Can Soy Effect Your Fertility?

Several patients have emailed me about my opinion of a new study that has come out about soy. I have never been a big proponent of soy as a healthy alternative and especially now after this study I am even more convinced that soy is not the perfect health food and definitely not the right choice when you are trying to improve fertility. See the article below from the BBC news:

Eating Soy Can Decrease Your Fertility

Women who are trying to conceive may want to heed the following: Avoid eating too much soy. According to a study involving humans, a compound found in soy known as genistein has been found to impair sperm as they swim toward the egg. Even tiny doses of the compound in the female tract could destroy sperm.

What's more, researchers explain avoiding soy around a woman's more fertile days of the month might actually aid conception.

Genistein can be found in all soy-containing products, including:

Soy milk
tofu
Many vegetarian foods
Some pre-packed meals and pizzas

Running Tests

Researchers tested what happened to human sperm when it was exposed to genistein in a dish in the laboratory: The soy chemical was found to create a premature reaction in the sperm, forcing them to peak long before they could fertilize an egg.

In real life, this does not usually occur until the sperm have been inside the female for some hours and are close to completing their long swim toward the egg. Without the presence of genistein around a woman's womb, sperm would peak as they should--far closer to completing their journey to the egg.

Moreover, what was surprising and telling about soy's harmful effects on human health was that it took smaller doses of genistein to create infertility problems in human females than in mice.

Based on the findings, a spokeswoman for the Vegetarian Society said that for anyone trying to become pregnant, avoiding soy products for a few days a month is worth a try ... even if there is a slim chance it will aid in fertility.

BBC News June 21, 2005

My suggestion is to avoid unfermented soy completely. Fermented forms of soy do seem to be less of a concern. These include miso, tempeh, natto, and most soy sauces.

There are plenty of better sources of protein that will actually improve your health and could therefore improve your fertility. Yoghurt is a source of protein and contains acidophilus for your digestion. Lentils are also an excellent source of protein. Buckwheat is also a good source of protein.

If you eat Fish this can also a good source of protein but smaller fish should be consumed to avoid excess mercury exposure.

If you eat meat, stick to grass fed beef and free range chicken as well as any hormone free meat. Organic is preferable when you can get it. Nuts are good sources of protein and nuts have the good fats that are healthy for you.

More information regarding how you can address your fertility issues can be found at www.naturalfertility.com or our blog www.haveababy.blogspot.com

This article is under the (C) copyright of Stacey Roberts and Positive Image publishing. This material is not to be distributed or reproduced in any fashion without expressed written of Stacey Roberts

Stacey Roberts PT, MH, PhD-C has been involved in health care since 1989 in both conventional and complementary medicine. Stacey is an international therapist who has assisted people in over 32 countries with improving their overall health and wellbeing by addressing their physical, physiological, and psychological health with complementary medicinal products and services.

Stacey is an international speaker, and best selling author, written and or co written over 7 books/ebooks and has been featured on World News Now in New York, A Current Affair, Oprah, filmed by the Discovery Channel , Sunrise in Sydney, and WIN TV among other radio and television shows in the US and Australia. Stacey has given lectures on fertility, hormone health, kinesiology, musculoskeletal assessment, parenting issues, and how to get rid of what is holding you back from creating optimal health now.

Stacey balances the traditional approach with science and gets this information to her patients via her blog http://www.haveababy.blogspot.com

Are Your Fertility Issues "Unexplained" Or Are You Just "Immune To It"?

So what could be a cause of "unexplained fertiliity issues" that isn't being investigated by conventional medical doctors?

What the scientists at a New York Medical centre have found, though only on a small scale and larger studies need to be performed, is that if you think you are fertilising and not holding you may be experiencing an autoimmune issue. That is, you may have a type of antibodies that is actually attacking the fertilised egg and not allowing the pregnancy to continue if your immune system isn’t functioning as optimally as possible. It is hard to understand why your own body may be attacking the fertilised egg, but remember the immune system’s response is meant to get rid of all foreign invaders in your system to keep you healthy. If your body looks at the fertilised egg as a foreign invader than it may create a blood clot very close to the implantation to try to get rid of the implantation. In some cases because the fetus wouldn’t have survived or it has a chromosomal defect the body will get rid of the pregnancy for this reason.

But if the autoimmune response is somehow impaired it may attacking a fertilised egg when in fact it doesn’t need to. The test that you can have done to determine whether this could be a problem for you is testing for antibodies such as antiphospholipin antibodies and anticardiolipin antibodies. There is also a condition known as Factor V Leiden that the physician may want to rule out as well. Other tests may also be appropriate so discuss this thoroughly with your physician.

If these tests turn out to be positive and show elevated levels of these clotting factors its important to address the immune system with supplements such as fish oil that have been guaranteed to have removed all impurities such as mercury. Studies have shown that fish oil is beneficial to help correct autoimmune issues. Vitamin E is also an excellent choice but should always be taken in synergy with other supplements to create the best effect for the body. There are many very effective herbs that can be used to regulate the immune system’s function and lifestyle changes that can be done such as utilising natural cleaning products at home which can minimise your exposure to toxins which have been shown to negatively impact the immune system. As a matter of fact Dr. Judy Ford from Adelaide performed a study that showed increased exposure to chemical toxins at home through cleaning products can negatively effect fertility. Natural cleaning products can be found at your local grocery.

The New York study showed some positive results when the immune system was treated with many women sustaining their pregnancies full term. Its important to remember that this was a small scale study and further testing should be done to confirm the findings, but for now improving the health of your immune system will not only improve your fertility, but your overall health and well being.

Discuss this information with your doctor and if they do not want to do the testing its important to find a physician who is willing to work with you. You may have to pay for some of these tests yourself if medicare doesn’t cover it but this information could be critical in helping you conceive and hold the pregnancy full term.

To find out more information about what other issues may have been overlooked in your case if you are experiencing unexplained infertility, go to www.naturalfertility.com and click on the books section. The ebook entitled "Natural Fertility Solutions" answers questions posed by over 100 couples experiencing fertility issues. This information has been the missing link for many couples dealing with fertility issues. YOu can also sign up for weekly fertility tips as well. . Fertility tips are (C) copyright of Stacey Roberts and Positive Image publishing. This material is not to be distributed or reproduced in any fashion without expressed written consent of Stacey Roberts

Stacey Roberts PT, MH, PhD-C has been involved in health care since 1989 in both conventional and complementary medicine. Stacey is an international therapist who has assisted people in over 32 countries with improving their overall health and wellbeing by addressing their physical, physiological, and psychological health with complementary medicinal products and services. Stacey is an international speaker, and best selling author, written and or co written over 7 books/ebooks and has been featured on World News Now in New York, A Current Affair, Oprah, filmed by the Discovery Channel , Sunrise in Sydney, and WIN TV among other radio and television shows in the US and Australia. Stacey has given lectures on fertility, hormone health, kinesiology, musculoskeletal assessment, parenting issues, and how to get rid of what is holding you back from creating optimal health now. Stacey balances the traditional approach with science and gets this information to her patients via her blog http://www.haveababy.blogspot.com