Chapter XII
How to Treat Infertility With Other Supplements and Over Counter Medicine
I. Other Supplements
Other supplements such as larginine, GLA and L-carnitine can help to improve the chance of fertility
1. Larginine
L-arginine is an amino acid that has numerous functions in the body.
Besides helping to covert glucose and glycogen, it also relaxes blood vessels by making nitric oxide, thereby increasing the blood flow to the reproductive organs of which decreasing the risk of sexual dysfunction in men and enhancing the function of reproductive organs in women.
2. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
It is found in plant-based oils, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an essential fatty acid (EFA) in the omega-6 family. It besides has been used to treat premenstrual syndrome caused by fatty imbalance, leading to over active of uterine muscles and menopause, it also is vital in protecting the natural process of the reproductive function, caused by medical ailments.
3. L-carnitine
L- carnitine can be found in skeletal muscles, heart, brain, and sperm and is produced by the kidney and liver. It primarily function is to convert fat to energy. Since kidney is vital in maintaining the normal function of reproductive organs in the process of conception, strong kidney helps to maintain the production of right levels of L-carnitine, leading to decreasing the risks of sexual dysfunction and improving sperm quality and motility.
II. Over Counter Medicine
1. Baby aspirin
Made from white willow tree originally, it helps to improve blood flow and increase immune function in fighting against inflammation, resulting in lessening the risk of blood clotting defect that causes recurrent miscarriage. It is said that baby aspirin also decreases the risk of immune dysfunction by inhibiting antinuclear antigen and anti cardiolopin antibodies.
2. Guaifenesin
Guaifenesin is another counter medicine which helps to improve the quality of cervical mucus, thereby increasing the chance of sperm to get into Fallopian tube for normal conception.
A. L-arginine
I. Definition
L-arginine is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids and has been used as nutritionally essential for infants.
II. How L-arginine helps to treat infertility
1. Nitric oxide and blood flow
By making nitric oxide, L-arginine helps blood vessel to relax, thereby increasing the blood flow to the the reproductive organs of which decreasing the risk of sexual dysfunction in men and enhancing the function of reproductive organs in women.
2. Insulin sensitivity
Insulin sensitive is defined as a condition that insulin becomes ineffective or less effective, resulting in insulin no longer helps cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood and store it as glycogen in the liver and muscle. L aginine helps the body's cells in improving the insulin sensitive, thereby reducing the risk of insulin resistance and increasing the chance of normal menstrual cycle for conception.
3. Growth hormone
It also helps in improving and regulating the production of growth hormone, resulting in decreasing the risk of hormone imbalance such as estrogen and testosterone, leading to increasing sexual desire and quality of sperm.
4. Reproductive enhancer
A study in Italy suggests that L-arginine helps to improve sperm production and sperm quality in subfertile male as resulting in increasing immune function, blood flow to the reproductive organs and stimulating testosterone hormone production.
5. Weight Loss
Since it helps to improve insulin sensitive, it may help reduce body fat and speed up weight loss.
6. Immune function
L arginine besides helps to improve immune function in fighting against the infection and inflammation caused by foreign bacteria and virus, it also increases the output of T- cells from the thymus gland, thereby decreasing the risk of cell oxidation in the reproductive system, thus increasing the chance of fertility
III. Side effects and risks
1. It may alter potassium levels, therefore people with liver disease should consult with their doctor before applying
2. It may increase stomach acid, leading to digestive disorder
B. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
I. Definition
Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA is also known as gamoleic acid, it is a fatty acid found in vegetable oils and has been used as supplement in treating inflammation and auto-immune diseases.
II. How gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) helps to improve fertility.
1. Autoimmunity
Beside helping to improve liver function in fat and protein metabolism, it also strengthens the immune system in preventing certain classes of protein binding to the sperm and allowing other immune cells to attack them in men. In women, it improves the production of friendly cervix mucus for sperm invasion.
2. Inflammation
GLA also decreases the risk of inflammation by converting rapidly dihomo GLA (DGLA) when it is released, by competing with arachidonic acid for the enzymes COX and LOX, resulting in lessening the risk of inflammation.
3. Uterine tonic
It is helps to balance the levels of prostaglandins hormones, resulting in decreasing the risk of over active uterine muscles that causes abnormal pain and cramps and distorts the normal process of menstrual cycle.
4. Nervous symptoms
Since it helps to increases the liver in fat and protein metabolism and blood flow to the nervous system, it improves the transmitting information functions between cells thereby, decreasing the risk of stress, headache and migraine, etc.
5. Cell growth
GLA is a nutrient used by the body to maintain healthy cells and vital body functions, thereby decreasing the risk of abnormal cell growth in the body, including the cells in the reproductive organ.
III. Risks and side effects
1. Possible side effects include a) Upset and bloated stomach b) Soft stool
c) Nausea and vomiting d) Belching
2. People who take blood thinner should consult with their doctor before taking GLA
C. L-carnitine
I. Definition
L-Carnitine is also known as vitamin BT, it is vital for our body in energy production and for fat metabolism. Since our body can only produce a small amount of L-carnitine, we may require to increase the levels of L-carnitine by taking some L-carnitine rick food to prevent any effects if deficiency is found.
II. how L- carnitine helps to treat infertility.
1. Antioxidant
L-carnitine is an antioxidant, besides helping to improve immune function in guarding our body against any infection and inflammation, it also helps to decrease the cells oxidation, resulting in lessening the risk of irregular cell growth in the reproductive region that impairs fertility.
2. Sperm enhancer
It is said that L carnitine plays a vital role in sperm energy metabolism, because its conversion to acetyl-L-carnitine in the mature sperm helps the continuation of energy production within the sperm, thereby increasing the mature sperm quality and count.
