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. John's wort, gingko biloba and echinacea.

　　``I always ask my patients what they and their husbands are taking,'' University of Alabama at Birmingham fertility specialist Dr. Richard 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 substances used by both the male and female partner are important. ``It recently has been demonstrated that echinacea, gingko biloba and St. John'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 drugs have also been shown to interfere with that process, he noted.

　　Procardia, a calcium-channel blocker used to treat high blood 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. Phillip Galle echoed Blackwell's cautions. ``A lot of time when new patients come in we try to ask them about their medications,'' Galle said. Of all the herbal preparations, St. John's wort is probably the most common one used by his patients, Galle noted. People often take St. John'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. John'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

(From China Daily)