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Herbs for Infertility

Do You Know Your Options?

By Rebecca Valentine

Sletten did some in-depth research and chose herbs that are said to help regulate the menstrual cycle: black cohosh, Siberian ginseng, false unicorn, chastetree berry, dong quai, saw palmetto and a few others. "I knew that it may have taken months before I saw any results or progress and was very surprised when I got my period 36 days later (from first day of program)," Sletten says.

Two months later, however, Sletten grew anxious when her period failed to occur.

"I finally broke down and bought an EPT just to ease my mind," she says, "I set it on the sink and watched it turn a dark positive immediately. WE WERE PREGNANT!"

Sletten had an uneventful pregnancy and delivery resulting in the birth of a healthy boy weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

Scientific evidence or no, Sletten and thousands of others swear by herbs. But are herbs right for everyone?

According to Vital Health and Statistics at the time of this article, 6.1 million American women aged 15 to 44 experiencing infertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive a child after one year of unprotecte intercourse.

Herbal treatments seem to work most effectively for couples whose infertility is due to hormonal imbalance or infrequent/irregular menstruation. A knowledgeable naturopath or herbalist will prescribe a formula of herbs, depending on each individual situation.

Dr. Erik Flatland, doctor of natural medicine, practices at the Aspen Institute of Integrated Medicine in Boulder, Colo. In his five years of working with patients who are trying to conceive, he's found that to use herbs effectively, one must look at them not as replacements for drugs, but as a means to help balance a person's body, mind and spirit so as to optimize conditions for conception, a "condition of the host" attitude.

"A woman is about energy at her core," he says. "Physically, our bodies need nutrients and various deficiencies can reduce fertility. Vitamins are called that because they are vital to life, and disease results in their absence. Another example of things herbs won't address is the position of a woman's uterus. A uterus with shape anomalies may not be able to carry a fetus to term."

Want to see more?

• Herbs for Pregnancy: Natural Medicine in the Modern Age
• Healthy Eating During Preconception
• Fertility Drugs: Are They Right for You?
• Accupuncture and Infertility
• Talk about it!