What you need to ask your Fertility Doctor

Amanda Waaldyk will be running an information afternoon on Saturday 17th September from 12 - 2pm about what you need to ask your Fertility Doctor. The talk will cover the "essential tests" you need to get from your Fertility Doctor.  This is for patients new to IVF or for those who have had failed IVF cycles.
Bookings are essential. Please call the clinic on 9510 3700 to secure your place.

The Advantages of Acupuncture during IVF treatment and Natural Fertility

Acupuncture works in the following ways:

1. Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, which dramatically improves a woman’s response to hormonal therapy.

2. Acupuncture has been shown to regulate hormone levels by moderating the release of beta endorphins levels in the brain, which improves the release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland and oestrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.

3. Acupuncture reduces stress and a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system response.

4. Acupuncture has been speculated to moderate cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin levels in the uterus, reducing uterine motility to improve implantation rates.

5. Herbs nourish the blood, whilst acupuncture moves qi, which facilitates the movement of blood. It has been claimed that some herbal formulas produce high clinical pregnancy rates as well as improve the general wellbeing of patients.

The following descriptions below will describe how acupuncture can integrate with Western Medicine. Each point is directly linked to the points above.

1. There needs to be adequate blood flow to the developing ovarian follicle. This is essential to the initiation and maintenance of normal human pregnancy. Doppler ultrasound evaluation of uterine and ovarian blood flow has demonstrated that improved blood flow in either vascular system is associated with improved fertility outcomes. Women who respond poorly to ovarian stimulation for IVF have compromised blood flow to their ovarian follicles.

2. There are 4 phases in the menstrual cycle. During each phases various hormones are released. The most common cause of infertility is hormonal imbalance.
3. From a Western Medicine perspective, people who are under stress release the hormone cortisol in the brain. Cortisol alters the brain’s neurochemical balance thus changing hormone levels and disrupting the pituitary balance, which is the key to the reproductive cycle. Because of this delicate balance between the hypothalamus, pituitary and reproductive glands, stress is capable of preventing a woman from ovulating entirely.

4. For IVF transfers and implantations the endometrium needs to be of particular
density and thickness for successful implantations and fertilization. The uterus therefore needs to be in a relaxed state.

5. The menses is based on the condition of the blood.

If you would like to know more you can read the clinic study on the "impact of acupuncture on in vitro fertilization outcome". Click the following link or paste:
http://www.eufom.com/Articles/acupuncture%20&%20IVF2.pdf

Did you Know?

Did you know the difference between female and male fertility? The Wall Street Journal published some very interesting research recently, which suggests that although women are born with a limited reserve of eggs, the female egg contains original genetic component, as she ages, that was created at the very start of a woman's life. Male sperm, on the other hand, whilst in abundance, runs the risk of genetic error because it is continually renewed as the man ages.

Angea Fertility Clinic: Recipes

Angea Fertility Clinic: Recipes: "LIVING RAW FOOD RECIPES Last night i went over to Mum and Dad's and cooked dinner for them. It wasn't anything special but it was food ma..."

Australian woman Anthea Nicholas gives birth at 50 naturally without IVF

At Angea Fertility we love stories like this one! Written in the Herald Sun today and covered in Women's Weekly.  I will be writing more about this tomorrow. You can read the article by clicking on the link below.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/australian-woman-anthea-nicholas-gives-birth-at-50-naturally-without-ivf/story-e6frf7jo-1226102833425

The Importance of Knowing your Body

This topic is very close to my heart.

Eleven years ago Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time she had noticed a lump in her breast and consulted her GP who sent her to for a mammogram. The results came back negative and the GP said come back in 12 months. Mum wasn’t happy with the results so decided to seek a second opinion. The second Doctor sent her straight to a Breast Cancer Surgeon who had a special type of ultrasound performed, after which she discovered she had Breast Cancer. Mum was one of the lucky survivors after having a mastectomy and chemotherapy.  For cancer survivors they never really know if they are in the clear. There is always a suspicion that it may come back. Cancer is prevalent in our family; Mum’s Mum passed away at age 56 from bowel cancer and her auntie also from bowel cancer.  For Mum, having a regular colonsocopy every 5 years, Pap smear every 2 years and breast checks every year is always a number one priority. Each time her results come back “all clear”.

Over the last couple of months, Mum started to notice she had low-grade abdominal pain and her bowel movements were becoming slightly irregular and in Mum’s words,’ weren’t working perfectly’. Mum’s bowels are like clockwork, guaranteed once a day! In our family talking about bowel movements is an open conversation, especially as I am a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner. In my clinic sits a book called “What’s your Poo telling you? This is a favorite. It talks about all the different kinds of wonderful and not so wonderful Poo.  You need to add humor to topics that are difficult to discuss. When Mum lost her breast after her mastectomy she jumped on the scales and said, “What, I haven’t even lost any weight, my boob weighed nothing”.   Mum has a funny sense of humor. We love her for it!  In our family there is never a dull moment. This photo was taken last year of Mum and I in LA - Hotel Roosevelt just after the completion of my yoga course.

Coming back to the present moment, Mum headed off to her GP due to her low-grade abdominal pain. The GP sent her for a pelvic ultrasound. Her results indicated the lining of her womb was 7mm and her ovaries were described as lumpy. She was informed to come back in 6 months again as there was an absence of bleeding. Once again Mum was not happy with the test results. The biggest warning sign for Mum, was knowing her body and knowing that something wasn’t feeling quite right. Over the next week, the abdominal pain moved higher and was beginning to become more intense. She went back to her Doctor and she sent her for a CT scan. The scan revealed she had a blockage in her bowel. Mum was admitted to the emergency ward. Three days later Mum was in the operating theatre having part of her bowel removed and her left ovary.  Her pathology results came back positive with a diagnosis of Signet Ring Cell Cancer. To be honest, the diagnosis completely shocked me. I never suspected it would happen again. You think after eleven years that everything will be ok.  Mum looks the picture of health to me.  Mum is an amazingly strong women, and I have no doubt she will get through this as she did with the Breast Cancer. 

Yesterday we had a big family lunch and I asked Mum how did you know? What were the signals?  She said  “it’s the importance of knowing your body, learn to know your body and it’s signals”.  The importance of this message is to listen to your body. Our bodies talks to us in so many ways. As human beings we get so caught up in living in the moment with our busy lives that sometimes our health isn’t a priority. Our health is free and we need to look after it as we do ourselves.  For every women it is extremely important that you have your regular pap smear tests every two years and your breast examinations yearly. When it comes to your fertility, firstly and foremost go and see your GP. I always recommend to my clients to have all tests performed before starting natural conception or IVF. Have your FSH levels tested, Progesterone levels, AMH, sperm analysis and have a pelvic ultrasound. Know your menstrual cycle and start to become in tune with your body.  Listen to your body because it will talk it you. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t leave it or ignore it. Do something about it, be proactive towards your health and your body.  Be responsible for your Health. 

Aboriginal Mythology behind Anjea Fertility