Is Fertility Decreasing?

The media is full of stories about fertility these days.  One recent headline I saw was how fertility is decreasing around the world.  Is it really decreasing like they are saying in the media?

If you look at the actual statistics based on what the governments publish around the world overall baby rates appear to be decreasing.  However this decrease is mostly due to a decrease in teen pregnancy rates in some countries and a decrease in the 20-24 year old age bracket.

Let's see what the other age brackets are doing;
25-29 (staying the same)
30-34 (slight increase or staying the same in some countries)
35-39 (increasing in most countries and has been for more than 5 years in many)
40-44 year olds (increasing and in some cases have tripled since the 90's)

So the media looks for the best way they think they can grab your attention with fear based headlines and then spin a story to get you to keep reading.  But the truth of the matter is, and I have said this many times over the years, the media does not always represent the truth.  The truth often does not sell papers if it's not sensational enough.  In other words be careful about what you read or hear in the media.

Even with the ads about IVF clinics, doctors, any health care professionals and this also includes supplements as well, one must not get caught up in the hype.  Because who is writing this info for ads?  A hired ad person is running the ads and their job is not necessarily to tell the truth, but to put an attention grabbing spin on the information presented to them to make you seek out the product or service of the company they have been hired to write the ad for.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that you are constantly bombarded with fear based or even guilt based advertising to get you to take action.  Therefore these days it is a persons own responsibility to assess the information heard in the media that causes concern, with a reputable source who can help discern what is true for YOU, i.e. for your particular situation.

Take a moment to ask yourself this about the choices that you have made regarding your fertility.  Have I been making decisions based on fear (much of which is based on what may not be true) or based on what makes most sense to me with the experience that I have had and the information that I have gathered from sources that I trust.

I see so many patients fearful of missing out that they don't give their bodies time to prepare even though that is exactly what has worked for thousands of couples before them.  And by doing this they are creating the very thing they are trying to avoid.  Preparation over time contributes to improvement over time and many times increases your chances of creating a viable pregnancy.

But I don't have time, I hear you say.  That belief may be based on your AMH, FSH, age, etc but AMH for example and your fertility is based on theory not fact (there hasn't been a 25 year study looking at womens' AMH over time and how many children they had during that time).  What about my age?  I was told I am running out of eggs or they are not good quality.

Honestly at this point most clinics have no good way of knowing whether your eggs are good quality or not.  Ask your doctor whether they can identify whether an egg has chromosomal issues (or sp for that matter) just by looking at it under the microscopes they typically use in their clinic.

And even if they look as though they are poor quality, that quality may be influenced by the medication they are using to increase the eggs rate of growth and/or stop the egg from getting reabsorbed back into the body like most of the eggs you make do each month if they weren't mature enough to be released.

Time and time again these paramters that you base your decisions on are proven to be inconsistent in determining your results. Yet it's the fear based on the beliefs you have decided to take on from other sources that motivates you to act.  Think about it.  Were you always fearful of NOT becoming pregnant?  Probably not.  Many ppl spend time fearing the opposite or not having any fear because they were on the pill.  So somewhere along the line you create the fear based on your experiences and you reinforced beliefs about yourself that other ppl told you, such as I am infertile.  But like I say on my How to Get Off the Emotional Roller Coaster CD, if you are producing eggs and have a uterus and he is producing sp, you are not infertile, just maybe a bit challenged in the fertility department.

Also remember that so many ppl believe that women are born with x number of eggs and run out of them even though this is being shown not to be true by the work of Dr. Jonathon Tilly

So now and in the future, I encourage you to step back from the fear and make your decisions based on what makes most sense to you.  See through the hype of the media or the negative beliefs of others and focus on finding out what you really truly feel congruent about and allow these thoughts and beliefs to guide you to your next step on this often challenging journey.  Do whatever you can to help you create balance in your life and nurture your body and mind to allow yourself hopefully someday soon, to nurture the little life that you long for.

worried about running out of egg? running out of time?

I read the answers on our health questionaires that are sent in and from those in clinic, one issue always seems to jump out at me. Because of the difficulty and emotional stress that comes hand in hand with fertility, society and the media's way of dealing with fertility issues, the misinformation about AMH levels (see my bloghttp://haveababy.blogspot.com) as well as the disempowering attitude of some medical professionals and unfortunately at times, relatives, friends and even strangers, many people that come to see me are either so worried that time is running out (even some of the 20 year olds that I deal with!) or they have decided at some level that they can't have a baby.  

