The AFA Blog

The Dreaded Biochemical Pregnancy

 

by Fred Licciardi, M.D., author of the Infertility Blog

 

Here I will tell of a typical story about a woman who has been suffering from infertility, and finally becomes pregnant. After the relief of a positive pregnancy test her doctor repeats the test and says, “Well Lisa, it looks like your pregnancy is biochemical”.
Now I can’t completely describe what Lisa is saying to herself, but it’s probably something like this.
“What is he talking about? A biochemical pregnancy? Did I get pregnant? Am I pregnant? Biochemical? It's bad enough I have felt like a science experiment, now I’m biochemical?”
Let me try to straighten this out. The definition of a biochemical pregnancy is a pregnancy that stops growing before it is large enough to be seen on ultrasound. It’s a very early miscarriage. The causes are the same as for any miscarriage. By far, the most common reason is that the embryo is genetically abnormal, that is it doesn’t have the right number of chromosomes. And although it has the tools to grow for a while, as the embryo grows and needs to become more complex, the tools run out and the embryo can grow no more. There are other causes of miscarriage and that will be topic of a later blog.
The word “biochemical pregnancy” is a terrible term. It’s very cold and scientific and inhumane. I try not to use it, I just say it’s a very early loss. I thing the fertility community should throw out the word. I’m going to ask them if they will.

 

H1N1 Vaccines Approved: What's In It For You?

 

 

 

by Jackie Lombardo

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave approval to four manufacturers for nine different vaccines for the H1N1, or Swine Flu, virus.  Due for distribution early this month, the vaccines have been much anticipated not only by the manufacturer’s themselves, but also by the medical community and special interest and environmental groups for a variety of reasons. One concern was whether the new vaccines would contain mercury. So, what’s in it? A breakdown of the list of ingredients can be found down below, but the answer many have been waiting for is… yes, some H1N1 vaccines do contain thimerosal, which is 49% mercury by weight.

 

Thimerosal is the same mercury preservative…

• that the Centers for Disease Control recommended manufacturers phase out in 1999,
• that had been discontinued in vaccines for cattle back in the early 1990s,
• that

  Russia

  banned from children's vaccines in 1980 due to a study finding adults exposed to the form of mercury in thimerosal suffered brain damage years later,
• that the FDA itself banned in 1998 in over-the-counter medications, and
• that some studies link to the autism and ADHD epidemic.

 

Mercury toxicity is well established in scientific literature and its dangers well-known, hence the action by government agencies above. So concerns linger over the wisdom of the FDA approving a product that exposes infants, children, and pregnant women to mercury, and allows companies to advertise mercury-containing vaccine products to our children with help from Elmo.

 

A study of almost 50,000 pregnant women and their infants over five flu seasons found no difference in the risk of developing the seasonal flu between those who were vaccinated during pregnancy and those who were not vaccinated. Reviews in the medical journal The Lancet found a lack of health benefit of the seasonal flu vaccine for children under two and significantly increased rates of vaccine related adverse events in children.

 

What can you do?  Read the package inserts very carefully, paying special attention to risks and safety studies. Learn all you can about the vaccine before using the product.  Chose the mercury-free version of the shot if you decide to get one (details below), and ask for the package insert to be sure it’s mercury-free. A health professional might seem certain theirs is mercury-free, only to discover the insert says “thimerosal”. Try to prevent the flu in the first place by washing your hands often, sneezing and coughing into a tissue or your sleeve, eating organic whole foods, and researching Vitamin D and other supplements that may be helpful.

 

Here’s what the FDA approved and what’s in it for you:

                    I.      Two versions of Novartis's injected vaccine for anyone 4 years and older:

1.      A pre-filled single-dose syringes with a trace amount of mercury because it was manufactured with mercury

2.      A multi-dose bottle with ten doses with 25 mcg of mercury per dose.

Other ingredients include H1N1 virus proteins, nonylphenol ethoxylate, sodium chloride, two antibiotics, phosphate, egg protein, and betapropiolactone.

