Atrophic Vaginitis

Posted on August 25, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Atrophic vaginitis is a vaginal disorder that usually happens after menopause, but it can happen long before this time as well. When estrogen levels fall, the vaginal walls can become thin, dry, and inflamed. This then causes the surrounding tissue to lose its elasticity and become atrophied.

This can be uncomfortable and it can make sex uncomfortable, or extremely painful. Gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids can make someone more prone to atrophic vaginitis as well.Many women that have atrophic vaginitis may not even know that they have it.

As many as 40% of postmenopausal women experience symptoms of atrophic vaginitis after menopause, but only 20 to 25 percent will seek medical help.

Many women will not seek treatment because they feel embarrassed due to the sensitive nature of the condition. Some women just put up with it believing it is normal.

Untreated, it can affect a woman’s quality of life and even lead to increased risk of prolapse and other gynaecological and urological conditions. Many of the treatments are non-invasive and are very effective in a short amount of time.

Symptoms of Atrophic Vaginitis

vaginal dryness
pain during sexual intercourse, or dyspareunia
thin, watery, yellow or gray discharge
paleness and thinning of the labia and vagina
irritation when wearing certain clothes, such as tight jeans, or when on a bike seat
more frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs), or urinary tract like infections(which is from inflammation, with no infection present)
Vaginal Prolapse

Symptoms can also present in issues with the bladder and urination

painful urination
blood in the urine
increased frequency of urination
incontinence
increased likelihood and occurrence of infections, or irritation to the bladder that may feel like an infection

There may also be a reduction in pubic hair, and the vagina may become narrower and less elastic, which may cause a condition called vaginismus.

Causes

During perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, a woman can have decreased levels of estrogen. When the ovaries stop making estrogen after menopause, the walls of the vagina become thin, and vaginal secretions are reduced. Similar changes can happen to women after childbirth, but these changes are temporary and less severe.

These same changes can happen for women with endometriosis and adenomyosis and often why there can be changes to the wall of the vagina. Some of the medications used to help these conditions can also cause thinning of the vaginal wall and surrounding area. Many women with endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids etc, will have increased risk of atrophic vaginitis during the perimenopause, menopause and post-menopausal period.

Medications, or hormones, can be used as part of the treatment for breast cancer, endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, or infertility to reduce estrogen levels. This decrease in estrogen can lead to atrophic vaginitis.

Other causes of atrophic vaginitis include:

severe stress
depression
Surgery, or treatment to the pelvic area
uncontrolled diabetes
rigorous exercise
chemotherapy

Other substances that can cause further irritation to the vagina are:

smoking
soaps
laundry detergents
lotions
perfumes
douches
tampons
yeast infections
condoms (due to latex allergy)

Diagnosis

The best person to see for this condition is a pelvic floor/urodynamic specialist, or a women’s health specialist. While you GP can help with diagnosis of this condition, it is preferable to see a specialist who has more training in this condition and can help manage this moving forward. A specialist will carry out proper examinations, be able to diagnose this correctly and ask about medical history. They may ask about the use of agents that can irritate the area and cause or aggravate symptoms, such as soaps or perfumes.

Your specialist will also do tests to rule out STI’s and other possible causes of infections such candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis etc. Atrophic vaginitis can make the area more susceptible to becoming infected. It can occur alongside an infection. A diabetes test may be performed to rule out diabetes. A biopsy may be taken to rule out cancer.

Treatment

The first line treatment is usually conservative treatments with topical estrogen creams inserted into the vagina and focuses treatment on the affected area. A low-dose estrogen cream can be used to stimulate rapid reproduction and repair of the vaginal wall, tissue and cells. Women should be shown how to insert the creams with an applicator and then use their finger to help disperse the cream properly to get good coverage of the vaginal wall.

Creams are much better than pessaries, because pessaries often do not disperse well and may only give coverage to a small area. These creams are also safe to use for those at risk of certain cancers, or who have had hormone dependent tumors.

Some women may also need to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), in the form of a tablet, gel, patch, or implant to supply estrogen to the whole body. These estrogens are effective, but there may be side effects. Patients should discuss the risks of long-term HRT (especially breast cancer risk) with their healthcare practitioner.

Some women may also need to use a water-soluble vaginal lubricant may help to provide relief during intercourse, for mild cases.

Regular exercise is important, as it keeps blood flow and genital circulation high. Pilates and yoga may be beneficial for the pelvic floor and core stability and should be part of a woman’s overall lifestyle management. Women in the perimenopause and menopausal periods of their life should be doing some form of weight baring and strengthening exercise regularly.

There are also natural medicines that may assist in the treatment of atrophic vaginitis. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine may help and assist with the symptoms of atrophic vaginitis (such as pain), alongside medical treatments.

Prevention

Regular sexual activity and stimulation of circulation to the vagina can help prevent atrophic vaginitis. It is more around climax helping, rather than just sexual activity, or intercourse. Some women have pain during intercourse, or experience dryness, so foreplay and being well lubricated can help this. Using a water-soluble vaginal lubricant can soothe mild cases during sexual intercourse. Masturbation and stimulation without intercourse to produce climax may help those women who have pain with intercourse, or who may not have a partner.

Regular climax and sexual activity can also show benefits for both the elasticity and flexibility of the region. Women who have regular climax and are sexually active report fewer symptoms of atrophic vaginitis when compared to women who do not regularly climax, or have regular sexual intercourse.

Regular exercise, such as Pilates and Yoga may assist in helping with the pelvic floor, vaginal tone, bladder and reproductive organs. Kegels exercises, and vaginal eggs/stones may also assist with atrophic vaginitis, alongside medical interventions.

There are natural medicine which may assist with the prevention of atrophic vaginitis and assist with circulation and hormone regulation. To find out more, please consult your healthcare provider.

