New studies published in the Journal Nature in 2004 led by Jonathan Tilly at the Vincent Centre of Reproductive Technology in Boston indicate that women may actually regenerate their eggs each month and we may in fact be born with the ability to produce newbie eggs on demand! This is contrary to what we are led to believe and are told when past 30.

As a woman on a quest for a baby I’m sure you are no stranger to that good old chestnut ‘ You are born with millions of eggs that are literally withering and dying every year past 25’ and my personal favourite ‘ Why did you leave it so long to try’. Which is always the first thing on a 25 year old womans mind with a mature man at her side and in a career that is paying the mortgage nicely! Sarcasm aside women are amazing and with all that is going on outside and inside the cave its a huge relief we make it through the day sometimes! If you need some inspiration on this watch Dr Libby Weaver on TED Australia

Anyway back to AMH…

When you look inside an ovary you will only see follicles not an egg. They are far too small at the early stages and haven’t grown sufficiently to predict overall fertility. It is only by following a woman’s ability to produce an egg through careful consideration over a couple of months that will we know if she really is fertile or in fact heading to menopause. However, this would be a costly affair involving multiple blood tests, scanning and invasive procedures and unless you are the owner of a clinic this is probably not the cheapest of routes!

In 2002-2004 a new tool in town to help assess fertility came about in the form of Anti- Mullerian Hormone (AMH). This was a simple test and it promised to hold the answers and indicate if our egg reserve was low or high. Ovarian reserve its a term used to indicate the amount and number of oocytes ( eggs) and also their quality.

As I mentioned above, when women are born they have over a million primordial follicles, which are largely dormant until they are triggered into action by puberty. As a woman gets older these primordial follicles are then pulled into the growing follicle pool, to be used as part of the woman’s cycle and given the right chemical markers over the month are grown to maturation.

As she grows older, less of the primordial follicles are pulled into the growing follicle pool. AMH is the substance given off by the growing follicle pool and is thought to also predict the primordial follicle pool also.

According to the Journal of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility in the Netherlands: ‘…Direct measurement of egg from the primordial follicle pool is impossible.’
http://soft-infertility.ca/blog/anti-mullerian-hormone-ovarian-reserve/

When I looked into this further, I wasn’t convinced about the science behind it!
According to another study I found low AMH is not an overall measurement of reproductive function. In this study in question overweight and obese women with PCOS and reproductive dysfunction were studied as part of a 20-week weight loss intervention. This resulted in improvements in reproductive function but no change in AMH levels.In this case when reproductive function improves AMH being tied to this should improve also, however this is not the case.

I think AMH may be a good indicator together with detailed blood analysis that something isn’t right hormonally, but should not be used as the only indication of whether a woman can conceive or not. I also feel we have a lot to learn when it comes to analysing AMH hormone which will unfold in years to come and maybe use it in a much less cruder fashion. Using it to predict egg reserve and quality can be tricky. As a measure of fertility it never seems to stack up in my clinic. This is especially when women are frightened into not going for fertility treatment by a low AMH level, only to find that when they began to relax, eat well and look after themselves their stress levels reduce and all their key fertility hormones, such as FSH reduced and they produced viable eggs that survive implantation.

Scientists are basically making assumptions based on the number of growing follicles that they can see on the ovaries based on a substance released by these follicles, AMH and using this to ‘predict’ primordial egg reserve isn’t in my view the cleverest way to pinpoint fertility. This method really is like counting the chicks by looking at the chicken!

There are no long term studies to see if AMH levels are an indicator of overall egg count. I have researched through many journals and have not found any studies or peer reviewed studies that have looked at women and AMH levels in their 20’s or 30’s and then followed these women until menopause to determine who had children. This would be a little difficult I hasten to add as the test only started to be used as another stick to beat ‘Infertile’ women in clinics from 2002.

Until we have proof that it really is a useful test then, in my view, it should be used with caution and along side a thorough hormone panel over a period of 4 months to look at patterns to diagnose fertility.

FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) is another test that clinics and surgeries use to indicate possibly infertility. A crude assessment is given again and high levels of this hormones are enough evidence in some consultations that a women is not producing eggs any more. However the human body and particularly female reproduction is incredibly complicated and the precarious waltz it dances in order to produce an egg, is more than the sum of one hormone!

In regards to FSH; I have seen many clients with varying FSH levels and personally think if this is high in one month I need to consistently see a high level over a 4 month period to indicate that the ovaries have ‘shut up shop’ so to speak. As part of this assessment I look at all the key hormones and how they are also presenting. I have supported women with FSH as high as 30, and I have helped them to bring these levels down. I don’t look at FSH in isolation I have also put programmes together that look at all fertility hormones in order to bring them into a more natural state. Many have gone on to become pregnant ‘defying the odds’ with both a high FSH and Low AMH level.

http://soft-infertility.ca/blog/anti-mullerian-hormone-ovarian-reserve/

Ovary Stem Cells Can Produce New Human Eggs, Scientists Say

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19380385If

Many of you are here because you want to become Mothers or Fathers. All of you will have had an interest in this as you may have had problems conceiving. For some, the journey down the road to parenthood is easy. But for others, conception can be an immensely challenging process for both body and mind.

