PCOS, Poor Ovarian Reserve, & Male Infertility

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Marc Sklar, Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Functional Acupuncturist, joins us on the Randy and Christa Show to discuss the most common causes of infertility.

He and I have been successfully teaming up on client cases for years, and we have plenty of pregnant women and healthy babies under our belt from this partnership.

That’s why I wanted to introduce him to you so that you can benefit from his many years of knowledge and experience.

Marc says that there are three main fertility issues:

1. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS

According to Marc, PCOS is the most common female endocrine disorder and the primary cause of infertility. It is defined as having multiple, immature follicles on the ovaries.

These immature follicles create hormonal deregulation that disrupts the menstrual cycle, making it difficult to know ovulation is taking place.

Common symptoms of PCOS include:

– Irregular cycles
– Unexplained weight gain
– Blood sugar issues/instability
– Brittle hair and hair loss
– Thyroid disorders

While these symptoms are common, Marc says 50% of his patients are actually asymptomatic which is why testing in the preconception period is always prudent.

Digestive issues can contribute to PCOS, and they are commonly caused by candida or parasites. If you want to know if you have candida, click here and if you want to understand more about your digestive health as a potential root case of your fertility issues, head over here.

After Marc confirms PCOS via lab testing, he uses a combination of things to help turn it around, such as lowering testosterone with herbs, balancing hormones, addressing digestive issues and balancing blood sugar.

Supplements:

Marc uses a combination of d-chiro inositol and myoinositol (B vitamins) to help feed the ovaries and follicles. He says it’s helpful to have a 40:1 ratio of myo-inositol to d-chiro-inonsitol to balance blood sugar and regulate hormones.

Testosterone reducing herbs:

Maca, the yellow variety from Natural Health International is the one to use to boost female fertility while the black variety is the one to use to boost male fertility.

The male type of maca increases testosterone levels and is often what they carry in stores, so choose your maca wisely. You do not want your maca to have the opposite effect on your PCOS, so trust the source.

Our favorite for the ladies is – Femminessence or Femminessence Pro

Our favorite for the guys is – Revolution Pro

Both can be found at most Whole Foods and online.

2. Poor Ovarian Reserve and Advanced Maternal Age

We have things to do – experiences to have, careers to build. Many women are having kids later, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I wrote an entire book for this population called How to Conceive Naturally. It’s all good, and there’s so much you can do if you just spend a little time rejuvenating your system.

Marc and I agree that poor reserves can be caused by excessive stress, adrenal fatigue, poor functioning hypothalamus and/or pituitary glands, exposure to environmental toxins and poor digestive health.

He focuses in an area he calls reproductive anti-aging, and so do I. If we can focus on our cellular health, we can rejuvenate our cells, and often that is enough to solve the problem for many women 43 and under.

We have a chapter in our fertility and prenatal book called “Taking the batteries out of the biological clock” for this very reason.

Three Things to Focus On When You Fall Into This Category

1. Heal or improve your digestive health
2. Get enough sleep (go to bed earlier and sleep in later)
3. Address stress in a lasting way

3. Male Infertility

While the third cause of infertility comes from the guys, there are three factors that are most important to consider: sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology.

Sperm count is obvious, and during the show, Marc goes over what is healthy production and what is low (interesting that “normal” now is 1/3 the production of years past). Motility is making sure they swim in a forward direction, and morphology just means shape. You will be looking for one head, one body, and one tail.

According to Marc, these are the primary causes of male infertility.

1. Varicose veins in the testicles, which Marc says can be helped with Chinese herbs, anti-inflammatory supplements and icing the area. Wearing looser fitting underwear and clothes can help too. While these tactics won’t change the varicose veins themselves, they will allow more blood flow and therefore correct the underlying issue that prevents fertility.
2. Lifestyle – poor quality diet, excessive alcohol, excessive stress, lack of sleep, lack of exercise or over exercise.
3. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Guys can often be asymptomatic. I ask Marc about new studies showing that undiagnosed chlamydia can show up as prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland) and when the root cause is left untreated, it can ultimately make a man infertile.

Helpful supplements:

Antioxidants work at the cellular level, and they really boost sperm morphology and production. Our single most favorite multi for males that has enough antioxidants to help boost sperm production and quality is Mitocore by Ortho Molecular.

Marc and his team offer personalized fertility coaching at The Hope Fertility Program (designed for those who have been trying for over 1 year or are 35+ – by application only, apply to qualify here) OR a DIY online course called The Positive Pregnancy Method (perfect for those younger than 35 or who just started trying – see more details here).