• Does acupuncture help boost fertility? Jennifer Aniston thinks so (and we do too). According to Kiddicare.com:
  
  “Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston has reportedly turned to acupuncture in a bid to improve her chances of conceiving, according to new celebrity rumours.

  Acupuncture is said to stimulate the energy pathways of the body using very fine needles and is thought to help boost fertility levels in patients hoping to get pregnant.”

• Have a big brother? He could be unknowingly influencing your reproductive patterns. According to an article at thefrisky.com,
  
  “Sheffield University researchers, who poured over birth, marriage, and death records, discovered that anyone, male or female, with an older male sibling is 5% less likely to have children than people with female older siblings. They also have children later in life and space their babies out.”







• Considering assisted reproductive technology such as IVF or donor eggs? A new study has found that the use of ART (assisted reproductive technology) increases the risk of certain birth defects such as heart defects, cleft lip and/or palate and gastrointestinal defects. According to CNN.com,

  ” As part of the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, which gathers information on birth defects from 10 states, Reefhuis and her colleagues compared 281 births using ART with more than 14,000 naturally conceived births. The researchers looked at approximately 18 categories of birth defects, but only those four were found to be “statistically significantly associated with ART.”

  The study findings pertain only to single births; the researchers did not find a link between ART and birth defects among multiple births. ART increases the chances of having a multiple birth, and infants born as part of a multiple birth are more likely to have birth defects regardless of the method of conception.”

  Sounds like one more reason to boost your fertility naturally before resorting to medical technologies.

• On the subject of natural fertility, copulation for many couples used to be fun until infertility set in. Then timing, ovulation, BBT and other tracking becomes the norm and lovemaking becomes a means to and end rather than something to do for pleasures sake. For some tips on how to bring the love back to your lovemaking and still try to conceive at the same time, check out this article at chealth.com. From the article:
  
  “Another common cycle that reproduction-focused couples fall into is going straight for the finale without spending time on foreplay. Remember when your relationship first began, before baby-making was on your mind, and you would spend so much time just exploring each other’s bodies? Well, go back to that.

  Include foreplay in your sexual regime in order to avoid letting sex become simply a means to an end. Enjoy the process and enjoy being close to one another by remembering that you used to have sex for pleasure.

  In order to keep your sex life thriving, it is important to focus on pleasure. Just because the mission is to get the sperm to the egg doesn’t mean the experience can’t be orgasmic and pleasurable for both members of the partnership.”

Read more at:
Jennifer Aniston turns to acupuncture to boost fertility, Kiddicare.com
Researchers Watch Big Brothers, thefrisky.com
Fertility Treatments Linked to Certain Birth Defects, CNN.com
Fertility and Your Sex Life, Chealth.canoe.ca

“When a woman gets treatment for in vitro [fertilization], she’s giving up her fertility, her womanhood, to a team … and not really getting in touch with her own body,” Mercier said. “I teach them how to get in touch with their own fertility signs.”

In practice since 1999, Mercier has focused on fertility therapies for the last couple of years.

Mercier’s Shared Journey Fertility Program emphasizes hormone balancing, increased blood flow to reproductive organs, and natural supplements to reduce acidity in the body.

It also involves 30 to 45 minutes of pelvic massage therapy three times a week for a month.

Mercier, owner of Sacred Space Naturopathy, is among a small minority of naturopathic physicians who specialize in treating fertility issues.

Click here to read the full story at KCChronicle.com

Sheryl’s comment:
This is another great example of how more natural, less invasive fertility treatments are moving into the mainstream. The article went on to tell the story of a woman who used progesterone cream to naturally boost her progesterone levels (and I am using the term naturally loosely here) as well as pelvic massages and she achieved pregnancy in six weeks.

While every couple’s results will vary, pelvic massage falls under the”doesnt hurt to try” category. If you are going to do it yourself then do not forget to throw in the foot massage for the reflexology benefits and the back massage for the enhanced circulation and chi flow. Enhance your results further with essential oils designed for fertility.