 

                 II.      Two versions of CSL's injected vaccine only for those 18 years and older:

1.      A pre-filled single-dose syringe with NO mercury.

2.      A multi-dose bottle with ten doses with 24.5 mcg of mercury per dose.

Other ingredients include H1N1 virus proteins, taurodeoxycholate, sodium chloride, sodium phosphate, potassium phosphate, egg protein, 2 antibiotics, and betapropiolactone.

 

               III.      Four versions of Sanofi Pasteur's injected vaccine for everyone from infants 6 months of age into adulthood and the elderly:

1.      A pre-filled single ½ dose syringe with NO mercury for infants 6 thru 35 months of age.

2.      A pre-filled single full dose syringe with NO mercury for 3 years and older.

3.      A single-dose full dose vial with NO mercury for 3 years and older.

4.      A multi-dose bottle (contains ten full doses or twenty ½ doses) with 25 mcg of mercury per full dose for anyone 6 months and older.

Other ingredients include H1N1 virus proteins, formaldehyde, gelatin, polyethylene glycol p-isooctyphenyl ether, and sucrose.

 

              IV.      MedImmune's live virus nasal spray vaccine approved for everyone age 2 years through 49 years of age. There is no mercury.

Other ingredients include the live H1N1 virus, monosodium glutamate, potassium phosphate, pig gelatin, arginine, sucrose, and an antibiotic.

 

 

Learn More:

Package Inserts for Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccines approved by the FDA

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm181950.htm

 

Cover Your Cough from the CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm

 

Toxic Tipping Point

Mother Jones By Andrea Rock

Are the CDC, the FDA, and other health agencies covering up evidence that a mercury preservative in children's vaccines caused a rise in autism?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/03/toxic-tipping-point

 

 

Jackie Lombardo, member of the Sierra Club's National Toxics Committee and Board of Directors for Safeminds.org.  She is also founder of Non-toxic Childhood at http://nontoxicchildhood.blogspot.com/ and involved in national projects stressing education, precaution and strong legislation protecting public health through comprehensive chemical policy reform.

 

Faith, Hope. And Reproduction

by Corey Whelan

One of the things I loved best about running a Manicures & Martinis Infertility Prevention event in Brooklyn, where I live, was the opportunity to publicize it in my own backyard. I put up flyers in Dizzy’s Diner, Ozzie’s Coffee House, and all the nooks and crannies that you only know about when you live somewhere. Of course that includes the local supermarket, in my case, Foodtown. Having two teenagers, I shop there a lot. I mean, a LOT. So of course, I put up Manicures & Martinis flyers there as well.

Wouldn’t you know it? A woman who lives around the corner from me found the flyer in Foodtown and registered. I didn’t know her by name when she called, and she didn’t know mine. But when we saw each other in the nail salon, again and for the first time, we recognized each other as dog owners and neighbors.

The event was powerful for her. This wonderful woman has been trying to get pregnant for a very long time.

Yesterday I ran into her (walking my dogs of course) after the Tunnel to Towers run, and I shared with her that both my kids, Connor and Caitlin, ran the race with me. She knew them from the Manicures & Martinis event last year where they gave out cupcakes and printed pieces of paper, but she didn’t know that both of them are taller than me now. So we chatted for awhile and caught up. And how are things going for you, I wanted to know.

Because I’m aware that this neighbor goes to the local Church every Sunday, I told her about the December Webinar The AFA will be holding. This particular Webinar will be about Catholicism, and infertility treatment. Oh wow, she said. Oh wow. She told me that every time she sees a pamphlet on religion and assisted reproductive technology she picks it up and brings it home. She told me that she’s stopped treatment, and believes that God will send her four babies. She told me, without words, that this is her issue. I told her to tune in on December 7^th. I told myself to say a prayer for her in synagogue today, and I did. The truth is, I’m worried about her. I’m worried about all of them. All the women who try to conceive, and it doesn’t happen easily, or at all. All the women, and men, who can’t quite reconcile issues of faith with issues of reproduction.  All the men and women who need to have this conversation in the open, or in private with their priest, or at the very least, with themselves.

So The AFA will be gently breaking ground, yet again. And bringing a conversation to the surface that seems to have been bubbling below it for quite sometime. And we look forward to sharing that conversation with you. Who knows where it will go?

