The formal definition of an infertile couple is when they have tried unsuccessfully to conceive a child without using any method of birth control (i.e., any contraceptive technique) for at least a year.[1] Lack of ability for a couple to conceive a child may be caused by either or both of the following factors:
Low sperm count and/or presence of abnormal sperm in the male (either of which can be detected by a laboratory test)
Infertility in the woman
For a discussion of causes of infertility in women, see our Q&A called Infertility in Women.
A variety of ways to manage and treat infertility in women are available, including the following self-help, naturopathic, homeopathic, and psychological approaches:[1]
Enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Eat a diet abundant in fresh organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, freshly caught fish, and organic sources of protein.
Avoid eating types of fish that are high in mercury, such as swordfish, king mackerel, shark, and tilefish.
Avoid eating foods that contain white sugar and other high glycemic index ingredients (that can raise the level of blood sugar), as these foods can produce chronic inflammation, which can lead to chronic diseases.
Avoid eating foods that contain white flour, as it can produce chronic inflammation leading to chronic diseases.
Take nutritional prenatal supplements of vitamins (including100 mg of vitamin C daily, 50 mg to 250 IU of vitamin D daily, 800 mg of vitamin E daily, and 2 mg to 10 mg of folic acid daily); minerals (including1500 mg of calcium daily, an appropriate dose of iron daily, and 500 mg of magnesium daily); and omega 3 fatty acids. Some daily exposure to the sun can substitute for supplementation with vitamin D. Folic acid is a very important prenatal vitamin, as it prevents neural tube defects in the developing fetus. Omega 3 fatty acids help prevent chronic inflammation and related chronic diseases in your body. Consult your integrative medical physician for guidance on vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements and dosages that are appropriate for you.
Minimize your intake of alcohol. If you feel that drinking a glass of wine with dinner helps you to relax, then do so occasionally. If you become pregnant, do not drink alcoholic beverages, however.
Do not smoke.
To help balance your sex hormones, apply prescription natural progesterone cream to the skin twice daily. Consult your integrative medical physician and gynecologist for guidance on the dose that is appropriate for you.
Taking the herbal medications, chasteberry, dong quai, and leaf of raspberry. These herbal medications can help treat infertility in women. Chasteberry helps to balance the sex hormones in women, decreases the synthesis of prolactin, increases the synthesis of progesterone, aids in normalizing ovulation, and assists in making the uterus ready for pregnancy. Dong quai helps to balance the sex hormones in women and increases blood supply to the uterus. Raspberry leaf can improve the tone of the uterus. Consult your integrative medical physician and gynecologist for guidance on the use of herbal medications and dosages that are appropriate for you. However, if chasteberry, dong quai, and/or leaf of raspberry are taken by a pregnant woman, these herbs may cause miscarriages or birth defects. Therefore, if you become pregnant, do not take the herbal medications, chasteberry, dong quai, or raspberry leaf.
Taking a homeopathic remedy, such as Calcarea phosphorica. Consult a homeopath (a healthcare professional experienced in the use of homeopathic remedies) for guidance on the homeopathic remedy and dose that is appropriate for you.
Receive acupuncture treatment to release blocked energy pathways in the pelvic region and help restore fertility.
Receive chiropractic and/or osteopathic manipulation techniques that help release blocked energy pathways in the pelvic region.
Perform yoga postures that help release blocked energy pathways in the pelvic region.
Reduce activities that cause you physical stress.
Reduce activities that cause you emotional stress.
Do activities (such as meditation) that relieve physical and emotional stress.
Do not blame yourself for not having gotten pregnant.
Do not perceive of getting pregnant as pressure that you have to fulfill or a requirement to be happy.
Having a positive attitude towards getting pregnant can help improve your hormone balance, immune system, and nervous system.
Embrace and celebrate the fertility goddess inside you.
Allow time to make love.
When making love, do not concentrate on creating a baby.
When making love, enjoy the pleasure and the passion as sources of sexual and emotional fulfillment.
Enhance the romance in your relationship with your husband or partner.
Appreciate the togetherness and the caring in your relationship with your husband or partner.
Work on resolving any residual problems from your childhood and/or current problems in your relationship with your parents.
Psychological counseling may help you to feel better about yourself, your relationship with your parents, and your relationship with your husband or partner.
Joining a support group of other couples facing infertility issues may help you and your husband or partner to not feel alone in the situation you have experienced.
If the self-help, naturopathic, homeopathic, and psychological approaches discussed previously do not help you to become pregnant, consult your integrative medical physician and gynecologist for consideration of other types of treatment of infertility, including:
Prescription hormones taken orally
Prescription injectable hormones
Treatment of underlying abnormalities of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and/or uterus
Artificial insemination with your husbands or partners semen
Implantation of an embryo from artificially-inseminated eggs harvested from you into your uterus
Implantation of an embryo from artificially-inseminated eggs harvested from a donor woman into your uterus
Consider only those forms of management and treatment of infertility that seem appropriate to you and your husband or partner. If, despite being treated for infertility, you do not conceive a child, you and your husband or partner may wish to think about the following options for parenting or being involved with children:[1]
Surrogate methods, involving another woman being artificially inseminated with your husbands or partner's semen
Adoption of a child
Being foster parents
Involvement in organizations serving children, such as Big Brother or Big Sister
REFERENCE
1. J. Reichenberg-Ullman. Whole Woman Homeopathy. 2004. North Edmonds, WA: Picnic Point Press.
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