Babies born to mothers who were anxious or stressed during their pregnancy are more at risk of developing asthma research from Bristol University has shown. Close to 6000 families were monitored for eight years and anxiety levels assessed with questionnaires completed at 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. The children were assessed for asthma at around age seven. Overall the risk of developing asthma was a staggering 65 per cent higher in women who were stressed compared to those who were not. It is thought that the immune system of developing babies could be influenced by maternal stress, probably through the stress hormone, cortisol.

And according to a study released from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan perhaps the best way for mothers to distress and relax is to listen to classical music and the sounds of nature. The study showed that listening to music provided a simple, cost effective and non invasive way of reducing stress, anxiety and depression in pregnancy.

If a woman is struggling to conceive new research presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s annual conference in Barcelona suggests that four cups of coffee a day can seriously damage her chances of having a baby. Dutch scientists believe that the effect of caffeine may cause as many problems in pregnancy as those caused by alcohol, smoking or being overweight.

The researchers from Radbout University in Nijmegen followed the health and habits of 9,000 women with fertility problems for up to 13 years after they finished IVF treatment. Almost 1,350 had babies after treatment ended, with most pregnancies occurring in the first year. When the researchers then looked at why some women conceived naturally and others didn’t, they found that certain lifestyle factors played a critical role. Those who drank four or more cups of coffee, tea or other caffeinated drinks a day were 26 per cent less likely to have had a baby.

All this adds to previous evidence that caffeine can harm fertility and the health of an unborn baby. About six months ago it was claimed that just two cups of coffee a day could double the risk of miscarriage. Caffeine has also been found to increase the risk of still birth and is linked to birth defects.

Caffeine is from a group of chemcials known to interfere with normal processes in the human body and in some women it may prevent the ovaries producing good quality eggs. It may also cause problems when a woman does conceive, increasing the risk of miscarriage so I strongly urge any woman struggling to get pregmant to limit her caffeine consumption. Caffeine, along with alcohol, smoking and being overweight are all poisons to the ovaries and sperm, meaning that men should also think about how much caffeine they consume not just in coffee, but in tea, chocolate and sodas.  For more information on how to boost fertility naturally and reduce the risk of a miscarraige see my book ‘Getting Pregnant Faster’.

This month’s case study is 30 year old ‘Nadine’ who came to the Clinic having had 3 miscarriages.

I had just had my third miscarriage when I heard about the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic. All three miscarriages were around 10 weeks and happened within 18 months of one another. This was very traumatic for my husband and me. I had been referred to a clinic in London who said it was all ‘unexplained’ and to go away and keep trying. This made me feel very nervous because of the anxiety of potentially losing another pregnancy. I had searched on the internet and the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic came up and I decided to contact them.

 

I phoned and spoke to a helpful receptionist who reassured me that they could probably help and offered me a first appointment with one of Dr Glenville’s nutritionists. I was sent a comprehensive questionnaire to complete and return to the clinic before my first appointment. It gave me an opportunity to detail my miscarriages and tell the nutritionist about any other symptoms I had been experiencing. It was recommended that I perform a mineral deficiency test before my first appointment. This was a simple hair sample which was sent to a lab to be analysed for minerals.

 

During my initial consultation the nutritionist went through my medical history in great detail and explained that miscarriage in fact is very common and although some of them are unexplained, very often early stage miscarriages – i.e. before 12 weeks are due to low levels of the hormone progesterone. The quality of the egg and the sperm is also a determining factor.

 

She explained that progesterone is needed to ‘hold’ onto a pregnancy and if levels are too low then a miscarriage may occur. She explained that often women are told that the blood tests are normal and they are in the sense that they fall within a range commonly seen, but it’s not actually sufficient to maintain or hold on to a pregnancy.  My doctor had never explained this to me – in fact I don’t even recall being given my progesterone results. All tests as far as I had been told were ‘normal’. She advised that I have a blood test during my next cycle to determine the level of progesterone and to get a more accurate picture have this measured in conjunction with ultrasound scans. The nutritionist recommended something called a monitored cycle where I would have three scans at different stages of my menstrual cycle together with a blood test to check everything was OK and to specifically look at my progesterone level.