Fast facts on atrophic vaginitis

Atrophic vaginitis refers to dryness of the vagina.
Symptoms include painful intercourse and an increase in urinary tract infections (UTIs), or urinary tract like infections (due to inflammation of the bladder, not from infection).
It is caused by a reduction in estrogen, normally following menopause or treatment with anti-estrogen drugs. It can also be caused from gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids.
Topical treatments and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help relieve symptoms
Around 40 percent of postmenopausal women experience symptoms of atrophic vaginitis, but many do not seek treatment.

If you do need help with suspected atrophic vaginitis,please see your healthcare provider, or see a specialist in this area.

Take care

Regards

Andrew Orr

– Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

-“No Stone Left Unturned”

-The Women’s Health Experts

Could you need an Iron Infusion?

Posted on August 9, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Iron infusion: Uses, benefits, and what to expect

As a healthcare practitioner I am used to seeing women with really low iron, due to various gynaecological conditions.

Many women do not even know they are low in iron until they get bloods tests to show that they are. Being low in iron can be very dangerous for a woman on so many levels.

Many women who are suffering from fatigue are actually low in iron.

Symptoms of low iron can include

Fatigue

Dizziness

Fainting, or feeling of feeling faint

Pale skin

Breathless

Frequent headaches

Palpitations, or racing heart

Easily irritated

Difficulty in concentrating

Cracked, or reddened tongue

Loss of appetite

Strange food cravings

Risk Factors For Low Iron

Heavy menstrual bleeds

Endometriosis

Adenomyosis

Fibroids

Coeliac disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Pregnant and Breast Feeding Women

Certain Cancers

Vegetarians and Vegans

Girls going through puberty

Certain illnesses

Sometimes when Iron gets too low, supplements just will not be enough to get iron levels up to where they should be quick enough. This is where iron infusions can be very effective.

So what is an Iron Infusion?

An Iron infusion is when iron is delivered via an intravenous line into a person’s body.

Increasing the amount of iron a person has in their blood can cure anaemia, or increase a low red blood cell count.

The body uses iron to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an important part of red blood cells and helps carry oxygen around the body.

If a person does not have enough hemoglobin, they can feel tired, or have symptoms mentioned previously. An iron infusion may be used for someone with an iron deficiency when supplements do not work.

As discussed before, there are a variety of medical reasons can cause low iron levels, so your doctor, or healthcare specialist will order iron studies and other tests to see what may be causing someone to be deficient in iron.

An iron infusion may be given if a person’s blood counts are so low that taking iron supplements or increasing their daily intake of iron-containing foods would be ineffective or too slow in increasing their iron levels.

What to expect

A person will go to a doctor’s office, hospital, or another healthcare facility to have an iron infusion. This is done intravenously and the infusion will take between 15-30 minutes if it is given in amounts of 200-300 milligrams (mg). In days gone by iron infusions would take hours to do and would have to be done in a hospital setting.

The new rapid iron infusions allow iron into the body much quicker and have little to no side effects compared to the older solutions that took hours to administer and were not as good as the new versions used now.

What happens after an iron infusion?

An individual can experience some mild side effects after an iron infusion. The symptoms are usually mild side effects such as headaches, metallic taste in the mouth, or some mild joint pain. Some people can feel faint and nauseas after an infusion but this is usually people who do not tolerate having blood taken, or having needles given. Reactions to infusion are rare, but your healthcare provider will explain all this too you. There are some people who may be allergic to iron, just like people can be allergic to certain foods.

Most people will only need one infusion done, but sometimes people with very low iron may need multiple infusions done. This will be after careful monitoring and testing to see where your iron levels are.

Usually iron levels will return to normal and symptoms of iron deficiency will decrease several weeks after the infusion. A doctor will regularly check the person’s iron levels and blood counts to ensure the iron infusion is working.

Iron infusion vs. injection

Doctors can administer iron to someone via an injection or an infusion.

Iron injections are given intramuscularly, but while iron injections may be faster than iron infusions to administer, they can have some unpleasant side effects. Some of the side effects can be pain at the site of the injection, bleeding into the muscle, and permanent discoloration at the injection site. This is why more doctors are now recommending iron infusions over the injections

Before and after the Infusion

Most people do not need to fast or stop taking their medications beforehand, and can also resume their everyday activities after an iron infusion.

If a person is taking regular iron supplements, however, a doctor will usually tell them to stop taking these about a week before the procedure. This is because the supplements may prevent the body from absorbing the iron from the infusion efficiently.

A person will need to resume iron supplements at some stage after the receiving iron infusions, t ensure levels stay where they should be. Your healthcare provider will tell you when to do this.

People who have a genetic issue called haemochromatosis should not ever have an iron infusion.

Iron infusions are now being used more and more, when iron levels are low and people are not responding to supplementation and adjustments to their diet. I recommend them to many of my patient who have low iron due to many varying reasons. Like I said said before, many of my gynaecology patients, fertility patients and pregnancy patients have very low iron levels and will actually need an infusion to get their levels up quickly.

If you are feeling tired, lethargic and may be at risk of low iron, have a talk to your healthcare provider about finding out if you are low in iron and also discuss having an iron infusion if your levels are really low. Your healthcare practitioner may not know about the new iron infusions and that they are now a great option to use and have very little side effects compared to the older methods and solutions. Some GP clinics now specialise in administering iron infusions too.

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

What is Implantation Bleeding?

Posted on August 3, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Implantation bleeding: Causes and symptoms

Implantation bleeding occurs when a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of a woman’s uterus to start the growth process of pregnancy. Some women’s lining can be more affected and be more prone to bleeding during a pregnancy. It is a normal occurrence in pregnant women, yet many women are completely unaware of what it is. Obviously it can be a bit worrying for anyone when they are bleeding during a pregnancy and I will discuss this later.

Some women may confuse the bleeding with spotting from menstruation, as the two can appear similar. What women also need to know is that getting a menstrual cycle, or the appearance of what looks like a menstrual bleed, does not mean you aren’t pregnant. You can have a bleed and still be pregnant.

