Acupuncture for Fertility – Improve your ovarian response with acupuncture and herbs.
Part One of Three
The last couple of articles I posted were about the emotions associated with the “old ovary” line. This article and the next two are going to explain some of the theories about POF (premature ovarian failure) or POI (premature ovarian insufficiency).
Let’s look at this topic through a different set of eyes.
In this article I’m going to try to explain the idea of receptors. This will be the layman’s explanation of receptors, which can be a complicated subject. I’m trying keeping it simple.
Our cells rely on receptors to work. Messages get sent from one cell to another by a key and lock method – i.e.: receptors. So how does this work?
Imagine you own a blue mini cooper. You come out to get into your car and there’s 4 mini coopers that look like yours.
- The first car – your key opens the driver’s door. You get behind the wheel, but the key won’t fit into the ignition. You move on.
- The second car – the driver’s door unlocks, but the ignition already has a key in it. The key can’t be removed. Since you can’t get your key in the ignition you move on.
- The third car – the key fits into the ignition and even turns….but the engine doesn’t start. You move on.
- Finally the forth car – driver’s door opens, the key fits into the ignition and starts the car. Now you can drive off into the sunset.
The example of the forth car is basic functioning of a receptor. The receptor is a like a lock and when the right key fits into it, a chemical reaction occurs. A simplified example: FSH released from the pituitary interacts with receptors on the ovary to signal the growth of a follicle. The FSH is a key that fits into the receptor and turns on cellular growth in the follicle. Once the receptor has been activated the cells inside the follicle releases other keys to open locks which mature the egg. This would be similar to starting up your car, the ignition starts the engine but many other actions are occurring – oil circulating, cooling fan turning and exhaust leaving through the muffler.
Each receptor has its own key, just like our cars. Similar to car #1, different keys are floating around trying to find their lock. If the key doesn’t fit, it moves on to search for its receptor.
Sometimes the receptor gets blocked from its functional key. This would be like car #2 – you can’t start the car when there is a key in the ignition. A simple example: Clomid is a key that fits into the ignition but can’t turn on the engine – car #3. Then Clomid the blocks estrogen receptors from any functioning key – car #2. When the lock is blocked by a clomid key, the cell cannot make estrogen, thus fooling the body to release more FSH.
The receptor and key method is how IVF drugs work. The fertility drugs have two basic categories:
Agonist – a keys that turn on the receptors. This would be some of the fertility drugs: Follistim (pure FSH), Menapur (combination of FSH/LH), Gonal-F (a chemically that mimics FSH), Lupron (GrNH), Ovidrel (produces HcG which allows the egg to finalize maturity and rupture).
With agonist drugs, this scenario would be same as you starting your car with your key. The key fits the lock and turns on cellular function.
Antagonist – a key that fits into the lock but cannot turn on cellular action, thus the receptor is blocked. Antagon and Cetrotide (limits the production of LH) or Letrozole/Clomid (changes estrogen production or signaling).
With antagonist drugs, this scenario would be similar to car two and three – the key fits the ignition but it will not turn on the ignition and blocks the functioning key from fitting in the lock. All you can do is watch everyone else drive by.
The Next Article: How many keys does Western Medicine Have?