Getting Pregnant At 34 But No Periods

(Mary)

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for almost a year and a half now. I had my right ovary removed due to severe endo back in July 2010. 3 months after having the surgery I began experiencing hot flashes and night sweats.

I went to the Dr and my FSH levels were at 85. My Dr then referred me to an IVF Specialist, he said that IVF would not help and my only options were donor egg or adoption. I was devastated as I am only 34 y/o.

I then went onto Acupuncture and Chinese herbs which I have been doing for 1 year now. My acupuncturist suggested after a year of treatment to get my bloods checked to see if there was any improvement with FSH levels etc. My FSH levels are now 97 and the AMH test is 1.0. I don't know what to do and feel very helpless as no one can help me! Is it too late?

As I went to another Fertility Specialist a couple of days ago and she told me it was impossible to get pregnant as I am no longer producing eggs and because I have not had a period in over a year I'm officially in menopause stages.

Mary

Answer:

Hi Mary,

Your case seems really difficult and often natural health takes time to rebalance a deep hormonal imbalance like yours, but your hopes may not all be lost. I do not want to give you false expectations, but in my opinion at 34 it is too early for your body to go into menopause. From a natural health point of you, your ovaries are simply in a state of suppression and it could be possible to bring back your periods, but it will take time and effort.

What causes ovarian suppression?

Nobody really knows, but stress and toxicity are big ones.

Toxic exposure, especially of chemicals called endocrine disruptors affect the production of female hormones causing a condition called estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is due to chemicals compounds in your water, food and environment that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. When this happen the production of progesterone decreases and ovulation patterns becomes longer and longer to the point of deep imbalance when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. Estrogen dominance is also a major clause of endometriosis. Bad estrogens fuels displaced endometrial cells to grow.

That’s why the first step in restoring ovarian health is to follow a fertility cleansing for at least 2-3 months. If you cleanse you give your body a chance to eliminate excess estrogen and support your liver to balance and produce hormones once more. Many women, who have long or missed periods, notice that after cleansing their periods may come back. In your case it may take a bit longer.

In medicine, ovarian health is measure by checking FSH levels and AMH levels. When FSH is really high and AMH levels are really low the ovaries stop releasing eggs altogether and the ovaries are supressed.

Natural remedies like Vitex agnus castus have shown to treat secondary amenorrhea (missed periods) in women with high FSH. Herbal medicine practitioners believe that Vitex removes this suppression by creating hormonal balance.

Vitex is a slow acting herb and brings effects within 4 to 6 months of consistent use and can be taken for long periods of time up to 18 months. Vitex stimulates the pituitary gland in producing LH hormone which balances FSH, which is also released by the pituitary gland. When FSH decreases and LH increases ovulation is triggered by the LH surge.

One very small study found that 10 of 15 women with amenorrhea bean having periods after taking Vitex for a period of 6 months consistently. Lab tests reports showed that progesterone and LH increased significantly while FSH decreased slightly.

The key to ovulation is to balance the FSH/LH ratio, which is supposed to be 1 in order to trigger the release of the egg. If you are on any prescription medication, talk to your doctor before taking Vitex.

While this process of stimulation is happening it is very important to nourish the ovarian tissue as the antral follicles need to grow and develop. This can be achieved through diet and by supplementing with fertility superfoods like maca, antioxidants, royal jelly, and multivitamins.

Your diet should be really good, free of pesticides treated fruits and vegetables and organic meat and dairy only. Drinking a daily fertility smoothie is the best way to maintain ovarian health.

If you want to try a natural approach I would recommend following these steps:

1.Cleansing for 2 months to eliminate bad estrogen in your body

2. Stimulating ovulation with herbal remedies like Vitex

3. Nourishing your ovarian tissue with diet and superfoods

4. Increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs with self-fertility massage. A lack of oxygenated blood rich in nutrients may cause the ovarian tissue to lack nourishment. By applying self-fertility massage with castor oil you can reduce endometriosis, help break down scar tissue from endometriosis and increase blood flow to the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes.

I truly believe that your body will benefit tremendously from a natural approach, you are way too young to be in menopause and you really need to bring balance back into your body and hopefully you will conceive.

5. I just want to say one brief thing about stress as it plays a very important role in supressing ovulation especially as a result of mental shock, emotional trauma, physical shock like surgery and prolonged grief like loss of loved one or even loss of fertility. I don’t know if stress is affecting your life, but if it is, I heartily recommend using the Mind/Body Natural Fertility Program from Circle and Bloom.

This program helps you focus on your reproductive wellness through breathing, relaxation and guided imagery. Lifting your spirit is so important in giving you hope and strength to move forward in your journey.

Fertility Blessings!