Great info......I think anyway ;o)

[ita17]

Hi ladies,  the other night I was doing some googling & came across this article, & thought I'd share it ;)
It's kind of long, but very interesting!


Advanced Maternal Age and Egg
Quality
Randine Lewis, Ph.D., Lic.Ac.

Biologic Age vs. Chronologic Age
Many humans live over 100 years. Most forms of medicine
throughout history have sought to improve longevity. In the ancient
Chinese medical text, the Nei Jing, there is a dialogue between the
Yellow Emperor and an old Taoist teacher named Chi-Po. The
Yellow Emperor asks, "Why does medicine exist?" Chi-Po's answer
is, "...because people have severed themselves from their roots (the
Tao)". Reconnecting a woman with her spiritual roots is an important
aspect in maintaining her health and her youth. Understanding which
energies decline with maturation can help restore youthful energetics
and, in essence, turn back the reproductive clock. One's longevity is
deeply connected with one's inner harmony. The result is manifested
internally and externally. Nature is kind and forgiving. Enhancing our
natural reproductive capacity will maximize the possibility of a child;
however, we cannot wait too long and override nature. According to
an old Chinese proverb, "The Yangze never runs backwards...man
recaptures not his youth."

The average reproductive life span for a woman is about 30 years.
Years ago, women didn't menstruate on the average until age 15 or
16. Today girls of 10 or 11 are already menstruating. Part of this is
due to the overabundance of synthetic hormones in our diet. We are
coming of age faster and going into menopause later. We should be
able to prolong our reproductive health as well as longevity.

Specifically applied techniques of Oriental Medicine can restore a
more youthful endocrine system. Correct dietary practices and
exercise routines are the first factors to contemplate in raising your
fertility quotient and maintaining reproductive vigor. R.G. Godsen &
C.E. Finch, in Definition & Character of Reproductive Aging &
Senescence, state, "Dietary and endocrine manipulations can also
slow the pace of ovarian aging." One study in Biol Reprod, 1985,
Nelsen, Godsen & Felicio, found that feeding a low calorie diet to
rodents slowed the disappearance of ovarian follicles. Whole foods,
mainly consisting of organic fruits and vegetables, will help restore
vitality, as well as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Moderate
tobacco use has been estimated to advance the onset of menopause
by up to three years, and increase the rate of follicular atresia by 7%
(Godsen, et al.) Any form of stimulant (including herbal) will age us
prematurely. Moderate exercise at least three times per week helps
improve the circulation to the internal organs as well as improving
skin and musculoskeletal tone.


There is a belief in the reproductive medical community that age is
  
There is a belief in the reproductive medical community that age is
the only factor that determines ovarian health. Medical studies
conclude that ovarian decline occurs around age 40. These studies,
however, do not take into account the relevance of environmental
stressors and dietary factors. Environmental factors play an
incredibly crucial role as far as reproductive aging is concerned. In
20% of monozygotic twins, the age at menopause differs by five or
more years. Genetic parameters of oocyte aging have used
mathematical models to calculate and determine that an 80%
variation in ovarian aging is genetically determined, leaving a 20%
distinction for environmental factors which are within our control.
Guess what?! Our ovaries do not have a predetermined, finite half-
life. They are organs that respond to favorable surroundings just as
the rest of our bodily systems do. They are not locked away in
untouchable safes. This is very good news, however, because just as
they respond negatively to poor diet, drugs, toxins, and stress
hormones, they also respond positively to a healthy diet and pure
lifestyle.

Our ovaries and the eggs residing in them have been present since
before we were born. During embryologic development, the seven
million germ cells which will become all of the 300,000 - 400,000
eggs we will possess at birth will be carried through menopause,
when the follicular supply falls to less than 100. Certainly as we age,
the DNA contained within the eggs becomes less stable. However, a
human egg which has been lying dormant for 32 years is not itself
tremendously more stable than one which has been resting for 40
years. When most women approach the peri-menopausal hormonal
fluctuations, they still have thousands of eggs remaining within their
ovaries! What makes them less responsive? Hormonal fluctuations.
Once scientific study found that when the ovaries of older,
anovulatory rats were transplanted into hormonally youthful rats'
bodies, they became capable of ovulating. Neuroendocrine changes
take place while the ovary is still well endowed with follicles. These
variations begin with central, hypothalamic control of the release of
FSH. Acupuncture and herbal therapy can forestall age related
decline.

