Unexplained Infertility
A couple is said to have infertility if they try to conceive for 1 year without success. If this couple goes to a conventional medical doctor after trying for 1 year, they will likely get to do a variety of tests to evaluate whether there is an obvious cause for struggling to conceive.
Testing often includes meeting Wanda (internal pelvic ultrasound) at least once, blood draws, having dye shot up your hoo-haa, and physical exams. If there isn’t anything obvious that comes back from this type of testing, you are given a label of “unexplained infertility”.
WHAT’S NEXT?
If you are on the conventional fertility protocol track, it’s likely fertility medication, then IUI, then IVF. But what if there was more YOU could do to support your fertility?
I have a few concerns regarding this protocol, with the biggest being that reproduction does not function without influence from the rest of the body so if we only focus testing on our reproductive system we are missing a lot.
There is a reason that your body is struggling to reproduce, it’s just a matter of finding it. I know this can feel daunting, especially in a medical system that isn’t designed to look at the whole person and support the body the way it was designed to function.
There is a whole lot we don’t know about the reproductive system, BUT, consider this, if the type of testing you did was centered solely around your reproductive organs then there are many other areas to investigate for a chance to find the barriers getting in the way of taking home a healthy baby.
NOTE: The testing done with conventional fertility doctors is important and necessary. It is just not comprehensive when we consider how smart the body is. If it doesn’t feel safe enough to reproduce, it doesn’t mean it will block your tubes, but it could mean that nutrients aren’t going to support egg quality because they are busy taking care of the stressor(s).
What if the reason you are struggling to conceive has nothing to do with the shape of your uterus or whether you are ovulating or if your tubes are open or how many eggs you have? The body is connected. What is going on in places like the gut, the brain, the immune system & the liver impact fertility.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has advanced what we do know about reproduction, but there is one glaring problem with ART……it fails to look outside of the reproductive system. We have this amazing technology that has been growing families for over 50 years and yet 1 in 5 couples that struggle with infertility are unexplained.
Looking solely at your uterus, Fallopian tubes, ovaries & the hormones directly involved may not provide you answers, if you want to keep digging, consider a functional & integrative approach.
A few things to consider:
Any health concerns or symptoms? Skin, gut, hair, nails, energy, sleep…
How were your hormones tested? Was it a snap-shot in time (blood draw) or did the testing look at hormones throughout your cycle &/or throughout the day. Are your levels, “normal” or optimal?
Tummy troubles or not, has gut health been looked into? Are you digesting & absorbing nutrients appropriately? Nutrient deficiencies?
Are you metabolizing & detoxing hormones appropriately? What is your toxin load?
Immune system health, is it suppressed or overactive? Inflammation gets in the way of fertility in a variety of ways & Implantation requires an immune shift, so this is crucial.
Just because your partner's sperm analysis is normal, doesn’t mean there isn’t anything he can be doing to improve sperm quality. Most semen analysis reports I see are not complete!
The majority of the couples that I work with have been given an “unexplained infertility” label. Once we start investigating we find that there are often 2 or more barriers that are preventing their body from supporting fertility.
ART is a wonderful tool, but it’s not going to increase your chances of taking home a healthy baby if there is poor egg quality, poor sperm quality or something up with your health saying “we aren’t ready to nourish a baby.” Learning to work with your body will improve your chances of taking home a healthy baby, even if you decide ART is the best next step.
By supporting overall health & using targeted guidance, we can support egg quality, sperm quality and reproductive environment, improving your chances of taking home a healthy baby.
Are you ready for a different perspective? Jump on the Master Your Fertility waitlist.
