Reply To: Using Omega 3’s and other COX 2 Inhibitors in our fertility patients

[Amy Galvan]

I was curious, too. I only found one study where it was looked at in human females, and the rest are all mammal studies (mice, rats, rabbits). That 2004 study is

Robert J. Norman, M.D.,a and Ruijin Wu, M.D. The Potential Danger of COX-2 Inhibitors . FERTILITY AND STERILITY
VOL. 81, NO. 3, MARCH 2004

In the human study from 2001 (n=13), 25mg COX-2 inhibitor was given daily for 9 days near ovulation. It inhibited ovulation but allowed for luteinization of the follicle and progesterone production. The caution was that the progesterone levels could make one believe ovulation had happened when it did not (or it may be delayed). Also, once the meds were discontinued, ovulation resumed normally. That study is

Pall M, Friden BE, Brannstrom M. Induction of delayed follicular rupture in the human by the selective COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib: a randomized double-blind study. Hum Reprod 2001;16:1323–8

In Leah Hechtman’s lecture Is Her Time Up, she mentions there are significant leaps in complexity from mammalian oocytes to human; this is likely also true for endometrial signaling as well.

I am not sure what to make of fish oil or berberines in our herbs in formulas addressing Damp in the Lower Jiao.