Copyright 2005 Majella.us
While scientific studies continue to tout the benefits of
technology in assisted reproduction, relatively little is known
about natural methods of fertility enhancement. The importance
of the cervical mucus environment and it's affects on the
function of male spermatozoa is underappreciated. In the absence
of cervical mucus, or in the case of vaginal dryness, couples
frequently resort to personal lubricants. In recent studies,
some of the commonly recommended lubricants, like KY®,
Astroglide®, and Replens® have been found to actually damage
sperm, perhaps even at a rate that is equivocal to contraceptive
Jellies (
http://www.helpconceive.com/hc_underEffects.html).
Brand new evidence from a comparative study presented at the
Cojoint Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive
Medicine suggests that only Pre-Seed® did not appear to cause
significant damage to sperm.
In the first experiment, sperm was incubated for 30 minutes.
Motility measurements were 66% in the lubricant-free
environment, versus 2% for Astroglide®, and 64% for Pre-Seed®.
In the second experiment, sperm were evaluated after 4 hours of
incubation for damage to the genetic material and graded
according to the DNA fragmentation index. Pre-Seed demonstrated
the smallest effect with a 7% increase over the control (no
lubricant).
The findings of this and other studies are significant. At the
Saint Gerard Fertility Care Center, we always ask about personal
lubricants and the only one that we recommend during the fertile
time is Pre-Seed®. Another reason to use Pre-Seed is because
Pre-Seed is also the only personal lubricant that meets
physiologic pH and osmolarity requirements for sperm and may
protect against the harmful effects of free radicals.
Recently I interviewed a woman who had been going to an
infertility specialist for more than 10 years and after
undergoing many medical treatments and surgical procedures with
no pregnancies to show for it, she is now facing menopause.
Interestingly, she and her spouse were using KY® routinely. In
fact, they were buying it "by the box." She was surprised to
find out about the effects of KY®.
We believe that combined with the monitoring of fertility and
cervical mucus, Pre-Seed can be added to a program of
infertility (when fertility is present and cervical mucus
quality is poor) as a routine recommendation for assisting
couples who desire to achieve pregnancy the natural way. At our
center, we have an easy to learn protocol that combines the
monitoring of fertility and the use of Pre-Seed for this
purpose.
About the author:
David Picella helps couples who are trying to conceive naturally
without the use of expensive artificial reproductive techniques.
You can read more articles published by him and by other experts
in this area at:
http://majella.us