What happens as we approach middle age is that our own hormonal
makeup wavers. The hypothalamic - pituitary - ovarian axis, an
invisible network of hormonal relationships which govern our
reproductive status, becomes less stable with age. The ovaries
become less predictable because of the hormonal fluctuations and
the eggs contained within quit responding predictably to the
hormones. Once they become less responsive to the FSH, more of
them cycle through and go to their "resting place." We need to
provide more hormonal fuel for the remaining thousands of eggs, i.e.,
strengthen the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, when age
becomes an issue. Acupuncture techniques have been proven to
regulate the hypothalamic - pituitary - ovarian axis. The result will
then be manifest in the ovaries and their hormone production.

Contrary to popular reproductive belief, follicular growth from the
resting state until ovulation takes up to 100 days, or more than three
menstrual cycles. Follicles are selected from the primordial pool of
menstrual cycles. Follicles are selected from the primordial pool of
resting follicles almost a year before ovulation, and are recruited to
become active. During the initial pre-gonadotropin period the follicle
responds to regulatory factors within the ovary itself, which are like
hormones. These growth factors are like hormonal precursors. One
important ovarian growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, is the
precursor to the youth hormone which is secreted by the thymus
gland called growth hormone. Others have names like insulin-like
growth factor binding protein, interlukin, tumor necrosis factor,
inhibin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and activin. These ovarian
growth factors help determine the eventual fertility potential of the
oocyte (egg).

During this period which lasts for many months, the healthy,
responsive follicle determines its own fate with these regulatory
proteins. The (0.03mm) follicle is first chosen from the primordial pool
to double in size (to about 0.06 mm) and become a primary follicle,
about 150 days prior to ovulation. It reaches its secondary phase
approximately 120 days before ovulation, when it again doubles in
size. The follicle then cycles through the pre-antral and early antral
phase and grows from about 0.12 mm to about 1.0 mm in
approximately 65 days. It has quadrupled in size during this time, and
has gone through many stages of proliferation.

[ita17]

IK  I too wish that for example "girls scout cookies........caramel delights & thin mints (frozen!)" were organic & good for fertility ;o)  LOL
But what I've been doing for a couple of years now, is I'm TRYING to buy as much organic as possible, by NOT having junk in my home, it's eaten much less.  Don't get me wrong, I don't eat GREAT all the time, just try to eat good as much as I can ;)

I just found it super educational about the way our bodies work!  I never knew that it takes about one year for our follies to even become the ones we see on our CD3 US!  I always thought, a few just popped up, LOL  But, it makes sense why they "prep" women for IVF w/3 months, or why it takes DHEA at least 3 months to really make a difference, or other herbs/supplements...

I'm the kind of person who likes info, I'm not a big reader, but enjoy learning ways we can improve our health overall ;)

[naturschld]

Thanks for taking the time to post all this great information.  I'm going to try to pick out things to try.  Wish the food that was good for you was yummier though.  Darn it.  :)

[mjmom69]

That's a great article. We try to eat the way that's best for us, but it's hard to know exactly what to do. I wish it were easier to get natural meats and dairies in my area. We have a garden in the summer but that's not everything. Thanks so much!

[ita17]

Hi girls, so glad you liked it!  I thought it was so interesting & helpful too ;o)
xxxxxx's!
Laura

[Savanha]

Great info girlfriend and it was very beneficial to me. ;o)

[TreeFrog7]

WOW - what a lot of great info! Thanks for posting it!

I've come across bits and pieces of this before, but could never find it when I wanted it. Now I only have to look here.

Thanks again!
~Wendy

[ita17]

She had a presentation consistent with spleen qi vacuity. She was
tired most of the time, was beginning to get varicose veins, bruised
easily, and had low blood pressure. Her menstrual flow started out
light pink in color and was rather watery in consistency. The flow
became very heavy and lasted about seven days. We began weekly
treatments of acupuncture and she took herbal formulas to
supplement her spleen qi religiously. She decided not to resume
inseminations until she could hold a luteal phase. She began
monitoring her basal body temperatures so we could assess her
hormonal status. Her chart proved somewhat erratic. She ovulated
later than usual, and had a short luteal phase with a chaotic pattern.
After about two months her luteal phase lengthened, but she was still
spotting. She also reported that each month just before she got her
period, she got a nosebleed. Once again this confirmed the diagnosis
of deficient spleen qi, which was unable to hold the blood in its proper
place.

