Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother — Lin Yutang
The desire to sustain and nurture human
life is one of the most basic instincts of the female species. The
ability to do this is made possible through a series of complex
processes, beginning with ovulation, fertilisation, implantation,
established pregnancy and eventually, labour and delivery.
Ovulation is one of the major
requirements for fertilisation and it is an indication of fertility. It
signals the release of an ovum or egg from the ovarian follicle. The
ovum or egg cell is the female reproductive haploid cell (gamete). In
humans, ova are produced by the female gonads (sexual glands) called
ovaries and all of them are present at birth and mature in cycles.
This ovum, once released, will make the
journey down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it will be ready
for fertilisation by spermatozoa (sperm cells). Ovulatory disorders are
one of the most common reasons why women are unable to conceive, and
account for 30 per cent of women’s infertility.
Anovulation describes a condition in
which a woman’s ovaries do not properly develop and mature eggs to be
released monthly. This can be due to:
Continue reading after the cut...
•Premature ovarian failure — a situation which occurs when the woman’s ovaries stop working before she is 40.
•Polycystic ovary syndrome — the woman’s
ovaries function abnormally. She also has abnormally high levels of
androgens (male hormones)
•Hyperprolactinaemia — that is high prolactin levels. Such women may experience milky nipple discharge.
•Poor egg quality — meaning the eggs are
damaged or develop genetic abnormalities that cannot sustain a
pregnancy. Older women are at risk.
•Overactive/underactive thyroid gland
•Chronic medical conditions, such as AIDS or cancer and other such conditions
•After-effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients.
It is also a fact that failed ovulation
occurs as a result of various behavioural, hormonal, and environmental
factors which, when present in affected women, have been proved to
consistently impair fertility.
Behavioural factors include bad dietary
habits leading to obesity, overweight or underweight; lack of or too
much exercise; smoking, leading to accumulation of toxins in the body;
alcohol and drug abuse, which not only impair ovulation, but can cause
damage to the unborn child and even reduce sperm production and quality
in males.
Some examples of these culpable drugs
include steroids (found in some body/hair creams and soaps, among
others), marijuana and cocaine. The passive smokers, in case of
cigarette and marijuana, are also not spared.
Environmental and occupational factors
include exposure to toxins and chemicals from the environment. These
toxins may be absorbed into the body through the skin and respiratory
airways; foods ingested, such as fish from contaminated lagoon or sea;
repeated X-rays, etc. Women working or living in or around chemical
industries, women who use certain types of bleaching creams and soaps,
as well as women who consume some types of food which have been exposed
to these chemicals are particularly at risk.
Another important risk factor is the
consumption of fruits and vegetable salads that have not been thoroughly
washed. They could transmit some bacteria and fungi into the alimentary
canal, causing the intestinal Candida which, in itself, is a source of
toxins.
Hormonal factors have also been
implicated in impairing ovulation. This is because the process of
ovulation is a delicate and complex interaction between multiple
endocrine glands, involving the timely release of certain hormones in
the correct quantities in order for a desired response to be achieved.
Behavioural and environmental factors
earlier mentioned have been shown to be key players in determining how
well this hormonal interplay balances out and results in overall
reproductive health.
The problem of anovulation can be
addressed with the use of medications and other therapies to stimulate
the ovaries to produce eggs if indicated. However, a more integrative
approach to addressing this problem is now being discovered in the form
of detoxification. This approach views anovulation as part of a larger
systemic problem in which the organs of the individual’s body are not
functioning as optimally as they should as a result of these
behavioural, environmental and hormonal factors.
Detoxification helps to not only improve
the possibility of ovulation; it has also been proved to enhance the
quality as well as quantity of eggs produced during ovulatory cycle.
This is because detoxification can
correct hormonal imbalances and biochemical hindrances to ovulation; it
increases blood circulation to the ovaries and other reproductive
organs, supplying them with more oxygen to function at their best. It
reduces the heavy metal burden by ridding the body of harmful chemicals
that prevent ovulation. Detoxification also enhances weight loss and
helps in achieving a healthy body weight.
The process and practice of
detoxification is well understood at Mart Life Detox Clinic, the first
Modern Mayr Medicine Clinic in Africa.
The whole aim of treatment is to
introduce the client to lifestyle modifications and proper re-education
on how to live a healthy life and consequently enhance reproductive
health, especially in terms of dietary rehabilitation and removal of
excess toxins from the body.
- Oladapo Ashiru (dapo.ashiru@medicalartcenter.com )/Punch
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