 In this issue I will discuss the "time is running out" issue. When a person takes on this belief and it comes up for them often, it can work directly against the enhancement of their fertility. Some people think I am crazy when I say this. 

How can thoughts effect your fertility? 

Well if you look at the simple example of butterflies in the stomach, it may help you understand.

What causes butterflies in the stomach? Is it something you eat? Of course not. When you experience butterflies in the stomach it is because of the thoughts you are thinking at the time which are based on what you are perceiving is happening right now or what you are imagining will happen in the future. 

Thoughts associated with anxiety, fear, anger, sadness or guilt create physiological reactions in the system. 
These types of thoughts can throw your body into "stress mode". When the body is dealing with consistent overwhelming stress over time, reproduction may go to the back burner and does not become the body's main focus. 

The body's primary issue is to address the stress right now. 

Progesterone can be converted into cortisol to help the body cope with the increased demands of the stress hormone cortisol and in some women this depletes progesterone available for fertility. 
Remember, that the old belief that "time is running out", i.e. "I am running out of eggs" is not necessarily true. Several Harvard studies since 2004 have found that females may be able to regenerate their eggs each month. Just recently stem cells in the ovary have been discovered like the stems cells in the Test**icle that produce the sp.  

 As a matter of fact, as humans each day we regenerate over billions of cells. Old cells die off and are replaced by new cells. You lose and replace 600,000 skin cells per day! In a book called The Mind and The Brain, there is even evidence through new types of imaging that brain cells regenerate which was often thought not to be true. Science used to think that the brain didn't change that much after you were approximately 6 years old. Now recent imaging techniques show that the teen brain totally morphs itself, pruning different areas of the brain and going through a major renovation from 12 yo to the early 20's. (Explains a lot about adolescent behaviour, hey!!) 

 The point is though that science is constantly showing that the world is not flat and that new discoveries are happening all the time. As a matter of fact the Harvard scientists that did the study on mice and now human ovaries said that it was kind of naive of scientists to believe that only one kind of cell in the human body, exclusively to females (because sperm regenerates constantly as well), would be different than the other types of cells in our body that regenerate.  

 It is already common knowledge that the egg starts out as an immature follicle and goes through a maturation process from the time that the ovary picks up a follicle and begins ripening the immature oocyte (egg cell). This oocyte is surrounded by follicular fluid and its development is related to the substances in this fluid including but not limited to nutrients such as antioxidants and minerals, etc and the hormone production of the body. Then it is the oocyte that has gone through the maturation process that is released as an egg at ovulation.  

Now it has not been shown definitively in the human female what happens for sure with the eggs. But what if it is true? What if egs could be regenerated just like the sp**erm? The fact remains that there is this possibility, so the belief that time is running out can be false and improving your health and balancing your hormones can actually improve your chances to conceive. This is what our natural treatment is based on. 

 So the next time you hear yourself saying "Time is running out" to yourself or from one of your well meaning relatives over dinner it is your responsibility to stop those thoughts going through your head and tell yourself that "I am doing everything I possibly can to become pregnant". Take a deep breath and if you are taking steps to optimise your health and your fertility like eating healthily, minimising toxins in your daily life, exercising, having the best supplements for your situation and addressing the often overlooked stress management, know that you are doing everything you can to improve your fertility.  

Another excellent resource about how your thoughts affect your body is the movie, "What the Bleep Do We Know". You can find this at your local movie rental store. And one other resource to consider is www.brucelipton.com . 

This is an excellent resource to keep you focused on the possibilities instead of perceived limitations that may not be true.
Creation story:
Last week, we had some very touching creation stories. One involved a woman who had previously been to one of our FMFB workshops. 

She has come back for number two because after the first workshop she became pregnant in her next IVF cycle. She was 37. At first she was told that it would not happen due to her age and now she cannot believe she is trying for her second. The emotional aspect of dealing was fertility issues should not be overlooked. Reach out and find support to manage your stress better which in turn may help you create the life that you long for.

Is your body too acidic to conceive? pH Balance and Your fertiltiy

Over the years I have thought about writing about how the acid and alkaline balance or pH balance in your system may impact your fertility but there haven't been actual studies on this topic so I was always a bit apprehensive.

But after seeing some of my patients adopt these principles over the years and subsequently become pregnant I thought, "why not?"  The worst thing that can happen is you become healthier and the best thing of course is you become pregnant!