How Lucky We Are

by Ken Mosesian

The voice at the end of the line was talking about fertility, but given the passion and the accent he could have been describing a great Italian wine or the Florentine countryside at sunset. That was my first encounter with Maurizio Macaluso, M.D., Dr.P.H.

As the person who leads the Women's Health and Fertility Branch in the Division of Reproductive Health at CDC, you'd expect him to have an impressive list of credentials. And he does: 25 years of research experience in chronic disease epidemiology and reproductive health, co-authoring of more than 150 publications, and making at least as many presentations at national and international conferences. He is a teacher of advanced doctoral courses, an advisor to masters' and doctoral students, and has received over $10 million in competitive research awards from the government in a ten year period. He holds honorary appointments at institutions in Italy and China and serves on the editorial board of three peer-reviewed journals.  

I know. Impressive doesn't even begin to describe it. 

The list goes on, but what impressed me most was Maurizio's ability to listen, to truly hear the thoughts and opinions of others, and to take these multiple voices and include them in how he processes complex problems. I had the pleasure of working with his team on a project that assessed patient responses to the CDC's ART Success Rates Report, and was blown away by how "ego-free" my experience was, by his genuine compassion for those trying to conceive, and his commitment to position infertility as a public health issue. This positive experience continues as I work with Maurizio and others at CDC on men's health issues. 

When the board of directors was deciding on the two honorees at Illuminations this year in Atlanta, I nominated Dr. Macaluso without a moment's hesitation, and the board unanimously concurred. So Maurizio, for your years of service, here in the USA and abroad, thank you. It's an honor to work with you and a pleasure to know you. 

Until I See You Again

by Lisa Van Ness

About 11 years ago I took a job working for an infertility clinic.  The only industry related knowledge I brought with me was what I had learned going through my own infertility struggles.  For me, this was really exciting.  I was given the opportunity to be a part of something that affected me so deeply and to learn more about it.    

 

I worked for a physician who took the time to explain to me why she was ordering certain tests, what the outcome of those tests were and what they meant.  She would sit with me to help me understand blood results and even took me in the operating room to observe a surgery.  She was patient and she cared and it showed.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning from her. 

 

Unfortunately, due to family issues, I had to move and leave that job behind.  I remember vividly, the day I gave my notice.  That experience was absolutely heart wrenching and just so hard to do.  Sitting in her office, I cried my eyes out.  I’m not entirely sure which day was worse.  Giving my notice to her or two weeks later, walking out of that office, watching those doors close behind me for the last time. 

 

I never forgot her though.  It was because of her that I continued on in the field of infertility and reproductive medicine.  It was because of her that I craved more knowledge and wanted to learn more.  She was my mentor.  She is the reason I am….where I am now and I am forever grateful.

 

This year the biggest conference in our field is being held in

Atlanta

.  I am really excited and I’ll tell you why.  The Saturday evening before the conference festivities begin, we will hold our Illuminations event. Illuminations celebrates the work of individuals and organizations in local communities who have made a positive difference in the fields of fertility, reproductive health and family building. I didn’t have to think twice about who I thought one of the two honorees should be and I was thrilled when the Executive Committee of the board came back and said it was unanimous. 

 

Dr. Carlene Elsner will be awarded with the Joyce M. Vargyas, M.D. Visionary Award at Illuminations Atlanta.

 

I cannot even begin to tell you all how deserving she is of this award and how honored I am to be able to be there when she receives it.  

 

It just goes to show that the saying is true.  It’s never goodbye.  It’s only “until I see you again”.

 

Yoga Off The Mat

  

How to manage and arrest the STRESS RESPONSE by Brenda Strong

Even for a Yoga Teacher, life is stressful.  Honestly, this year has been rough for me.  Last weekend, I went to my 93 year-old aunt’s memorial in California, after a car had struck her while she was crossing the street.  In July, my mother in law passed away in Texas.   It seems that between my own mother passing away in January, our house on it’s 17^th month of a major remodel, my son starting high-school, and dealing with numerous other difficult personal situations, I have been subject to a lot of emotional stress this year.  I realize now after having dealt with infertility, stress isn’t something that goes away once you are a parent, or even a Yoga Teacher.  It’s something that one needs to manage daily.  Dealing with reproductive difficulties has been shown to have the equivalent stress, depression and anxiety levels of someone diagnosed with aids or cancer. Life is stressful enough without adding infertility to the mix!

