fertility, fear tactics, and the power of natural medicine

Just over a year ago, I started to panic about my menstrual cycle.  At 40, my period—which for most of my adult life arrived every 28 days, practically to the minute—started to become, well, a little unruly.  Some cycles were 22 days long, others were 31.  Some were a heavy 3 days, others a scanty 6.  This isn’t out of the ordinary for a women of “a certain age,” who are entering the phase known as perimenopause.  But I was beyond alarmed, because I wanted more children.  I was halfway through graduate school and underemployed, so it made sense to wait, but still.  I began mourning my waning fertility, bought a copy of Susan Weed’s New Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way, and cried a lot.

I also began to scour the internet for more information about fertility after 40.  It didn’t take long to figure out that this was not the best way to cheer myself up, or to inform myself in any really empowering way.  Because what I found more often than not was information that, while maybe based in real data, also seemed to promote and revel in the worst-case scenario: after 40, women were far less likely to conceive, and if they did conceive (after a much longer period of trying) were far more likely to miscarry or have children with Down syndrome or other genetically-caused issues. (There were some exceptions, though: Weed comes to the rescue here, and Flower Power Mom has some inspiring stories too).

Given that “fertility technologies” such as IVF are both extremely costly—placing them out of reach of most—and often unsuccessful, why are they touted by the medical establishment as the best way to resolve fertility?  And what standards are we using to determine infertility in the first place?  Why are the risks of pregnancy and childbirth past the age of 35 emphasized over the far greater likelihood that women will have perfectly healthy pregnancies and babies? One reason, as my acupuncturist put it, is clear: "The fertility industry shakes women up, and the money falls out."

As a clinician, I agree that there is an optimal biological time for fertility.  But I have seen that there are ways to optimize fertility and reproductive function in general in women of all ages.  For starters, reducing chronic stress—like the kind of stress that comes with incessant worrying about fertility or conception—has a major impact on all sorts of body functions, including hormonal ones.  Many other concerns— like anovulatory cycles or other hormonal imbalances—can be addressed through diet, lifestyle changes, herbal remedies and holistic therapies like acupuncture. 

I know this firsthand.  After reading all of the scary statistics, I decided not to panic it and to look to the wisdom in herbal medicine in dealing with my fertility fears.  I determined to “walk my talk,” and took on a holistic, 9-month herbal and nutritional program to prepare my body for a healthy pregnancy and birth.  I'm excited that at 41, I’m nearly 5 months pregnant with my second child and so far it’s been a beautiful, easy pregnancy. 

I encourage women and couples who are dancing with infertility (or, maybe as likely, the fear of it) to consider time- and culture-honored natural medicine and therapies.  I’ll be teaching a 2-hour workshop, “Fertility at 40 (and Beyond),” on Sunday, July 1 in Mount Rainier, MD.  Register here, or contact me if you have questions about the workshop or about how herbal medicine can support your reproductive health and wellness.