• 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

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.

Click here to read the full article

“Symptoms of endometriosis are now cropping up in girls as young as twelve, in some cases even younger. Up to 47% of adolescent females with pelvic pain are suffering from endometriosis. It can be hard to spot in an adult woman but it is even more difficult in a pre-adolescent because the pediatrician may not know the signs or be on the look out for the disease.”
Click here to read the full article at www.cbs5.com

It is absolutely tragic that this article is recommending surgery for these poor young girls when there are other effective and natural solutions. Surgery may ease the frustrating and painful symptoms of endometriosis but it will not get to the root cause of the disease. Endometriosis can be very responsive to changes in diet. Some basic changes (which all involve eliminating estrogen mimics from your diet) you can try before resorting to surgery are:

• Eliminate red meat
• Eliminate soy and all soy products
• Switch to organic (or eliminate) poultry & dairy (this is critical as the hormones in traditionally raised animal products can exacerbate your endometriosis)
• Never use plastic food containers or plastic wraps(especially in the microwave)
• Get plenty of Omega-3 from flaxseeds, flaxseed oil or walnuts

These dietary changes are just a start but they might make enough of a difference to get all thoughts of surgery out of your head. Some experts recommend simply following an anti-Candida diet because it closely resembles and anti-endometriosis diet. Other women have reported great success with acupuncture and chiropractic visits.

Visit the following links to learn more about the endometriosis - diet connection at:
www.endo-resolved.com
www.womens-health.com

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) — Why has infertility increased over the last decade, despite a proliferation of fertility clinics and alternative options? Is it simply that couples wait longer to start families, or is there more to it than that?

There are many fertility routes available today for couples trying to conceive a baby. More couples than ever utilize an array of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), both with and without complementary or alternative support. Other couples are trying to overcome medical limitations of various kinds that appear to be interfering with successful pregnancy. Despite this, a surprising number of couples are suffering because of having been told they have an unexplained fertility problem. What’s more, trying to conceive can be an expensive venture. It is therefore vital to optimize the chances of success, especially because conception assistance programs may not have anywhere near as high a success rate as hoped.

Everyone trying to conceive falls on a spectrum of life energy and intention energy that is somewhere between fertility and infertility. Knowing where one is on that spectrum is crucial. Even though highly experienced fertility doctors and practitioners are aware of this, most rarely assess or sufficiently treat this key fertility factor.

According to Laurie Morse and David Gruder, the developers of the My Fertility Success program, “Teaching women and couples where their energy falls on the fertility-to-infertility spectrum could be an important missing link in their fertility journey.” The step-by- step approach of the My Fertility Success program provides those trying to conceive with a powerful understanding of the difference between “infertility energy” and “fertility energy.” Specific exercises are then utilized to move toward fertility on the spectrum. Says Morse, “This approach appears to dramatically optimize the chances of successful conception and birth, no matter what technologies and/or alternative methods a woman or couple utilizes.”

Laurie Morse, L.Ac. is the director of Holistic Health Services in San Diego, CA. She has a Master’s degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. A licensed, board certified Acupuncturist, she possesses a rich knowledge of Chinese & Energy Medicine. She has specialized in fertility issues for over a decade.

David Gruder, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and the Executive Director of Willingness Works in Del Mar, CA. He was the Founding President of the International Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology and the principle author of the two-award winning book, Sensible Self Help.

Morse and Gruder are passionate about showing women and couples how to take personal responsibility for their fertility energy in ways that promote successful conception and birth.

For Information:
www.MyFertilitySuccess.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/zmte/2669481119/

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.

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