Usually when it is implantation bleeding. The bleeding is very light and will usually require no medical attention. In some cases, however, implantation bleeding may require a visit to your specialist, midwife, or healthcare provider

What is implantation bleeding?

Implantation bleeding can just before the expected menstrual cycle, or around the early stages of pregnancy. It can also happen again when the embryos is growing and impacting on the lining of the uterus. Again this is a normal part of pregnancy for many women. Some women may not get any bleeding, or signs of implantation either.

The process of implantation starts shortly are fertilization. Once a sperm has fertilized an egg, it is called an embryo. The embryo travels through the fallopian tube towards the uterus. During this time, the embryo multiplies, becoming a blastocyst, which usually takes about 5-6 days to reach this stage.

About 1-2 days after an embryo reaches blastocyst stage, it will then attach itself in the wall of the uterus and this is called implantation. During this implantation stage, the embryo can cause disruption the uterine wall and this then cause what we know as implantation bleeding.

As the embryo and growing foetus grows even bigger, it can then cause further bleeding later on in the first trimester as well. While this is considered normal, it can cause distress for women and any bleeding should be checked by your healthcare provider.

Signs and symptoms

Implantation bleeding is one of the earliest easily identifiable signs of pregnancy. It is also a normal part of pregnancy and all women should be aware of this. As explained before, women can still have a normal menstrual bleed and still be pregnant. It is usually a lighter bleed, but some women can actually have quite heavy bleeds and still maintain a pregnancy. About 1 in 4 women actually have a bleed during their pregnancy.

Despite all that, there are some distinct signs and symptoms to help women identify implantation bleeding:

Early bleeding: Implantation bleeding will often occur a few days before the expected menstruation cycle. This is not always the case, however, and many women confuse the two. As discussed, it is not uncommon for women to actually get their normal menstrual bleed and still be pregnant. Never think that just because you get a period, that you cannot be pregnant.
Unusual coloured bleeding, or discharge: Implantation bleeding produces an unusual discharge that varies in colour from pinkish to very dark brown or black.
Very light bleeding: Bleeding and discharge caused by implantation will usually not last no more than about 24 hours. It can last a bit longer for some women though. Many women experience just a few hours of spotting or one spot or streak of discharge. Obviously any bleeding should still be checked by your healthcare provider.
Cramping: Implantation can also cause mild and temporary cramps. Some women who are doing IVF may also be on progesterone gels that can also cause bleeding and cramping too. Cramping and bleeding does not always mean a miscarriage. If you do experience this and are worried, please always consult with your healthcare provider.

Other signs

As implantation is an early sign of pregnancy, a woman may also experience other pregnancy-related symptoms. Early signs of pregnancy can vary from woman to woman and may include:

Mood swings
Fatigue and tiredness
Dizziness
Headaches and Migraine’s
Tender, swollen breasts
Nausea and vomiting
Changes to the bowels (constipation, or loose bowels)
Heightened sense of smell
Food cravings and aversions
Increased body temperature

Treating implantation bleeding

Implantation bleeding is a normal sign of pregnancy and is not usually dangerous. Because of this, there is no need for treatment. As I have stated before, if you are unsure, you should always consult with your healthcare provider.

Bleeding caused by implantation usually clears up within a couple of days with no treatment necessary. Abnormally heavy bleeding may be a sign of menstruation or a pregnancy complication.

As I have previously shared, some women who are doing IVF, may be on progesterone gels and other medications, which may also cause some bleeding and cramping.

Some women with signs of abnormal bleeding may need the same medications to help with hormonal levels. Some bleeding could be a sign of something more serious so please consult your healthcare provider.

If you are experiencing heavy bleeding along with pain, please present to your nearest emergency centre as this may be signs of a miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy.

Complications of implantation bleeding

Implantation bleeding is not usually a cause for concern most of the time. It is just a sign of embryo implanting into the lining of the uterus.

Women who are still uncertain about whether they have experienced implantation bleeding should consult their healthcare provider and take a blood test to see if they are pregnant, or not.

Please do not rely on home pregnancy tests as these can be inaccurate in the early stages of pregnancy. The most accurate way to determine pregnancy is to do a blood test. This is very important for women undergoing IVF treatment too.

Too often women will do a home pregnancy test and think they are not pregnant, when in fact they are. The issue is that the home pregnancy tests won’t pick up pregnancy hormone in the urine if it is too early. This can cause a woman much distress at the time and then when she finds out later on through the blood test, that she is actually pregnant. Please never rely on urine based home pregnancy tests.

Please note that if you experiencing heavy bleeding during any stage of pregnancy that this can be a sign of a complication and women should seek medical attention.

Regards

Andrew Orr

-Women’s and Men’s Health Crusader

“No Stone Left Unturned”

-The International Fertility Experts

The Facts About Period Pain & Endometriosis- “What Women Need To Know”

Posted on July 25, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Every day I hear stories about women being told their symptoms are normal, or they have been missed and dismissed for many years. Some of the things I hear women get told gets me angry sometimes.

Many of you have also been told utter BS (bullshit… sorry for swearing) and it just gets me so upset to hear this BS continues in both the public arena, closed groups and by other healthcare professionals. When are women going to get the support they need and get the health system to start listening?

When I have to talk to men about this topic, usually partners of women who have endometriosis, or who suffer bad period pain and other symptoms, I explain it like this. I explaint that if guys had pain in their testicles daily and couldn’t walk, were curled up on the bedroom floor, had vomiting from the pain, had to ingest copious amounts of pain killers etc to just function, then governments would rewrite the health system, laws would be made, research would be done and those testicles would endure pain no longer. Well.. that is what I think anyway.

The biggest problem for women is that many of you believe that period pain is normal, because that is what you have been led to believe. Then some healthcare professionals reinforce it and you are basically made out to be neurotic when you try and tell anyone that you can’t handle it any longer.

