Fertility and Hormone Balance: A Comprehensive Guide
Infertility is a daunting challenge to have to face for individuals and couples wanting to conceive. Fortunately, social media and the internet have helped bring to light infertility issues and allow people to share their stories. Additionally, the internet makes finding resources to get help and answers more straightforward than ever. When professionals are consulted, the barrier to conception will likely be determined to be hormones, as hormone disruptions often cause infertility. Obtaining concierge endocrine care can improve overall health and chances of conception.
Rates Of Infertility
Several factors can cause infertility. It is commonly thought to be primarily a female issue, partially because some of the symptoms for women are more visible. Statistically, women and men struggle with infertility at similar rates, with 9% of men being diagnosed and 11% of women being diagnosed. This means that other people can relate to this challenge and that medical professionals have experience treating these issues.
What Are Hormones
The word “hormone” is used frequently. It is used to describe teenagers and women, and we hear it in pharmaceutical commercials. However, for many people, the term is a bit abstract and undefined. Given the role that hormones play in fertility, it is important to understand what they are and what they do.
Hormones are chemicals excreted from glands within the endocrine system. They bind in different locations in the body to serve several functions, including maintaining the sleep-wake cycle, metabolism, growth, blood pressure, reproduction, and sexual health.
Melatonin is mainly available in vitamin and supplement sections to promote sleep. However, this is a hormone naturally produced in the body to regulate your sleep cycle. Similarly, norepinephrine regulates blood pressure, and insulin regulates blood sugar. The pituitary gland releases growth hormone, often measured during pregnancy and childhood, because it is responsible for growth rate.
How Are Hormones Related To Fertility
Several hormones are critical to reproductive health. To achieve optimal reproductive health, these hormones must be released and maintained at specific times and rates. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) works with luteinizing hormone (LH) during multiple life stages. It is first released when the first ovarian follicle in females and seminiferous tubules in males mature when the individual is a fetus. FSH and LH spike again when the individual reaches puberty when gonadotropin-releasing hormone(GnRH) triggers them to promote sexual development. For males, this means FSH and LH trigger testosterone release, which is critical for sperm production.
For females, FSH and LH trigger the production of estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone work in a cycle to maintain the menstrual cycle. FSH stimulates ovarian follicles to grow and prepare the eggs. Estrogen and a little bit of progesterone are released during this growth. After about two weeks of egg growth, LH spikes and causes the follicle to release the egg, called ovulation. The follicle makes a temporary gland and produces progesterone, which prevents FSH release. This starts the preparation of the uterus for pregnancy. The hormones that are released and sustained after this stage vary depending on whether conception occurs.
Endocrinology
LH and FSH are made and released by the anterior pituitary gland. The thyroid gland and parathyroid glands help maintain T4, T3, and parathyroid hormones, which are critical to overall health, especially bone and cardiac health. The adrenal glands are responsible for cortisol, DHEA, and androgens. Cortisol is directly related to your body’s stress response and when it is dysregulated, can lead to inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, blood sugar, and pressure disruptions, and difficulty sleeping.
Androgens spike during puberty and, despite the common misconception, are critical for both genders. Males are made in the testes, and the levels are higher. Females are made in the ovaries. In addition to guiding the puberty process, androgens also play a role in bone and muscle development and sexual health. In males, androgens are also responsible for voice and hair changes and sperm health. In females, androgen is converted to estradiol, critical to the menstruation cycle.
What Provider Can Help?
It is critical for people trying to conceive that not everyone conceives as soon as they start trying. For some, it may take a few months to conceive even though they do not have a medical reason and don’t meet the criteria for infertility. However, many individuals and couples can benefit from the guidance and treatment of a provider. This is especially true if the couple has been regularly trying to conceive for a year or if they have reason to believe there are disruptions to their sexual health.
When considering a provider to assist with this critical and sensitive process, individuals should ensure the provider is familiar with endocrine health. As mentioned above, the endocrine system releases each of the hormones involved in fertility. Multiple conditions can disrupt the processes of the endocrine system. One that has received increasing awareness recently is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS can often cause disruptions to the menstrual cycle. Therefore, seeing a provider familiar with the endocrine system and PCOS can help regulate the menstrual cycle and improve the chances of conception and the patient’s quality of life.
At Monize Medical Group, we have experience with various endocrine-disrupting conditions, including PCOS, diabetes, and thyroid conditions. Our goal is to help patients determine the best, personalized plan to regulate their hormones and optimize their health. Give us a call today to set up an appointment.
