Ever since you were a teenager your Sex Ed teacher, or probably your parents, drilled into you the importance of contraception. The ever looming ‘threat’ of pregnancy drilled into you as if it were easy.
So, you can imagine the frustration when you finally get to an age when a child doesn’t seem like such a crazy idea, and to find you’re one of the one in 6 couples in Australia affected by unexplained infertility caused by accelerated reproductive aging.
Accelerated aging of the reproductive system and aging eggs is triggered by over 120 hidden modifiable factors that unfortunately are not tested for and leave couples around the world unable to conceive.
Therefore, a simplistic approach to improving fertility or simply waiting for it to happen naturally may not be the most effective approach to take. Fertility experts agree, reversing aging eggs and restoring sperm health is not something you can do by simply reading a book, eating healthy and taking over the counter vitamins. If you are trying these approaches and not getting results, then it’s time to dig a little deeper and try something new.
Get to the cause
The good news is, you can slow accelerated reproductive aging and restore natural fertility health with a targeted and strategic approach. The key is to first get assessed. Over the last 20 years of helping couples conceive either naturally or with IVF, I have found the most effective way to get results is to firstly screen for hidden underlying factors like hormones, digestive imbalance, toxic load, infection and immune problems (5,6,7,8). These all accelerate aging of the reproductive system in both men and women.
Exciting new ways to be more fertile
For many couples, getting assessed is a complete game changer. It means you are no longer ‘flying blind’ and can easily start to manage your reproductive health with a more strategic, considered approach and this is a powerful step in the right direction. It can be as simple as cutting out gluten for example if you have irritable bowel or including more pro biotic foods in your diet can make such a difference by lowering immune markers associated with low fertility in both men and women (5,6). But what is essential is that we figure out what’s wrong and then find a place to start.
The magic really happens when you take your assessment to the next level and harness everything global researchers know about the microbiome, DNA and genetic variations (SNP’s). Getting tested for these supercharges your fertility and literally puts the breaks on accelerated reproductive aging.
So how is gene expression linked to infertility?
Take for example your microbiome. A great deal of research has been performed about making sure your vaginal flora is healthy for conception. But did you know your whole-body microbiome (flora) is involved in hormone regulation? It’s 100% true and you need to know this.
Microbiome is involved in estrogen production, insulin regulation and thyroid health. This means, no matter what you are doing to improve your fertility, including eating healthy, taking vitamins or managing your health in conditions like PCOS, endometriosis or thyroid disease, your body will be fighting you the whole way, aging your eggs, damaging your sperm and making your journey a frustrating path to nowhere!
Other digestive microbiome is involved in autoimmune disorders such as celiac’s, crohn’s and inflammatory bowel disease which are linked to male reproductive disorders such as sperm morphology and motility abnormalities, oligospermia, and reduced dihydrotestosterone. They also influence female fertility by creating hormonal changes causing period problems and amenorrhea (6,9,10).
Autoimmune disorders like endometriosis, diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis, and systemic lupus erythematosus are all linked to microbiome imbalance and decreased fertility. Other causes of infertility such as premature ovarian insufficiency and poly cystic ovarian syndrome have autoimmune components. In some unexplained cases of infertility, inflammatory processes may be involved with antibody levels.
These all accelerate reproductive aging and getting your microbiome tested and assessed means you can manage them more effectively with a targeted strategic approach to slow the aging process.
Genetic DNA variations and SNP’s. You may have heard a little about this already, however it’s not well known as part of a strategy for reversing accelerated reproductive aging. The truth is, I honestly can’t understand why its ignored!
Perhaps you have already had some genetic testing done through your fertility specialist for genetic conditions like down syndrome for example. What you are unlikely to have been tested for is the interaction between your genes, your diet and how that affects your fertility health. This includes genetic SNPs involved in key nutritional needs for optimal fertility like the metabolism of vitamins A, C, D and B12 as well as folate, glutathione and coenzyme Q10 (2,3,6)
Other genes like BCM01, FUT2, TCN2, SCL23A1, DHCR7, CYP2R1, GC, VDR, CYP24A1, MTHFR (both 677 and 1298), MTHFD1, MTR, MTRR, PEMT, FADS1, NQ01, GSTP1, GPX1, SOD2 and CAT all play a role in accelerated reproductive aging. This is primarily due to their influence on chronic disease risk and other underlying conditions that influence fertility like inflammation, mitochondrial function, digestive problems and hormone related conditions (1,2,4).