 

The nutritionist explained that progesterone needed to be at least 50 nmol/l in order to maintain a pregnancy before the placenta develops. She said that in order to make progesterone we need good amounts of essential fats that are found in foods such as nuts, seeds, cold pressed salad oils and oily fish. The key ‘ingredients’ are zinc, vitamin B6 and omega 3 fats. Interestingly zinc was very low on my hair mineral analysis.

 

The other reason progesterone levels can be disrupted is due to stress. The body makes progesterone first and from this it can synthesise oestrogen and another hormone called cortisol which is released in times of stress.  I knew this definitely had an impact because I was very stressed in my job and even more so because of the miscarriages – it was becoming a vicious cycle.

 

I went away from my first consultation feeling amazing – I thought someone was finally listening to me and trying to find a solution rather than just dismissing me and treating me as another statistic. The nutritionist organised a referral for me to have my first ultrasound scan. This was the first of three scans. At the end of the monitored cycle, together with my blood test, it was quite clear I had a luteal phase defect, which basically meant that my progesterone levels were too low for my body to maintain a pregnancy. With the ultrasound scan I could physically see the problem area and the progesterone secreting ‘body’ called the corpus luteum was not sustained and therefore my hormone levels were quite erratic.

 

I was advised to go away for three months and implement the dietary changes and take the nutritional supplements. The nutritionist explained that my body had been under a lot of strain physically, emotionally and nutritionally having had three miscarriages within a short space of time. Waiting three months would help nurture my womb and progesterone levels and help to produce higher quality egg and sperm (for my husband).

 

I was feeling very well generally and enjoying the new way of eating. I had never eaten so many fresh vegetables and oily fish and I was really enjoying it! My skin, although I didn’t think was lack-lustre obviously was, because after three months on the programme I was glowing and I had so many positive comments.

 

I went back to see the nutritionist after three months and she was very pleased with the progress I had made with my diet and gave me the ‘go ahead’ to start trying again. She said that as soon as I had a positive pregnancy test to phone so she could arrange an early pregnancy scan. I explained that I had had a similar scan at 7 weeks but the nutritionist told me that 7 weeks is often too late (5 weeks is the earliest a heart beat can be detected) and also most pregnancy scans are only looking at the heart beat of the foetus and not assessing progesterone levels.

 

I couldn’t believe that I had never been told this before and all my test results had come back normal. This was incredibly frustrating, yet I felt so confident because I had finally found a clinic that would take me seriously and give me the support I needed. 

 

My period was late so I tested and it came back positive. Once again I was so excited, but at the same time naturally anxious because of what I had been through. I phoned the nutritionist and she immediately wrote a referral letter for me to go and have an early pregnancy. This really put my mind at ease.  During my scan I was talked through exactly what was seen. The heart beat was strong which was excellent, but as suspected my progesterone was low. It was advised, that alongside my progesterone supportive diet and supplements that I take a course of progesterone pessaries which support progesterone levels until the placenta is formed at 12 weeks. These were prescribed by a gynaecologist who worked alongside the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic.

 

I gave birth to my beautiful baby daughter, Charlotte, weighing 8lb 2oz. It was such a wonderful moment because there was a time I thought I would never get to that stage. I wish I had known about Dr Marilyn Glenville from the very beginning of my fertility journey but like most people – I just thought it would never happen to me. My advice to any woman who has miscarried is don’t just sit back and wait for another to happen – be as proactive as you possibly can.

 

Marilyn’s Comment

 

Unfortunately miscarriage happens in 25 per cent of all pregnancies which is extremely traumatising for both the woman and her partner. The sad fact is that they are not usually ‘taken seriously’ unless there have been three recurrent miscarriages. This is why it is so important to get your body into the best possible balance to nurture the quality of your eggs and address any hormonal imbalance.

 

Nadine’s story is so inspiring and she is just one of many women we help who have gone through the pain of miscarriage.  

 

If you would like to find out more about our clinics (in London and Kent) and the tests mentioned, then please see the resources page.