What Causes Infertility?
What causes infertility is a complicated subject. There are multiple causes of infertility. I have touched on each of them below. Click through at the end of each of the descriptions for more detailed information about each fertility problem. The good news is that naturopathic medicine effectively addresses each of these infertility causes and restores normal fertility in most cases.
Top 18 Infertility Causes
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition that involves patches of endometrial (uterine lining) tissue outside the uterus. It may block the ovaries and fallopian tubes and cause pain either during menstruation or throughout the menstrual cycle. Read more…
Fibroids
Amongst infertility causes, fibroids are benign but abnormal tissue growths that can contribute to infertility by causing the inside of the uterus to be misshapen, impeding healthy implantation. Read more…
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, is a condition where ovulation is either irregular or absent. There are a number of reasons why this occurs; the most common, but not the only, is androgen (male hormone) excess. Read more…
Unexplained Infertility
Probably the most frustrating of infertility causes, only because it leaves couples wondering why they can’t conceive. 15% percent of couples have “unexplained” infertility. There are certain fertility tests that fertility clinics don’t do, and other aspects of fertility that can’t necessarily be measured. For the former, patients often seek naturopathic care; for the latter, as a naturopathic doctor, I would treat them as problems since we can’t test to confirm whether they are or aren’t. Read more…
Immune-mediated Infertility
What does your immune system have to do with your fertility? In some instances, the immune system may be attacking your partner’s sperm, in others, it may be attacking the fetus. In either case, gut health plays a significant role in how your immune system behaves, as does hormone balance. I can help your immune system behave more normally.
Male Factor Infertility Causes
With the exception of a couple of problems (mumps as a teenager, vasectomy), men are actually fairly easy to fix if there is a problem with low sperm count, low sperm motility, or low sperm morphology. Up to 50% of fertility problems can be due to Male Factor Infertility. Read more…
High stress can be counterproductive for a few reasons: low libido due to stress, spikes in cortisol, blood sugar, and insulin leading to hormonal imbalance, erectile dysfunction due to stress, stress-related anovulatory cycles, etc. Helping your body handle the stress you’ve got more easily is part of what I do as a naturopath.
Implantation Failure
This is one aspect of fertility that is difficult for conventional fertility clinics to detect and manage. It never hurts to create optimal conditions for implantation and encourage the production of a receptive uterine lining. As a naturopath, I will enhance the quality of the uterine lining and balance hormones to support better implantation. Certain vitamins and amino acids help implantation.
Blocked Fallopian Tubes
Hysterosalpingo-contrast-sonography (usually shortened to HyCoSy) is an ultrasound procedure used to assess whether the fallopian tubes are open and to detect abnormalities of the uterus and uterine lining. Endometriosis is a common cause of blocked fallopian tubes. Naturopathic medicine for endometriosis works well; however, once blocked, the tubes may require medical intervention.
Thyroid Problems
Thyroid problems are one of the more common reasons for infertility. Thyroid problems fall into three categories: overactive (hyperthyroid, Graves’ disease), underactive (hypothyroid) or Hashimoto’s disease (autoimmune thyroiditis). I will treat your thyroid problem in different ways, depending on the type and cause of the issue. Read more…
Lack of Ovulation (Anovulation)
Anovulation or lack of ovulation occurs for a number of reasons, including hormone imbalance, thyroid problems, premature ovarian failure, menopause, PCOS, and stress. Reversing the underlying condition that is causing anovulation helps women achieve regular ovulation. Read more…
Poor Egg Quality
Producing an egg every month is the first step toward conceiving; next, the egg must be of good quality. Factors that can influence egg quality include hormone balance, oxidative stress, vitamin and mineral status, and maternal age. Other than maternal age, these are all factors that I can help with. Read more…
Recurrent Miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriage can be due to low progesterone or luteal phase defect, endometritis, oxidative stress, hormone imbalance, and genetic abnormalities such as MTHFR mutation. These are all factors that I will address with you.
Age is just a number, right? Although some of the literature makes being over 35 seem like a death sentence for fertility, it doesn’t have to be that way. Two of the greatest influences on fertility after age 35 are hormonal balance and oxidative stress. I will use naturopathic medicine to combat oxidative stress, rejuvenate the ovaries, and restore healthy hormone balance.
Ovarian Failure
Given that the average age for menopause is 52, the ovaries should continue to produce eggs regularly at least up to a woman’s mid-40’s. If they appear to be underactive, it’s a matter of conducting some testing to determine the cause: vitamin/mineral deficiency, an underactive thyroid, an underactive pituitary, or another part of the endocrine system that isn’t supporting normal ovarian function. Once the cause is understood, there are steps that I can take to reverse these issues.
Hostile Cervical Mucous
Cervical mucus is meant to assist sperm in reaching the waiting egg. However, in some women, the immune system attacks sperm cells, preventing them from reaching the egg. There is a blood test, called the antiphospholipid antibody test, available only through medical doctors that can help detect antibodies to sperm.
Cervical Infection
Certain strains of bacteria can cause a cervical infection that can interfere with normal fertility. To detect these, a high-cervical swab is needed to check for Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma. This is something to ask your fertility clinic doctor to do.
Uterine Polyps
Polyps are growths inside the uterus that can have a negative impact on fertility. The conditions that allow polyp growth may be the factor that is causing infertility, so simply removing the polyps may not be adequate to correct the problem. I will address the root cause of polyps to improve fertility and prevent new polyps from growing. Read more…
IVF Acupuncture and Naturopathic Support
Several studies have shown a benefit to having acupuncture done while undergoing IVF. Benefits include reduced risk of ectopic pregnancy and improved pregnancy rates.
IUI Support
As with IVF, naturopathic care can improve the outcome of IUIs. Creating a healthier, more balanced body creates a better environment for conception and for a baby to develop.
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Pamela Frank