Men make new sperm every day and those sperm come to fruition withing 72 days. This is good news for men who want to give their fertility a boost, because it means that within three months they can make a big difference to the reproductive health. For more detailed information it is worth checking out our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility where Dr. David and I give specific advice to men based on their fertility type. Briefly though, here are five simple things men can do that have a big impact on sperm quality and quantity.

1. Keep them cool

It’s important that the testicles are 1- 2 degrees cooler than the rest of the body and so taking hot baths or sitting with a lap top on your knee can be contributing to diminished fertility. Likewise men who sit at a desk all day can become overheated so at the YinOva Center we advise them to get up a move around once an hour to air off their private parts.

2. Eat right

You will find more information in Making Babies about how to eat right for your fertility type but all men can benefit from eating a wide range of colorful fruits and vegetable, whole grains and lean protein. Poor intake of vitamin C and E and the minerals zinc and selenium can affect sperm quality and would-be fathers with borderline sperm counts might want to consider supplementation. Finnish men have some of the highest sperm counts in the world which is thought to be due to the amount of oily fish they eat. For this reason at the YinOva Center we suggest men use a fish oil/omega-3 supplement.

3. Limit your exposure to toxic chemicals.

In Making Babies we discuss how the average sperm count for American men has plummeted over the past few decades. Dr. David and I believe that environmental toxins and the main reason and so advise men to eat as much whole food as possible and to avoid processed foods. I have blogged about this here.

4. Drop some bad habits

Smoking, whilst it does not reduce sperm count, does damage sperm DNA which can lead to a greater chance of miscarriage. Excessive alcohol use can affect hormone levels and lead to atrophy of the semeniferous tubules, loss of sperm cells, and an increase in abnormal sperm. Marijuana use has been shown to reduce sperm and semen volume. If you need help dropping unhealthy habits come on in to the YinOva Center. We are happy to support you.

5. Get checked out for hidden infections.

Infections such as chlamydia or urea plasma can impair fertility and also lead to early miscarriages. Men should ask their doctors for a semen culture to make sure that they are not infected.

Patients who have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility often find it a great relief that their seemingly random collection of symptoms make sense from a Chinese medicine perspective. They have usually undertaken a battery of tests by the time they visit us at the YinOva Center and their first question is, “If nothing is wrong, why am I not getting pregnant?”

Chinese diagnosis is based on identifying patterns of disharmony so an acupuncturist will look for signs that have meaning when seen in relation to each other. Two of the most common patterns in women with unexplained infertility are Liver Qi Stagnation and Kidney Yang Deficiency. In our book, Making Babies: A Proven Three Month Program for Maximum Fertility, Dr. David and I called these the Stuck Type and the Tired Type. You can identify your type by taking this quiz on the book’s website.

The Stuck Type describes someone who manifests stress physically. Often they have tension headaches or nervous stomachs, which are signs that they have become tight like a pressure cooker and qi is not flowing smoothly. This lack of flow can lead to unsmooth hormone transitions resulting in symptoms such as PMS. At the YinOva Center we give these patients a very well known Chinese formula called Xiao Yao Wan and treat them with weekly acupuncture to move qi. We know they are getting better when they no longer have PMS and many of them then go on to get pregnant.

The Tired Type describes someone who has metabolic issues that effect their reproductive hormones. They usually complain of fatigue, feeling cold and weight gain. At the YinOva Center we put them on a warming herbal formula and suggest they eat warming foods. We give them weekly acupuncture often with moxibustion, a warming herb. We know that they are getting better when they tell us they have more energy and that their hands and feet are not cold anymore. At that point many of them go on to get pregnant.

Both these types can result in problems that can be identified by conventional medicine. Women who are the Stuck Type can have elevated prolactin levels and women who are the Tired Type can have low thyroid hormone. However in many cases the imbalance is sub-clinical and not picked up by medical testing. That is a great reason to seek out an acupuncturist and herbalist in order to correct patterns of disharmony that may be minor but are subtly impeding your fertility.

Kathryn, one of our lovely YinOva patients was reading our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility when she had a thought. She facebooked me to suggest that we start collecting fertility-friendly recipes and publishing them here on the blog. I loved the idea and thought her first two recipe suggestions were great. I’m growing cucumbers in my garden so her creamy cucumber soup sounds wonderful and her second recipe for a spicy lentil soup is a fabulous hot weather idea.

These recipes are inspired by our book and nourishing for people who are trying to conceive but they’re also just lovely summer fare. Enjoy!

Thanks, Kathryn, for your contribution. I hope you’ll write more recipes and share them with the YinOva community and for anyone else out there who wants to join in I say, feel free….email me, comment or facebook me and I’ll put your recipes on the YinOva blog.

K’s Creamy Cucumber Soup

2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 T. butter
4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded & chopped
4 oz. fresh goat cheese
sea salt
white pepper

Saute onions with butter and 1 tsp salt until soft (“sweated”) but not browned. Add cucumbers and cook until tender. Remove from heat and puree in a blender with the chevre (a VitaMix is ideal for this, but a food processor or a blender works fine). Add salt and white pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge. Serve cold or room temperature.

Kathryn emailed me to add that she often chops mint and sprinkles it on this soup.