Suck it up they say. Take some painkillers they say. Have a baby they say. Take the pill they say. There are so many BS things said to you all and all of them are wrong. There are so many other things wrong with everything from support groups sprouting misinformation, GP’s telling people misinformation, specialists telling people misinformation and people now relying on “Dr Google” as the gospel for their healthcare diagnosis. This is where the problem all starts and in many ways ends.

So how do we fix this?

Well, education is the first step. This is not just to the public, but to healthcare professionals as well. We also need to start educating women at a young age that “Period Pain IS NOT normal” and neither are other menstrual irregularities that could be the signs of other gynaecological conditions.

Early intervention and treatments and management it always going to be the key to any disease state. Thousands of years ago in China, the Yellow Emperor had a classic saying “To treat a disease once it has already started and been expressed in to the body is like trying to forge arms once a war has already started, or trying to dig a well once one if already thirsty”.

Trying to treat any disease once it has been expressed is hard work and for some diseases, nearly impossible. Prevention is the key and like any disease, we need to find ways of preventing endometriosis too. But if the disease is expressed, we need proper education to know the signs, know the symptoms and get early intervention and treatments and management as soon as possible.

Endometriosis can be managed, just like any other disease. I have asthma and I am symptom free because I manage it properly and have the training and education and proper treatments to manage it. I still have the disease, but I have learnt to manage it and be symptom free most of the time. Doesn’t mean I don’t get the odd flare though.

The same can be for endometriosis if you see the right people and get the right treatment and health management. Let’s be real about this, even with the best management, sometimes you will still just have a bad day, or a few bad days, despite what you do. This is the reality of living in chronic disease state.

Finding the right people to listen and to do the right investigations and management can be hard and we also need people to listen and do the treatment too. We do need people to take some ownership in their health too. I mean this is a caring way when I say this.

Having had a debilitating and life threatening disease I know how hard it can be just to function, both physically and emotionally. I also know hard it was for me to find the right people to help me too. So I get it. But we still need to talk about this and be honest about ownership too.

Please don’t buy into the diagnosis and the label if you know what I mean. Doing that can eat you up, make you angry/mad and then makes things worse. I know because I have been there. I now teach people to rise up, ditch the label and be the best they can be daily. But, it can be hard work, as many of you know. I get it.

So, lets start with looking at the facts around Endometriosis first and in the next lots of posts I’ll talk about the management and treatments to get women their lives back

The Facts about Endometriosis

1. Period Pain IS NOT Normal- You are not meant to get period pain. Some slight heaviness, or mild discomfort maybe, but pain you should not get at all. Pain is not normal and we need to stop saying it is.

2. A significant portion of women with Endometriosis are asymptomatic– A significant portion of women DO NOT get pain, or any symptoms at all. Just because you do not have pain, does not mean you do not have endometriosis.

3. Symptoms DO NOT correlate to the extent of the disease– As mentioned previously, some women with relatively small amounts of endometriosis will have significant pain, have lots of symptoms, while some women who are riddled with it may have no symptoms at all. This is why i do not like the staging system (1-4) because it really does not accurately describe a women’s symptoms, or have it correlate to the extent of the disease.

4. The only way to diagnose Endometriosis definitely is via surgical intervention– Scans, blood tests etc do not diagnose endometriosis. You cannot have a scan to diagnose endometriosis and you cannot have a blood test to diagnose endometriosis.

The definitive diagnose IS and ALWAYS WILL BE via a laparoscopy/laparotomy, along with a biopsy and tissue taken to examine. A laparoscopy is the goal standard investigation of examining the pelvis and for investigating gynaecological disorders such as endometriosis.

The laparoscopy also need to be done by what we call an Advanced Trained Laparoscopic Surgeon, who has extra years of surgical training, and who specialises in this disease and specialises in the excision of endometriosis. It can’t just be done by a regular gynaecologist and this is where many go wrong. They just haven’t seen the right surgeon first up who has the proper skills to deal with it effectively. Many women have been under-serviced surgically previously and this is a big issue. It just means that they may get some relief, but it will not be long lasting.

The first surgery should always be your best surgery and early intervention and management of this disease is crucial. The longer it is there, the worse it can become. But, please know that surgery does not cure endometriosis. It is just the first stage in the management of the disease and endometriosis needs ongoing care and a multimodality approach to treat if effectively. It needs a team to manage it properly.

5. There is NO cure for Endometriosis– At present there is no cure for endometriosis. Just as I mention my asthma before and it having no cure, the same applies to endometriosis. Once it is expressed into the body, it will always be there. Even if someone becomes asymptomatic, the disease it still there. But while there is no cure, the disease can be managed and women can become asymptomatic with the right help, right treatments and right management. I see this is practice daily.

6. Having a baby will not cure endometriosis– Many women are told to go away and fall pregnant and have a baby as this will fix their period pain and cure their endometriosis. This is a load of rubbish. Having a baby will not cure endometriosis. It may stop you having period pain for 9-10 months because you won’t be getting your menses, but you can still get other symptomatic pains and referral pains etc. Pregnancy does not fix endometriosis. The reason why women are told to go and have a family as soon as possible is because endometriosis can make it harder to fall pregnant, for some people.

7. Endometriosis may cause Infertility– While it may make it hard to fall pregnant for some women, other women with it may have no trouble falling at all. But women do need to be educated that it could affect your fertility and one of the major reasons women end up seeking help for fertility services.

8. Endometriosis is Estrogen Driven, Not caused by Estrogen dominance– Estrogens do drive endometriosis. This could be from oestrogen’s in our diet, in our environment, from hormones, drugs, plastics, abdominal fats, body fats and any small amounts of circulating oestrogen’s. Estrogens do not have to be in excess, or be dominant to drive endometriosis.