The natural approach to treating infertility looks the at the root causes of infertility, by addressing all body systems, rather than just focusing solely on the reproductive system.
I’ve talked a lot about diet so far and things we have more control over. Some things like environmental toxins we have less control over, however we can make some choices about most of these issues once we know what we are dealing with.

A recent report in the UK from the Royal College of Gynaecologists confirmed many of the concerns I have as a nutritionist around limiting your chemical exposure during pregnancy. The truth is this journey should really start before conception instead of the advice given of which chemicals to avoid during pregnancy.

I often refer to environmental toxins with clients as the silent accumulators as they can be responsible for sub fertility. Accumulated toxins from our diet or environment can build up over time and unfortunately, they will stop nutrients from getting to a woman’s reproductive organs and interfere with sperm health.

According to Natural Health Concepts, “More than 80,000 chemicals permitted have never been fully assessed for toxic impacts on human health and the environment. Under the current law, it is almost impossible to take regulatory action against dangerous chemicals, even those that are known to cause cancer or other serious health effects”.

We absorb almost 60% of what we put on our skin and if we take just a quick snapshot of the chemical bath we are exposed to just in body care, it is quite easy to rack up an impressive chemical count within hours of waking. By the time we eventually go to bed, we will be exposed to many hundreds of chemicals just in one area such as body care.

Many couples have unexplained infertility and cleaning up their exposure to chemicals is one component of an overall plan and used in conjunction with others will help them become more fertile. Everyone has a different physiology so as a rule I always recommend an overhaul of body, home and lifestyle.

Exposure to chemicals used to preserve lotions and potions heavy metals, radiation, and toxic chemicals in some foods, drugs and other products can damage DNA and can influence our gene structure and expression.

Here are a few things to help you clean up your act in regards to chemicals prior to conception:

1. Minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals

Once pregnant exposure to environmental toxins (in the form of industrial chemicals) both in utero and neonatally may dramatically affect the growing child. There appears to be less stringent controls on them as there are for medicines. Consequently, poisonous chemicals end up circulating in our environment, food supply, air and water.
Heavy metals and environmental pollution can alter hormone function and result in adverse reproductive health effects. These include:
Ovotoxicants: which can disrupt or even stop ovulation.
Endocrine disruptors: Which can interfere with hormone function and cause endometriosis and PCOS.
Phthalates: in plastic food containers, cling film, bags, medical supplies, vinyl flooring and packaging at high levels have been associated with miscarriage and testicular toxicity. At low levels they disrupt hormonal balance.
VCH chemicals: used in rubber tires, plastics and pesticides.
PAH: released from cigarettes, car fumes and road tar

Men are also affected

Studies confirm male sperm counts are declining, and environmental factors, such as pesticides, exogenous oestrogens (Xenoestrogens), and heavy metals may negatively impact spermatogenesis (formation of sperm).
Sperm seems to be more sensitive to heavy metals and industrial pollutants than Ova. Many sperm abnormalities have been linked to these toxins. The majority of these chemicals can be found in the atmosphere, on the ground in cities and in the waterways.

They have also been termed “reprotoxicants” for their negative effects on sperm development and maturation. Shanna Swan who was involved in the sperm study published in 2017 has written a great book looking at chemicals as the main reason for declining sperm health.  

What can we do about this – The top 7 environmental toxins to avoid

Pesticides: found on non-organic fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy and unfiltered tap water
Formaldehyde: found in air fresheners, deodorants, floor polish, upholstery cleaners
Bisphenols: found in plastic containers and can leach into food and water.
Organic solvents: petroleum based liquids found in household products, electronics, car repair, health care, photography, agriculture, printing, construction and cosmetics and many more
Parabens used in common shampoos, conditioners and body care items.
Dry-cleaning chemicals
Paint fumes
Occasional exposure to one or the other toxic chemical is not of concern. What is of concern is accumulation of these chemicals over a long period.

2. Water

Our waterways are constantly being polluted by industrial waste and by-products, pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides and herbicides and commercial cleaning products.
How to minimise this = use a filtration system
Buy a filtration water system that filters particles smaller than 1 micron (this will filter out the drugs as well as heavy metals). Use the filter in your shower and your kitchen. Shower steam contains the same chemicals, which you can end up inhaling and can be absorbed through your skin.

Conclusions

It can be difficult to totally banish chemicals from our life, as after all we do live in a modern society; however we can make a big dent on our chemical exposure by:

1. Minimising and switching to natural products for body hair and teeth
2. Making sure the majority of your food is chemical free
3. Not obsessing about using plug in air filters and using harmful chemicals to clean your house

4. Filtering your water with a really good filtration system