Conceive on ice or naturally

The subject of couples who want to conceive but are experiencing problems, the route to conception either through IVF, or the healthy way, could fill a book. Here is the shortened version.

Freezing eggs and test-tube conception are marvels of high-tech wizardry. However, these carry many hidden risks

Freezing eggs and test-tube conception are marvels of high-tech wizardry. However, these carry many hidden risks and there are safer and more natural ways to overcome miscarriage or infertility.

‘Social freezing’, as it is known, and ‘ice babies’ prompted headlines worldwide in 2012, when a couple in their 40s from Buenos Aires, who had suffered many failed attempts at in vitro fertilisation, finally gave birth to twins from eggs that had been stored for a record 12 years.

More media attention was given to a report recently released by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), which concluded that egg freezing is no longer an experimental technology.

Therefore, the recommendation was that women, before the age of 30, should freeze their eggs in the event that they do not find ‘Mr Right’ early enough to conceive naturally. The latest evidence, it claims, shows similar implantation and pregnancy rates with IVF, whether eggs are fresh or frozen.

A conference addressed by Kate Devine, from the US National Institute of Health, stated that egg freezing represents the future for today’s professional woman. Dr Devine is a 30-year-old lawyer, who believes she will be 40 by the time she has the time and space in her diary to have children. Among her many comments were: “Some say they (the eggs) are like garden peas, they are actually fresher after they have been frozen.”

Knowledge and technology have moved on since Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby, resulted from the re-implantation of a single fertilised egg by pioneers Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards. What is not always common knowledge are the sobering statistics about IVF.

Four out of five eggs, harvested after a woman has undergone heavy-duty hyper-ovulation procedures, may have chromosomal defects, making it more likely that a greater percentage of these ‘rotten eggs’ will be fertilised and re-implanted (Hum. Reprod., 2007).

Following a study, Robert Jansen, the medical director of Sydney IVF in Australia, said the stronger drugs may cause eggs to develop too quickly and result in “more immature eggs, which are likely to lose chromosomes in the process”.

If the risks concern you, then it may be worth looking at natural programmes. A preconceptual care programme, developed by the British charity Foresight, has now been used by thousands of infertile couples worldwide to achieve what they never thought was possible.

Foresight’s first medical adviser Patrick Kingsley, a former GP and specialist in nutrition and environmental medicine, believes the charity’s approach works because it mirrors his own highly successful holistic approach to healthcare in general: “Diet plays an important part as well as specific nutrients, depending on what you find in the history,” he says.

“If a woman is continually tired, an early morning temperature test in the armpit could help to identify whether she is thyroid deficient,” says Kingsley.

“If a man has white spots on his fingernails or stretch marks on his skin, he is deficient in zinc. Both can be solved with supplementation.”

The Foresight charity was started by a former nursery nurse Kim Barnes in 1978. After experiencing health issues with her own children, she started looking into the importance of taking care of your own health before even considering conception.

Barnes began researching optimal pregnancy and elicited help from leading doctors and researchers around the world. Then, with the help of Dr Kingsley and other nutritional experts, she set up a testing facility in Surrey University, from which Foresight was born.

Now in its 35th year, the programme has not only helped couples have healthy babies, but has also succeeded in giving thousands of infertile couples the opportunity to conceive naturally.

Here are eight essentials from the Foresight plan:

Eat well – a healthy body is needed to produce a healthy baby, so follow a varied wholefood diet with high quality proteins, no refined carbohydrates and plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Buy organic produce; drink filtered water to minimise exposure to pesticides and other potential harmful chemicals.

Supplement to correct any nutritional deficiencies – a study showed that magnesium deficiency is associated with female infertility, increased miscarriage rates and increased incidences of premature and low-birth-weight babies.

Stop smoking.

Avoid alcohol; even moderate drinking can contribute to infertility.

Cut the caffeine – caffeine can cut your chances of conception.

Get tested for infections – genital infection is a major cause of infertility worldwide.

Investigate allergies – in one study, an infertile woman was found to have a gluten allergy; eight months after follow-ing a gluten-free diet, she conceived.

Minimise your exposure to environmental chemicals such as pesticides, plastics chemicals and heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, which can all affect fertility.

For more information, visit www.foresightpreconception.org.uk.

kathryn@maltanet.net