9. The Pill, or Contraceptives DO NOT fix endometriosis– While the pill and contraceptives can help with hormonal regulate and in some cases even stop the period, they do not fix endometriosis. In many cases the Combined pill can actually make it worse because of the oestrogen’s in it. Plus it then masks the symptoms of endometriosis and then when a woman comes off it, the endo is still there and for some women it could lead to them being infertile. The pill masks endometriosis and many other gynaecological issues. It does not fix them

10. You can have Endometriosis at a Young, or Older Age– Endometriosis does not discriminate age. Young girls can have it and older ladies can have it also. It can present at almost any age once the menses has started and can continue even when the menses has stopped. The symptoms may get less with menopause though.

11. Hysterectomy does not cure endometriosis– Hysterectomy does not fix endometriosis because many times endometriosis is not in, or on, the uterus and it can present anywhere in the body. It has been found in the joints, in the brain, around the heart, on the retina of the eyes, around the bowel and in nearly every part of the body. So removing the uterus does not cure endometriosis in many cases.

12. Endometriosis requires a multi modality approach– Like many diseases we all face, there is never one particular miracle cure, or miracle treatment for endometriosis. It requires a multi modality approach to manage it properly. This is how you diagnose, treat and manage endometriosis properly

13. Endometriosis IS NOT an autoimmune disease– Endometriosis is not an autoimmune disease. It is an autoimmune like disease because it is made worse by inflammation in the body, but it cannot be classed as an autoimmune disease.

14. There Are Hereditary and Genetic links– While we do not know the exact cause of endometeriosis, we do know that it does run in families and it there is genetic and hereditary links.

15. Endometriosis can cause many other issues in the body– Like any inflammatory disease, endometriosis can cause issues with moods, interfere with hormones, disturb sleep, cause fatigue, cause depression, exacerbate mood disorders, cause muscular pain, cause skeletal pain, have pain refer down your legs, make your joints ache, cause bowel movements to be difficult, cause loose bowels and IBS like symptoms, cause UTI like symptoms, cause bladder pain, nocturnal urination, pain with sex, pain and bleeding with exercise, ovulation pain and so many other symptoms not mentioned.

It can cause many issues both physically and emotionally and people need to be aware of this. Some women are at the point of suicide and recently we have seen women take their lives, because they just have not been listened to and it has all become too much.

There is probably a few more things I need to add in here. Please feel free to add comments to add in more. But, this is a start and hopefully people can learn from this and we can start educating people on the facts around this horrible disease. Please know there is always help.

Please know the disease can be managed with the right people on board helping you. Please know there are some really good support groups out there too.

Please know there are some amazing women ( and some men) out there trying to be your voice and get people to listen. Hopefully one day we will get a cure and women will get the treatment and management of this disease that they so desperately deserve. Sorry for the long post. But we need to get this out there.

Take care amazing people. Keep your chins up and know that there are people who will listen too.

If you would like to book in a consultation with me, please call my friendly staff, or using the automated emails system on the website.

Let me hold your hand and care for you and assist you in every step of the way to better health and a better way to live daily.

Regards
Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

-Period Pain is not normal

Coffee Intake Can Make You Live Longer

Posted on July 19, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Coffee is usually the first thing to go when people go on a health kick, as many think that coffee is bad for you. Quite the contrary and recent research has actually shown that coffee has many health benefits and can prevent and reduce many cancers and disease states.

It is always amusing to see people ditch the coffee and still keep the alcohol, which can be very bad for ones health. After all coffee actually does have a substantial amount of vitamins, nutrients, amino acids and bioactive compounds.

It has to be good bean coffee, not the instant variety, which is full of colours, artificial flavours and additives. Real coffee please. Not fake instant coffee.

In new research from two very large studies coffee intake has been shown to significantly lower risk for certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, strokes and some digestive cancers that affect people world wide.

The benefit was found in diverse European populations, as well as across different racial/ethnic groups, researchers report in articles published online in Annals of Internal Medicine.

In the study of over 451,000, from ten different countries world wide, men and women who drank coffee lived up to 12% longer than non-coffee drinkers. The study also showed that there was a significant reduction in death (59%) from digestive disease, circulatory disease and cerebrovascular disease.

The study showed that those who drank good coffee ( bean coffee, not instant) lower risk for all-cause death and death from heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease.

Obviously coffee intake does need to be in moderation (1-3 cups per day), especially those with adrenal issues and it needs to be incorporated into a healthy diet along with lifestyle changes. You can’t have a bad diet and lifestyle and expect to drink coffee to make you live longer.

So before you ditch the coffee in favour of other vices like alcohol on your next health kick, maybe you might need to rethink your choices.

It is time for a coffee yet?

Regards

Andrew Orr

-Women’s and Men’s Health Crusader

-“No Stone Left Unturned”

Why Sperm Is The 51st Shade of Grey

Posted on June 25, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Sperm is something that is very little talked about and why sperm is the 51st shade of grey. Men always think they are born with super sperm, when in fact it is the complete opposite now. Many fertility clinics are letting men use substandard sperm and are not holding men accountable for their sperm health. No wonder so many couples are failing to fail pregnant.

Over the years I have put up some serious posts about sperm and sperm quality and the importance of maintaining sperm health. While my post are intended for people trying to actually have a baby, but many of those not trying for babies loved the posts as well.

It is still good to promote healthy sperm production and reproductive function, even if you aren’t trying to have a baby. Healthy lifestyle promotes health bodies, which then helps promote healthy sexual and reproductive function.

In many of my posts about sperm, I also talk about the importance of regular ejaculation to help with better quality sperm and also healthy reproductive function. These posts always raise a few eye bows, and caused a few giggles, or “There you go dear, I told you we need to have sex more often”.

