Miscarriage Alert
I have had several clients miscarry during the first trimester this year. This seems to be an increasing trend and I blame the Standard American Diet (SAD).
Every month after the egg is released from the ovary, that particular follicle becomes a corpus luteum (latin for "yellow body"). This structure release progesterone for the next 2 months, if the egg becomes fertilized, to maintain the coming pregnancy.
As the baby grows nurtured by his yolk sac, the germinal cells of the placenta begin producing progesterone about 8 - 10 days after conception. From this point on the placenta becomes more responsible for progesterone production. It is solely responsible around 12 weeks.
It has been assumed that losses in the first trimester are most commonly caused by one time non-repeating genetic problems. This can be the result of an abnormal sperm, and abnormal ovum or an abnormal combination of the egg and sperm so the resulting baby does not develop properly. It is important to keep in mind that these genetic defects are non-repeating. Therefore, women who have had one miscarriage do not have a higher risk of having a second miscarriage.
But because of the feeding experiments of Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, I suspect that diet has a more profound role. During the first trimester the placenta is growing as fast as the baby. It is reponsible for maintaining the pregnancy and nourishing the baby. In order to produce progesterone the mothers diet must have enough good fats and her liver must produce the highest quality cholesterol. Yes, cholesterol is good and necessary for the production of all the sex hormones and progesterone.
How can we encourage the production of good cholesterol for plenty of progesterone?
- Remove all artificially hydrogenated fats from your diet! Do not trust the new labeling that says "Zero Trans Fats!" The FDA allows the food industry to include up to 1% hydrogenated fats and still say there are none.
Artificially hydrogenated fats are lifeless and interfere with the absortion of good fats. - Add sources of monosaturated fats that contain the highest amounts of essential fatty acids.
- Flax Seed Oil (Barlean's product)
- Cod liver oil
- Olive Oil
- Drink only distilled water.
- If bottled, make sure there is no taste of plastic.
- Add organic green food supplement to your diet to ensure optimal health
- Greenlife (V.E. Irons Product)
- Get regular exercise so that all tissues are highly oxygenated and perfused with nutrients.
- Walking a mile a day
- Bicycling
- Swimming (not in chlorinated water)
References:
Textbook of Medical Physiology, 7th Ed., Arthur C. Guyton
Flax Oil as a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and Other Diseases, Dr. Johanna Budwig
Understanding Fats & Oils, Michael T Murray & Jade Beutler, RRT, RCP