3mg of melatonin might just make the difference to improve egg quality

I found this article about the possibility of a treatment to improve egg quality and I wanted to research this to get more information for you.

This may just be what you need to get the results you are looking for with your treatment.

Scientists in Japan have noted that oxidative stress appears to effect egg quality in females. I have written about this before and have discussed this same concept published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, from research at the Cleveland Clinic in the USA. Increased antioxidant capacity (decreased oxidative stress) in the follicular fluid is associated with improved pregnancy rates with IVF.

The scientists in Japan have supported this notion with a study using 3mg of melatonin and or 600mg (or approximately 800IU) of Vit E starting on day five of the preceding menstrual cycle before egg collection.

The women who received melatonin and a specific form of Vitamin E or melatonin alone showed improved fertilization rates, decreased oxidative stress and in the follicular fluid and doubled pregnancy rates from 10% to 20%. There unfortunately was no data available on live baby rates in the information I found.

Oxidative stress has been correlated with poor sp**erm health and continues to be correlated with egg health as well so this again supports why we are trying to decrease oxidative stress by using antioxidants for both the female and the male when they come to see us. Melatonin is one of your sleep hormones but is also a strong antioxidant.

In different countries you can find Melatonin either over the counter or by doctors prescription. In Australia you can only get 3mg from a physician. And in other countries I would recommend you ask your doctor about these studies and if they could provide a script if appropriate for you rather than relying on the over the counter brands simply because it is difficult to determine quality from one brand of over the counter supplement from another.

The Vitamin E that was used was alpha tocopherol. 600mg is equal to approximately 800IU which is more than what is in most multivitamins. This amount of this specific Vitamin E should be considered, but should also be reviewed by your health care professional to make sure you are not taking anything that would interfere with other medications being used in your cycle. For example if you take some sort of blood thinner with your cycle then you should review with your health care practitioner whether 800IU of Vitamin E is appropriate for you.

Also be aware that there are different forms of Vitamin E so read the label to make sure alpha (look for the alpha symbol) tocopherol is the Vitamin E you would take if appropriate.

This is a perfect example of how natural and conventional can work together to help you optimize your chances of creating a viable pregnancy.

Contact us at www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com to help us show you what else you can do to improve your situation

new discussion group re fertility

Hi, just wanted to let you know I am starting a discussion group on google called yourbabymaker, have a look and subscribe for more fertility info and discussions.

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Study Links Fertility Treatments to Autism

Stacey Roberts: We have to keep in mind that women who used these medications i.e. Clomid or IVF drugs likely had less than optimal hormone balance, undiagnosed subclinical thyroid issues or even possibly nutrient depletion among other possible scenarios that contributed to the fertility issues they experienced in the first place. So taking Clomid or IVF is not likely the cause of autism, but the less than optimal balance which contributed to fertility issues in the first place that is often ignored by the medical system as they move women thru fertility treatments without bothering to FULLY investigate the possible variables like lifestyle/diet issues, coeliac disease, thyroid issues etc, and treat the cause of the fertility issues. I believe if more couples took time to get as healthy as possible before conceiving and more doctors encouraged this before putting women on meds that in many cases can put them and their children at greater risk, then maybe these associations would be less evident.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1990567,00.html?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0oZ5u58Yr

antibacterial soaps, toothpastes and mouthwashes contain endocrine disruptor

from the la times:

The Food and Drug Administration announced April 8 that it will be taking a look at the safety of a widely used antibacterial chemical, triclosan.

Triclosan — as well as its cousin triclocarban — is found in liquid hand soaps, deodorant bar soaps, face washes, deodorants, toothpastes and mouthwashes, and as well as in germ-fighting cutting boards and socks.

A national health survey found triclosan in the urine of 75% of the 2,517 people who gave samples. The chemical can enter the body via absorption through the skin or the lining of the mouth.

What triclosan does once it enters the body is not clear. Research in animals has found hormonal effects of triclosan, including upsetting the normal balance of thyroid hormones, thereby impairing growth and brain development, and of the reproductive hormones estrogen and testosterone, leading to infertility. These effects are similar to other so-called endocrine disruptors, such as bisphenol A, dioxins and pesticides such as DDT. The FDA says it intends to evaluate this new research

Stacey's comment:

Even though the link to issues with fertility have not been established in humans yet, since you are trying to become pregnant, to play it safe, I would strongly recommend staying away from products like mouthwashes (if you have bad breath there are better ways to deal with this, try apple cider vinegar in water if no history of ulcers, stop coffee, and eliminate added sugar in your diet) , Colgate total Advanced Clean toothpaste (seems to be the only toothpaste that contains this chemical), antibacterials soaps (in the majority of studies antibacterial soaps haven't been shown to work any better than regular soap to addressing bacteria), and germ killing cutting boards.

