Making Babies With Alternative Therapy

Fertility news has been in the spotlight since a major European conference on the subject this month. Papers presented suggest that talk therapy and laughter therapy can both play a role in helping women conceive.

An article in the Irish Independent (free registration required, but worth the time) this week continues to explore how “alternative therapies” can be used to help treat infertility. The article looks at reflexology, nutrition, acupuncture, hypnotherapy and herbal remedies.

To sum up the article’s fingings:

Reflexology, a manual treatment that stimulates or relaxes pressure points in the feet, may help worried women relax. While stress impedes conception which makes relaxation good for women trying to have a baby, there is no scientific evidence that reflexology cures infertility.

Nutrition is always a concern for women trying to conceive, pregnant women and nursing mothers. All women of child-bearing age should take folic acid to help prevent birth defects. Women with PCOS should avoid carbohydrate-rich and processed foods (white flour and sugar) that can trigger extreme insulin responses.

Acupuncture, a Chinese system of nerve stimulation leading to improved “energy flow” using needles. The system, while controversial, appears to work even if medical science can’t pinpoint why. About half of women with problems conceiving recieve auricular acupuncture around their ears, conceive after the treatment.

Hypnotherapy uses hypnoses with a goal toward helping swomen overcome fears of childbirth and other subconscious concerns that may be psychological barriers on the road to pregnancy. Like acupuncture, it appears to work for about half of women even if no one is sure why.

Herbal Remedies. A number of herbal remedies have been used in Europe and Asia to treat cyclical irregularities for years. The article lists the following common treatments:

Agnus castus (also known as Monk’s Pepper or Chaste Tree Berry — ED), can act as a natural hormone regulator in women, while damiana, a small South American shrub, may stimulate the male reproductive system. Practitioners claim that tea made from the extract of red clover can help with irregular periods and improve the chances of pregnancy. Cornus officinalis, commonly known as dogwood, has been claimed to increase the motility of sperm. Raspberry leaf may strengthen the reproductive system, and lemon balm is said to be able to cleanse the body of toxins.

Herbal medicines are not all safe and should be taken under the supervision of an experienced health professional. High doses of ginger, for example, can actually cause miscarriage.

None of these alternative therapies, though, address often-ignored causes of infertility. Some women may go undiagnosed due to too much focus on the “reproductive hormones” rather than secondary hormonal issues. In an earlier post, twocatmommy suggested that women experiencing infertility should also have their thyroid hormones tested.