So how do we pursue our dreams of building our family without killing ourselves with stress?  Learning to sit with the discomfort of life’s uncertainty is the key.

It’s complicated and simple at the same time.  The old adage,  “what happens to you, doesn’t create stress, it’s your reaction to what happens to you.”

What are reactions?  Simply put, they are a series of emotional responses based on thinking or events that trigger the fight or flight response in the sympathetic nervous system.  This reaction causes a series of physical responses like increased blood flow to the large muscle groups in the extremities, elevated heart rate, a flood of stress hormones into our blood stream, and a shut down of our digestive and reproductive organs.  This reaction was very helpful in previous centuries when we needed to run for our lives (if a large animal was going to eat us for lunch, or if we needed to rescue a drowning child) or when life and survival depended on our quick reactions to danger. However, this “reptilian” part of our brain now gets triggered by simpler events; a traffic jam, financial worry, a call from our doctor about test results, or even a long line at Starbucks when we are running late.  This type of chronic and recurring stress is taking a toll on those of us who are trying to conceive and on our health and vitality in general.  Chronic stress creates “dis-ease” in the body.  Hence discomfort. So how do we “sit with this discomfort”?

  I was thrilled when I saw a recent study entitled, Clinical Implications of Neuroscience Research in PTSD by Bessel A. Van Der Kolk at Boston University School of Medicine.  They have now documented the value of yoga and meditation for arresting the stress response for those suffering from PTSD.  The effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something I have been close to for years since my husband served two tours in Vietnam.  I have watched him intuitively find coping strategies through his practice of yoga and meditation, which has helped him to manage his stress over the 23 years we’ve been together.    For women going through reproductive difficulties this is wonderful news indeed, since the uncertainty of conceiving causes their stress levels to be extremely high.  When we do yoga, it helps to detoxify our bodies, release stress accumulated in the muscles and tissues, and increases positive feelings through the release of the “feel good” hormones.  Yoga for fertility moves us out of the sympathetic nervous system into the parasympathetic (relaxation response), helps to balance hormones in the endocrine system and increase blood flow to reproductive organs. 

But how do we prolong the benefits of that “relaxed” post yoga feel?  How do we practice yoga off the mat?  The key is learning that when our “reactions and discomfort” start to kick in, we have a plan to meet that discomfort with space and awareness.  Learning to “be with” rather than fight the feelings that accompany stress, gives us the buffer we need.  This doesn’t mean we indulge or resist the feelings, but look at them with curiosity and watch what is happening to us and learn what the thought and feeling- triggers are. This gives us enough room to learn to respond instead of react, or take us out of reaction and into “response-ability”.

I know with the year of stressful circumstances I’ve had, these few key reminders have helped me when faced with daily difficulties.

1.      Be aware of your breath.  Pause and take a deep breath often.  Close your eyes and visualize that breath going deep into your abdomen, (8-10 counts) and as you exhale, (8-10 counts) relax the tight feeling in the pit of your belly where we hold fear.  Continue to breathe, looking for hidden tension that you may be holding in your jaw, shoulders, and hips.  Scan your body from head to toe, breathing into all the tight places and letting them release. Do this for 2-10 minutes or until your system calms down.  If you know yogic ujjayi breath, even better.

2.      Notice your thoughts.  Our thoughts have the power to influence our moods and our sense of well being which in turn will impact our hormones.  As soon as we think a thought that leads us down a path toward worry, fear, anger or hopelessness, stress begins to take hold in the body, our heart rate increases, the hormones adrenaline and cortisol course through our body and we are hijacked into a stress response.  Notice when these negative thoughts start to form and replace them with positive ones of appreciation.  Stress thoughts usually project us into future worry or past regret. Use your breath to bring you back to your body and the present moment.  (See Step 1) Then reframe your thoughts to acknowledge that you are okay right now.  Take time to appreciate yourself daily and acknowledge the things that are working.  If you can keep a journal and at the end of each day write down 3-5 things that you appreciate about yourself that day or were personal “wins” you can start to not feel so overwhelmed.  Placing these things in the forefront of our mind before sleep can help the next day start on a positive note and starts to put a reserve of well being in our mind and body.