Through genetic testing, we’ll see what genes you’ve inherited, what variations you may have and what we can do nutritionally and lifestyle-wise to compensate for those variations and restore your natural fertility.
It’s different. It’s new. It’s exciting!
Getting tested for hidden underlying factors means you can literally change your path to parenthood. Once you have your results you can tailor your diet, lifestyle and natural treatments to match your DNA. This 100% personalised, natural and targeted approach is without doubt the fastest way to turn back time and be more fertile.
Trying to restore and improve natural fertility without knowing your microbiome and DNA SNPs is like playing a game of ‘hit & miss‘.
Once you get assessed at BUMP Fertility, you can really target your natural strategies to work with your body’s own natural rhythm, which is why we achieve such good results. With assessments starting as low as $99, what are you waiting for? Stop aging in its tracks and Get Assessed Today!
Appointments can be made by calling Nicholson Health and Wellness on (03) 9486 4111
Or visit www.bumpfertility.com.au
Narelle Stegehuis MHSc HM.
Narelle Stegehuis is a leading natural fertility provider accredited by the International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine and the Fertility Society of Australia. Helping women conceive for over 20 years, Narelle is passionate about accelerated reproductive age reversal and environmental reproductive health. Narelle provides specialised content for Torrens University and media publications such as New Idea, Woman’s Day and Women’s Fitness magazines. Narelle strives to create community awareness and affordable programs for the management of complex female health disorders such as PCOS, endometriosis, early pregnancy loss, early menopause and IVF preparation.
- Dadachanji, R., Shaikh, N., & Mukherjee, S. (2018). Genetic Variants Associated with Hyperandrogenemia in PCOS Pathophysiology. Genetics research international, 2018, 7624932. doi:10.1155/2018/7624932
- Enciso M, Sarasa J, Xanthopoulou L, et al. Polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene influence embryo viability and the incidence of aneuploidy. Hum Genet 2016; 135(5):555-568
- García-Velasco JA, Menabrito M, Catalán IB. What fertility specialists should know about the vaginal microbiome: a review. Reprod Biomed Online. 2017 Jul;35(1):103-112. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2017.04.005. Epub 2017 Apr 19. Review. PMID:28479120
- Geva E, Lerner-Geva L, Burke M, Vardinon N, Lessing JB, Amit A. Undiagnosed systemic Lupus erythematosus in a cohort of infertile women. Am J Reprod Immunol 2004;51:336-340.
- Klonoff-Cohen H. Recommended Approach for Undiagnosed Autoimmune diseases, Unexplained Infertility, and Fertility Treatments Fertility and Sterility, Sept 2017
- Kollerová J, Koller T, Hlavatý T, Payer J. Vnitr Lek. Hormonal changes in inflammatory bowel disease 2015 Dec;61(12 Suppl 5):5S35-9. Slovak. PMID:27124970
- Lauretta, R., Sansone, A., Sansone, M., Romanelli, F., & Appetecchia, M. (2019). Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Effects on Endocrine Glands. Frontiers in endocrinology, 10, 178. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00178
- Nazki FH, Sameer AS, Ganaie BA. Folate: metabolism, genes, polymorphisms and the associated diseases. Gene 2014; 533(1):11-20
- Park YE, Kim TO. Sexual dysfunction and fertility problems in men with inflammatory bowel disease World J Mens Health. 2019 Mar 22. doi: 10.5534/wjmh.190007. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PMID:3092932
- Poppe K, Velkeniers B, Glinoer D. Thyroid disease and female reproduction. Clinical Endocrinology [serial online]. March 2007;66(3):309-321. Accessed July 19, 2017
- Shah S, Leffler D. Celiac disease: An underappreciated issue in women’s health. Womens Health (Lond Engl) 2010;6:753-766.