I have to admit there is some logical basis to the concept of regulating your pH balance to support your fertility.  The body does naturally change the cervical mucous pH through the cycle to become more sperm friendly leading up to and at ovulation.

ph Balance is important for overall health.  Keeping the body more alkaline than acidic has been purported to improve health.  One strong finding in a petri dish that hasn't been formally tested yet in humans and published is that cancer cells tended to grow in a more acidic than alkaline environment.

Our Westernised diets of meats, white flour products, sugar, sweeteners, dairy, multiple coffees and black teas (often times with sugar and dairy), pastas, trans fats, and food additives found in most convenience foods contribute to making our body much more acidic than it should be.  Overgrowths of bacteria, yeast, fungus and all sorts of little organisms that can be quite annoying to us (think itchy or tinea, thrush, etc) can thrive in an acidic environment.

Symptoms of excess acidity levels can be
heartburn (this can be low acid in the stomach as well as high acid)
reactions to jewelry, dark marks on the skin when wearing jewelry
chronic muscle pain and/or joint pain
mouth ulcers or other ulcers
skin redness or rashes
strong smelling urine (discuss with health care professional as this can be related to many things)
if a man's semen is too acidic the female may experience a burning or stinging after ejaculation

How to know if you are too acidic.  You can test your urine or saliva's pH balance using ph Balance strips similar to ones you might find at the pool shop.  Or your health food shop may carry a ph Balance
testing kit.

In the morning we are naturally more acidic with our urine measuring approximately 6.8 and by mid afternoon a more alkaline reading of 7.2 can be desireable.

How to decrease your acidity if its too high (the more acidic a substance is the lower the pH)

-decrease red meat to only occasionally but some may need to remove all together.  If you have red meat make sure its grass fed to increase the % of good fats that you are exposed to in the meats.

-lots of water:  Attempt to have atleast 2 litres of filtered water per day.  And check your tap water
as a few of my patients after having the council check their water found that it was more acidic than what it was supposed to be.

- start your morning with a glass of water with lemon or a table spoon of vinegar before brky.  Both are acidic foods but actually help the body become more alkaline.  Vinegar can assist in optimising blood sugar levels.

-Remove all sodas, soft drinks and energy drinks

- Eliminate coffee if very acidic or limit to only one cup of black coffee per day.  Black tea (even with milk its more acidic) can be acidic so should be limited to no more than 2 cups a day.  Green tea
2-3 cups a day and lots of herbals teas

- Veggies and Salads have a great alkalising effect on the system

- Get your Greens.  I love two products for this 1)  Barley Life (superior to other barley products as it grown organically and it removes the undigestied cellulose which is the grainy texture that most
other barley products leave in and therefore you get less Barley and more undigestable material.
2) Leaf Greens which is a beautiful product containing spinach, barley, peas, and beans.

If you are interested you can order these for the WHOLESALE price in either powder or capsules and save $$  Email me at info@sharkeyshealingcentre.com if you are interested in either of those.

Hope that helps!!

Stacey the babymaker Roberts
www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com
www.naturalfertility.com
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Regular Fish oil or Krill?

Everyone is asking me if they should change over to krill oil due to all the latest advertisements on television and on the radio saying krill is better and you don't have to take as many etc, etc.  

First lets take a step back and remember why fish oil is important in the first place.  
One: it may optimise the health of the egg.  THe outer layer of the egg is made from fat so if we are low in essential fats like omega 3 this could impact the egg and the sp ability to fertilise the egg.  THe outer shell of the egg can become hard when you are deficient in essentials fats.  

Male fertility:  High levels of abnormal forms of sp have been shown to improve with increased essentials fatty acids like in the omega 3.  

We tend to be deficient in omega 3 in our diets and get too much omega 6, our body makes omega 9 so we don't have to supplement omega 9.  

So by taking fish oil the idea is to increase the omega 3 essential fatty acids which consist of dha and epa.  Your fish oil should be good quality, i.e either go thru a process that removes toxins such as mercury as much as possible or uses fish that don't contain those toxins in the first place.  Saying a supplement is mercury tested is not good enough, it must be purified or shown to not have contained the toxins in the first place.

