Israeli researchers have found that women who were entertained by clowns during their fertility treatment had a 35 percent of conceiving, compared to the usual 20 per cent.

Q: My daughter is about to get married and is keen to start a family. Since the age of 17, she has suffered from Polycystic Ovaries, showing symptoms such as facial hair, hair loss and a weight problem. She has also been warned that conception may be more complicated for her. She used to have infrequent periods but now has them regularly every 5 to 6 weeks. The normal help for her condition, such as the contraceptive pill or metformin, she cannot be prescribed as the first gave her occasional blackouts and the second nausea. She keeps her weight under control by sensible eating but even so is probably a little more than she should be for her height. Is there any advice you would give her to increase her chances of conceiving?

A: In each menstrual cycle, follicles (which contain eggs) grow on the ovaries. One of these follicles will reach maturity faster than the others and be released at ovulation. The remaining follicles will degenerate. In the case of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the ovaries are much larger than normal, and there are a series of undeveloped follicles that appear in clumps, like a bunch of grapes. This can cause a hormonal imbalance, leading to a series of symptoms including being overweight, having no – or very few – periods, being prone to acne and excess body hair. And with this can come problems with fertility and recurrent miscarriages.

Over the last few years, research into the nutritional approach to PCOS has revolutionised the treatment of this problem. It is known that women with PCOS are more likely to have problems balancing blood sugar and can produce high levels of insulin. The more circulating insulin, the more the ovaries produce testosterone.

 

So the aim is to balance the blood sugar by eating little and often and going for foods that do not cause the blood sugar to rise quickly. There is not enough space to go into this in detail here but the best recommendation is to either read the PCOS chapter in my Nutritional Health Handbook for Women or, as your daughter’s main focus is to get pregnant, then read my book ‘Getting Pregnant Faster’. 

 

As her blood sugar stabilises your daughter will lose weight and it has been found that as women with PCOS lose weight, hormone levels start to return to normal. One study found that 11 out of 12 women who had been overweight and not ovulating conceived naturally after reducing their weight.

 

Certain vitamins and minerals can also be useful to make the dietary recommendations more effective. For fertility it is best to add in the Fertility Plus for Women and the Fertility Plus for Men (see the Resources Page).

 

 

The common name of this pretty herb is Chaste Tree, harking back to the Crusaders’ belief that it would crush their wives’ libidos whilst they were off crusading. Whether it actually achieved this effect is doubtful as it is now recognised as boosting female fertility and easing menstrual symptoms.

Agnus castus, the ‘Chaste Tree’ is actually not a tree at all but a shrub with violet flowers and fruit, containing volatile oils that create a peppermint-like scent. In modern times, Agnus castus has increasingly become recognised for its beneficial effect on female hormones, boosting the levels of luteinising hormone and therefore the production of progesterone. It may not seem important to have enough progesterone – oestrogen is the hormone most people are aware of and many women worry that lower oestrogen levels experienced in the menopause will bring them uncomfortable symptoms. It is, however, high oestrogen levels in the menstruating woman that we associate with symptoms such as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), breast tenderness, fluid retention, heavy, painful periods and many other miseries that women think are an inevitable part of their lot. Increasing progesterone levels can alleviate many of these symptoms, and there is research to prove this!

 

A trial published in the British Medical Journal in 2001 showed agnus castus to have a beneficial effect on PMS symptoms, ranging from anger and irritability to bloating and breast fullness. The herb was well tolerated and did not cause unwanted side effects. Another trial published in 2000, showed 42% of the 1,634 women involved reporting that they no longer suffered from PMS! Overall, 93% of the women on the trial reported that their PMS symptoms either disappeared or decreased. Interestingly, 23 of the women on the trial fell pregnant whilst taking Agnus castus, and 19 of them had previously had fertility problems. Seemingly, not only does agnus castus increase progesterone but it inhibits prolactin, high levels of which have been connected to infertility as this hormone stops ovulation. (See the Resources Page for a good herbal combination containing agnus castus called Agnus Castus Plus.)

 

Other uses of this interesting shrub are for teenage acne, for both boys and girls, and for the symptoms of PCOS or polycystic ovary syndrome, a common hormone imbalance which can cause irregular periods, acne and facial hair. In fact it may be one of the most powerful herbs for PCOS because it works as an adaptogen, helping to balance hormones – lowering them when they are raised and decreasing them when they are low – which in turn can ease symptoms of PCOS.

 

And last, but by no means least, the hormone balancing properties of Agnus castus may also prove useful for easing symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flushes.

(Do not take agnus castus if you are any medication that has an effect on the female hormones e.g. the Pill or HRT.)