About 6.1 million people in the United States struggle with infertility. Fertility
depends on several factors including a man’s production of healthy sperm, a woman’s
production of healthy eggs, unblocked fallopian tubes that allow sperm to reach
the egg, sperm’s ability to fertilize the egg, the ability of the egg to become
implanted in a woman’s uterus, and sufficient embryo quality. For the pregnancy
to continue to full-term the embryo must be healthy, and a woman’s hormonal environment
must be adequate for development.
About one-third of infertility cases can be attributed to male factors. Another
third is linked to female factors. The final third is linked to problems in both
partners, or as in about 20 percent of those cases, is unexplained.
MIND/BODY APPROACH: Psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D., believes there is a connection
between depression and problems with fertility. She says when women are depressed,
the body senses a problem and prevents pregnancy as a protective mechanism.
With this in mind, Domar began using a mind/body approach to treat women struggling
with fertility. She helps women improve both their physical and mental well-being.
Doctors around the country are trained in the methods she uses.
TIPS FOUND IN THE INFERTILITY DIET: Author Fern Reiss offers the following
tips in her book:
VITAMIN C: She warns against taking vitamin C supplements if you are trying
to conceive. However, she says the amounts of vitamin C found in prenatal vitamins
are acceptable. Vitamin C in large doses works as an antihistamine and dries
out the cervix — making it more difficult for sperm to fertilize the egg.
SEEDS: According to Reiss, zinc found in pumpkin and sunflower seeds is especially
good for male infertility. Zinc deficiency can cause low sperm counts. Taking
zinc with vitamin B6 can help boost female fertility, since B6 protects against
estrogen and progesterone imbalance and high serum prolactin levels. Reiss sites
a recent Swedish study that linked zinc deficiency to miscarriages.
MILK: Reiss found several studies to show a connection between milk consumption
and fertility. A Harvard Medical School study conducted in 1994 found the number
of women who experienced infertility was highest in countries where milk consumption
was also high. Women with high levels of galactose — a sugar in milk — were
found to be infertile. Fertility levels began to dip in women as early as 20
years of age.