This is one case that even if we don't know the exact effects on humans, we know this chemical effects thyroid hormone in animals and therefore their fertility, there is a chance that it could impact your fertility.

Essential fatty acids and Male fertility

URBANA, Ill.—A new study from the University of Illinois suggests a link between low levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and male infertility.
“In our experiment, we used ‘knockout’ mice that lacked the gene responsible for an enzyme important in making docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In the absence of DHA, male mice are basically infertile, producing few if any misshaped sperm that can’t get where they need to go,” said Manabu Nakamura, a U of I associate professor of food science and human nutrition.
According to the findings published in the February issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, in the DHA-deficient knockout mice, sperm counts were extremely low. The sperm that were produced were round instead of elongated and unable to move well. When DHA was introduced into the diet, fertility was completely restored.

Stacey's Comment
this is important research which again supports a good healthy diet rich in good fats, not trans fats can help with fertility.
Remember eating lots of fish unfortunately can expose you to too much mercury so keeping the fish to small fish like whiting, once a week is a good idea. Unfortunately tuna and most farmed salmon will have elevated levels of mercury and should be eaten only once a week or once every two weeks.
Other ways to get the DHA is thru eating nuts, seeds, and avocado. If you can eat organic to minimise your risk to pesticides and other chemicals. And take a purified fish oil supplement. If the bottle says mercury tested, it doesn't necessarily mean they have removed as much mercury as possible. Contact us for a list of fish oils whose company has bothered to go thru the purification process. Info@naturalfertility.com And chances are if this is good for male fertility, the same would hold true for female fertility as well.

Anti Mullerian Hormone: (AMH)Fertility "Egg Timer" Test Not Valid for All

Recently a few reports have shown that a test measuring the number of eggs a woman has left has been discovered. Some are calling it the Egg Timer Test. They are touted this as a new test but we have seen it around for the last 3-4 years.

The test measures Antimullerian hormone (AMH) which supposedly diminishes as women "run out of eggs" However there are several reasons why this test is not valid or accurate for all women trying to conceive.

1) At Sharkeys Healing Centre and naturalfertility.com we have had patients who were told based on their AMH, there was no chance they could conceive. They came to us and now have children either naturally or with IVF. One woman in particular who was told she definitely did not have any eggs left because of her AMH, went on to have children, one naturally and one with IVF. Other couples at our clinic have had the same experience.

2) The new studies out of Harvard University show that women may actually regenerate their eggs each month and not have millions hanging around over the years. Ask your doctor this, "When they open an ovary do the see any eggs? The answer will be no, they only see follicles growing on the ovaries and according to the journal Reproduction, The Journal of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility in the Netherlands states: Direct measurement of the primordial follicle pool is impossible.

The scientists are basically making assumptions based on the number of growing follicles that they can see on the ovaries or a based on a substance released by these follicles, AMH.

3) Other tests such as FSH when it is high have been touted as evidence that a women is not producing eggs any more. They have also used a combination of FSH and AMH many times. But high FSH does not always indicate menopause if estrogen levels are normal. We have had women with FSH as high as 150, bring these levels down to under 10 and become pregnant when they follow our program.

4) There are no long term studies to see if AMH levels are an indicator of fertility. This test is only based on theory, not fact. WHat I mean is, I have researched thru many journals and have not found any study that has looked at women and AMH levels in their 20's or 30's and then followed these women until menopause to determine who had children and who didn't. Until then, it can not be used as an indicator. However there was on study on cows that indicates that when a female cow has low AMH levels it will not respond well to "superovulation" treatments.

According to this study low AMH is not associated with reproductive function. In overweight and obese women with PCOS and reproductive dysfunction, a 20-week weight loss intervention resulted in improvements in reproductive function but no change in AMH levels. If reproductive function improved and AMH was associated with it, wouldn't you think those levels would improve as well???

I think AMH would be a good indicator of who will not respond to IVF or other artificial procedures but does NOT indicate whether a couple can conceive or not. Spread the word, that this test is NOT an accurate indicator for women to become pregnant. Some in Conventional medicine to say that using alternative methods such as herbs or supplements is not based in fact, however, when its suits them, conventional medicine uses only theory (not fact) to support their position.