3.      Put your attention on your body. To release tension and to bring you present, close your eyes and notice your sit bones.  Notice if they are even, or uneven, if they are heavy or light, what is the sensation in your hips and legs?  Notice if you have your weight even or imbalanced.  Where is the weight in your feet?  Inside edge or outside edge?  Is each foot different? Bringing your awareness into your body right now, brings you present in a non-judgmental and observant way.  Your attention is now on noticing and not on spinning out of control.  It has a way of grounding the energy in your body.  Most of us are only living from the neck up in the thinking world and once we bring our awareness into the field of the body it grounds us into reality.  Using our mind to observe our physical body helps to occupy us and reframe the thoughts that disconnect us from ourselves.  We become the observer of our experience and can “sit with discomfort” consciously.

4.      Count to ten.  My mother used to do this when she felt stressed in her parenting practice so she could respond to us instead of react.  I think this is one of the simplest stress disrupters, particularly if you are in an argument with someone that starts to escalate and send you into fight or flight.  It might be considered a “time out” for adults. 

5.      Practice Forgiveness:  A lot of our stress is caused from our thinking and feeling like what ever is occurring to us, “shouldn’t be happening”.  We then have a tremendous amount of self-criticism and judgment about ourselves for not being more ‘fill in the blank’ (whole, perfect, successful, balanced, patient, loving, healthy, fit, etc) We think something is “wrong” with us and then we beat ourselves up.  One of the biggest keys to well being, is learning to forgive yourself for what ever “is”.  I can’t tell you how many women after working with me doing Strong Yoga4FertilityÔ say they finally forgave their body and then subsequently got pregnant.  The mind and body are an intricate communication system, trust me, what ever you are thinking, your body is listening.  So, when you are hard on yourself, try saying to yourself, “I forgive myself for judging myself for”…fill in the blank.  This can work wonders in healing the self-flagellation cycle that leads to depression and anxiety.

6.      Remember Life is a Journey:  Remember how annoyed your parents were when you were on a family road trip and incessantly asked, “Are we there yet?”  Often times when you are trying to conceive, the goal of getting pregnant and having a baby is so dominant that we only focus on the fact that we don’t have the goal yet.  We forget that this is a journey, and that “getting there” is more enjoyable when we can be where we are now and enjoy the scenery.  In other words, if you place your attention on the here and now and find some appreciation for the present, the future will take care of itself.  There is a gift here for you somewhere, whether it is learning to love yourself more, heal your body, or deal with the dynamics of your relationship- try to remember that this is a journey, and “how” your baby comes to you is beyond your control. (If it was within our control all the A-Type women would be mothers by now!)  If you are committed to being a parent, your baby is on its way to you, it just may look different than you thought.  Just like the Grand Canyon did after the long drive there in the family car. 

Learning to sit with the discomfort of life and breathe is the gift that infertility offers us.  You’ll need it for the rest of the ride ahead. 

 

 

     

All rights reserved. Ó Sept. 2009 Illuminating Artists, Inc 

Brenda Strong sits on the board of The American Fertility Association and serves as the organizations National Spokesperson.  She is a certified 500hr EYRT Yoga teacher and the creator of Strong Yoga4FertilityÔ, which has helped women world wide get pregnant.  For more info visit www.yoga4fertility.com or email her at Strongyoga4fertility@gmail.com

 

Greetings From Planet Atheist, or, L'Shanah Tovah

by Corey Whelan

Can there be such a thing as a Jewish Atheist? Here it is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  When my mother was alive this was one of my favorite days of the year. Now I’m the mother, I have a brisket in the oven, and I’m typing these words on paper.

My daughter Caitlin knows that when I die I want a non religious funeral. Simply play Dancing Queen by Abba, pour the martinis and scatter my ashes, hopefully in DSW’s largest shoe store. Caitlin doesn’t like this vision of my last figurative dance. She believes in God, religion, and all of that stuff that I have pretty much rejected - except for the times when I don’t.

