When couples want to have children, this sometimes happens quite naturally, but sometimes this desire can turn into a very difficult process.
Women trying to get pregnant need to understand the concepts of fertility and its opposite, infertility, and know that even simple nutrition and lifestyle changes can greatly aid them in their efforts—fertility is a barometer of a woman's overall health during her productive years. If a woman has a fertility problem, the body should be considered as a whole in solving this problem, and it should not be forgotten that the inability to have children may be an important indicator of other health problems. The underlying causes of irregular menstruation, premenstrual syndrome, mood swings, and unexplained infertility may not be limited to hormones. A woman's reproductive problem may be related to a larger problem with her overall health. Infertility is generally defined as the inability to become pregnant despite unprotected sex for one year or six months for those over the age of 35. Couples who have difficulty conceiving often consult a gynecologist or get an opinion from an endocrinologist. In the tests, male factors such as ovulation disorders, reproductive organ problems or low sperm count are evaluated. Despite all this, no negative factors are encountered in one third of the couples. This type of infertility cases are diagnosed as "unexplained infertility". Accepting that the cause of infertility cannot be explained is not emotionally easy for couples. Conventional treatments use drugs that stimulate the ovaries, and this treatment is largely a trial and error method. In vitro fertilization — fertilization of an egg outside the body — is usually the last and most expensive resort. It is not certain that this will result in pregnancy.
With the development of the complementary medicine concept, experts working in this field today approach the fertility issue from a more holistic perspective and focus on the real underlying causes of infertility. In many couples, infertility may be due to more than one factor; Ovulation is only one of the conditions of pregnancy. Infertility is not only It is always helpful to look at the more fundamental systems of the body rather than seeing it as a problem with mortality. The holistic approach — when applied on its own or in conjunction with conventional fertility treatments — provides more successful results.
Inflammation and Infertility The functional and complementary medicine approach underlies many chronic disorders, including infertility. The underlying cause is believed to be a chronic inflammatory process. Seeking a cure for infertility without eliminating inflammation is like “cleaning a house while the party is still going on.” Since chronic inflammation means the immune system is constantly activated, the body is flooded with inflammatory cytokines during this process. Immune activation and resulting chronic inflammation continue as the immune system encounters triggers such as environmental toxins, food sensitivities, and chronic stress. Inflammatory responses can easily trigger early miscarriages. In order for an embryo to implant successfully in the uterus, the mother's immune system must be able to distinguish between a "hostile invader" and a "guest who should be welcomed in a friendly manner." The fertilized egg contains genetic elements foreign to the mother and inherited from the father. To prevent this from triggering an immune rejection reaction against the embryo, mammals have T-regulatory cells that protect the embryo from the mother's immune system. When the embryo-protective immune mechanism is disrupted—conditions such as autoimmunity, endometriosis, and chronic inflammation are among the causes—recurrent miscarriages occur. Integrative fertility specialists recognize inflammation as the root of many fertility problems. Now let's take a look at five possible hidden factors that can disrupt the reproductive system and the immune system:
1. Autoimmune Disorders Although inflammation and autoimmunity are separate processes, they have a common tactic: Both cause the immune system to perceive every foreigner, including the embryo, as an invader. Researchers have identified hundreds of autoimmune diseases that cause our body to attack its own tissues. The most well-known of these — Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease — occur when a fertilized egg is transferred to the womb. It is possible that it does not take hold and is linked to recurrent miscarriages. 75 percent of those suffering from autoimmune diseases are women. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases is an important factor that increases the chance of getting pregnant. However, the fact that autoimmune disease symptoms often consist of general symptoms makes it difficult to diagnose them, and patients are diagnosed after an average of four years and four doctor visits. Autoimmune diseases usually progress silently. The first symptom of these may be that the woman has a miscarriage. Early menopause (early ovarian failure), blood clotting disorders complicating pregnancy, and miscarriages are also among the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. Recurrent miscarriage affects up to 2 to 5 percent of women of reproductive age. When the immune profiles of women who miscarry are examined, it is seen that they are prone to autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Future problems can be prevented by examining every woman who has difficulty getting pregnant for autoimmune diseases before starting treatment, or by investigating autoimmune diseases in women planning pregnancy. In summary, immune regulation is the key to the implantation of the fertilized egg in the womb (conception) and the maintenance of pregnancy. Your doctor may recommend a detailed panel of tests for autoimmune diseases, including antinuclear antibody (ANA). It is known that there is a connection between infertility and the increase in the number of T cells, B cells and natural killer cells, as well as the increase in antithyroid antibodies and antinuclear antibodies. Nutrition and lifestyle changes, such as identifying and avoiding factors such as gluten or other food sensitivities, stress, and toxins that trigger autoimmunity, may sometimes be sufficient for treatment, but thyroid hormone support may also be required in people with thyroid insufficiency.
