Improving Ovulation Naturally, Part I
Ovulation disorders happen for many reasons. Most point back to hormonal dysfunction due to a myriad of causes. In this article, we will discuss some of the more common reasons why women fail to ovulate on time and how to improve ovulation naturally.
In our clinic, ovulatory issues are the primary reason women struggle with conception. For some, this means complete anovulation, meaning “not ovulating.” We also treat women who ovulate too late or too early in a cycle. If you only have periods a few times a year or have cycles fewer than 28 days apart, this is a problem. Early and later ovulation can cause infertility or prolong the process of conceiving naturally. However, it’s more important to recognize that these are symptoms of deeper hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed.
When women aren’t ovulating the cause is often unknown; many of our patients are in the unexplained category. However, most of the time these patients are somewhere on the PCOS spectrum, experiencing hypothalamic amenorrhea, or dealing with premature ovarian failure. This can also happen as a side effect from coming off of birth control, fertility drugs and chemotherapy. Many women who are on the PCOS spectrum have some but not all of the markers; this can confuse the hell out of people, but it’s a real thing. We‘ll get into the specifics of each in future posts.
When women ovulate too soon (before cycle day 14), the follicle containing the egg might not have enough time to reach full maturity (22-24mm) and the progesterone response/release may also be much less. We sometimes call this a “weaker” ovulation and these cycles, which should be 28-30 days in total length, often end up being much shorter, closer to 20-25 days in length. Sometimes there can also be spotting before the period starts if progesterone starts to drop prematurely.
When women ovulate too late in a cycle (after cycle day 20) or even go months in-between cycles, egg quality can be severely compromised to the point of infertility. It’s also much harder to time intercourse when you can’t predict your fertile window. Ovulation Predictor Kits often don’t work here, sorry to say. It’s important to note that the only day you can actually conceive is the day ovulation occurs...So timing is everything!
So how can we fix this? First, we have to recognize that problems with ovulation are a symptom of much larger issues, and not the actual cause-- often hormonal, sometimes hereditary or due to trauma. If the issue is due to PCOS or hypothalamic amenorrhea, it’s often fully reversible through diet, lifestyle changes and with treatment. We will be addressing each issue much more in depth in future articles. If the problem is in response to coming off of hormonal birth control, or a medicated ART (IVF, IUI) cycle, we just need to reestablish communication between the pituitary and ovaries (HPO axis). All can be aided with acupuncture and herbal therapy.
At the Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture, we meet with each of our patients to determine the underlying reasons contributing to ovulatory dysfunction and which diet and lifestyle factors are most important in influencing and supporting homeostasis and promoting balance for proper timing and ovulation to take place.