However, I did see that there were some major misperceptions around the topic of sperm. So, I thought I’d better educate you all on the finer details of sperm

Biology 101 tell us that it takes a sperm and an egg, not just an egg (as many people seem to forget), to make a baby. The trouble is, over 50% of fertility issues are related to poor quality sperm and up to 85% of miscarriage issue are related to men’s defective swimmers. So what do guys do when they hear this?

Well, they bury their heads in the sand and say “My boys are fine, I just know they are” and guzzle some more alcohol, that has their swimmers having two heads, two tails and swimming around like a drunk man in a pool. Guys are shockers when it comes to keeping their sperm healthy and why I will always be in business for fertility services.

But besides the downside of men and sperm, there are some good points to sperm, but most of the time Dr Google has you all believing things that just aren’t true at all.

So lets look at the facts about Sperm.

Sperm can help fight depression in women– Research has shown that have oral sex, or unprotected sex (not that I advocate this unless in a healthy relationship), have less depression, have healthier moods and have healthy immune systems and are happier in general. Sperm helps increase oxytocin, prostaglandins and seretonin in women according the The State University of New York study.
Sperm can make you more fertile – Semen isn’t just vehicle for carrying sperm – it also plays a crucial role in triggering ovulation, according to a new study.Scientists have discovered the protein in the sexual fluid acts as a hormonal signal on the female brain.This triggers the release of other hormones that signal the ovaries to release an egg.
Sperm can help Embryo Implantation– Studies have shown that sperm actually assist in embryo implantation via several chemicals and hormones. Yet many people are told refrain for having sex after IVF. I can tell you that you need to have more sex and not listen to the BS and listen to the research that proves otherwise.
Storing up sperm does not make it better– Research has shown that regular ejaculation improves sperm quality and the resulting transport of seminal fluids. (as was told to you in previous posts). Storing it up, does not make it better, it makes it worse. Regular ejaculation also helps the prostate.
Sperm do not last for days– On ejaculation into a woman, most of the 300-500 million sperm that set off are dead within an hour and only about 5-10 single sperm actually survive the journey to the tubes, where many more half of those die off once more. Sperm are killed by acids,killed by the woman’s immune system, die in the uterus, get lost in the uterus, die on the tubes and so on. Only the fittest survive the race to pregnancy. (The human body series BBC)
You can cook with it– Yep, there are cooking books that use semen to cook recipes with. (Natural Harvest – A Collection of Semen-Based Recipes). Where semen is described as “Semen is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic” Well there you go, crack open the bottle of grange now.
Sperm is good for your skin– Sperm contains minerals such and zinc, vitamin C, prostaglandins, collagen, vitamins, amino acids and many other health things to help with skin. Bioforskning, a Norwegian company, has synthesized the compounds into a facial cream. According to Bioforskning, the cream Spermine is 30 times more effective than vitamin E and can delay the aging process by 20 percent. However, nature’s most natural facial cream can cost you a whopping $250. I’d like to see them try to market that at Myer 🙂
The first sperm under a microscope– Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the person to view sperm under a microscope. It’s a bright day in 1677, in the city of Delft, and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is making love to his wife. But moments after he shudders with orgasm, he hurries out of bed to grab his microscope. After all, he’s not just spending time with his wife: he’s running an important scientific experiment at the request of the Royal Society in London. Sounds like nothing much has changed for some men. Now some are just rushing to watch the footy.

Well, there you go. 8 things Wikipedia can’t tell you about sperm. The good, the bad and the down right outrageous. You heard it hear first. The doc provides you news that other people are to scared to report. I hope all of you have a great up and coming week. Pardon the pun. Life is too short to be serious, about a serious topic.

References

1.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2190863/Semen-good-womens-health-helps-fight-depression.html

2.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2191495/Does-having-sex-make-women-fertile-Semen-trigger-ovulation-mammals.html

3.http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/12/2653.short?rss=1&ssource=mfr

4 & 5. World Health Organization. WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm – Cervical Mucus Interaction (4th Edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK (1999)

6. Human Body Series (BBC) – Conception

7.http://cookingwithcum.com

8. http://www.medicaldaily.com/extraordinary-things-you-can-do-sperm-242190

9.http://rstl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/9/101-111/121.full.pdf+html

Regards

Andrew Orr

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

-No Stone Left Unturned

-The International Fertility Experts

Male Exposure to Chemicals, Alcohol, Diet and Drugs, linked to Longer Time to Conceive

Posted on June 25, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

I was going to add some further information to the last post of how males need to be held more accountable in the fertility journey and look after their health better, but I found some research that explained some more about this subject.

There is so much more research on how a man’s diet and lifestyle and exposure to chemicals, does affect his ability to conceive and also what he passes onto his future offspring. Often issues in a man, are actually a bigger factor in not falling pregnant, yet most of the time, women are the ones under the microscope. It really just does not make sense.

It’s well known that what a woman eats, drinks, breathes and puts on her body while she’s pregnant or nursing can all affect her reproductive system and the health of her baby. But there is plenty of research to show that a man’s exposure to harmful chemicals plays an important role, too.

Research has found that the concentration of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, alcohol, drugs and phthalates in a man’s body had more effect on how long it took a couple to conceive than the concentrations of those chemicals in the woman.

In this study, researchers looked at data from the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The study explored the relationship between environmental chemicals and fertility by following 501 couples for up to a year while they tried to conceive, tracking such factors as time-to-pregnancy, miscarriages, infertility, birth size and more.

The research published in the April edition of the journal Andrology, measured the amounts of certain chemicals in the urine and blood samples of both partners. Male exposures were associated with as much as 30 percent reduction in “couple fecundity,” as measured by the amount of time it took them to conceive.

Reference: – http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/andr.12171/abstract
Things such as alcohol exposure, heavy metal exposure, cigarette smoking, recreational drug use, endocrine disruptors and dietary exposures cannot be measured in a semen analysis.

