I have also been able to take Brandon and Wendy's course, both live and on line, and agree that it is full of very deep material. They have put a lot of effort into it and their efforts should be applauded. I agree with ray and Lorne that having the ability to watch it several times really helps to let many of the ideas sink in.
Probably the biggest piece of empowered information that I have walked away with is a deeper understanding of follicular genesis. I now feel confident to say to patients who have been told by their western physician that their "ovarian reserve" is depleted, based only on an antral follicle count and an FSH reading, is a complete guess at best. Brandon and Wendy explain in great detail how, in actuality, we have NO idea how many eggs remain in a female ovary, laying dormant in their primordial state. By assuming we know based on a hormone test that comes from a gland other than the ovary (FSH comes from the pituitary) and by a temporary snap shot of antral follicles tells us not very much. It can tell us that for some reason the pituitary and ovary are not communicating very well and that for some reason follicular recruitment is slower, but we really do not know exactly how many eggs are left. That a more conclusive test to do would be to test the Anti mullerian hormone, but that even then we cannot definatively say that a woman's reserve is depleted. That in reality we would have to remove and dissect the ovary to truly know.
Brandon and Wendy point out many different reasons for low AFC and higher FSH, including FHS receptor problems relating to genetics, inflammation, toxicity, autoimmunity, etc. They provided me with the knowledge and confidence to say to a patient ,who has been told she is at the bottom of her barrel of egg quantity, that she is old and should just give up (even though she may only be 34 years of age!), and that her AFC is what it is and doesn't change, that in reality if the physician that told her this was basing their opinion just on FSH, AFC, and how well they responded to an IVF stimulation, is NOT being very scientific and is not presenting a true picture of physiology. Brandon and Wendy present a clearer picture of the science related to ovarian physiology, so that we can be better advocates for women to not give up.
Since watching the course for the second time I have seen at least two women in the past week come back to me with AFC's more than double than their original first few ultra sounds. Both of these women were told by RE's that their AFC will not change and that they are old and should just give up. It looks like science proved them wrong and that by understanding science a bit better I have been able to support and encourage these women to not give up and to keep working on themselves via the great tools of Chinese medicine. And now the work has paid off.
Good work to you Brandon and Wendy and to Pro D for providing the vehicle for us to gain this wisdom. Not only have I gained knowledge and confidence, but most importantly, patients have benefited :-)
Warm regards,
Trevor