Krills advantage is two fold.  Nonexistent mercury (krill are so small they don't tend to contain the mercury other larger fish do) and high antioxidant content particularly from an antioxidant called as astaxanthin which is great for overall health (can help fight wrinkles supposedly as well) BUT and this is a big BUT...krill oil or atleast the ones I have seen have very very low amounts of the omega 3 which is the important bit that most of us need. Omega 3 has been shown to be correlated with immproved moods, improved joint health, better skin, less dryness of the eyes, improving cholesterol balance, thats just to name a few.

Therefore my conclusion is krill is NOT a replacement for your good quality fish oils that have optimal amounts of omega 3 epa and dha but it certainly can compliment the fish oil and add more antioxidants into your system which has been shown to be correlated with better egg health and sp health.  

For specific recommendations of what fish oils we recommend pls email info@sharkeyshealingcentre.com and let me know what country you are in.

Here is a quick little email from one of our subscribers which is our creation story of the week.
I am 39 years old and I purchased one of your ebooks. (I am thinking it was recurrent miscarriage ebook due to her history)  I followed all the steps in it and am now 26 weeks pregnant after having had 3 miscarriages.  Thank you for everything and keep doing the good work that you do.
_____________________________-
I hope that some day if I haven't already gotten one from you, that you send your creation story in.  This doesn't always mean becoming pregnant and having a baby either.  We have women talking about creating a newer fuller life after seeing us to recover from a long bout with fertility issues.  We at Sharkeys aren't just about helping you get pregnant, although obviously that is our hope for you, but we also strive to help you become healthier and therefore live fuller richer lives. So if you know anyone out there that has been tossed around from dealing with fertility issues and just needs to get their life back, feel free to let them know about us and our services.

wish you a wonderful weekend ahead.

all the best

Stacey the babymaker ROberts BSPT, QHerbalist, Naturopath
www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com
www.naturalfertility.com
http://haveababy.blogspot.com/
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AMH Antimullerian Hormone Unreliable

If you have been on my list then you know what I think of AMH levels.  Despite what you hear or have heard they are extremely inaccurate at determining your fertility.  They have nothing to do with your supposed egg count and can improve based on what we have seen in our clinic.

However a new study has just shed more light on to why AMH levels are truly only a representation of the acronym for FEAR, i.e. False Evidence Appearing Real.

It has been shown that two common tests for AMH are actually inaccurate and it is being recommended that AMH is NOT a good test to use in the clinic to determine a patients fertility potential.  Here is the link if you want to see for yourself.  http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/07/09/humrep.des260.abstract

Lately I have seen doctors rushing patients into procedures based solely on low AMH levels saying they are out of time and every month they waste could be detrimental to their fertility. Since the only data that is consistent regarding AMH level being low is that you are less likely to respond to IVF meds and when AMH levels are significantly low you may not respond at all, I have a hard time supporting this recommendation.  Wouldn’t it make sense to help the patient prepare for a procedure to attempt to help them respond better than to start something straight away where they have such a minimal chance of it working?  One of my patients said it best when she said, “sometimes medical sense is very different from common sense”. 

I strongly recommend that if your AMH levels are out of the normal range which by the way is NOT adjusted for what is normal in your age category, then you take your blood tests to someone that can help you interpret them to see if they are optimal based on their fertility population of patients.  We have been looking at optimal levels based on our patients for the last 7 years. And have them work with you to prepare you for a procedure and optimise your chances of becoming pregnant naturally as well.

A recent patient did just that.  Her AMH was 1.3 and at 33 the doctors told her she was on the verge of menopause.  She didn’t feel her body was ready to deal with IVF at this point. After just a few months which is even quick on our program she was pregnant naturally.

I hope you spread the word about the unreliability of AMH to your friends on your forums, and even to your doctor by showing them this study because it is time that FEAR (false evidence appearing real) is not used to encourage people to make decisions that they otherwise wouldn’t make had they had all the relevant information to make that decision. 

Triple Your Chances to Have a Baby

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/07/04/mediterranean-diet-can-help-fertility-treatment

A study out of  Harvard in the USA showed how good fats in the eating plan appeared to improve IVF live births.  Women who ate the most healthy fats in their eating plan tripled their chances of having a live birth through IVF.  Women who had the most dairy and meat products in their eating plan tended not to have the best results.

Therefore decreasing dairy and meat to 5% of your eating plan and having a good balance of vegetable protein, low glycemic carbohydrates and lots of good fats from avocados, unheated olive oil, rice bran oil, raw nuts and seeds can improve your situation significantly.   Remember to stay away from rancid trans fat in fried foods, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated foods, margarine, processed foods out of a box.