Barbara began to feel like the Synthroid was doing her more harm
than good, and quit taking it (after consulting her internist.) She did
continue taking the herbs, and within six weeks her thyroid studies
proved within normal limits. Her energy was much better than it had
been previously, and her menstruation was becoming less profuse.
She turned 43 and became anxious again about her biological clock.
She began the monthly inseminations again, even though her
spotting and nosebleeds were still present. Her temperature charts
were improving, though. She was ovulating on day 15 or 16 of her
cycle, and was having 29 to 30 day cycles. The luteal phase was
adequate in length, but she would still get a dip in temperatures when
she spotted. After three more months, (which were agonizing for her),
the nosebleeds and spotting were gone.


The next month was the magical one. About twelve days after her
insemination, she said she knew she wasn't pregnant because her
breasts weren't tender, and she just didn't feel like it was successful
this month, either. I felt her pulse, which had taken on the lively,
vibrant quality of pregnancy, and assured her she had succeeded.

Barbara carried her baby girl to term, which was born soon after she
turned 44. They make a great team!  


LOL THIS IS LONGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!  BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT 411 & I HOPE IT CAN HELP US LADIES ;O)

[ita17]

Many women are also using Human Growth Hormone analogues like
Insulin-like Growth Factor, a precursor to Growth Hormone (which
naturally declines with age), to improve the quality and quantity of
their egg production. Some companies are manufacturing products
which are touted to encourage your pituitary gland to produce more
Human Growth Hormone through amino acids like L-Arginine,
Glycine, L-Ornithine HCl, L-Glutamine, and L-Lysine, and Bovine
Colostrum. Human Growth Hormone is not available as a
supplement; the molecule is not utilizable orally. In the United States,
Human Growth Hormone is available by prescription only as
Somatropin, and is prescribed for growth hormone failure in children,
and for hormone deficiency in adults. Some studies have shown that
DHEA can be used instead of Growth Hormone to help ovarian
response. A study published in Human Reproduction, 2000, reported
that DHEA administration of 80 mg./day for two months improved
response to ovarian stimulation after controlling for gonadotrophin
dose.

One study, published in Human Reproduction, 1999, found that there
was an increased ovarian response, endometrial receptivity, and
pregnancy rates in IVF patients who supplemented daily with large
doses (16 grams) of oral L-arginine, an amino acid.

OTHER REPRODUCTIVE ENHANCEMENTS:

Femoral Massage (Increases blood flow to the pelvic organs)
Compress the large femoral artery, whose pulse you can feel just
beneath the crease between your thigh and lower abdomen. When
the flow has ceased and you feel the pulsation end at your finger tips,
hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side. Perform the
femoral massage three times on each side, twice daily if possible.
[NOTE: Do not perform this exercise if you have high blood pressure,
heart problems, any vasculature impairment, glaucoma, or have had
a history of strokes or transient ischemic attacks.]




Qi Gong Meditation with visualization for age related issues
This exercise utilizes the basic life force - the breath, for relaxation,
and enhances the body's focus on the reproductive organs. We
literally breathe life into and through the reproductive organs.

Lay on your back, with your eyes closed. Relax and breathe deeply.
Notice any areas of tension you feel in your body from your head to
your neck, down your arms and hands, through your torso, down
your abdomen, buttocks, thighs, calves and feet. Tense the tight
areas in your body even more, one by one. Breathe in, inhaling
deeply down into your lower abdomen. Push your stomach out as
you breathe in. Focus your attention on the tension in your body, then
tighten the muscles in the area even more, and relax them fully as
your exhale. Exhale all the way, deflating your abdomen when you
breathe out. Breathe the tension in your body out through the breath.

Focus your attention on the tension, the breath, and the relaxation.
Nothing more. When the tension in that particular part of your body is
gone, move on to the next part. When you feel relaxed throughout
your body, and your mind is clear, begin the visualization. Continue
the deep breathing exercise, breathing deep into your abdomen and
relaxing with each exhalation.

Visualize light entering your body through the top of your head with
each inhalation. This light is clean and pure and represents the
energy of life and youth. Breathe this light energy from the top of your
head and let it pass through the base of your brain, the
hypothalamus, which governs our basic reproductive functions. See
this healing light enter the pituitary gland which is located behind the
center of your eyebrows. Still on inhalation bring the focus of the
breath down the midline of your body, between the breasts, down the
abdomen, and eventually focusing your breath down to the region
two inches below your navel. This is called the Dan Tien, where our
life source begins. Let the breath energy pool here.