2. Thyroid Disorder Autoimmune problems affecting the thyroid have a strong impact on fertility. Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an inflammatory response in which the body attacks its own thyroid gland tissue, is responsible for up to 90 percent of hypothyroidism cases, and a study published in 2014 in the International Journal of Endocrinology found that 47 percent of Hashimoto's patients suffer from hypothyroidism. It has been shown that women have difficulty getting pregnant.
Thyroid dysfunction increases the risk of menstrual cycle without ovulation (anovulatory cycle) in women. Although the woman menstruates, she does not ovulate. Additionally, low thyroid hormone levels are linked to low sex hormone binding globulin, which interferes with the growth and development of follicles. Hyperprolactinemia, another thyroid-related condition, also causes an anovulatory cycle; In hyperprolactinemia, which means excessive production of the prolactin hormone in the pituitary gland, prolactin directs the body to make milk and suppresses ovulation. The increase in prolactin secretion is a mechanism to prevent a lactating woman from becoming pregnant in the first few months after birth, but in a woman trying to become pregnant, hyperprolactinemia becomes a factor that suppresses ovulation. It helps convert pregnenolone — known as the “master” hormone — synthesized from thyroid cholesterol into estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, and most importantly, progesterone. Thyroid insufficiency can cause problems for fertility by causing progesterone deficiency through pregnonolone. It causes the second half of the menstrual cycle, known as the luteal phase, to shorten. When this period is shortened, there is a problem in the formation of tissues in the uterus that will hold the fertilized egg and a suitable environment for the fertilized egg to settle cannot be created. Thyroid problems also make it difficult to maintain a pregnancy. There are studies showing that thyroid antibodies increase the risk of miscarriage. Miscarriage rates are two to three times higher in women with thyroid antibodies. Symptoms such as feeling cold, unexplained weight gain, and constantly feeling tired should direct you to have an extensive thyroid panel. In this panel, antithyroid antibodies must be present along with TSH. In addition, since the pregnenolone hormone is produced from cholesterol, it is important to consume sufficient amounts of healthy fats and stay away from the low-fat diet craze. Low-fat diets, which were a common wrong diet until recently, are a factor that negatively affects women's health, including the increase in infertility rates. It is essential for Hashimoto patients to stay away from gluten. Zi Even small amounts of gluten can trigger an immune response in some people.
3. Food Sensitivities and Intolerances Food sensitivities are considered potential suspects in cases of infertility because they trigger a low level of inflammation. The same goes for food intolerances. Food intolerances are due to the body's lack of enzymes needed to break down certain food substances, such as lactose in dairy products. If you have a food intolerance, even eating small amounts of the relevant food can trigger a systemic immune activation and cause widespread inflammation. Unlike anaphylactic allergies, symptoms of food sensitivities may appear as late as 72 hours later. Therefore, it may be difficult to establish cause and effect connections and recognize them. Moreover, the symptoms can be very different from person to person. Headache, swelling, digestive complaints or confusion may occur.
If you suspect food sensitivity or intolerance, it will be useful to get tested by getting help from a physician working on this issue, avoid trigger foods (elimination diet) and switch to an anti-inflammatory diet. .
4. Exposure to Toxins It is known that environmental pollution affects fertility. In a randomized study conducted by the Environmental Working Group in 2005, 287 industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides were detected in the cord blood of newborns. Many toxins have been shown to trigger inflammation, suppress the immune system, reduce fertility, lead to pregnancy complications and birth defects. It has been found that mercury concentration is high in the blood of infertile couples. In another study, it was observed that lead levels in the blood of infertile women were significantly higher. Heavy metals are thought to impair the immune system's ability to distinguish between the body's own tissues and foreign invaders, setting the stage for an autoimmune attack. Sources of heavy metals include seafood, cosmetics, and dental fillings. Xenoestrogens — foreign substances that mimic the body's own estrogens
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