I started to have a problem with the God thing when stories of the violent rapes in Congo filtered into the newspapers here. I couldn’t reconcile those kinds of attacks, that femicide, with the concept of a benevolent God. I still don’t get it. If I was a person who kept lists, I would have lists that look something like this:

Proof that there is no God                                              Proof that there is God

1) rape, especially child rape                                         1) My son Connor

2) infertility                                                                    2) My daughter Caitlin

3) war

4) amount of time I spend on hold

   with my health insurer

So why am I writing this? For me it always comes back to the same thing. My heart, my brain, the pulse of my life is about family. My life’s work is a commitment to help people have the families of their dreams. I believe that this is possible and I am an optimist - except for the times when I‘m not,

Belief dictates much of our lives. I read once that we as a species often twist our belief system to fit with our choices in life, not the other way around. I wonder if that’s true. Is belief flexible? Is it supposed to be? Maybe so - except for the times when it shouldn’t be.

For all of my friends, and the people I love, I wish you peace. I wish you well. I wish you the joy that is found when we are loved, and love in return. Whatever you choose to believe in your life, I wish you family.

　

　

What About Tubes that are Blocked at the Other End, Near the Ovary?

by Fred Licciardi, M.D., author of the Infertilityblog.com

 

This we call “distal occlusion” and it can take a few forms. The most obvious and severe is what’s called a hydrosaplinx (or hydro for short), or bilateral hydrosalpinges when both are affected. This type of tube is completely closed near the ovary (the distal end). Such a tube could be closed due to scar from a pelvic infection. The infection could be due to Chlamydia (most common), Gonorrhea or a post surgical infection. Sometimes scarring can occur after surgery without infection. Even when the surgery was on the uterus, myomectomy is a common culprit, the general healing of the pelvis could cause tubal scarring to occur. Occasionally these tubes are filled with fluid and are visible on ultrasound, but usually they are not. The diagnosis here is very straightforward. Either by HSG or at laparoscopy, the tubes are seen to be large, swollen and obvious. Hydros are quite a problem for patients because they can mean surgery, IVF or both. Surgery can work, but the odds of pregnancy after surgery have been reported to be about 20% lifetime (there are a few other studies with higher rates, but 20% seems to be the most commonly quoted number). The reason surgery does not succeed is that in many cases the scar tissue quickly returns and the tubes re-block. Even if the tubes remain open, the interior lining of the tubes, necessary to the transport of egg and sperm, has been permanently damaged.

IVF has a much higher pregnancy rate, so most patients head that way. There are some studies showing a hydro will lower the IVF rate by about 1/3, the predominant theory being fluid inside the tube backs up into the uterus and interferes with implantation, either by flooding the embryo away or poisoning the embryo with toxic substances. Therefore some patients elect to have their hyro tubes removed before IVF to maximize their odds. No one should be forced to have their tubes removed. The pregnancy rate may be lower, but there are tons of pregnancies in women who kept their tubes.
Distal blockage can be not as severe. In these cases there may be tubal enlargement, but they are open on HSG. There can be minor scar tissue around the ends of the tubes that is very treatable. Just cutting away the scar tissue can render the tubes open and very functional.

 

Part of the Plan

Lori Holden, mom to two via adoption
Weebles Wobblog
Open Adoption Examiner

While gardening today, I heard this song on my iPod. It brings me back to the time when I was so bereft and angry about the chasm between:

• how things were; and
how I thought they should be

It was a time of stuck-ness, and there's nothing I hate more than being stuck.

Perhaps you will find this post at a time when it speaks to you. May you find convergence between how things are and how you think they should be.

May we all.

Part of the Plan by Dan Fogelberg

I have these moments all steady and strong

I'm feeling so holy and humble

The next thing I know I'm all worried and weak

And I feel myself starting to crumble

The meanings get lost and the teachings get tossed

And you don't know what you're going to do next

You wait for the sun but it never quite comes

Some kind of message comes through to you
Some kind of message comes through

And it says to you...

[Chorus:]
Love when you can

Cry when you have to

Be who you must

That's a part of the plan

Await your arrival with simple survival

And one day we'll all understand

One day we'll all understand

One day we'll all understand*

I had a woman who gave me her soul

But I wasn't ready to take it

Her heart was so fragile and heavy to hold

And I was afraid I might break it

Your conscience awakes and you see your mistakes

And you wish someone would buy your confessions

The days miss their mark and the night gets so dark

And some kind of message comes through to you

Some kind of message shoots through

And it says to you...