K’s Super-Delicious Red Lentil Soup

1 T. olive oil
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 3 inch lengths
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 or 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 can light coconut milk
1 c. red split lentils
4 c. water
1 t. sea salt, or more to taste
1 large handful cilantro, finely chopped (I love cilantro, so I tend to go heavy handed with it, but some people hate it)
4 fresh scallions, finely chopped
2 c. fresh baby spinach
½ lime, juiced (about 1 or 2 tablespoons)

Saute ginger, garlic, lemongrass, onion, and optional jalapeno in olive oil, until fragrant (leave the ginger & lemongrass large enough so that you can remove the pieces from the soup later). Add water, coconut milk, red lentils and salt. Cook until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove lemongrass & ginger pieces. Add cilantro, scallions, spinach and cook until spinach is wilted (but don’t overcook!). Add salt and lime juice to taste. Yummy!

FIFTEEN MINUTES WITH THE “FERTILITY GODDESS,” JILL BLAKEWAY

In the new tome Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility (Little Brown) acupuncturist and herbalist Jill Blakeway, who specializes in fertility and women’s health, teams up with reproductive endocrinologist Sami David to demystify the often fraught process of getting pregnant, covering everything from sex ed 101 to common causes of infertility and how to overcome them. Called a “fertility goddess” by the New York Times, Blakeway spoke to us about her approach to alternative medicine, her patients and how men play into the equation.

Why did you decide to write this book now?

Dr. David and I have collaborated on patients for six years, so this book grew organically out of that relationship. We were frustrated that patients were being given unnecessary medication and undergoing needless procedures, and we were having great success at helping people get pregnant more naturally. Click here to read more on the W website.

In our new book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility Dr. David and I warn women not to rush into IVF. In our experience many women who undergo costly and exhausting IVF treatments don’t actually need them. You can read more about our views in this interview we gave to the UK Sunday Times.

This has caused some of my patients to ask me if I am “anti-IVF” and I’d like to use this article to set the record straight and let you know that I believe modern assisted reproductive techniques are truly miraculous for couples who need them. The risks involved are very small and well worth taking when you consider the benefits. At any given time about 25% of our fertility patients are undergoing IVF so here at the YinOva Center we support hundreds of women each year who are using these technologies. We are thrilled when you are successful and happy to play a small part in that success.

Does having acupuncture increase the likelihood of success with IVF?

Clinical research seems to suggest it does. One German study took 160 women undergoing IVF and split them into two groups. One group combined acupuncture with IVF and one group did not. Interestingly the group that did the acupuncture had a 50% better outcome than the group that did IVF alone. You can read a BBC article about this study here. In 2008 research published in the British Medical Journal showed that women doing IVF who underwent acupuncture were 65% more likely to have a successful embryo transfer compared with those who underwent a “sham” version of the treatment, or no extra treatment at all. You can read about this study here.

How does acupuncture help an IVF cycle be more successful?

Here at the YinOva Center we use acupuncture every day to treat those of you who are undergoing IVF and we are proud of our success rates. Our positive experiences are echoed by recent research which shows that acupuncture can promote the circulation of blood in the pelvic cavity and improve ovarian function. Acupuncture may also be beneficial in promoting follicle production, enhancing uterine blood flow and thus improving uterine lining thickness and decreasing uterine contractions after embryo transfer.

How does IVF support at the YinOva Center work?

Whilst acupuncture works for some people straight away, it doesn’t necessarily work over night and the effects tend to be cumulative so, ideally, we would like to see our patients once a week in the two months leading up to IVF. If this isn’t possible, it’s still worth you coming in to see us when you start your IVF cycle. We see our patients twice a week when they are taking the follicle stimulating drugs and we like to schedule a treatment before egg retrieval as well as another before embryo transfer. Finally we ask our patients to come in for treatment 24 – 48 hours after embryo transfer so that we can do an acupuncture treatment to prevent uterine spasm.

Should I take Chinese herbs during IVF?

The quick answer is no. Very occasionally, here at the YinOva Center, we do prescribe herbs for a patient going through IVF if she has a history of poor response to the stimulating drugs and if her doctor agrees. However, for most people the herbs can make your response to stimulating drugs unpredictable and we have found that most reproductive endocrinologists would prefer you not to combine them with IVF treatment.

How can I find out more?

Feel free to call us at the YinOva Center and ask to speak to an acupuncturist. All of us have years of experience in women’s reproductive medicine and we all treat women undergoing IVF on a daily basis. We are always happy to talk to you about your concerns.

Those of you who sneaked a peek at our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility, in the YinOva waiting room, already know what their fertility type is. It’s so much fun when you come into the treatment room and tell me – “Guess what ?- I was reading your book and I’m a stuck!”

The book isn’t out until August 12th but you can find out your fertility type online – take this quiz and find out whether you are a tired, pale, dry, stuck or waterlogged.

The UK Sunday Times published extracts from the book this week and an interview with Dr. David and I, which you can read here. The book is called the Fertility Plan in the UK. Once you’ve worked out your type you can download a great chart from that the Times put together giving specific advice tailored to your type (PDF) Fertility Types

www.makingbabiesprogram.com (USA)
www.thefertilityplan.com (UK)