So just what are the ingredients for the fertile soil in a woman’s body that supports healthy pregnancy and birth? This is an important question for a woman trying to conceive.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has some solid contribution on the topic…

First, a woman’s blood must be ample, nutritionally and hormonally healthy, and flowing unimpeded throughout the body and, in particular, the uterus.

Second, her Chi needs to be flowing smoothly in all her organs, muscles and channels (including the uterus).

Third, her mental and emotional energy system needs to be balanced in such a way that a woman trying to conceive, is enhancing her overall health versus burdening her overall health.

Whew, that’s a mouthful. And what does it all mean? Well, let’s look at each piece individually.

Ample, nutritionally and hormonally healthy as well as, flowing unimpeded throughout the body blood: In Chinese Medicine we refill our tank daily with energy or life force, via our food, drink and breath. We must sleep at night in order to repair, rebuild, regenerate and rejuvenate our entire system. This repair work requires a foundation of nourishment that we supply ourselves each day.

One of our energy systems in Chinese Medicine, The Earth System which includes the organs Spleen/Pancreas and Stomach, is responsible for receiving the food and drink we ingest, breaking it down into usable nourishment for the blood (called transformation in TCM), and then transporting nutrients, via the blood, to our entire body. Optimal function of our body can only be as good as the quality and quantity of the food we eat.

Quality refers to how healthy, vital and nutrient-rich the food we eat is. Quantity refers to the eating of food in proper portions. If we eat too little, we become deficient in nutrients. If we eat too much, our system becomes burdened in having to deal with the excess that cannot be transported or is unusable, for example excess sugar. If either deprivation of necessary nutrients, or over-burden becomes the norm, our system suffers greatly.

If deprived or over-burdened, at night, during rebuilding and regenerating, our system is mostly trying to keep up with robbing “Peter to pay Paul,” or figuring out what to do with the excess and repairing the breakdown in our system from the excess. This is quite a wasteful expenditure of our energy when we need our energy available each day and night for the important job of keeping our organs, tissues, hormones, and cells operating healthfully.

If misuse of our energy goes on over time, our soil may become infertile. We absolutely need healthy blood on a regular basis and we need this rich, nourished blood flowing throughout the uterus. When our blood becomes tired, lacks oxygen, or is nutritionally deficient, it can become sluggish, slow down and even stagnate. This means our smooth flow of blood is compromised, thus compromising fertility.

Enough Chi flowing smoothly in all organs, muscles and channels (including the uterus): Chi is a Chinese word for life force, or energy, or molecular energy. It is what we are made of in that, if we have no Chi, we have no life force. Simple stated, when we are born we have a full tank of Chi, and when the tank is empty, we die. While alive and during the reproductive years, it makes sense that in order to create a new life inside of you, you must have a reasonable life force yourself. If you don’t have enough Chi or life force in your own system, where do you think the Chi will come from to create a new life for 9 mos.? Nature, and infinite wisdom, just knows that if a woman’s Chi tank is too low, then reproduction falls below the line of possibility. It’s a no-brainer, in that, for a fetus to grow it needs a certain amount of Chi and blood.

Mental and emotional energy systems need to be balanced in such a way that a woman trying to conceive, is enhancing her overall health versus burdening her overall health: Thoughts and emotions are as much Chi as your elbow or liver is. They are just a more subtle form of Chi. Much like the wind, in that, we don’t “see” wind, but it exists because we see the effects of wind even though it is invisible. This more subtle form of Chi, like our thoughts and emotions, are just as important as the food we eat. Every time we think a thought or have an emotion, there is literally a chemical reaction in our body. To put it in simple terms, the by-product of these chemical reactions are either toxic and thus, burdensome to our system; or the by-product of these chemical reactions align with optimal functioning of our system.

When I teach a woman to observe herself in this more subtle form of Chi, it is often surprising to her that she is much more plagued with thoughts of fear, worry, or depression, in relation to her fertility, than she realized consciously. Some of it she was aware of, but the extent of it is more the eye-opener. The chemical by-product of these thoughts and emotions over a prolonged period of time, become burdensome to the system, contributing to a decreased flow of Chi and Blood. It requires practice to become aware, and then become intentional about our choice of thoughts.

