our body, has certain nutritional requirements. Most of my patients are asked to avoid sugar, wheat, and dairy. They take nutritional supplements specific to their TCM pattern of imbalance. Most women with high FSH or poor ovarian reserve take supergreens like wheatgrass, royal jelly, and Co-Enzyme Q-10, to name a few.
2) Blood flow - a woman of age 40 typically has five times less blood flow to her ovaries than a woman of age 20. This dramatically impedes the attention that the ovary requires during the follicles' all important growth phase, the 90 day process before ovulation in which the quality of the egg is determined. The follicles insist upon adequate oxygenation and circulation to function efficiently (i.e., with a healthy egg, capable of fertilization and implantation.) I teach women exercises which redirect the circulation to the ovaries. And, as always, their bodies respond.
3) Hormonal balance - the endocrine system is a delicate interplay of the reproductive hormones, stress hormones, and emotions, in symphony with each other. This system operates via feedback, which means that anytime you introduce an outside hormone into its influence, it shuts that system down. Synthetic hormones can't cure hormonal imbalances, they can only override them. The endocrine system is the most sensitive bodily system which requires the perfect balancing act of multiple factors, inside and out. Like all other mammals, our bodies do not want us pregnant when our endocrine systems are stressed. At our retreats, we employ natural techniques to rebalance the hormones. These methods gently encourage the reproductive system to operate efficiently, while reducing the internal stress response. When we abide by nature's own directives, an internal order awakens inside, and automatically knows the rules. Like Laura and Kathleen, when we pay attention to these three factors, our reproductive systems respond beautifully, as if this is what they were waiting for all along.
Christine, age 33, was given the diagnosis of premature ovarian failure when her FSH was found to be marginally elevated. Her doctor put her on three cycles of clomid, an anti-estrogen drug which raises FSH, and her body did all it could to save her - her reproductive system completely shut down in response to the clomid (don't ever take clomid if your FSH is elevated, even borderline). She quit menstruating, her FSH rose ever higher, and she was left with two options - donor egg or adoption.
Christine didn't blame her doctor for giving her the wrong medicine, she did what most all infertility patients do, quietly suffer alone in agonizing despair. Then she heard about my retreats, and something within her said, "this makes sense." Christine came to two retreats, a few months apart. After one month of natural treatment of diet, nutritional supplementation, ovarian exercises, acupuncture and herbs, her period returned. Christine went back to her infertility specialist and asked her if there was any hope for her. Her doctor told her if she conceived on her own, she would "eat her shoe." During Christine's second retreat, she looked me in the eye with severe intensity and begged, "Do you think there might be hope?" I looked back with the same intensity in my gaze, said, "Yes, Christine. There is hope." She believed me. More importantly, she believed in herself, and her body's ability to heal herself. She had one more period. That is, until she conceived, naturally, with their first miracle child. And, as far as I know, no shoes were ingested.
Listen to your own internal wisdom. Do you want a child, any child, at all costs, or can you allow yourself the gift of reclaiming your reproductive, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?
1) Nutritional status - the reproductive system, like the rest of our body, has certain nutritional requirements. Most of my patients are asked to avoid sugar, wheat, and dairy. They take nutritional supplements specific to their TCM pattern of imbalance. Most women with high FSH or poor ovarian reserve take supergreens like wheatgrass, royal jelly, and Co-Enzyme Q-10, to name a few.
2) Blood flow - a woman of age 40 typically has five times less blood flow to her ovaries than a woman of age 20. This dramatically impedes the attention that the ovary requires during the follicles' all important growth phase, the 90 day process before ovulation in which the quality of the egg is determined. The follicles insist upon adequate oxygenation and circulation to function efficiently (i.e., with a healthy egg, capable of fertilization and implantation.) I teach women exercises which redirect the circulation to the ovaries. And, as always, their bodies respond.
3) Hormonal balance - the endocrine system is a delicate interplay of the reproductive hormones, stress hormones, and emotions, in symphony with each other. This system operates via feedback, which means that anytime you introduce an outside hormone into its influence, it shuts that system down. Synthetic hormones can't cure hormonal imbalances, they can only override them. The endocrine system is the most sensitive bodily system which requires the perfect balancing act of multiple factors, inside and out. Like all other mammals, our bodies do not want us pregnant when our endocrine systems are stressed. At our retreats, we employ natural techniques to rebalance the hormones. These methods gently encourage the reproductive system to operate efficiently, while reducing the internal stress response. When we abide by nature's own directives, an internal order awakens inside, and automatically knows the rules. Like Laura and Kathleen, when we pay attention to these three factors, our reproductive systems respond beautifully, as if this is what they were waiting for all along.
Christine, age 33, was given the diagnosis of premature ovarian failure when her FSH was found to be marginally elevated. Her doctor put her on three cycles of clomid, an anti-estrogen drug which raises FSH, and her body did all it could to save her - her reproductive system completely shut down in response to the clomid (don't ever take clomid if your FSH is elevated, even borderline). She quit menstruating, her FSH rose ever higher, and she was left with two options - donor egg or adoption.
Christine didn't blame her doctor for giving her the wrong medicine, she did what most all infertility patients do, quietly suffer alone in agonizing despair. Then she heard about my retreats, and something within her said, "this makes sense." Christine came to two retreats, a few months apart. After one month of natural treatment of diet, nutritional supplementation, ovarian exercises, acupuncture and herbs, her period returned. Christine went back to her infertility specialist and asked her if there was any hope for her. Her doctor told her if she conceived on her own, she would "eat her shoe." During Christine's second retreat, she looked me in the eye with severe intensity and begged, "Do you think there might be hope?" I looked back with the same intensity in my gaze, said, "Yes, Christine. There is hope." She believed me. More importantly, she believed in herself, and her body's ability to heal herself. She had one more period. That is, until she conceived, naturally, with their first miracle child. And, as far as I know, no shoes were ingested.
Listen to your own internal wisdom. Do you want a child, any child, at all costs, or can you allow yourself the gift of reclaiming your reproductive, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?
I'm so happy that the article reinforces what you know in your heart to be true. We CAN all do this. We have been given alot of bad info by an industry that does mean well, but doesn't have much financial interest in figuring out how to get us back to being more fertile. We're more profitable being infertile. Here's an example, they include baby aspirin as part of the protocol for IVF (or at least most do), but in my experience, I've never seen them recommend it to a woman not doing in vitro. (unless there's a clotting issue) Why is that, when time and time again we hear of women who've tried it and it helped them conceive? (the founder of this group for example!)
I totally agree piababy. We can receive benefit from the services of an RE. They can perform all the tests to make sure everything's ok medically. They have ovarian stimulation drugs to help increase our odds. They also have treatments like progesterone to help us hold on to a pregnancy. But it is far from a perfect world obviously, if they can only offer 5-10% success. (especially for those of us with high FSH) So for now, I will probably stick with using both approaches. But the one I think that is actually helping me is the Eastern medicine approach.
I think that is actually the point here, that each one of us individually needs to figure out what works best for our bodies. We're all different and have different fertility challenges. We have to find what we think will help us the most and then work hard on getting our bodies healthy and in balance. Any of us who are not in menopause are still capable of having a baby! :)
I totally agree piababy. We can receive benefit from the services of an RE. They can perform all the tests to make sure everything's ok medically. They have ovarian stimulation drugs to help increase our odds. They also have treatments like progesterone to help us hold on to a pregnancy. But it is far from a perfect world obviously, if they can only offer 5-10% success. (especially for those of us with high FSH) So for now, I will probably stick with using both approaches. But the one I think that is actually helping me is the Eastern medicine approach.
I think that is actually the point here, that each one of us individually needs to figure out what works best for our bodies. We're all different and have different fertility challenges. We have to find what we think will help us the most and then work hard on getting our bodies healthy and in balance. Any of us who are not in menopause are still capable of having a baby! :)
Wonderful information! Thank you so much for helping so many of us. You always bring a new perspective and a better, easier way of looking at things.
Thank you Thank you Thank you, this just proves to me that I am doing the right thing, I am supposed to be going to my gyno for the 1st time in just over a fortnight, but after chatting with my naturopath today, we agreed that I would give it a try with just natural methods, she's convinced that she can help me, althought it won't be easy. I have to give up sugar ( I have a super sweet tooth arggghhh), take a number of supplements & a couple of tonics, she is also treating me to help release some guilt & to grieve for a lost baby, which she says can also hinder conception & we'll be using acupuncture, the article that you've posted makes me even stronger in my conviction that fertility specialists are great, but not for everyone.
Whatever path we choose, if we don't listen to our bodies & stop feeling guilty our chances of conceiving are dramatically reduced, so respect for ourselves is something that we all have to find.
Whatever path we choose, if we don't listen to our bodies & stop feeling guilty our chances of conceiving are dramatically reduced, so respect for ourselves is something that we all have to find.
Wow! It is amazing to read so many of the stray thoughts I had regarding the infertility industry put together so coherently in one article. I thought I was just a little paranoid to have had these thoughts and its a relief to know that some other people feel that we over 40's women are conditioned to think that drugs are the only answer! I think that perhaps us over 40's potential mothers are over a barrel when it comes to TTC. The medical profession tell us that we have a 5 to 10% chance of concieving, even with treatment, but that medical intervention offers our best chance. This places a huge guilt trip on the woman. Even though there is at best a 90% chance of medical intervention failing to help, we still will feel guilty if we do not grasp that slender 10% chance. There is precious little interest in us a women TTC if we do not from the medical profession.
Both of my grand mothers conceived in their 40's, way back, so it can be done au naturale! But, but but.......my mind is distracted by the choices we have these days! I want to belive in au naturale, but the medical argument about best chances etc make my question my gut and seek out every possible assistence I can get in promoting my chances in the TTC lottery
Both of my grand mothers conceived in their 40's, way back, so it can be done au naturale! But, but but.......my mind is distracted by the choices we have these days! I want to belive in au naturale, but the medical argument about best chances etc make my question my gut and seek out every possible assistence I can get in promoting my chances in the TTC lottery
Most welcome! We all deserve to have all of the facts! :)
Thanks so much for posting!
~Wendy
~Wendy
I love your stuff - so true.
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