Unexplained Infertility: What To Do If This Is Your Diagnosis | with Natalie Pickering

If you've been trying to conceive for a while, with no clear reason for your struggle to get pregnant, you may have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility.

Even if you haven't received this diagnosis, you feel like you're doing everything right, but you're still not pregnant - I want to tell you something.

I strongly disagree with the diagnosis of unexplained infertility...

1. It leaves women and couples feeling defeated- with nothing to put their energy and effort into to improve their chances of conception.

2. It's short-sighted and narrow-minded case-taking. There's always a reason. Conventional testing doesn't always highlight it, or multiple minor issues reduce the success of each cycle.

3. It often drives women or couples to start IVF before they need to… What's more, when these issues are unresolved, the results from IVF cycles may still be poor. IVF meds and procedures cannot overcome the impact of inflammation and oxidative stress on your egg quality, sperm quality, embryo quality and implantation success.

The Importance Of The Gut Microbiome

Ignoring or overlooking gut health issues while you're trying to conceive can have a devastating impact on your fertility journey. It can contribute to a lower chance of a positive pregnancy test, it may increase your risk of miscarriage… and it's happening all the time

We know now that 70% of unexplained fertility is linked to systemic inflammation and oxidative stress; often caused by an imbalance in the gut microbiome.

Gut microbiome imbalances can cause:

• Leaky gut syndrome
• Poor oestrogen metabolism
• Immune system imbalance
• Vaginal & uterine microbiome issues
• Inflammatory infertility
• Autoimmune activation

When this happens you have a greater risk of these fertility issues:

• Progesterone deficiency
• Poor egg quality
• Implantation failure
• Endo flares
• PCOS activation
• Increased miscarriage risk
• Antisperm antibodies

So how do you know if your gut microbiome could be imbalanced? Sometimes the symptoms are obvious. Sometimes the symptoms are minor or have been going on for so long that you don't even realise these are symptoms that something is wrong.
 

Start by asking yourself if you experience any of these symptoms:

• Bloating and gas
• Abdominal pain or tenderness
• Constipation
• Loose stools or diarrhoea
• Nausea
• Food intolerances and allergies
• Autoimmune disease
• Unexplained fatigue
• Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• Skin rashes

If some of these symptoms are familiar, you may be in the process of uncovering a major cause of your fertility struggles.

As much as this might feel like one more mountain to climb on the way to finally celebrating the arrival of your baby...

Another way of looking at this is, correcting your gut microbiome could change the foundations of your fertility and massively improve your chance of a successful conception!

Wondering What To Do Next?

Make sure you seek support from an experienced practitioner who can help you navigate your fertility challenges, particularly when it's hard to find what is standing in the way of you conceiving.

Doing it alone is extremely tough and usually means wasted time, wasted money and more stress and worry.

You know where to find me!

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If you need someone to support you on your fertility journey, book a consult with Natalie here, and she can help you find what is preventing you from conceiving.

As one of Australia's most highly regarded natural fertility specialists, Natalie has been nurturing, guiding and supporting women to overcome their health challenges for well over two decades.