Unexplained Infertility How Can This Be Good News?
by Lynsi Eastburn
A decade into the new millennium, millions of women and couples are still being told that they are infertile. Many new tests and procedures have been developed to tell those couples why they cannot conceive. Yet in an alarming percentage of cases, none of the myriad tests can pinpoint a cause. Commonly a fertility specialist will tell patients that they suffer from unexplained infertility.
Without proper emotional support, any couple can hear this as terrible news. After all, it means that all the King’s horses (and all his medical degrees) are unable to identify the root cause of infertility. If that’s the case, then surely nothing can help, right?
Like the fabled whiskey glass, the above represents a half-empty view of the situation. Couples who receive support in the area of mind-body medicine are sometimes reminded that the lack of a hard diagnosis can mean that nothing is wrong at all. And by extension, if the body is working properly, then the role of the mind in fertility should be explored.
Medical testing is of course the only way to identify known physiological problems. Many couples are diagnosed with issues that can be (and are) treated. For so many, once these identifiable problems are removed with treatment, they expect to conceive. There often comes a point where no more medical problems can be found, and yet there is still no pregnancy. This is where many parents-to-be become pessimistic.
If couples who have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility have access to hypnotherapy or other mind-body support, they learn that many options are still open. A skilled therapist may remind clients that inability to find a physical cause means they could be VERY CLOSE to successful conception.
What Is Unexplained Infertility?
Reproductive.org defines unexplained infertility as follows: Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of sexual intercourse without the use of any contraceptive methods. A systematic and standard evaluation of all couples with infertility usually involves three initial tests:
Confirmation of ovulation by History and lab tests
An assessment of the fallopian tubes and the uterus by the use of an x-ray called Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)
An assessment of a semen analysis (SA).
If the results of these three tests are normal, and the couple has been trying to conceive for at least one year, the diagnosis of unexplained infertility is made. Of the patients seeking infertility treatment nearly 10 to 15 percent are diagnosed with unexplained infertility. What this means is that even though the initial tests we perform to evaluate ovulation, the fallopian tubes and SA are normal, this couple has difficulty conceiving due to some inefficiency in the process of conception. (See the entire article at: http://www.reproductive.org/html/unexplained-infertility.html)
An article on ConsumerReports.com confirms the statistical prevalence of unexplained infertility:
In some couples, there seems to be nothing wrong. Tests show that everything seems normal. Yet they still can't get pregnant. This is called unexplained infertility and it affects up to 2 in 10 infertile couples.
In an interview with WebMD, Kaylen M. Silverberg M.D. was asked, “Are some of us with unexplained [in]fertility possibly normal, just taking longer to conceive?” Silverberg responded saying, “Yes. Unexplained infertility is referred to by some as subfertility. The purpose of therapy is to shorten the time to conception.”
Whether it’s called subfertility or something else, an estimated 7.3 million U.S. women are currently having some form of fertility impairment. By some physician’s estimates, 10 percent of all fertility patients can be diagnosed with the label unexplained infertility.
At the Institute of Applied Psychology in Lisbon Portugal, a team of researchers led by Katharina Hirschenhauser has concluded that men who actively want to be fathers automatically adjust their testosterone levels at exactly the right time (the middle of their partners' menstrual cycles).
The Next Step
James Martino, Certified Hypnotherapist and founder of Axis Healing in Lakewood, CO (www.axishealing.com) says, “I try to get my clients who were diagnosed with unexplained infertility to see the glass as more than half full. It means the end of frightening medical procedures, and the beginning of the easy part. They get to enjoy the practice of enjoying life’s beauty. Couples start out with the idea of relaxation as if they were taking on a serious assignment. In the process they learn to relax in enjoyable ways such as weekend vacations and trips to the spa.”
Martino emphasizes the use of hypnotherapy to help his clients firmly visualize the end result. “Success rates increase when they start to be able to hear and smell their new babies.”
Marsha, a 34-year-old mother from Pittsburg remembers the sinking feeling she had when diagnosed with unexplained infertility. “My husband and I had heard that phrase for years, and we thought of it as bad news at first.” In 2003 Marsha began hypnotherapy to enhance her fertility. “Soon after I met with the HypnoFertility® therapist, I realized that there was another way of looking at the issue.” Marsha soon conceived naturally, and is now the mother of two.
A Glass Nearly Full
Mind-body medicine may be of limited use to repair a broken leg. However, fertility is an area of medicine that is quite largely affected by the patient’s attitude. This makes techniques such as hypnosis ideal to help break through nebulous fertility issues.
Further Reading on the topic of Unexplained Infertility:
Is Your Body Baby-Friendly?: Unexplained Infertility, Miscarriage & IVF Failure - Explained and Treated by Alan E Beer, M.D. – Dr. Beer says, “No longer do patients have to accept that their infertility is just bad luck and they just have to keep on trying. No longer should women with recurrent miscarriages have to listen to their doctor telling them that their loss was God's will.” Click this link to see the Amazon page for the book.
Unexplained Infertility by Aniruddha Malpani, M.D. and Anjali Malpani, M.D. – In this article found at fertilethoughts.com, several possible overlooked physical causes are explained. This site also has articles on the role of stress in fertility and how to find the best reproductive physician.