Your Fertility Journey
UNDERSTANDING OVULATION
Your Fertility Journey
Are you looking to start a family or have been trying for some time now? Fertility is a very personal topic that today affects many couples - currently 1 in 6 couples in Australia are unable to conceive without medical intervention due to a blend of male, female, combined or unexplained factors (1). It is wonderful to see the increased understanding of fertility issues, the increased focus on male fertility and support of sperm health, and the increased accessibility to assisted reproduction technique clinics (IVF).What concerns me most is the lack of confidence that some women have in their body and their reproductive system and menstrual cycle. The statistic stated above is perhaps alarming, however, my interpretation of this statistic is that it can be positively influenced if the health of the woman, and the male partner, were focused on. At the heart of fertility and the first step towards achieving pregnancy and birthing your very own beautiful bub is the assessment of your ovulatory function and hormonal pathways, and your overall health .
To understand your ovulatory function as part of your fertility journey in clinic first and foremost I want to know all about:
1. Your menstrual cycle - Is your cycle regular? what is your bleed like? what is your PMS like? Do you track your cycle and ovulation?
2. Your reproductive system health - any diagnosed conditions? Testing and treatments undertaken? Previous pregnancies including losses.
3. And then widening the lens to look at your entire health as we are not isolated components. This includes but is not limited to :
Assessment of your digestive system health including liver detoxification function and gut microbiome,
inflammation in the body and immune health including autoimmune conditions,
nervous system and stress/adrenal health, and
exposure to chemicals in the environment.
Assessment
To understand what is happening for you it may be necessary to undertake hormone blood testing at specific times of the menstrual cycle to better understand what is occurring in your hormonal pathways. These results can provide great insight into the hormonal pathways that regulate the reproductive hormones which impact the development of follicles, release of the ovum and development of the corpus luteum.
Ovulation
Ovulation is the release of the egg from the follicle and in a typical 28 day cycle occurs at day 14 under the influence of luteinising hormone that has been triggered by sustained oestrogen levels as the follicle and egg have grown. Signs of no ovulation can be a lack of a menstrual bleed or very long cycles. If this is occurring then it is time to investigate what has caused the ovulatory dysfunction utilising the blood results that has been undertaken in your assessment.
Sometimes though ovulatory disorders can be occurring under the radar even with a regular cycle.
Ovulation disorders in the Hypothalamic|Pituitary|Ovarian hormonal axis account for 85% of ovulation disorders. This includes conditions such as: PCOS; hypothalamic amenorrhoea caused by under-eating or over-exercising (or genetically small people may require significant dietary intake to support regular ovulation patterns); and influences from other hormonal pathways (adrenal and prolactin).
Specific ovary gland dysfunction may cause ovarian insufficiency due to genetic causes (usually identified much earlier in life); or autoimmune conditions such as hashimoto's, endometriosis, and also environment toxin exposure.
Naturopathy and Your Fertility
This is where I wholeheartedly believe that naturopathy and herbal medicine provide the care needed to support the woman and couple in their fertility journey. Even when there may be a specific need for assisted reproductive techniques (ART), the focus on improving overall health and establishment of regular menstrual cycle (ovarian function) with good bleeds (indicating uterine health), and minimal PMS symptoms of moods and pain (inflammation) all assist to change the statistic.
Your health directly impacts your fertility journey, pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. There are short term and long term health benefits associated with the ovulatory cycle provided by the hormones oestrogen and progesterone that are produced with ovulation - preventing osteoporosis, stroke, dementia, heart disease and breast cancer. And this is the focus of your naturopathic fertility care - to establish a healthy menstrual cycle - whether you ahve been diagnosed with a reproductive condition such as endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, heavy and painful cycles. Naturopathic medicine involves using herbal medicine and specific nutrients to support the establishment of the menstrual cycle.
Depending where you are on this journey will determine your naturopathic treatment and the support required and provided. It is a unique and individualised support for where you are at. At Nourish and Breathe I look at your complete health history including all testing and treatments (pharmaceutical or alternative medicine) previously undertaken to develop a plan for you and your fertility. This also most importantly involves working with ART to increase your chances of conception by improving your health. The 3 month preconception period is a time to optimise your health and is discussed in a previous N&B journal article here.
I truly love my work and look forward to meeting you or reconnecting with you soon.
Reach out if you have any questions, or make a Fertility Naturopathic appointment if your are looking for a naturopath to support your fertility journey.
References
Kanyada Koysombat AA&WSD. Current Pharmacotherapy and future directions for neuroendocrine causes of female infertility. Expert opin Pharmacother. 2022;24(1):37-47.
