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New studies suggest that blood type may play a major role in fertility. An American study was recently conducted on 560 women who received fertility treatments from the IVF program at Yale University. This study revealed a correlation between women with blood type O and higher FSH levels, especially in comparison to women with other blood types such as A, B and AB. The study also concluded that women with A-type blood were the least likely to have elevated FSH levels.
FSH, as previously blogged, stands for follicle-stimulating hormone. The follicle-stimulating hormone regulates the reproductive processes of body and quite literally stimulates follicles to grow. Female bodies should produce certain FSH levels in order to facilitate optimal ovulation.
Although FSH is an extremely important hormone when it comes to the conception process, an overabundance of FSH in women can often indicate that the pituitary gland is not producing enough ‘responsive’ follicles in the ovaries. Therefore, high FSH levels often indicate a failing ovarian reserve. This is typically an early sign of menopause, as ovarian reserves usually begin to diminish in women in their late 30s to early 40s, but ovarian reserves can sometimes start to deteriorate in younger women.
Generally speaking, lower FSH levels often indicate better fertility. That being said, extremely low levels of FSH or no FSH production whatsoever can often be a sign of hypothalamic anovulation, where ovulation can stop altogether due to a malfunction of the hypothalamus gland.
Should female infertility be suspected, an ‘ovarian reserve’ test can be given by a physician to establish a woman’s egg supply. A physician can address fertility problems in both men and women by administering an FSH test. For men, it can be used to determine a low sperm count. For women, an FSH test may shed light on irregular menstrual cycles and whether or not a woman is entering menopause. An FSH test can also be used in cases where a young boy or girl do not show signs of puberty at the appropriate age.
A natural way to lower FSH levels is to address possible problems associated with inadequate nutrition. A proper amount of protein, good fats and complex carbohydrates facilitate health egg development and maturation – especially with foods rich in iron and vitamin E. According to several experts, special dietary adjustments should be made particularly for those with O blood types to facilitate optimal fertility. If you are concerned about your blood type and how it relates to your fertility, please pay a visit to your family doctor for help.