Fertile Mind Fertile Body Workshop june 23-24 2012

Hi there, I am running a very small group workshop to help you Decrease Stress and Increase Fertility.  I started running these Fertile Mind Fertile Body Workshop 7 years ago and nearly 60% of those attending have become pregnant within 3-6 months after taking the course.  We work on decreasing the stress associated with fertility issues as another way (one of the most often overlooked ways) of maximising your health and your fertility.  Email Janet@sharkeyshealingcentre.com for more details.  It is a small group so contact Janet asap if you are interested.

final magic call 6: focusing on your fertility

Focus on Fertility; Decrease Stress Increase Fertility: Appreciating the Magical Ppl in Your life: 

Listen to the Most Frequently Asked Questions and Answers About How To Deal with Common Issues Associated with Fertility Issues   (problems uploading this track, pls go to our facebook page babymaker for call number 5: magical ppl in your life, sorry for any inconvenience)

Magic Call 4: Focusing on Your Fertility: relationships

How to take the stress out of relationships when dealing with fertility issues, make sure to listen to the questions and answers at the end :)

I know with Mothers' Day coming up often when dealing with fertility issues, it can get quite stressful.  My fertility patients over the last decade have always discuss how difficult and painful Mothers Day can be for them.


But this Mothers' Day I am hoping that you can shift your focus a bit and as a result take some of the stress off as you move up to and through the weekend.


This holiday can remind you of what you want but don't have YET.  But it can also be a reminder to focus on what the day is really celebrating.


Here are two things I suggest you consider this weekend coming up.


1)  This day, if you don't have children yet, can be a focus on your mom/mum.  Taking time out to appreciate what she has done and that she gave you life.  Here is a picture I found on facebook that I thought was worth sharing.  

Appreciate, respect and honor your mom/mum on Mothers' Day.  This will hopefully help you shift your focus from what you believe you lack to what you have right now.  And even if you aren't close to your mom/mum or even aren't talking, at least attempt to appreciate that she created you for this journey we call life.  

2)  If you are not a "mother" yet, I would encourage you to think a bit outside the box this upcoming weekend.  What do I mean by that?  Well, what is a mother really?  Webster says along with the traditional definition is that a mother is "a creator".  So when/if your heart and mind are focusing what you think you lack, I would encourage you instead to focus on all the ways in your life you have been a creator.  How you have created your relationship, your job/career or current situation, all the things you have created in your life and have helped you become the wonderful person that you are.  Celebrate what you have created in your life.  And if you believe that what you put out in the world returns to you, perhaps this shift in focus just might help you create more of what you want in your life now and in the future.

Over the years patients have also shared a few tidbits about how they have spent these holidays to help the deal with the pain of maybe their mum/mom having passed away or to help them shift their focus.  One that comes up over and over again is instead of only keeping the focus on Mum/mom on Mothers' Day and Dad on Fathers Day, celebrate your relationship with each other on these days.  Spend some quality time together.  Talk to each other about what you appreciate about each other and make it a special day for your relationship.  Because when you think about it, its your union that will help you create the life that you long for, so take some time to celebrate it and appreciate each other.

Also keep in mind that if you do feel sad or down or even angry on Mothers Day due to your current situation, that is normal to have those feelings and the thoughts that go with them.  But once you are cognisant of those thoughts and feelings, shift your focus to help let it go as holding on those thoughts that don't support you isn't going to help you optimise your fertility.  And if you are too low or feeling too defeated to do this, then reach out for help to your spouse, a counsellor, your Church or your support system to help you shift your focus.  

Have a good weekend celebrating your life and all you have in it right now!

Magic Call 3 Focus On Fertility; Optimising Your Health

listen in to this call to find ways to get off the emotional rollercoaster regarding fertility issues and listen to ppl asking real questions related to dealing with fertility issues at the end of each call.

Focusing On Your Fertility: Magic Call 2; How to Find Your Way Out of Negative Thinking

Welcome to our second conference call in our Magic Series:  Focusing On Your Fertility;  Listen to Stacey the babymaker Roberts discuss how to find your way out of Negative thinking and move towards optimising your fertility.

Thyroid Often Overlooked Re Fertility

Today we are going to discuss a very common issue that is often over looked and can for some mean the difference between having a child and not. Many of our patients come to us after they have seen a long line of practitioners. I often hear, "you are our last hope" or "I wish I would have come to you sooner". As I go through a patient's history I am always surprised at the tests that haven't been done or the issues that have been pushed off as normal and not addressed.

