Infertility in women is often a cause of despair and distress. Most women want children and are deeply affected when not able to get pregnant or stay pregnant. Infertility is usually when women are not able to get pregnant due to physiological reasons for more than a year. In women over 35 years, the period of trying to get pregnant is six months, after which they should go for fertility checks.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 10 % of women face difficulty in getting pregnant or staying pregnant. The main causes of infertility in women are due to ovulation problems. If there is no ovulation, there won't be any eggs for fertilization.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of female infertility. Another ovulation problem might be due to Primary Ovarian Insufficiency, this happens when a woman's ovaries stop functioning normally before the age of 40. Other common fertility issues are due to blocked fallopian tubes, uterine fibroids and physical issues with the ovaries. There are many ways to treat infertility, through surgery, medicine, artificial insemination or assisted reproductive technology. Treatments will be determined based on various factors like the duration that the couple has been trying to get pregnant, the age of both the woman and the man, test results, the overall health of the couple, and what the couple prefers.
More and more people are looking to alternative medicine as well to boost fertility. Most women want to try out healthy and natural ways to get pregnant, opting for surgery or invasive procedures as their last resort. Treating fertility naturally is a relatively affordable as compared to its medical counterpart. There are massages, herbs, fertility yoga, special diets and much more. One such natural remedy that has been making its mark in the fertility world is Vitex.
Vitex is an herb that has been in use from the time of Hippocrates (father of medicine). It was one his favorite herbs. Vitex is also known as Vitex agnus-castus and is native to Central Asia and the Mediterranean region. It has been known to boost fertility in women from ancient times. One of the reasons that Vitex has been proven to be effective is because of its properties to balance hormones in a woman, even though it does not contain hormonal components itself. What it does is, it has an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis (the hormonal feedback loop), rectifying the problem from its source. Apart from this, Vitex is used for fertility as it helps in reducing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), improves short luteal phases, and helps to normalize ovulation. It also helps with endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, corpus luteum insufficiency (CLI) and hormonal imbalances. Another reason vitex is slowly becoming a preferred alternative form of medicine for fertility, is because it decreases high prolactin levels, which are linked to fertility issues. According to a study done, Vitex was given to thirty women from the ages 24 to 46, who were unable to conceive for 6 to 36 months. After 5 months, 33 % of women who took the supplements were able to get pregnant and no side effects were noted.
Vitex does have some side effects like gastrointestinal problems, dizziness and acne-rashes. It is also said to have an effect on hormonal levels and is not advised for women who are pregnant, on birth control pills or who have a hormonal sensitive condition. Vitex is also not recommended for people taking medication for dopamine. It always best to take advice from your doctor before taking or using any alternative measures for fertility. Vitex is most popularly used in supplement form. It is available as extracts as well as capsules.
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