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Infertility
For couples struggling with infertility, naturopathic care can be a very effective treatment option.  
Naturopathic treatment aims at treating infertility by restoring balance to your body.  A variety of
treatments are available including  nutritional guidance, herbs for balancing hormones (estrogen,
progesterone, testosterone, prolactin, cortisol, thyroid), treatment for reduced sperm count or
sperm motility.  It is estimated that men may play a role in infertility 40-50% of the time.

Infertility is often the body's way of indicating that health
needs to be restored before you are able to carry and
nourish a baby.  Nutritional deficiencies such as low iron
and hormone deficiencies or excesses are capable of
producing an environment that is not conducive for a
developing baby.  Often simple corrections that bring the
body back into balance will restore fertility.

Does stress play a role?
Cortisol is the primary hormone which is released in
response to stress.  Without cortisol we would die.  
Cortisol is made from progesterone.  In situations where
there is excessive cortisol production and release in
response to stress, progesterone levels decline.  This
happens because cortisol is much more necessary for life
than progesterone, therefore progesterone gets converted
into cortisol. Since cortisol and progesterone compete for
common receptors in the cells, cortisol impairs
progesterone activity, setting the stage for estrogen
dominance. Without adequate progesterone, a fertilized
egg will not be maintained in the womb*.

Note: Chronically elevated cortisol levels can be a direct cause of estrogen dominance, with all the
familiar PMS symptoms*.

*from Dr. John Lee's book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause.

Environmental Factors and Infertility:
While the association between exposure to environmental pollutants and infertility will always be  
disputed to protect the "special interest groups" (those who manufacture the pollutants), there are
many chemicals that are known to bind to hormone receptors in our body and interfere with   
normal hormone function.  Such chemicals are referred to as endocrine disruptors, because they   
interfere with normal endocrine (hormone) function.
Formaldehyde is one example of such a chemical that has been linked to spontaneous abortion,  
reduced fertility and endometriosis. [1,2,3]  Formaldehyde can be found in shampoos, cosmetics,
construction materials, cleaning products, glues used to make carpet, glues in particle board,
paper products,plastic products...just to name a few.
Phthalates are used in the production of plastics giving them their flexible quality.  They can also
be found in personal care products such as lotions, deodorants, and hair coloring agents.    
Phthalates have hormone disrupting effects and can suppress ovulation and estrogen production.
[4,5]
Parabens are used as a preservative in most cosmetics (including hormone creams), as well as
food and pharmaceutical products.  Parabens are known to interfere with normal hormone
function.

1.  Taskinen H.K et al.  Reduced fertility among female workers exposed to formaldehyde.  Am J. Ind Med 1999; 36:206-212.
2.  Rogers S.  Toxic or Tired.  Prestige Publ. 1990
3.  Rogers S.  The E.I. Syndrome.  Prestige Publ. 1998
4.  Lovekamp-Swan T, Davis BJ.  Mechanisms of phthalates ester toxicity in the female reproductive system.  Env Health
Persp 2003;111(2);139-145.
5.  Davis BJ, et al.  Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate supresses estradiol and ovulation in cycling rats.  Toxicol & Appl pharm 1994;
128:126-223.

For more information on toxic environmental effects on health, go to the website of
Physicians for Social Responsibility


How do we test for some of these potential factors?
Certainly not all patients require a battery of testing.  We spend time with each patient to get a
good history and symptom picture so we can decide what tests may be necessary.  We may use
some of the following tests listed below:

  •   Complete blood count and  serum ferritin (an indicator of iron stores)
     These test screen for anemia, both iron deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency

  •   Thyroid testing-- a thyroid screen that includes TSH, as well as free T3 &
      free T4

  •   Salivary testing of hormone levels including: estrogen, progesterone,         
      testosterone, FSH, LH mapped out over an entire cycle

  •   Salivary testing for stress hormones (cortisol, DHEA and other markers of
     adrenal and sex hormones)

  •    Urinary heavy metals challenge test using an oral chelator. This provides us
      with an estimate of the tissue stores of heavy metals in the body.

  •     Toxic Chemicals --Testing for toxic chemicals is for the most part not done for two        
       reasons: (1)because of the excessive cost (2) most tests only confirm recent
       exposure, not long term past exposure.  Avoidance is the best approach, however there
       are ways to assist your body with the elimination of these chemicals.