Only 5% of eggs produced are able to become healthy embryos.

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:01:29 +0100

Dr Greene one of my favourite online fertility doctors earlier this year he wrote about the importance of nutrition in the development of human eggs. I thought you might like to read what he has to say about how you can improve your egg quality and increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy this summer.
"Only about 5% of the eggs produced are even able to become healthy embryos, implant and then result in the birth of a child. I think that it is also important that we explain to women all of the important steps that they may be able to take to optimize the quality of each egg that they are going to produce. Whether you are producing one egg and trying to become pregnant at home or trying to produce as many embryos as possible for an IVF/embryo freezing cycle, this is often the most critical factor which will determine your success."

"It takes an egg many months to transform itself from its dormant state to one that is ready to be fertilized. During this maturation process, the egg has to prepare itself for the critical steps of fertilization and implantation. So even though the egg’s DNA content was established years ago; the weeks leading up to ovulation or egg retrieval can have a profound impact upon each egg’s ability to become a healthy embryo. That is why making wise choices in this critical time before conception is essential to optimizing your outcome." He emphasised B-Vitamins as being vital nutrients for egg development this is especially important for women 35 + where egg quality is already compromised by age related fertility issues. " Many of the most critical steps that an egg must undergo in preparation for fertilization involve the B-vitamins—specifically B-6, folate (B-9) and B-12. If you’re not getting enough of these critical vitamins, you may have an elevated level of the amino acid homocysteine in your blood. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, blood clots as well as miscarriage and birth defects. In fact, it has long been recommended that pregnant women take supplemental folic acid—the synthetic form of folate—in order to reduce their child’s risk of certain birth defects. Recently has it has also been demonstrated that initiating this strategy prior to egg retrieval could increase the success rates achieved by patients undergoing IVF treatment. This discovery makes sense since the primary role of these vitamins is to enhance how your body processes and replicates DNA. "

B- vitamins are not the only nutrients required to develop high quality eggs. "Having an adequate amount of vitamin D—which is also a hormone made by your skin—has also been shown to be predictive of IVF success. We now understand that this critical hormone/vitamin has a role in regulating your immune system and reducing insulin resistance as well as improving your bone strength. Since your ovaries and your uterus also have receptors for this hormone; it is uncertain whether the boost in conception associated with appropriate vitamin D levels are from its ability to improve egg quality or to enhance implantation. Either way, the evidence suggests that Vitamin D is another one that women should pay attention to when they’re trying to conceive."

It's important that women ( and men) pay attention to their diet in the months prior to conception. Natural fertility practitioners have known for a long time that diet plays a huge role in fertility success. Look out for a preconception supplement which includes B vitamin and try to eat a vitamin B rich diet. Vitamin D comes free with summer sunshine; at other times of the year you may want to include vitamin D in your supplement programme. A qualified preconception practitioner will help you follow a preconception programme to suit you.

Foresight : 81.9% success rate

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:15:14 +0100

Foresight Research 2010

Survey of our results from 2002-2009.

Group 1 1,568 Couples completed the full Foresight programme. 1,122 Babies were born. 81.9% success rate. There were 52 pairs of twins and 3 sets of triplets. There were 4 miscarriages. At present there are 220 ongoing pregnancies of which 7 are twin pregnancies.

Group 2 518 Couples did a part of the programme, but did not complete it. They had 358 babies. 63.7% success rate. Of these there were 39 miscarriage, 37 pairs of twins and there are 9 ongoing pregnancies.

Overall, the average birth weight including the multiple births was 7lb 7½oz.

Prior to coming to Foresight our population had 2,383 failed IUI (success 162) (1 in 15.7 or 6.3%) 3,004 failed IVF (success 407) (1 in 8.4 or 11.4%) and 1,081 failed ICSI (success 211) (1 in 5 or 16.5%).

The Foresight Programme

The Foresight programmes most vital component is hair mineral analysis. We supplement any needed macro minerals and trace minerals. We cleanse toxic metals such as lead, aluminium, cadmium and mercury. The deficiencies and the toxins can both be dangerous to a baby and impede normal development.
We provide a leaflet on optimizing nutrition and suggest our Wholefood cookbook.
We advise against voluntary poisons such as smoking, alcohol, caffeine and drugs.
We teach natural family planning (ovulation awareness) to avoid use of the pill.
We check for genito urinary infection, allergies, and parasites where this is necessary.
We suggest they have a house survey for advice on avoiding electromagnetic pollution.
We list toxic substances in cosmetics, hair dyes, household cleaners, pesticides etc. that parents need to avoid.
Where copper and lead contamination from plumbing is excessive we advise on water filtration.
Our programme helps to reduce the levels of potentially harmful toxins, both inside the body and in the environment. This reduces the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, malformation or stillbirth.

Optimising the levels of needed trace minerals also assists perfect development, intelligence, and, we have discovered, musicality!

The first doctor to have made a lifetime’s work out of studying nutrition was Dr. Weston Price of California. His book is a classic – “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” published in 1940. We have also studied the work of Cambridge veterinary researcher, Mrs Isabel Jennings; Professor Bert Vallee of Harvard University Medical School. Dr. Carl Pfeiffer of the Brain Bio Centre, New Jersey; Dr. Ben Fiengold of the Kaisier Permanente Institute in Carifornia; Dr. Lucille Hurley of University of California; Dr. Elizabeth Lodge-Rees of California; Dr. Donald Oberleas and Dr. Donald Caldwell, who were at Wayne State University in the 1970’s and later at Kentucky University and the Lafayette Institute in California. Professor Roger Williams of Texas University, Dr. Richard Passwater and Dr. Elmer Cranton were all authors of very informative books in the 1980’s. In Australia, Professor EJ Underwood wrote “Trace Minerals in Human and Animal Nutrition” in 1972.

We still get information from America from Dr. Harold Buttram of Pennsylvania, Dr. Allan Leiberman of South Carolina and we get papers from Dr. Russell Blaylock and a number of other doctors who are well into the research.

In this country we were helped out not only by Isobel Jennings, but by Professor John Dickerson of University of Surrey and later by Dr (now Professor) Neil Ward, also at Surrey, and also by Professor Derek Bryce-Smith of Reading University who was working on the harm done by lead, and later on the benefits of zinc supplementation. We were in communication with Arthur and Margaret Wynn, and with numerous other voluntary associations, such as the Hyperactive Children’s Association, the McCarrison Society, The Soil Association, Garden Organic, The Institute of Optimum Nutrition, The British School of Naturopathy and Osteopathy, the Association of Homeopaths.

We feel the time has come for our work to be more widely known and taken up. We are very willing to share all the information we have.

The present level of mainly avoidable tragedy in this country is:

One couple in 7 is infertile. 45,000 babies each year is born prematurely 4,500 of these are said to be permanently disabled.
The ONS is in some confusion about the number of malformations, but it appears to be in the region of 22,000 a year.
One baby in 4 is said to be miscarried.
One child in 4 is said to have “learning difficulties”. One in 5 has eczema. One in 9 has asthma.
Recently I heard that one boy in 43 is said to be autistic.
Cot death is still over 300 babies a year.
Child cancer is rising year on year.

We hope that people will study our success rate. We wish to help them to avoid unnecessary suffering and we hope they will support us and our work.

Taken from Foresight

fertility-potential

Only 5% of eggs produced are able to become healthy embryos.

Foresight : 81.9% success rate

Foresight Research 2010