 One of these such issues is thyroid health. Thyroid health is imperative in becoming pregnant and in holding the pregnancy so when a fertility issue persists, in my opinion, more detailed screening of the thyroid should be done, even if the standard tests have come up normal.

 This is not only a woman's issue, i.e. any time there is an issue with the sperm count and quality, it could be related to the thyroid. So many times we see patients who have classic thyroid symptoms but have never had their thyroid screened beyond just doing the standard TSH testing. Most times if their TSH has come in within "normal" limits, they are told their thyroid is "normal" and there is nothing wrong. Then they begin doing their temperature charts for me and the temperatures indicate that the thyroid is not working optimally so I come back to them and request that they have their thyroid screened. Some people look at me like I am crazy and others just scratch their heads.

 The confusion with the thyroid starts in the standard tests. Normally a physician will test TSH which is the hormone that is supposed to be reflective of how the thyroid is working. The pituitary makes more TSH if thyroid hormone is not enough or slows down in production if the thyroid is making too much. The pituitary which secretes TSH is continually monitoring the blood to see how much thyroid hormone is present so in theory this should be an accurate indicator of thyroid function, but it doesn't always seem to work that way. A scientist and MD Dr. George Gillson from Canada once stated in an International Hormone conference that TSH really only tells us what the brain needs for thyroid hormone, not what the rest of the body needs.

 Therefore TSH can be normal but the thyroid hormone out put may not be optimal for you. Another excellent reference for this http://thyroid.about.com The range of "normal" for thyroid hormone varies quite significantly from lab to lab. One lab may say that .4 to 4.0 is normal where another lab may say .3 to 6.0 is normal. Our normal reference range, based onwhat we see in the clinic is 1.5 to 2.0 (with .3 to 3.0 being the full range we use), anything over 2.0 or below 1.5 gets our attention and we support the thyroid.

 However even men and women who have TSH within this optimal range can show low thyroid out put on further inspection. I know, its confusing. If you have been dealing with fertility issues for awhile though its a good idea to have a more thorough screening. For example, I would suggest that you ask your doctor to test FT4 and FT3, and Reverse as well as thyroid antibodies.

 T4 is the hormone produced by the thyroid. T3 and Reverse T3 are a byproduct of T4 and influence reproductive hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. Your physician may be resistant to testing these if there is no apparent thyroid history or if TSH is normal so be ready to take responsibility for your own health and give him/her good reasons to test these. Or ask your naturopath if you can get them tested through him or her if your doctor refuses. Realise you will likely have to pay out of pocket for these tests.

 The other test as above that should be considered if you have been dealing with fertility issues for a while and/or if you have had recurrent miscarriages or difficulty getting pregnant after a miscarriage or stillbirth, is thyroid antibodies. These are tested even less frequently than the thyroid hormones and its a shame as it has been shown that a woman with elevated thyroid antibodies (which can be elevated even if TSH is "normal") are 3 times more likely to experience post natal depression and more likley to experience miscarriage.

 Most physicians do not test this if TSH is normal however thyroid antibodies can be elevated even with normal TSH. This fact has been cited over and over in scientific literature. Though traditionally physicians not familiar with its signficance regarding miscarriage will not treat elevated thyroid antibodies but instead they will usually tell you to wait until the thyroid fails (or TSH rises above its "normal" range before they will treat this. Based on research reviewed in the New york Times medical treatment for this is typically Thyroxine. This treatment apparently decreases the incidence of miscarriage by half.

 Natural remedies for optimising thyroid function are also available from herbs and nutritional supplements. An Ayurvedic herb called Withania Somnifera and Chinese herb Bacopa Monneri are a few herbs that have been shown to effect support optimal hormone levels.

 Reverse T3 is also an important test as it tells us whether the majority of T3 (which influences testosterone, estrogen and progesterone production) is active. If Reverse T3 is on the high end of the range or elevated, this can mean that you aren't producing adequate amounts of reproductive hormones. Most times Reverse T3 is elevated due to stress on the system. This could be emotional stress and or physiological stress such as being overweight or having irritants such as gluten in your diet.

 All of these tests are extremely important for assessing your fertility as a whole. Many times our unexplained cases are "explained" once these tests are done and compared to our optimal levels for fertility.

Sharkeys Healing Centre Babymaker Magic call 1 April 22

Our first call about how you can decrease stress and increase fertility. Enjoy!