[Chorus]

There is no Eden or Heavenly gates

That you're gonna make it to one day

But all of the answers you seek can be found

In the dreams that you dream on the way

* Oh, yes. I do now.

Sugar And Fertility: What The Heck Do They Have In Common?

 

 

 

 

by Kavita Patel

 

 

Calling all you soda, candy, doughnut, cookie loving people.  I have a couple of questions for you.

 

When you are feeling hungry and/or tired and in need of an energy boost at 3 or 4 pm, what do you do? Do you reach for a candy bar, soda, or sugary snack for that sudden boost of energy? That will definitely provide the instant boost of energy that you are looking for, but it will shortly be followed by a feeling of hunger, tiredness, and/or depression.  This is what we call the sugar roller coaster ride.  I am sure many of you have felt this; I know I have.  

 

For me, the roller coaster ride on many occasions has left me feeling dizzy, headachey, and nauseous, but also left me feeling somewhat exhilarated.  Although the ride is quite fun at times, especially while you slowly creep up the big hill in anticipation of the BIG drop, the sudden plunge downwards leaves my stomach on the floor, and can make me feel yucky. The adrenaline rush felt for the 2 minutes usually leaves me feeling sick for about 2 hours. The sugar roller coaster that you are currently on is definitely something that is going to leave you feeling sick and yucky.  This ride can be the cause for many health issues such as weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes and infertility.

 

The Nurse’s Health Study, referenced in The Fertility Diet, by Jorge Chavarro, MD and Walter Willet, MD have proven that sugar, especially certain kinds of sugars, have a large impact on reproductive health.  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a condition that can be brought on by insulin resistance, which is caused by the consumption of too much sugar. Insulin resistance equals hormonal imbalances. The body has to work overtime when you make the decision to have a soda for breakfast, white bread sandwich for lunch, candy bar for a snack, or white rice for dinner. 

 

So you ask, what should I eat for my health, happiness, and reproductive health? The answer is complex - literally: complex carbohydrates/sugars (not simple ones) are the way to go.  My definition of complex carbs is fiber-filled food paired with a starch or sugar that exists naturally in nature. The less refined the carb, the better it is for you, and that goes for most foods.  For example, whole wheat and brown rice have the fiber needed for your body to digest the starch slowly so your blood sugar levels stay even. Even blood sugar levels should be your goal when making food choices everyday.  I know, after suffering from breakdowns in my own body, that complex carbs have helped me to not only resolve my dizzy spells, irregular periods, and moodiness, but I have more energy then ever!

 

Your body identifies simple carbs/sugars, such as white flour and white rice as sugars. There is no fiber, because it is taken out during the refinement process.  When there is no fiber medium, to help slowly digest the sugar the body goes into emergency mode and digests the sugars very quickly. The sugar provides an immediate boost in energy that your body thinks you require, because you just ate a fiberless starch.  Here is the 411 on how the sugar is processed by your body. 

 

The body quickly breaks down the sugar into glucose and suddenly injects it into the blood stream.  Your blood sugar levels spike the pancreas releases large amounts of insulin. Each cell in your body is able to absorb the glucose, because of the insulin. Once the cells absorb the glucose, blood sugar levels suddenly drop.

 

 

 

Hence the roller coaster feeling described earlier. So think about this - if you fill your day with eating simple carbs, your cells over time will require more and more insulin in order to absorb the same amount of glucose, thus causing insulin resistance. 

In summary, here are my top 5 picks for complex carbs (whole grains) and natural sugars to eat in order to enhance your reproductive health, along with regulating your weight, heart health, and just feeling great overall!

Top 5 Whole Grains	Top 5 Natural Sugars
Brown Rice	Maple Syrup
Buckwheat (Soba Noodles)	Honey
Whole Wheat Pasta	Brown Rice Syrup
Stoneground Whole Wheat	Molasses
Quinoa	Stevia (the green kind)

 

Footnotes:

The Fertility Diet, by Jorge Chavarro, MD and Walter Willet, MD