“Ingredients,” or choices, are either enhancing or inhibiting our fertile soil. Either our fertility switch is ‘on’ or ‘off.’ No woman purposely turns her fertility switch off, but, unknowingly, she could be making choices, day after day, that are preventing optimal and fertile soil. Start where you’re at and begin making the best choices you can in order to fertilize your soil in such a way that pregnancy and healthy birth are a natural outcome.

About the author:
Laurie Morse, L.Ac., author of the e-book “7 Strategies to Fertility Success,”
provides skills to help women turn their fertility switch on. For information go
to: www.MyFertilitySuccess.com

Learn to make a smoothie to boost your fertility.

Author: Sheryl Lyon

So you decided that you are ready to try to have a baby. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who conceives within a couple of months or maybe you will find yourself among millions of fertility challenged couples. Whether you are ready to start trying tomorrow or you have been trying for a decade, you might want to improve your odds of conception with a method that is quick, painless, inexpensive, and non-invasive. Believe it or not, a visit to the chiropractor may help you conceive.

A series of research papers published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research found that chiropractic had positive results treating infertility regardless of the woman’s age, number of years infertile, previous medical intervention or health history including miscarriages, blocked fallopian tubes, amenorrhea, colitis, or trauma.

Your spine is a central highway of nerves. Just as an electrical cord has to be fully plugged in for an appliance to run, your reproductive system will not function properly if the nerves that lead to them are not functioning or are blocked in some way.

A chiropractor will identify pinched or pressed nerves and fix those spinal distortions, which are called subluxations. The distortions can be caused by many things including childhood falls, illnesses, accidents, poor posture, or even stress.

Once the subluxations are minimized or eliminated, a woman’s menstrual cycle can strengthen, the action that delivers the egg through the fallopian tubes to the uterus can improve, and some cases of endometriosis can begin to reverse.

Holistic websites, chiropractic patients, and chiropractors themselves abound with pregnancy success stories. Some women went to the chiropractor for other reasons only to find themselves pregnant, others have battled infertility for more than 10 years and then suddenly became pregnant within a couple of months or even a couple of visits to the chiropractor. These remarkable results are the same regardless of the technique used by the chiropractor.

Naturally this does not mean that everyone will get pregnant after a visit to the chiropractor only that it has worked for many women. It is certainly an option worth exploring either alone or in conjunction with other infertility treatments particularly if you have ever had an accident or illness.

You should be able to consult with a chiropractor and have an adjustment in less than an hour and the visit will probably cost $100 or less if it is not already covered by your insurance. The adjustments are totally non invasive, in fact they are done with the patient fully clothed. The procedure is painless although the sounds created by the adjustments may shock you at first.

Seeing a chiropractor is a great idea even if you are not trying to conceive because the nerves in the spine lead to more than just your reproductive organs but if you are trying to conceive, the benefits to fertility are just too compelling to ignore.

Does it really matter why or how it works? Or only that it works? Even if you do not believe in chiropractors why wouldn’t you try a proven fertility treatment that is easy, fast, gentle, non-invasive, covered by most insurance, inexpensive, painless and harmless? So do not forget to add an appointment with the chiropractor as part of your preconception plan.

While a multi-vitamin cannot hurt, it will not compensate for a poor diet. Some nutrients essential for fertility include: zinc, selenium, lycopene, folic acid, and water.

Foods that contain nutrients that are proven to enhance fertility and/or semen production include, but are not limited to:

• Spinach
• Spirulina (seaweed)
• Barley
• Lamb
• Asparagus
• Pumpkin seeds
• Flaxseed oil
• Oysters
• Poultry

When it comes to a discussion of human fertility, the saying “life is not fair” seems to have extraordinary significance. Couples who don’t want to get pregnant seem to be the ones that do and the ones that do–don’t. Nobody knows this better than the couples that desperately want children but fail to conceive, month-after-month. As the biological clock keeps on ticking, is there anything more that these couples can do? Absolutely!

Having interviewed hundreds of couples who have meticulously documented the woman’s fertile days and the days on which intercourse occurred, it has become crystal clear that: (a) most couples think that they are doing a good job of having intercourse on all the right days, while (b) the vast majority are completely missing the boat!

What is so difficult about Fertility Focused Intercourse?
Let’s start with the basics of female fertility cycles. First, women of normal fertility are not fertile very often. From a biologic perspective, the most fertile woman on the planet can only conceive between 5 and 6 days per menstrual cycle. A woman with reduced fertility might have significantly fewer days that are truly fertile, perhaps 2 or 3. According to simple mathematics, if there are only 3 days per month to conceive, that is only 36 days at the end of the year. Second, not all fertile days are created equal. Intercourse that occurs on “the day” of ovulation can be assumed to be the most fertile day of the menstrual cycle, but even then the probability of achieving a pregnancy is never 100%!

When does ovulation occur?
Frequently, ovulation occurs approximately 14 after the first day of the menstrual period. In a classic study by Vollman[1] of 14,848 menstrual cycles, ovulation as detected by a shift in basal body temperature occurred on exactly day 14 in only 1,591 cycles (10.7%). Thus the exception here is far more common then the rule. The 28-day normal menstrual cycle is simply a myth. The first step in fertility focused intercourse, therefore, is to do away with any notion of a calendar and to adopt a method of detecting when ovulation actually occurs.

There are many ways to “detect” the day of ovulation such as monitoring LH and estrogen in the urine or checking for cervical mucus and changes in the basal body temperature (just to ovulation actually occurs. No matter what method you are using, the margin of error is at least plus or minus 2 to 3 days (sometimes more). This means that if you rely on your favorite indicator of the day of ovulation to tell you when to have intercourse you may be missing the most important day to conceive on a regular basis.

What is the best way to time intercourse?
So what is the best advice? Unfortunately, healthcare providers frequently offer some of the worst information. For example, “we were told to have intercourse ‘every other day’ in order to ’save sperm.’” “Have intercourse every month starting on day 6 for 12 consecutive days.” Or even worse, “because you do not know when t he most fertile day is you would have to have intercourse every day to maximize your chances.” - nonsense!

From this brief discussion, the best advice is: (a) choose a method of fertility monitoring that will give you a few days notice that ovulation is going to occur. This means monitoring estrogen levels directly or the effect of estrogen on saliva or cervical mucus. (b) When fertility begins, intercourse should occur daily until at least 2 days after ovulation is detected. Once released, the egg can only be fertilized during a narrow window of approximately 24-hours. You want to make sure that intercourse occurs on “the day” of ovulation in order to maximize your chances.

Intercourse Patterns
By now you have figured correctly that fertility focused intercourse is truly a “labor of love.” It is not easy! It might mean having intercourse as many as nine days in a row. Even among couples with the strongest convictions for attempting to achieve pregnancy a few fertile days always seem to be missed.

Here are some helpful suggestions:
1. Plan in advance. If you were going to go on a fancy date with your spouse you would give a few days notice. If you know the fertile days are coming, then you likewise will have time to prepare for them.

2. Get your priorities straight. If the doctor scheduled a procedure to test some aspect of your fertility you might take a day off work. Furthermore, you would probably follow through even if you had a headache! Should you not subject yourself to similar inconveniences when your most fertile days arrive!?

3. Get professional help. Believe it or not, there are professionals who can help you make sense of all this and give you real good advice. The American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals is an excellent place to start.

If you and your spouse have been having difficulty achieving a pregnancy, then just remember –knowledge is power. In this case, the right knowledge may even give you the power to procreate! You may as well consider the question of when to have sex to be the single most important issue. Why? Because there is no diagnostic medical procedure, test, or surgery that is going to make you pregnant. If you just had surgery to correct a fertility problem, for example, and you are not following these instructions you could very well be making out badly on your investment. Fertility focused intercourse may not be easy, but it is not mission impossible–it is mission responsible–and the responsibility falls upon both you and your spouse.

Have fun!

1. Vollman, R.F., The Menstrual Cycle. 1977, Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.

Article:
Copyright 2006 Majella.us

Author: David Picella
About the author: David Picella helps couples who are trying to conceive naturally without the use of expensive artificial reproductive techniques. You can read more articles by him and by other experts in Natural Procreative Techniques (NPT) and NaProTechnology or NaProSurgery at: http://www.majella.us

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/71502646@N00/1309409634/

Author: Sheryl Lyon

Everyone is aware of cycles of the sun and moon. They give structure to our days, months, and seasons. But did you know that the sun and moon can influence your fertility?

When you are in sync with the earth’s natural rhythms and cycles you can boost your fertility. If you work against nature’s rhythms as many of us do, then you may be harming your delicate fertility balance.Your biological clock is intimately linked to your reproductive system by utilizing the same hormones that trigger ovulation and sperm maturation. Therefore both women and men are affected by respecting or ignoring their natural rhythms.

Importance of Bright Light
Getting adequate sunlight or other full spectrum light during the day is key to optimum fertility for many reasons. Vitamin D is created in our bodies when we are exposed to sunlight and Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to infertility.

Adequate sunlight also helps regulate circadian rhythms which allow you to sleep better at night. Regular exposure to the sun also helps you maintain a strong immune system which is necessary to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Women who get more sunlight also have consistent and stronger menstrual cycles.

Finally, bright light prevents your body from overproducing melatonin which suppresses fertility. This might explain why it is easier for women to conceive in southern regions and during the summer months.

Importance of Darkness and Full-moon Light
Many researchers believe that prior to the introduction of electricity into our homes, all women menstruated during the new moon and ovulated during the full moon. This has been proven by studying cultures today that do not use electricity. Women in these cultures sleep in close to total darkness except for the days surrounding the full moon.

The small amount of light from the full moon is enough to halt melatonin production long enough for ovulation to occur. Most women can synchronize with the cycles of the moon in about three to four months by altering the light level while they sleep. Coordinating menstruation not only strengthens your cycle in many ways but it also makes it much easier to pinpoint the optimal timing for intercourse.

Darkness also plays an important role in optimal fertility by triggering melatonin, on most dark nights, which leads to a good nights sleep. Just make sure to prevent overproduction with bright light in the morning.

Deep sleep helps restore and rejuvenate the reproductive system. Lack of sleep can increase cortisol levels, lead to an increased use of caffeine and other fertility reducing substances, disrupt your hormone balance, cause depression which in itself can affect fertility, or it can lead to relationship problems with your partner. In extreme cases sleep deprivation can stop ovulation altogether.

How to synchronize with nature

• Get at least one hour of bright sunlight a day
• Try to get bright light soon after waking
• Use full spectrum indoor bulbs during the winter months
• Use a light simulation device 15-30 min morning and night (particularly in winter)
• Aim for total darkness at night. Use room darkening shades. Avoid all lights
• On the three days of the full moon, try to bathe yourself in soft light while you sleep. A light from a closet, a 75-100 watt nightlight or even opening your blinds to the street light should do the trick.
• Try to go to sleep with sun and get up with the sun. You might be surprised if you do not use lights or TV, how sleepy you get.
• Make love during the full moon
• Keep sleep and wake times consistent and avoid shift work. If you are tracking ovulation signs, then you should taking your basal body temperature at the same time every morning anyway.

Efforts to conceive can be challenging and heartbreaking. The fertility enhancing methods mentioned here are easy, free, and painless. They will boost your overall health as well as your fertility so if you are trying to conceive it can only help and not hurt to synchronize your cycles with the earth.

Approximately 50% of pregnancies are unplanned which means the other 50% have the wonderful opportunity to create an ideal environment in which to conceive and carry a child. If you are reading this because you are hoping to become pregnant then you have a chance to give your child a head start almost unheard of in todays modern society.

You may be wondering “what is an organic conception?”. It simply means that a couple conceives a child with a minimum of outside chemicals and interventions. This is much easier said than done because it is virtually impossible to avoid all the toxins surrounding us today.

So your next question might be “why bother?” or “Is it really necessary?”. It is absolutely, unequivocally necessary. Toxins, stress, and diet interfere with the delicate male and female reproductive systems. The same influences can determine whether a woman can maintain the pregnancy as some toxins bring a higher rate of miscarriage. The same influences can cause a myriad of problems to a developing fetus, some minor and some will cause severe birth defects or stillbirth.

The ability to get pregnant, to carry that child, to maximize fetal development, and the ability to breastfeed all go hand in hand. Toxins, lifestyle choices, our diet, stress, and our environment greatly affect our health, our fertility, and the health of our offspring. This is not just crunchy granola talk. This is reality. It is about your health and the health of your baby (and your ability to have one). We are programmed to protect our young and this is the mandatory first step.

Many studies show a drop of over 40% in sperm counts since 1940. This could be one reason why an estimated 1 in 6 couples have difficulty conceiving. Many attribute the lowered fertility to the rampant use of chemical compounds all around us as well as our overloaded stressful lifestyles out of touch with the natural rhythms of nature.

Some studies have shown a staggering 80% success rate in couples with “unexplained infertility” when they incorporate lifestyle & nutrition changes. With potential like that it is amazing that everyone doesn’t try this prior to expensive, invasive and stressful IVF.

The unfortunate truth is that no-one, especially not the government or the FDA, is looking out for your best interest. Nor are they looking out for the best interest of your fetus. As a responsible adult you cannot assume that someone else is guaranteeing the safety of what you eat, breathe, drink, and apply.

It is up to each individual to research and take the necessary steps to “clean up” their environment because no one is going to do it for you and if this idea is new to you, then trust me, your environment needs cleaning.

It is not easy and it can seem overwhelming when you see the list of toxic substances in your life. You might have a very hard time giving up cosmetics, household cleaners, or something else you are very attached to. Giving up all of your favorite products can be a tough pill to swallow and you may face a period of disbelief and denial which ideally will lead you to further research until the truth sinks in and enables you to let go of the toxins in your life.

Surprisingly many people cannot let go of their attachments. It baffles me that in the face of numerous studies and evidence, people will still cling to outdated and ridiculous ideas just because that is what they have always been told. To some the earth will always be flat. Bear in mind that giving up so much of what you are accustomed to is impossible to do overnight. How long will it take? That depends on you, your motivation and determination, your support from family and friends, and your financial means.

It may take you six months to clean up your environment to your ideal but keep in mind that any changes you make for the benefit of your developing child are better than none at all. Generally speaking it takes three months to for diet and cleansing changes to appear for pregnancy, although you may experience many other health benefits immediately. Ideally you will wait another three months to get pregnant because the egg that drops in any given month was selected three months prior to the ovulation.

In other words if you are trying to get pregnant, do not lose hope during this process. Its not easy and certainly does not happen overnight but it is so very worth it in the long run.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/aussiegold/477856843/

What is EFT:
EFT is short for emotional freedom technique. It is disarmingly easy to perform on yourself, takes mere minutes and is remarkably effective. This technique is used by countless therapists and natural health advocates such as Kevin Trudeau and Dr. Mercola.

EFT is very similar to acupuncture or acupressure except that you perform it on yourself while addressing emotional issues. To perform EFT, you simply tap specific points of your body with your own fingertips while you recite a mantra. These are powerful energy points and most people are literally amazed at the immediate difference they feel when first practicing EFT.

How Can EFT help with infertility?
There are a number of underlying emotional issues that may impact a couple’s ability to conceive. In many cases it is a fear based issue, such as fear of becoming a mother, fear of repeating the mistakes of your own parents or fear of childbirth.

In addition, the stress associated with infertility and its treatments can compound problems leading to further trouble conceiving. EFT can address these underlying issues allowing your body to do its job without the extra burden of psychological stress, which could subconsciously be preventing conception.

According to and article about infertility and EFT at emaxhealth.com, “EFT targets a person’s disrupted energy meridian system (Chi or Qi) as the real driver behind heightened stress levels, and the inability to conceive. This simple do-it-yourself acupressure technique balances one’s energy and eliminates the body and mind’s stress response. EFT claims an 80% success rate.”

“EFT targets a person’s disrupted energy meridian system (Chi or Qi) as the real driver behind heightened stress levels, and the inability to conceive.”

How to do EFT
While EFT is very easy to learn and practice, the easiest way to learn is often from watching a video. There are plenty of introductory videos, like this one on YouTube and other video websites which you can watch in 5 minutes and understand the basics of EFT. It is tremendously helpful to watch someone else doing EFT on themselves before you do it on yourself initially.

In the video, you will see that there are a number of points on your hand, head, face and body that you will tap repeatedly while you repeat a mantra. Use two hands on the points which have two sides, such as your eyes and one hand on single points, such as under your nose. The following points are the most common used in EFT:

1. The “karate chop point” on the outside of your hand slightly below your pinky
2. The crown of your head
3. At the inside of your eyebrow
4. Near the outside of your eyebrow, near your temple
5. Under your eye where the eye socket begins
6. Directly under the nose
7. The center of your chin
8. Your collarbone
9. A few inches under your underarm
10. Tap your tongue to your palette (although you cannot recite your mantra during this step)

The most important step of EFT is identifying your underlying concern, fear or issue. This may take some work and many people find that they need a therapist or counselor to identify their concerns. Once you identify your fear or issue, you need to break it down into a 2-5 word phrase. Once the phrase is broken down, you insert it into the following sentence and it becomes your EFT mantra.

“Even though I ___________________, I completely and deeply love and accept myself.”

“Even though I ___________________, I completely and deeply love and accept myself.”

If you determine that you have an underlying fear of childbirth for example, you may repeat the following while you tap, “Even though I am terrified of childbirth, I am completely and deeply love and accept myself.” Here are some sample phrases that have helped other women overcome emotional issues related to conception and may help you identify your own issues which in turn may allow you to relax enough to become pregnant:

1. Fear of Childbirth
“Even though I am terrified of giving birth again, I understand and love myself”
“Even though I’m stuck in my fear of panic at birth and it blocks conception, I really love and accept myself.”

2. Fear that you won’t become a Mother
“Even though I am petrified with fear that I will never get to experience pregnancy….”
“Even though I am terrified that this life dream of mine won’t come true…”
“Even though I am scared because I have done all I know how to do and I am still not pregnant…”

3. Fear of Parenting
“Even though I have this fear of not being a good mother…”
“Even though I cannot see myself with another baby…”
“Even though I am afraid of making the same mistakes my parents made….”

4. Anger at your body
Even though I am angry at my body for failing me….”
“Even though my love making has become a means to an end…”
“Even though our love making seems mechanical now….”

5. Anger at the doctors and infertility treatments
“Even though the doctors wasted the best years of my fertility because they didn’t know what they were doing….”
“Even though I am afraid that we will have a mountain of debt and STILL not be parents…”

6. Anger at your friends and family because they don’t understand
“Even though my family ridicules me because I won’t go to the baby shower…..”
“Even though I can’t forgive my sister for being so insensitive…….”

7.Other Emotions
“Even though I feel completely isolated and alone….”
“Even though I don’t feel like I fit in with my friends anymore….”
Even though I’ve lived life by all the “rules” and I am angry that I can’t get what I want…..”
Even though I am feeling guilty that I should have started my family earlier….”
Even though I have this guilt about leaving my father when he was sick…”

8.Fear of EFT or the intangible
“Even though I worry my birth fear wasn’t the problem in preventing conception….”
“Even though there is just one slight niggle and I don’t know what it is, I feel good about myself”
“Even though I don’t know if EFT will work for me …..”

These are just sample phrases to get you started. They may or may not be applicable to your underlying issues. Sometimes it takes multiple phrases to find the one that resonates with you. While EFT cannot magically cure all cases of infertility, specifically ones with an incurable physical cause, EFT can almost always help resolve the underlying emotional issues from both your past and those related to the infertility treatments themselves.

More resources:
The EFT Manual
Free EFT manual
Study Links Stress to Infertility
EFT for Fertility
Emofree.com