New Evidence for Fertility; Improve your Egg Quality

I have been supporting and following Dr. Jonathon tilly's research since 2004 when I saw headlines in the Sydney Morning Herald that women may be able to regenerate their eggs. His research has been dismissed and ignored for many years but now with evidence in human tissue Dr. Tilly has shown once again that there is real evidence that women were not born with x amount of eggs and run out of them but that women may regenerate them each month similar to how the sperm regenerates every 3 months or so.

Here is an excellent video for you about the study published in Nature




If this is true and women can regenerate their eggs like men do with sp then this is likely the main reason that our program works so well for couples when they have been told there is no hope for them.

We know from a study at Stanford University that the follicles in women can take 8 menstrual cycles to develop and within these follicles are the egg cells. So over this period of time women with lifestyle changes, and optimal hormone balance and nutrition could likely improve the quality of these eggs.

Egg cells are like any other cell in the body. They need nutrients and optimal hormone balance to grow from a stem cell and work optimally. Exposure to excessive amounts of toxins and/or trauma can impact cellular health as well we can see from so many patients creating viable pregnancies in our program why this all works. This sounds like common sense doesn't it? If you think of about it for a minute, does it really make sense that nearly every cell in the body has been shown to be able to regenerate (brain and nerve cells were thought to not regenerate until recent years) and the male counterpart of the egg, i.e. the sp does regenerate, but the egg doesn’t?? That does not make sense to me at all and now there is more scientific evidence to support what really makes most sense; it is likely that the eggs do regenerate each month and therefore what you put in your body and how you live your life is likely to effect these cells like it effects other cells in the body.

If you are interested in our program that has been a part of 6000 babies coming into this world, pls see our website www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com or www.naturalfertility.com
read thru our FAQ, and watch our video to determine if the program is right for you.

Alternatively to follow the Five Step Fertility Solution on your own you may be interested in ordering The Fertility Bible from our website or on your smartphone thru Kindle or direct from your Kindle device :)

Importance of Vit D and Fertility

Now on to the fertility info; two studies caught my eye this last week.

The first is on Vitamin D and its importance in dealing with fertility issues. Austrian scientists have shown that vitamin d deficiency is associated with both male and female fertility issues. So get your Vit D levels tested by your doctor and shoot for mid range to optimize your levels.

Optimising Vit D can be done with liquid drops or tablets and some experts are recommended trying to get at least 10 minutes of sun exposure per day on as much of your body area as possible (without getting arrested lol) and no sunscreen. If through either of these methods your vit D levels do not increase then also check thyroid and adrenal hormone levels; TSH, FT4, FT3, thyroid antibodies, am cortisol and dhea. These tests may give you a clue as to what may be effecting your vitamin D levels and also your fertility. I explain the importance of these organ systems and how they are often overlooked in the Fertility Bible; Your 5 Step Fertility Solution to Becoming Pregnant Naturally or with IVF. Available on Kindle from your smart phone or in hard copy from our clinic.

The second study that was interesting was done right here in Australia. But before I discuss it I want to be sure you understand that I am not against conventional fertility treatment and do refer couples to IVF doctors as needed. However whenever I write something about becoming pregnant naturally and comparing it to IVF I am accused of being anti IVF, which could not be further from the truth. I am an advocate for patients having all the information they need to make an informed decision about what they do on their fertility journey. So that being said, here is the study results:

A new study from Australia followed 7000 women since 1996 who filled in health surveys including questions about fertility and pregnancy. Approximately 1400 women aged 28-36 (20%) reported having difficulty conceiving after one year. 600 of those women had fertility treatment (IVF or other fertility hormones) and 53% of them became pregnant (approx 318 women). Of the other 800 who did not do IVF or have other fertility hormones approx 352 (or 44% of 800) became pregnant. Interestingly enough there were more pregnancies in the group who didn�t receive treatment! Unfortunately the survey didn't report what those women who became pregnant without IVF were doing, i.e. lifestyle changes, dietary changes, herbs, supplements etc. But I doubt that most of the women were doing nothing. IVF may be an option for you, and I do refer people to IVF and recommend they prepare they bodies to get the best results from the procedures, but the main thing I was hoping you gained from this
article is there is hope after 12 months of trying.

And the conclusion related to the study emphasizes that no pregnancy after 12 months does not necessarily mean you are infertile but instead they mention that this state should be described as subfertile or as some of my patients have said, "fertility challenged".