At the end of inhalation, bring the focus of light and breath from the
area below your navel down to the out to your ovaries, just inside
your hip bones. Let the light flow from the ovaries down the fallopian
tubes and into the uterus, cleansing them of all impurities, and
restoring their youthful vigor. When your uterus has bathed in the
purity, turn your attention down to the perineal muscles and perform
a kegel exercise, squeezing the perineal muscles to retain the light.
When you release the kegel, begin exhalation.

During exhalation, Return the light with the exhalation up the midline
and back through the pituitary gland behind the center of your
eyebrows, and through the base of the brain, and back to the top of
the head. Repeat from inhalation until the movements become
smooth and continuous.
Barbara's Baby
Barbara had been 42 for eight months when she first consulted me.
She was single and had her own business that took her out of the
country each month. Although she didn't have a partner, she knew
she wanted a child, and her age was not going to provide her the
luxury of finding the right father. She had been having intrauterine
inseminations with frozen sperm purchased from a sperm bank every
month, but would start to spot about a week after ovulation. She had
a "thyroid imbalance", and was currently taking the synthetic thyroid
hormone, Synthroid. The reproductive clinic also prescribed
progesterone suppositories for her to take after the inseminations,
but it did not curtail the bleeding. They had previously done three
cycles of Clomid stimulation, but her response did not change.

She put herself in my care with complete trust. Barbara's diet was
already healthy. She had been reading up on nutritional health, and
had consulted a nutritionist for supplementation.

[ita17]

formation and overall brain function. The kidneys control water
balance and elimination.

The kidney system provides the substrate for and encompasses the
relationship between the reproductive system, the skeletal system,
the neurological system and the endocrine system.

When the kidney system begins to decline as a woman ages,
symptoms include either signs of kidney yin vacuity, kidney yang
vacuity, or both. Signs and symptoms of kidney yin vacuity are: low
levels of estrogen, night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, low
back weakness, soreness, or pain, or knee problems, ringing in the
ears, dizziness, scanty fertile cervical mucus, excessive fear, dark
circles around the eyes, scanty menstruation, a tongue lacking in
coating that appears shiny or peeled.

Symptoms of kidney yang vacuity include have low back pain which
is worse premenstrual, a sore or weak low back, cold feet at night,
being cold in nature, low libido, frequent, dilute or nighttime urination,
being fearful in nature, early morning loose, urgent stools, profuse
vaginal discharge, dull menstrual blood, cold cramps during the
period that respond to a heating pad, and a moist, pale tongue.

Spleen Vacuity
The spleen energies weaken with age right along with the kidneys,
and often times precede it. The first tip off to declining spleen function
is fatigue. We just seem to require more energy to get the same
amount of work done than we did a few years ago. Enter caffeine,
which artificially stimulates the brain, and allows us to function with a
little more energy. However, caffeine itself provides no additional
energy to the body... it merely borrows it from... (You guessed it), the
kidneys! When the kidneys are already taxed, and still have to
preside over menstruation and hormonal functioning, guess what
gives? Reproduction: that life process which is not necessary for our
survival.

Another sign of waning spleen energies is that things start to fall. Our
skin begins to sag, our breasts fall, veins appear on the surface of
our skin, we get hemorrhoids, and our uterus falls into our bladder.
We have to pee more often. Our blood pressure fluctuates. Our
digestion and elimination become more sensitive. Our metabolism
changes. We react more to our environment and catch cold more
often. Even our protective mechanisms start to falter.

Progesterone drops off during the luteal phase. Periods come earlier
and are often accompanied by loose stools.




Treatment
Happily, we have methods to tonify both the energies of the spleen
and the kidney.
Exercise
Rest well
Avoid junk food, caffeine, tobacco, sodas, sweeteners, and
refined carbohydrates.
Do not eat any meat or animal products which have been treated
with growth hormone. This includes most of the meat, eggs, milk
products and cheese found at the supermarket.
Avoid dairy products, raw vegetables, and cold foods.
Eat foods which tonify the kidney and spleen, and supplement
your diet with blue-green algae, wheat grass, and green power
foods.

Kidney Vacuity
If you suffer from signs of kidney vacuity, the following foods are
found helpful:

black beans and legumes, kelp, parsley, tofu, raspberries, walnuts,
wild rice, spirulina, wheat germ, wheat grass, string beans, mulberry,
millet and (non-hormonally treated) organ meats, oysters, clams,
lobster, crayfish, pork, venison, chestnuts, black sesame seeds,
lycium fruit, aduki beans, yams, gelatin, chestnuts and corn.
Glandular supplements (including placenta) also fall under this
category.