To be honest, a semen analysis is just a brief overview of what is going on for a males reproductive system. Just because a man meets the minimum parameters on a semen analysis, does not mean he has good sperm to conceive naturally, or with assisted reproduction, quite the opposite actually. Semen analysis is not what normal sperm, for natural conception parameters should be, or are based on.

Semen analysis parameters are only an evaluation for Assisted Reproduction levels only, and we know that these parameters only need to be very low to meet the requirements for IVF and ICSI.

If you meet the minim parameters of this test, it does not mean you have good sperm, or sperm good enough for natural conception. Quantitively normal semen, does not mean it is qualitatively good. Plus, you can’t measure DNA damage and other environmental damage to sperm on a semen analysis. This is why so many couples are still having failed cycles, because they are told everything is OK, when in fact it isn’t.

This is why I always treat both the female and male, because over 50% of fertility issues are related to males and 85% of miscarriage issues are related to chromosomal factors relating to the male. It takes two people to have a baby, not just the female, unless you are a single female doing it on your own, or are in a same sex relationship.

Even then, sometimes the frozen sperm has issues too and a new batch is required to bring about success.

If a man is really serious about having a baby, then he will have no issue in giving up the things that are known to affect sperm. It is all about where his priority lies. If alcohol, cigarettes, drugs etc are the priority, then it begs the question, is this the right person to be trying to conceive with.

If you aren’t having success and need some answers, you can call my friendly staff and inquire about my fertility program that has assisted over 12,500 babies into the world… and counting.

Regards
Andrew Orr
Women’s & Men’s Health Crusader”
-Leaving No Stone Left Unturned

-The International Fertility Experts

Men’s Diet, Drinking Habits and Health Affects The Health of Their Unborn Child.

Posted on June 24, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Men should have a healthy diet before conceiving, because the fathers health and everything he puts in his body, is then transferred to his future offspring via DNA in his sperm.

This is something that I have always promoted at my clinic and why I always make sure I treat the males as well as the females. Biology 101 tells us that it takes a sperm and an egg to make a baby, not just an egg. This is why preconception care is so important and why men need to be healthy prior to conceiving, just as much as the females. Healthy men produce health sperm, which then goes on to help produce a healthy baby.

Just treating the female is not ethical practice for assisting a couple for fertility purpose. By just treating the female, that is just hormone regulation and is not helping the couple. Men need to be evaluated and have their health managed and any conditions treated as well.

Semen parameters can change by as much as 20% in a given month and change daily, week, monthly and yearly. Just because the sperm has been OK, weeks, months, years ago, does not mean it is OK now.

It takes up to 90 days for a sperm to fully mature and so what you have done now, like excessive drinking and eating bad foods, can affect your sperm in that 90 days later. This is often why we see poor sperm quality in semen analysis post the Christmas and New Year periods.

Faulty DNA can be passed onto the unborn child through the sperm

We also know that many miscarriage issues are related to poor quality sperm and DNA damage of sperm as well. Up to 85% of miscarriage issues can be related to faulty DNA in a man’s sperm and this can all be due to what he eats and drinks and puts into his body.

DNA damage to the sperm that cannot be measured by normal semen analysis and requires specialised testing. If the DNA is faulty then through the mode of genetic inheritance this faulty DNA is then passed onto any future child. This can lead to many future health and developmental consequences for that offspring.

Genetic inheritance is something we all need to consider and fetal origins of disease.

Endocrine Disruption

It has been well established that environmental chemicals (endocrine disrupters) are reproductive toxicants and can be associated with impaired semen quality and reproductive potential in animals and humans.

An endocrine disruptor is defined as:

“as an exogenous agent that interferes with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action or elimination of natural hormones in the body that is responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, reproduction, development and/or behavior.”

Research has shown that poor fetal nutrition to adult-onset diseases including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction,and has formed the basis for the developmental origins of health and disease paradigm, which similarly posits a correlation between perinatal health and the eventual development of chronic diseases. Toxicologists have also identified neonatal development as a ‘critical window of exposure’, such that chemical exposures (e.g., endocrine disrupters) have been linked to adult-onset reproductive cancers and many other diseases

Taken together, these models support the extreme sensitivity of the neonatal period to environmental influences, as shown by research, the models provide an explanation for fetal origins of adult obesity risk and other disease states, including infertility.

There are treatments for DNA damage and poor quality sperm

As part of my fertility program I talk to couples about what can assist male sperm quality and assist with DNA damage to sperm. Proper medical testing and evaluation and screening is done prior to commencement of treatments and ongoing management.

At my clinic and as part of my fertility program, I always make sure the male is part of the whole process and ongoing health management, when helping couples have a baby.

Just remember, Biology 101, tells us it takes a sperm and an egg to make a baby, not just an egg. This is why it is so important for men to step up and be as healthy as they can prior to have a baby and do things that can help with their sperm quality as well.

Regards

Andrew Orr

-Women’s and Men’s Health Expert

-No Stone Left Unturned

-The International Fertility Experts

Adherence to a Healthy Diet a Must For Fertility Success

Posted on June 24, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Is it time you that you got your diet healthier to help assist you getting the baby you have been longing to have?

While eating a health diet isn’t going to be a miracle cure to having a baby, it may help you increase your fertility and chances of a healthy pregnancy.

Of course, there are so many other factors to fertility and proper evaluation and assessment is crucial, but research does show that by adherence to a healthy diet can increase pregnancy rates by up to 80%. (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 61st Annual Clinical Meeting: Abstract 96. Presented May 6, 2013.) + (Fertil Steril. 2012;98[Suppl]:S47)

It is well known that healthy couples produce healthy sperm and healthy eggs and healthy parents produce healthy babies. A proper healthy diet may also help assist with gynaecological conditions as well, alongside medical management.

When I talk about diet, I am not talking about it in term of dieting. I am talking about it in terms of the proper way to way. Diet is such a crucial part of my fertility program that has helped with assisting over 12,500 babies into the world.

