Reformat of Aubrey's input

[Guest guest]

Hi - This is easier on the eyes. I took Aubrey's input copied it,

pasted it into word, and then copied it back and presto! a lot easier

to read! - D.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (Reuters Health) - Taking certain herbal medications

could interfere with efforts to achieve pregnancy, experts warn. They

stress the importance of communication between patients and their

infertility doctors about all medication use,including use of herbs

such as St. 's wort, gingko biloba and echinacea. ``I always ask

my patients what they and theirhusbands are taking,'' University of

Alabama at Birmingham fertility specialist Dr. A. Blackwell

told Reuters Health. ``We find many patients who come in and are

taking these substances but never tell the doctors,'' he added. In an

article in a recent issue of OBG Management, a journal for

obstetricians and gynecologists, Blackwell notes that substancesused

by both the male and female partner are important. ``It recently has

been demonstrated that echinacea, gingko biloba and St. 's wort

have a negative effect on sperm production and fertilizing

capacity,'' he explained. Herbal preparations are not alone in

potentially blocking the union of sperm and ovum, Blackwell pointed

out. Numerous prescription drugshave also been shown to interfere

with that process, he noted. Procardia, a calcium-channel blocker

used to treat highblood pressure, is known to interfere with

fertility, Blackwell stated. ``We've had several men who've come in

and they go off the drug and a pregnancy pops up,'' he said.

Springfield, Illinois fertility specialist Dr. Galle echoed

Blackwell's cautions. ``A lot of time when new patients come in we

tryt ask them about their medications,'' Galle said. Of all the

herbal preparations, St. 's wort is probably the most common one

used by his patients, Gallenoted. People often take St. 's wort

for relief of mild depressive symptoms. ``It's not considered a drug,

and (herbals) don't go through the same safety and purity testing as

do drugs,'' he asserted. But other herbals also cause concern for

fertility doctors,Galle explained. ``Ginseng is listed as possibly

causing problems. Another one is kava kava. And black cohosh is

another good one to avoid'' if patients are trying to get pregnant,

according to Galle. Blackwell said he was alerted to the possible

risk of infertility from using some herbal preparations in part by a

March article in the journal Fertility and Sterility. That article

reported that, in lab studies, St.'s wort, echinacea and gingko

biloba all lessened the ability of sperm to penetrate ova, an

absolutely necessary step in fertilization. ``It's a much more common

problem than people realize,''Blackwell said. ``Up until this past

year, even infertility specialists weren't aware of this,'' he added.

``Doctors need to be really thorough in taking a history''on new

patients,'' Blackwell advised.