Yin Deficiency (hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, lack of
fertile, cervical mucus)

A diagnosis which includes kidney yin deficiency should be rich in the
following foods:

Wheat and wheat germ, tofu, millet, barley, rice, amaranth
Black beans, kidney beans, string beans, mung beans, and bean
sprouts, Seaweed, chlorella, spirulina
Fruit like apples, bananas, raspberries, blackberries, grapes,
mulberries and melons
Eat shellfish like clams and muscles, eggs, jellyfish, organ meats
like kidneys, brains and hearts (all from organic, non-hormonally
treated sources)
Avoid the use of dry, pungent, acrid spices




Yang Deficiency (pre-menstrual low back pain, low libido, nighttime
urination, cold feet)

Eat warm foods
Include ginger root, black beans, aduki beans, lentils
Include grains like oats, spelt, sweet brown rice, and quinoa
Fruits should include citrus peel, dates, and cherries
Vegetables which are yang in nature include parsnips, parsley,
mustard greens, winter squash, cabbage, kale, onion, leek,
chive, garlic, and scallion
Cook with peppers and warming spices and herbs such as anise,
ginger, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, basil, rosemary, dill, anise,
caraway, and cumin

Spleen Vacuity  
Consume mostly organic vegetables, sautéed or lightly cooked
Do not eat raw, cold, foods. Don't consume ice cold beverages,
or ice cream and popsicles. Energetically cold foods should be
eaten only in moderation. These include many fruits like mango,
watermellon, pears, and persimmons. "Cold" vegetables include
cucumbers, lettuce, celery, spinach and the like.
Do not eat refined carbohydrates like white bread, or pasta.
Avoid any food made with white flour.  
Grains like rice, Job's tears barley (coix) and sorghum
supplement the spleen. Eat yams, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.
Avoid sugar and sugar substitutes or any concentrated sweets
including honey and maple syrup.
Avoid damp creating foods like milk and milk products such as
cheese or ice cream.  

The typical Chinese diet incorporates these principles. Very little cold,
raw foods are eaten, very little breads or pastries, and almost no
dairy products.

Herbs which help nourish the spleen and kidneys, (and, when taken
for the correctly diagnosed pattern discrimination can lower FSH
levels) are Astragalus, Ginseng, Chasteberry, False Unicorn, Vitex,
Angelica, Epimedium, Dipsacas, Atractylodes, Dioscorea, Eucommia,
Codonopsis, Rubus, Cuscuta, and Cornus. [NOTE: Do NOT take
herbs if you are undergoing a hormonally stimulated cycle for any
assisted reproductive technique without your primary physicians
specific consent and approval.]

Co-Enzyme Q10 is a supplement which is commonly used for
cardiovascular disorders. Co-Enzyme Q10 helps support and
improve mitochondrial function, which is the powerhouse of the cell.
Recent experimental medical techniques have been studied whereby
Recent experimental medical techniques have been studied whereby
the embryologist uses a younger woman's cytoplasm to support the
older woman's DNA in IVF techniques for older women. This
procedure has been banned by the FDA, but the objective of this
technique was to improve mitochondrial function. A milder, but
probably less potent attempt to perform the same improvement in
cellular function is to supplement with enzymes like Co-Q10.
Reactive oxygen species are continuously generated throughout
metabolic processes which damage mitochondrial DNA, and
contribute to the "age-related" decline in egg quality. Anti-oxidants
(vitamins C, E, A, zinc, & selenium) and super anti-oxidants
(pycnogenol) help prevent oxidative mitochondrial damage. Improved
longevity in more advanced species have evolved because of a
higher intrinsic capacity for repair and stress resistance at the cellular
level. We can extrapolate this into improved ovarian longevity as well.
We know this can be affected by improving our environment,
exercising, reducing stressors, eating a more organic, whole food
diet, and supplementing with appropriate nutritional and herbal
administration. These factors are within our control!

[ita17]

In Chinese medicine the kidney system is responsible for our genetic
constitution, and underlies all other metabolic processes. It dictates
growth and development. It provides the essence for the uterus and
menstruation. When the kidney essence is depleted, women go into
menopause. The kidneys are responsible for bone and teeth
formation and overall brain function. The kidneys control water
formation and overall brain function. The kidneys control water
balance and elimination.