So many people neglect a healthy diet and don’t try hard enough to adhere to it. Preparation for falling pregnant is just as crucial as preparing for a marathon. If you don’t put in the work, nutrients and the training, you won’t make the distance, or get a result.

It is so sad seeing people go through cycle after cycle and not doing anything to change their diet and lifestyle and then getting a failed cycle time and time again.

Of course their can be other factors to take into consideration as I said before. But, you can’t go into a cycle, or try to fall naturally, if you not eating properly, or if you are overweight, or underweight for that matter.

Medically we know that the risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, complication etc is high in women who are either under, or overweight. (Lifestyle management before fertility treatment -Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2007;110:1050-1058.)

So many people think they have a good diet, only to find out that what they have been taught is not right. It isn’t their fault. Some people really just do not know what a healthy diet its either.

A poor diet that is high in High GI Carbohydrates causes inflammation and this has a negative impact on fertility. Inflammation is causes by high sugars, which then spikes your insulin and this causes the inflammatory response. This may also affect hormones as well.

High inflammatory response then causes oxidation which may then affect your egg and sperm quality and this may then result in damage to the DNA of the sperm and egg.

As I shared before, a healthy diet is a big part of my fertility program and those on the program then know what a good diet is supposed to be like. Yet we see many ignoring it and wondering what has gone wrong, or what else they can do.

One of the answers is, be good with your diet!

Close enough is not good enough in this case. It is all or nothing, because this is so important. This is about having a baby. But, while having a baby is one thing, we also need people to realise that a healthy diet is also important for living a long and healthy life long after baby has arrived.

If you are overweight, you need to lose weight and if you are underweight you need to put some on. Many people are looking for miracles and go looking for an answer that doesn’t exist, or blame something else, when the fix may be as simple as adhering to a healthy eating regime.

Again, obviously diet is only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to fertility, but it is an important one at that.

There is so much medical research out there showing that adhering to a low GI diet and the diet I promote at my clinic and for those of my fertility program

The nurses study of 17,500 women showed that a diet with protein, full cream dairy, multivitamins and supplements, good fats etc increased fertility rates exponentially. (Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nov 2007)
Harvard medical schools study on 19,500 women showed that having full fat diary increased fertility while low fat dairy decreased it by 85 % and had an anovulatory effect. (Journal of Fertility and Sterility Feb 2008)
A recent study in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility showed that diet increased embryo quality and pregnancy rates by as much as 80%. In a study presented at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in 2012, IVF patients who switched to a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet and then underwent another an IVF cycle increased their blastocyst formation rate from 19% to 45% and their clinical pregnancy rate from 17% to 83% (Fertil Steril. 2012;98[Suppl]:S47).

Even non-IVF patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis have improved pregnancy rates after making dietary and lifestyle changes.There are many other research papers out there showing this.

So if you are having failed cycle after failed cycle, or not being able to conceive naturally, you need to start looking at your diet and lifestyle as a major factor.

If you are overweight, or underweight, the same applies. An easy way to work out what weight should be (roughly), is take 100cms off your height and this will give you what you should be in body mass.

So if you are 165cms tall, then you should roughly be about 65kgs (give or take a few kilos).

All men should have a waist size of 94cm or below for good health, and all women should have a waist size of 80cms or below for good health. This is measured from the belly button around, not higher, or lower than this point.

If you are on my fertility program you should be doing this. If you aren’t and need assistance, then you can call my friendly staff and find out more about my fertility program.

I always tell my patients that the time for making excuses is over. If you do want to have this baby you have been longing to have, then you need to prepare the body as though you were about to train for a marathon. We always say that the ones that do everything right have a much higher chance of getting the results.

Is it time you got your diet and lifestyle back on track?

Take care

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

-The International Fertility Experts

Women’s Health Consultations

Posted on May 30, 2017August 22, 2019 by Andrew Orr

*Need help with a Women’s health condition?

*Suffering from a long term chronic disease state?

*Not getting the answers and care you deserve?

Many of these issues are not normal, but more importantly many of these issues can easily be treated quite easily with the proper investigations, treatments and proper management.

Everyday I see women who are sick of being ‘missed’ and ‘dismissed’ by everyone they see and they just want to get some sort of normal life back. This is where as a healthcare practitioner with over 20 years experience in assisting with reproductive issues, pregnancy and women’s health conditions, I may be able to assist you. My motto is “No Stone Left Unturned” and I apply this to every person I have helped.

I am proud to announce that I now have a better way of being able to doing consultations for anyone needing help with women’s health conditions and reproductive issues. It doesn’t matter where you live, now I can help more people from around the globe and get them the answers they should be getting.

Before we only had skype, which had limitations of not being able to screen share the important information that I need to share in a consultation with patients

Well, now I can do consultations through Zoom and these are nearly the same as if you were with me in person and share the same information, just the same as if you were in person.

Reports and Treatment medicinals and supplements are then mailed to you.

This is for patients who live out of the Brisbane area, or are interstate and overseas and it gives so much more scope to help everyone who wants my help.

If you want to get the best advice, best care and see someone with over 20 years experience in helping people, who has a Masters of Reproductive Medicine (medical) and Masters of Women’s Health Medicine (medical) as well as having qualifications in complementary medicine (Doctor of TCM, Nutritionist, Complementary Medicine etc), then you need to see book in with me.

My multi-modality approach has helped with assisting over 12,500 plus babies into the world and assisted tens of thousands of women with women’s health conditions and Reproductive issues, along side medical interventions.

As a healthcare practitioner with a special interest in reproductive and women’s health, my motto is “No Stone Left Unturned” and I apply that to every person I help. It is because I care and want to help care for you as well.

If you would like to organise an online, or in-person consultation with me, please give my staff a call on +61 7 32795697, or email info@shentherapies.com.au. You can also submit an online enquiry through my website www.drandreworr.com.au too.

I hope to be able to help you and care for you all soon

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate