• 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

Exposure to Viagra…. caused a premature acrosome reaction. Acrosomes are structures that cover the head of the sperm and contain a variety of enzymes that help the sperm penetrate the outer membrane of the egg.”

Click here to read the full story at www.timesofindia.com

This article may be of no interest to a man of advancing years who trying to keep up with his midlife crisis girlfriend that he has no intention of bearing children with. If you are a young, healthy man however, who is using Viagra to spice things up a bit consider this a warning. Sperm are very delicate and any chemical you take intentionally or via your environment has the potential to damage your fertility. Some are more damaging than others and we simply do not know the potential damage caused by others.

The diagnosis of unexplained infertility is such a frustrating diagnosis because even the specialists cannot figure out why a couple cannot conceive. One of the easiest steps to take prior to invasive medical assistance is trying to get the chemicals out of your bodies.

• Stop taking any prescriptions (if you are able) and recreational drugs,
• Eat and drink as organically as possible and thoroughly soak the non-organic produce.
• Only use organic or food grade toiletries, cosmetics, skin and hair care products
• Get a great water and air filter

The intended effect of Viagra may seem like a great fertility booster but clearly hours of sex and optimal fertility are not the same thing. If you are trying to conceive then err on the side of caution and lay off the Viagra.

Infertility causes and treatment can be quite complicated, due to the numerous factors that add up to the achievement of a successful pregnancy. More than 10% of couples do not achieve this much wanted pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected sex and trying very hard to conceive. This, in most cases is because one or more of the factors necessary for conception is absent or malfunctioning.

The factors vital for conception include:

- Adequate and viral sperm from the male partner

- Appropriate frequency of sexual intercourse around the woman’s ovulation time

- Optimally free passageway for the eggs to travel down the fallopian tube, meet with sperm coming up the tube and then fertilization

- Appropriate and timely transportation of the product of fertilization down to the uterus for implantation and development

- Adequately free passageway for the sperm to get through the cervix into the uterus, so they can swim up into the fallopian tube to meet and fertilize the female egg

- Healthy and sound uterine cavity with adequate uterine lining conducive to implantation and development of the pregnancy

In evaluating infertility, therefore, or in assessing a couple’s chances at conception, we can sub divide the factors vital for achieving conception as thus:

• Male Factor (Sperm count and quality)
• Ovarian factor (ovulation frequency and regularity)
• Tubal factor (free and clear passage to egg and sperm)
• Cervical factor (clear passage to sperm from the vagina)
• Uterine factor (adequate space and tissue for the fertilized egg to implant and grow)

Male Factor
The male factor accounts for 40-50% of infertility problems. Out of this amount only about 10-20% of men have no mature, motile sperm at all (azoospermia). The others only happen to have low counts or a fewer number of normal shaped, mature and motile sperm cells compared to other fertile men. In normal conditions, an absolute sperm count of 16 million is perfect, while a count of less than 5 million almost always result in sterility. Counts between 5 and 16 can in most cases be overcome with infertility treatments.

Ovarian Factor
Women who do not produce eggs each month or those who only produce eggs every 2-3 months will have problems getting pregnant. The most common causes of annovulation (menses without ovulation) or irregular menses are; Polycystic Ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition where follicles mature, but the eggs are arrested and not released and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, which is like a stress or medication induced lack of ovulation. There are other medical conditions that can cause lack of ovulation, but these occur only in rare occasions. Ovarian factor problems are usually treated with fertility pills (e.g. clomiphene citrate) or medications like gonadotropins.

Intercourse around Ovulation Time
Women with a regular menstrual cycle can always predict their ovulation time. Ovulation occurs midway between the onset of the last menses and the beginning of the next one. Even for women with an irregular menstrual cycle, there are several ovulation predictions kits out there that can provide clues as to when your ovulation occurs. Intercourse should be more frequent around this period, with a frequency of at least, every other day. Therefore, for a 28 day cycle, ovulation will probably occur on day 14, days 11, 13, 15 and 17 should not be missed.

Tubal Factor
The fallopian tubes also constitute a vital actor in conception. The tubes must be free and clear to sweep up eggs that have been ovulated, free and no obstruction to the passage of egg and sperm. Fertilization takes place in the tubes and it is also important that the tubes transport the product of fertilization to the uterine cavity on time for implantation and growth. Pelvic surgery, past ruptured ovarian cyst, past pelvic infections and endometriosis are all conditions that can affect the ability of the tube to sweep up ovulated egg. PID can also produce scarring inside the tube that prevents passageway for ovum.

Uterine Factor
The uterus is the final home of the fertilized ovum and where implantation and growth to full term occurs. Any condition that affects or alters the amount of space or shape of the surface area inside the uterus or disturbs the hormonal sequence that prepares the lining of the uterus for conception may impair fertility. Conditions like fibroids, polyps, congenital anomalies of the uterus or past scarring due to surgery or infection will alter the shape and surface area of the endometrium and in turn fertility. Also, malfunctioning of the corpus luteum may hormonally retard the lining of the uterus and its readiness for implantation.

Cervical Factor
Under most conditions, the cervix does not constitute a factor in infertility, except when the cervical mucous glands have been destroyed during some procedures like Cervical Cryosurgery, conization LEEP etc. The cervical mucous glands act as a storage for sperm cells, so they can ’shower’ the uterus and the uterine tube with sperms in order not to miss ovulation. The frequency of intercourse may need to be increased to achieve conception if these glands have been destroyed.

Author: Michael Russell
About the author: Your Independent guide to Infertility

Dr Judy Ford has released a new E-Book “Making Love and Babies”. Her work with couples has shown that more than 50% of infertile couples have infrequent sex. Her book explores the reasons and helps couples to address the various issues.

Adelaide, South Australia (PRWEB) — An e-book “Making Love and Babies” written by infertility expert, geneticist Dr. Judy Ford, is available on theweb-site http://www.drjudyford.com/Making_Love.shtml.

Many people would think it obvious that couples need to make love in order to conceive naturally. Obvious perhaps, but Dr Ford’s work with hundreds of couples shows that more than 50% of infertile couples are intimate less than once a week. About 30% have sex only once a month in order to try to conceive. So she asked why is this so and what can be done about it?

In this helpful book, Dr Ford explores the reasons for the low level of intimacy. There are many reasons found including age, the length of the relationship before deciding to have children, stress, business pressures, several different types of emotional problems and poor sexual technique. There are also effects of reduced fertility itself and Dr Ford lists a number of simple lifestyle changes that can vastly increase fertility.

The book encourages couples to throw away the thermometer and ovulation monitors and learn how to make time for and enjoy great sexual encounters. It gets down to the nitty gritty as it explains the role of orgasm in fertility and shows how some common sexual practices could be inhibiting conceptual success.

This is a book about loving relationships. It has many words of wisdom that would benefit most couples, even those who have had their families or who don’t wish to conceive. It has lots of practical and helpful advice for many couples who have been having problems.

Counselling and Consulting services are also offered at http://www.drjudyford.com

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/

How can women over 35 reduce the time to conceive or identify fertility problems early? Using Ovusoft Fertility Planning software, which will assist you in fully understanding your body and its natural cycles.

Had I known or cared at 20 or even 30 that one day my hormones would one day rage and I would actually want a child in my 40’s, would I have done anything differently?

Actually no. I never wanted children, so I planned my life and my career without them, even now with a loud ticking clock and 41 years old I am still not rushing to get pregnant. Despite the all of the recent news about age related infertility, I will do this on my terms or not all.

Recent books (i.e. Creating a Life by Sylvia Hewlett) have created a huge controversy about this “career vs. family” issue and the latest studies note this alarming trend but paradoxically don’t offer any suggestions for increasing the chances of those of us who are already “older”. They simply suggested that women start earlier.

I know that with advancing age my fertility is declining, you only have to look in the mirror to see that you are not as lovely as you were in your 20’s or 30’s, so it stands to reason that in your 40’s our eggs will be equally as old. Unlike men who reproduce fresh sperm approximately every 3 months, my eggs were with me at birth, and have lived my life. Additionally fertile cervical fluid declines with age and sperm survival will depend upon the state of the cervical fluid and how close a woman is to ovulation.

Should I look to the past to gain an idea of my fertile future? My mother and her mother both had children in their early 20’s with no difficulty and went through the menopause in their 50’s. On my fathers side going back 7 generations, nearly all of them had their first child during their 20’s, and with the exception of one, all went on to have children into their 40’s.

Despite the trend for women to have children later, figures published by the ONS for 2000 shows that of the 766,000 conceptions, the highest percentage was 25-29 age group (27%) followed by the 30-34 age group (25%). The data shows that women were still most likely to conceive in their twenties, with 748.8 conceptions for every 1,000 women, compared to 421.4 for women in their 30’s.

The statistics published by the ONS are equally interesting. The number of live births per 1000 women, from 1981 to 1998 for women:-

Under 20 rose by 11%
20-24 dropped by 31%
25 – 29 dropped by 22%
30-34 rose by 29%
35-39 rose by 82%
40 + rose by 60%

Like me, everyone knows someone who has had a baby in her 40s. There is the constant stream of celebrities who have had babies later on, Madonna had Lourdes at 38 and Rocco at 42, Emma Thompson was 40 with Gaia, Kim Basinger 42 with Ireland and Geena Davis 46 with her first child. Is it that we are simply so much healthier than our grandmothers’ generation, or that, we have forgotten that our reproductive life is just the same as it was all those years ago.

Many infertile couples are prepared to undergo enormous sacrifices, to produce a child, when nature has made it almost impossible. For me, should I be unable to get pregnant ‘normally’ I will not even consider Assisted Reproductive Technologies. This is because as women grow older, the success rates of IVF procedures drop with each ensuing month along with the high cost and stress.

Luckily, there is something for couples like me, which can cut the time to conceive in half and identify possible fertility problems early in the process of trying to get pregnant. We can practice the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) – a scientifically validated, natural form of pregnancy achievement and/or contraception.

Fertility Awareness is the charting and interpretation (either manually, or using an FDA-approved software application) of body signs, like waking temperature and cervical fluid. Toni Weschler, M.P.H., a nationally recognized women’s health educator, popularizes this method in her best-selling book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility and in Ovusoft Fertility Planning Software the first FDA-approved software to automate the Fertility Awareness Method, which was developed by Weschler in conjunction with Ovusoft, LLC.

How Ovusoft software works:

Ovusoft puts couples in charge by providing the tools for pregnancy achievement without the use of drugs or hormones. By simply taking her daily waking temperature (basal body temperature) and checking her cervical fluid, a woman can use Ovusoft software to determine her short window of fertility during which she can conceive. In addition, the results of other fertility products, such as BabyStart Home Fertility Test kit for couples, (comprising a ovulation test kit for her and a home sperm count test for him) can be incorporated into the Ovusoft analysis. The program’s “Fertility Advisor” feature tells a woman, in plain language, exactly what is happening in her body each day of her cycle and advises her on what she should be doing to monitor her fertility. And in this way you can let nature takes its course or try to select the sex of your baby.

Purchase Ovusoft

Couples facing infertility typically have a million questions.Although the vast majority of them – from which drugs and therapies work best to what kind of undergarments the “dad-to-be” should be wearing – are asked and answered with compassion and professionalism, here are also questions that often don’t get answered. Either no one can work up the courage to ask them, or because they just don’t seem relevant to conception.

“Despite the fact that infertility treatment is so closely linked to sexuality, this aspect of a couple’s life is often very uncomfortable for them to discuss,” explains Dr. Mark Leondires, M.D., Medical Director at Reproductive Medicine Associates of CT, and a leading authority on reproductive medicine. “We find that it’s the more personal questions involving a couple’s unique sexual practices or other habits that are more likely to go unasked…and unanswered,” Dr. Leondires adds. The most embarrassing questions can be the most important ones.

According to Dr. Leondires, some of these uncomfortable questions need to be asked, because the answers can hold the key to helping couples achieve a healthy pregnancy more quickly. “Sometimes it’s the activity in question itself that should be modified or stopped in order to better the couple’schances for pregnancy,” Dr. Leondires notes. His list of straight answers
to infertility’s most uncomfortable questions includes:

1.QUESTION: Does having an orgasm help you to get pregnant?
ANSWER: “Not necessarily. During normal intercourse, the ejaculate fluid in which the sperm travel through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes is usually effective at doing its job. However, the uterine contractions that occur during orgasm may help or hinder the process, depending upon the direction of those contractions while the sperm is en route.”

2.QUESTION: Should we have to have sex every day while I’m trying to get pregnant?
ANSWER: “No. It can take up to 48-72 hours for a man’s sperm count to replenish after an ejaculation, having intercourse every day can actually decrease your chance of pregnancy. It is only important to have intercourse around your ovulatory phase for you to achieve pregnancy. For most women this occurs during the middle of the menstrual cycle, but you can confirm this using an over-the-counter ovulation predictor kit, or by charting your basal body temperature (BBT).”

3. QUESTION: I get my period regularly, so I must be ovulating and fertile…right?
ANSWER: “if you are in the 90+% of women who have regular, ovulatory cycles. However, having a regular period that is anovulatory – meaning no ovulation occurs – is not completely uncommon. Again, to confirm ovulation you can use an OTC ovulation prediction kit or by tracking your BBT.”

4.QUESTION: Should I try to stop the sperm from leaking out after sex? If so, for how long?
ANSWER: “It may provide some benefit. What you are feeling is actually the ejaculate fluid. This fluid contains protective agents that support the sperm’s survival as it travels through the vagina. The ejaculate will break down and release the sperm in about 30 minutes after ejaculation. For this reason, it may be a good idea to remain reclined on your back with a pillow under your hips if it’s comfortable, for 30-45 minutes following intercourse.”

5.QUESTION: I think my husband masturbates sometimes. Should he stop while we’re trying to conceive?
ANSWER: “He should certainly try to modify the practice. While it is very normal for men to masturbate, a man’s sperm count will decrease with each ejaculation. In general, an optimal sperm count usually is achieved after about three days of abstinence. So, masturbation is not recommended for the three days prior to the beginning of your ovulatory phase. Also, if you are having fertility concerns, your partner should have a semen analysis.”

6.QUESTION: Is it okay to diet while trying to get pregnant? Is it safe to cut out Carbs?
ANSWER: “Some women have difficulty discussing dietary habits with their infertility doctors, sometimes because they fear that their weight is a contributing factor to their difficulty conceiving. Women of all shapes and sizes can achieve pregnancy. Of course, if your ‘biological clock’ permits, it is a better bet to attain a healthy weight prior to pregnancy. But in general, it’s
safe to try to lose weight at the same time you are trying to achieve pregnancy. However, it is unsafe to diet while trying to conceive or while pregnant if you are already underweight and have abnormal menstrual cycles. Remember, it is recommended that most women attempting pregnancy eat a healthy diet, which includes consuming at least 20% carbohydrates. Pregnant women should also consume adequate amounts of folic acid, calcium and iron. While you can increase your dietary intake of these crucial vitamins and minerals, the easiest way to ensure you’re getting enough of them is to take a daily prenatal supplement.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ASKING
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), about 10% of Americans of childbearing age experience infertility – defined as the inability to achieve and maintain a full-term pregnancy after one year of trying. The diagnosis is often devastating and stressful for both partners, Dr. Leondires notes. “The process of coping with – and receiving treatment for
– infertility is a sensitive and intimate one.” He adds, “However, because patients and practitioners are on the same team, and share the same goal of achieving a healthy, full-term pregnancy, it’s critical that patients find a doctor with whom they can frankly discuss issues and ask questions.

“A knowledgeable, well-trained, expert physician is most important, but so is a compassionate, caring advocate. The best infertility specialists are both,” Dr. Leondires adds.“We find that it’s the more personal questions involving a couple’s unique sexual practices or other habits that are more likely to go unasked…and unanswered,”

Bio:
Dr. Mark P. Leondires, M.D., FACOG, is a leading authority on reproductive medicine. Dr. Leondires is board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He is a member of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Leondires earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. Dr. Leondires completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

After completion of his training, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as the ART Director for the largest and most successful program in the military health care system at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. During this time he was an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and clinical faculty for the Combined Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology. Dr. Leondires is currently Medical Director and lead physician with Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMA-CT) in Norwalk.

Along with numerous teaching and research activities, Dr. Leondires has published articles in professional medical journals, national consumer magazines and newspapers, as well as abstracts and book chapters. More information about Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut is available at www.rmact.com.

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Most couples desire to have a child after a few years of marriage. And nothing is more frustrating than not being able to accomplish what you really yearn for. In this case, infertility that causes a reduced capacity to conceive can be extremely stressful and unnerving.

Infertility should not be confused with sterility, which occurs when the eggs or the sperm are not fertile and incapable of producing offspring. Infertility is diagnosed if conception does not take place after a year of unprotected intercourse. Even if infertility is diagnosed, there is not reason to fret or get agitated about the condition. Modern science has developed various treatments that can ensure conception even in couples that are infertile.

The first approach to infertility should be to try to maximize fertility because only a small number of cases require medical or surgical treatments. There are various conditions that can cause infertility that range from stress and anxiety to physiological disorders. Fertility levels can be increased by ensuring that certain aspects of your life are kept under control and managed well. While there is no guarantee on the effectiveness of these suggestions they do not have any side effects. In fact, they are practices that will ensure that you stay healthy and fit regardless of your conception status.

Get the timing right
Make use of tools available for calculating the days when you will be most fertile. This can be done by observing your menstrual cycle for a few months and then arriving at the days when you are most likely to conceive. However, if your cycle is more than 35 days or less than 21 days, this option may not be able to provide accurate days on which you should have sex with your partner.

Manage your diet better
Though no specific food will increase fertility per se, eating healthy can keep your weight under control. This is important since it has been researched and observed that about 12% of the infertility cases result from obesity or undernourishment. Start eating fruits instead of dessert, reducing or eliminate the intake of alcohol, quit smoking and reduce your caffeine intake. Make sure that you don’t end up losing weight if you are already undernourished. But this does not mean that you fill yourself with junk food either. It is eating right that matters!

Exercise each day
Estrogen is a hormone that can affect fertility levels. And 30% of the estrogen comes from fat cells. It is therefore, natural that excess or inadequate levels of estrogen can cause hormonal imbalances that can result in infertility. Moderate levels of exercise should be maintained to ensure that excess fat is burned off. Even if you are not overweight, exercising can keep you fit and stress-free, increasing your chances of conception further.

Learn to relax
Relaxing and not worrying about conception is easier said than done. Many couples have conceived after relaxing and giving up on the idea of having children altogether! You could put in effort to relax by enrolling in a yoga or meditation class. Alternately, you could evaluate training in breathing exercises, muscle relaxation and the like. Though stress does not cause infertility, stress can rob the body of essential nutrients, harm the immune system and cause depression.

Choose the right sexual positions
The chances of conceiving are best when the sperm is deposited closest to the cervix. Though this is not so important in fertile women, those who have issues with conception could do well to ensure that the sperm does land closer to the cervix. Avoid positions like sitting, standing or the woman on top. Attempts should be made to reduce the amount of sperm that leaks out after the intercourse and you could do this by positioning the woman’s hip in a manner that allows the sperm to travel inwards. The missionary position allows the deepest penetration and places the sperm closest to the cervix. Additionally, a pillow can be kept under the woman’s hip after intercourse to allow time for the sperm to reach the cervix. Entering from behind can also prove to be a good position that can enhance chances of conception. The side position is also an option.

About the author:

Fertility Facts http://www.fertilityfacts.org/ offers extensive articles and resources on fertility, infertility, treatments and pregnancy etc

Buy the Book: Enhancing Fertility
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“Peruvians claim that Maca improves memory, combats anemia, and fights depression. Some researchers note that when the body is well-nourished, libido rises and depression abates; Maca’s nutrient value could explain some of these purported actions. The root, which tastes like butterscotch when it’s roasted like a potato, can also be prepared into jam, broth, puddings, and juices, and contains five times more protein than a potato, four times more fiber, and less fat. It contains linoleic and oleic oils (two types of essential fatty acids) and essential amino acids.” Macaperu.com

By: Jacky

The South American country of Peru is home to numerous beneficial plants, including Maca, a legendary sex-enhancing root passed down from the Inca. I’d heard about Maca for years. It has been dubbed “Peruvian ginseng,” even though it bears no relation to ginseng. But like ginseng, the plant is employed to increase strength, energy, stamina, libido and sexual function, a winning combination of health benefits if there ever was one.

To investigate Maca’s health benefits and understand the role that Maca plays in Peruvian culture, my wife and I headed down to Peru to explore the Maca trail. In the process we met with Maca traders, growers and scientists, and came back tremendously impressed by this plant, which is now available as a supplement in U.S. health food stores.

What is Maca? Maca, Lepidium meyenii, is an annual plant which produces a radish-like root. The root of maca is typically dried and stored, and will easily keep for seven years. The plant is cultivated in the Junin plateau of Peru’s Central Highlands, and was highly revered by the Inca.

During the height of the Incan empire, legend has it that Incan warriors would consume Maca before entering into battle. This would make them fiercely strong. But after conquering a city the Incan soldiers were prohibited from using Maca, to protect the conquered women from their powerful sexual impulses. Thus as far back as 500 years ago, Maca’s reputation for enhancing strength, libido and fertility was already well established in Peru.

“MACA has been known to increase a women’s ability to conceive rather dramatically. This happens because of MACA’s ability to promote the production of the Luteneinizing Hormone (LH). The LH causes ovulation. MACA has also been shown to increase sperm counts in men. Research studies on animals were conducted by Dr. Gloria Chacon de Popovici and Dr. Freddy Madrid Gironda with extremely successful results in almost all cases! (These studies will be published sometime later on this year.)” - macaperu.com

Today, Maca’s popularity is very much on the increase, as people discover that the plant really does boost libido, sexual function and overall energy. Acreage in Peru dedicated to Maca cultivation is increasing every year to meet demand, and a number of scientists have turned their attention to the properties of the root. In Peru, Maca is used by men and by women who want to put more fire into their sex lives. And in the U.S., Europe and Japan, dietary supplements containing Maca are gaining ardent devotees.

Maca Nutrition: What natural ingredients in Maca promote its reputed sex-enhancing effects? In-depth analysis of maca conducted in 1998 by Dr. Qun Yi Zheng and his colleagues at PureWorld Botanicals shows that maca contains about 10 percent protein, almost 60 percent carbohydrate, and an assortment of fatty acids. These ingredients are common and nothing special. But the investigators also discovered two groups of novel compounds, the macamidesmacaenes. These agents are believed to be directly responsible for Maca’s sex-boosting powers.

“Pregnancy demands extra nutrients for a healthy baby. Unfortunately, many of today’s women are overworked, stressed and/or have a long history of taking the Birth Control Pill find that their fertility is compromised. Eating Maca Powder can be an affordable, excellent nutritional addition to every womans diet. Peruvian women start to take maca at the age of three, then gradually include it as a staple part of their diet. They are fertile well into later life.” menstruation.com.au
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No one should have to go through the emotional suffering that comes with not being able to have a baby. The only emotional pain that can top it, is not having options or things to try because the doctor doesn’t know what it wrong. This situation is called unexplained infertility, and it happens more often then you would think.

How can the doctor not know what is wrong? That question is always ringing through the minds of those who have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. When you go to a doctor with an infertility problem the doctor runs a myriad of tests which test both the male and female reproductive system. In some cases the tests won’t show any abnormalities, or signs that anything is wrong. This is when a doctor will diagnose a couple with unexplained infertility.

Unexplained infertility can be more emotionally stressing and frustrating than it would be if the cause of the infertility is known. This is because when you know the cause of the problem; you know how to start fixing it. When you don’t know what is wrong, the options seem few and far between. You don’t know where to start looking for answers.

The truth is, there are limited options when faced with unexplained infertility. One thing you can do is get a second opinion. Ask the new doctor to repeat the tests, or if there are any other tests they could perform. If the tests come back with the same results, you should start looking at herbal remedies or alternative medicine. There herbal remedies will increase sexual libido, the immune system and fertility of both partners.

When you think about it, unexplained fertility means that there is medically nothing wrong with you. There should be no reason why you are not able to conceive, so this leaves you with a few more options. These options are a more high tech solution such as GIFT, IVF, ZIFT, etc.

There are minimal problems that can occur in this field and there is a high success rate for those with unexplained fertility. This is because the medicine and procedures are meant to assist in the fertilization of the egg. This process in fertilization is one of the hardest for women to achieve, and if they are assisted there, there is a good chance that they will do well the rest of the pregnancy.

About the author:
Get up to date and proven fertility advice and helpful pregnancy tips at http://fertility-help.com/

Sheryl’s comment:
Unexplained infertility, while frustrating, can actually be encouraging because your chances of conceiving can still be higher than if you have a diagnosed condition. If you are diagnosed with unexplained infertility then try these before resorting to IVF or other potentially unnecessary, expensive and invasive procedures:

• Go to Skin Deep and check all your cosmetics, hair, and skin products for reproductive toxicity
• Switch to safe beauty products (your man too) Be especially wary of parabens
• Eat tons of organic fruits and veggies
• Commercially raised animal products are loaded with hormones (among other things)so it is especially important to only consume organic chicken, beef and eggs
• Drink tons of water and green tea
• Try to stop using your microwave altogether but if you can’t manage that, never microwave food in plastic containers, and never ever microwave food covered in plastic wrap
• Only consume organic food and drink
• Either take a prenatal vitamin or a great fertility supplement
• Visit the chiropractor
• Visit the acupuncturist
• Visit a reflexologist
• Visit a masseuse (use Aromatherapy for fertility)
• Try a detox/cleansing to give your pelvic cavity plenty of room
• Take a long walk every day
• Get some bright sunlight every day - Use a UV lamp if you are in a northern climate during the winter, or take a tropical vacation
• Sleep in total darkness, except the three days surrounding ovulation (or the full moon if you would like to synchronize with nature)
• Try not to stress about the timing and charting, just make love every day during the middle of your cycle, that way there will always be sperm ready and waiting (missionary position is best - try to lounge for awhile before getting up)
• Start a daily yoga practice (especially yoga for fertility)
• Do daily deep breathing exercises or meditation
• Seek counseling for unresolved emotional issues or childhood trauma
• Try the Conception Cap