There are a number of herbs that have an influence on fertility. We present a few that have been studies, but there are many more that are effective.
Trans fats and fertility
Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston says the
more trans fats a woman eats, the more likely she is to have fertility problems.
To maximize fertility, women should avoid foods that list hydrogenated or
partially hydrogenated oils.
Maca and
Fertility
A study was designed to determine the effect of a 4-month
oral treatment with tablets of maca on seminal analysis in adult normal men aged 24-44
years old. Nine men received tablets of maca (1500 or 3000 mg/day) for 4 months. Serum
luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, testosterone and estradiol
levels were measured before and after treatment. Treatment with maca resulted in increased
seminal volume, sperm count per ejaculation, and sperm motility. Serum hormone levels were
not altered. You can purchase
Maca
here. Maca herb is also used for
sexual
enhancement.
Shilajit and sperm production
Shilajit is a substance found in Asia. It has the ability to make new
sperm. See shilajit
for more info.
FertilityBlend
effective for fertility problems in some women
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Fertilityblend: a nutritional
supplement for improving
fertility in women.
Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2006;33(4):205-8. Westphal LM, Polan ML,
Trant AS. Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics, Stanford University School
of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
FertilityBlend for Women is a proprietary nutritional supplement
containing chasteberry, green tea, L-arginine, vitamins (including folate)
and minerals. Women, aged 24 to 42 years, who had tried unsuccessfully to
conceive for six to 36 months, completed the study. FertilityBlend was
found helpful in about a third of the women after sis months.
Fertility drugs,
do they work?
Women who take two commonly-used fertility treatments, including
the Sanofi Aventis pill Clomid, do not have a better chance of getting
pregnant than those who try naturally. Doctors should rethink giving women
Clomid, known generically as clomiphene citrate, to stimulate the ovaries
or administering a particular type of artificial insemination.
Fertility Research Update
Role of environmental estrogens in the deterioration of male factor
fertility.
Rozati R/ Mahavir Hospital and Research Center, Hyderabad, India.
Fertil Steril. 2002 Dec;78(6):1187-94.
To evaluate the role of the environmental estrogens, polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), and phthalate esters (PEs) as potential environmental hazards
in the deterioration of semen parameters in infertile men without an obvious
etiology. Twenty-one
infertile men with sperm counts <20 million/mL and/or rapid progressive motility
<25% and/or <30%. normal forms without evidence of an obvious etiology and 32
control men with normal semen analyses and evidence of conception. Semen and
blood samples were obtained as part of the treatment protocol. Evaluation of semen parameters such as ejaculate volume, sperm
count, motility, morphology, vitality, sperm chromatin
stability, and sperm nuclear DNA integrity. PCBs were detected in the
seminal plasma of infertile men but not in controls, and the concentration of PEs was significantly higher in infertile men compared with controls. Ejaculate
volume, sperm count, progressive motility, normal morphology, and fertilizing
capacity were significantly lower in infertile men compared with controls. The
highest average PCB and PE concentrations were found in urban fish eaters,
followed by rural fish eaters, urban vegetarians, and rural vegetarians. The
total motile sperm counts in infertile men were inversely proportional to their
xenoestrogen concentrations and were significantly lower than those in the
respective controls. PCBs and PEs may be instrumental in the
deterioration of semen quality in infertile men without an obvious etiology.
Fertility questions
Q. My wife and I are going thru IVF invitro fertilization. Everything with my
sperm is good. But hurt my back last month and on low dose of Percocet. The doc
says it will not damage the sperm or fertility. But I wonder? How can it be
safe?
A. We can't find any research on oxycodone and sperm or semen
health, but in rodents acetaminophen, when used long term, can damage sperm
production. We don't know if this would occur in humans, and we don't know if
short term treatment with Percocet for a few days or weeks would have an effect
on fertility or sperm health.
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