3. Blood sugar
It also helps to increase the speed of glucose disposal, thereby decreasing the blood sugar building up in the blood stream, causing blood thickening and decreasing the blood flow to the reproductive organs that cause low sperm count effecting fertility.
4. Weight loss
Since it reduces the pancreas function in secreting insulin by increasing glucose disposal, it helps to reduce the fluctuation of levels of insulin in the blood stream, leading to reducing the risk of sugar craving, thus helping to lose weight.
5. Nervous system
It also plays an essential roles in preventing the brain cell being oxidated by stopping the ovidative scavengers to travel through the blood-brain barrier, where it helps form the brain chemical acetylcholine and keeps mitochondria to to perform its work efficiently by clearing them of toxic fatty-acid metabolites, thereby reducing the risk of oxidative cells in transmuting abnormal information between themselves and glands, leading to hormone imbalance that disrupts the normal process of fertility.
III. Risks and side effects
1. Over dose may cause over active brain cells, leading to insomnia and restlessness.
2. Over dose also causes vomiting, nausea, headache, diarrhea and stuffy nose.
D. Baby Aspirin
I. Definition
Baby aspirin is defined as small dose of aspirin about 80-100 mg for small children. It is often used to reduce coagulation of blood in patients with high risk of heart attack.
II. how over counter medicine--baby aspirin effects fertility
1. Blood thinner
As it helps to make the blood thinner, it increases the blood flow to the body, including the uterus, thereby decreasing the risk of coagulation of blood, causing blood stagnation in the reproductive organ and reducing the chance of fertility.
2. Antiphospholipid Antibodies
Antiphospholipid Antibodies interferes with normal process of fertility, it can cause the blood to become much thicker than usual and blood platelets to stick together, leading to miscarriage or multiple miscarriages as resulting of blood clots around the placenta.
3. Ovulation
Researcher found that baby aspirin helps to stimulate the ovulation and increase the activity of the ovaries in production of multiple eggs, that are vital for artificial insemination.
4. Uterine lining
Since it helps to increase blood flow to the uterine limning, it makes the uterine lining thicker and healthier for egg implantation.
5. Nervous system
Besides helping to prevent heart diseases and stroke by making the blood thinner, it also helps to improve the circulatory function in transporting the oxygen and vital nutrients to the nervous cells, resulting in increasing the function of cells in transmitting information and reducing the risk of nervous disorder, such as fatigue and tiredness.
III. Risks and side effects
You should avoid to take aspirin, if you have a) Stomach ulcers,
b) A history of gastrointestinal bleeding, c) Blood-clotting,
d) Uncontrolled high blood pressure
Please consult with your doctor, if you take any blood thinner medicine.
E. Guaifenesin
I. Definition
Guaifenesin also known as glyceryl guaiacolate, is one the ingredient found from the over counter medicine syrups and has been used to assist the bringing up of phlegm from the airways in acute respiratory tract infections.
II. How over counter guaifenesin helps to treat infertility
1. Cervical mucus
Some studies show that guaifenesin can improve the rate of pregnancy, because it promotes the secretion of friendly cervical mucus, thus enhancing sperm invasion for egg fertilization. There was a report that some women in their 40 were able to conceive after 6 months of continuing of taking the medicine. In fact, most of the trials have proven that guaifenesin increases the chance of fertility.
2. Analgesic use
Besides helping to normalizing the menstrual cycle by reducing pain during menstruation, guaifenesin also helps to improve nervous tension caused by inflammation, resulting in lessening the risks of nervous disorder, including over active uterine muscles and depression.
3. Anticoagulants
It is said that guaifenesin also decreases the coagulant effects in the arteries that help the blood to get thinner, thereby increasing the blood flow to the reproductive organ, leasing to enhancing the chance of fertility.
III. Risks and side effects
Over dose of guaifenesin may cause
1. Nausea,
2. Vomiting
3. Formation of kidney stones of uric acid
F. Essential Fatty Acid
I. Definition
Essential fatty acids is also known as vitamin F, our body can not make EFAs, therefore we require to take them from foods. It contains 2 families EFA :Omega 3 and Omega 6 While one member of a family can convert to other members in the family, it can not convert to other family.
II. How essential fatty acid effects fertility
1. Blood flow
Prostaglandins E1 and E3 are derived from Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. While PGE1 helps to improve blood blood flow to the reproductive organ, PGE3 helps to protect our body against cells oxidation caused by inflammation,including the reproductive region, thereby increasing the chance of fertility.
2. Cold water fish
Cold water fish contains high amount of essential fatty acids, but it may have a colding effect that causes yang deficiency according to transitional Chinese medicine if you like Japanese shusi. It is advised that you should take some "warm" and 'hot" foods to neutralizing it. Otherwise, it may decrease the chance of fertility as resulting of yin and yang imbalance.
3. Liver
Essential fatty acid not only kelps to improve the balance of prostaglandins hormone, but also helps the liver in fat and protein metabolism, thereby increasing the nervous cell in transmitting information between themselves and glands, thus decreasing the risk of nervous tension and symptoms that effect fertility.
4. Maximizing the effects of essential fatty acids
Study found that without enough levels of zinc, vitamin B6 and magnesium, our digestive system may not be able to absorb all EFAs , leading to EFAs deficiency, causing over production of certain hormone during menstrual cycle, resulting in distorting the normal reproductive process for fertilization.
5. Impotence
It also helps to increases the blood flow to male reproductive, leading to decreasing the risks of sexual dysfunction and promoting sperm count and quality that improve the chance for the female partner to conceive.
6. Healthy prostate
As resulting of anti inflammation properties of EFAs, it helps to decrease the risks of enlarged prostate gland or restore the normal function of prostate gland in production of reproductive semen fluid that nourishes and transports the male gamete (sperm) through the female reproductive tract.