Natural Female Infertility Cures

Pregnancy Tests Bulk

2011-08-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

I still remember when I first learned that I could order pregnancy tests in bulk over the internet. I had been spending large sums of money on home pregnancy tests from the grocery store. I estimate that I spent over $1000 just on pregnancy tests over a period of a few years! By purchasing in bulk, I went from spending around $40 per month on pregnancy tests to less than $5. That is quite a savings!

You can buy home pregnancy tests in bulk quantities for as little as $0.38 each! So, an order for 100 of them would cost less than $40. Considering that a two pack of pregnancy tests will run you about $15 in the grocery store, it is so worth it to order them in bulk.

Another plus to ordering pregnancy tests in bulk is the fact that you can test as many times per day as you want! When I was neck deep in my infertility crisis I felt compelled to repeatedly test for pregnancy for a good week before my period. This happened every month. I actually kept most of my home pregnancy tests each month, and arranged them in order in a drawer. This may sound disgusting, but I wanted desperately to be able to see the very moment that I was able to turn a pregnancy test positive, and then be able to witness my HCG level rising with darker test lines.

I don't really advocate the obsessive compulsive approach to home pregnancy tests, but realistically countless women are spending loads of money on tests from the grocery store as I was. It just makes economic sense to purchase your pregnancy tests in bulk and save a ton of money!

The company that I chose to order my home pregnancy tests from is called TestCountry.com, You can also order pregnancy tests from sites like ebay. However, some of the reviews I read from women that purchased their tests from ebay were not that great. You just never know what you are going to get when you buy from ebay as so many of what gets sold there is being imported from places like China, where there is no regulation of health products. At least with TestCountry.com you are assured of getting quality bulk home pregnancy tests that other women have tried and reported as reliable.

Other fertility products sold in bulk by TestCountry.com are:

Ovulation Predictor Tests

Home Sperm Count Test

Menopause Test

While I personally didn't worry about early menopause when trying to get pregnant, since my periods were very regular and I had good hormone levels, this is a problem for a certain percentage of women trying to conceive. Likewise, my husband had a sperm analysis done by my OB, but I absolutely would have purchased the sperm count test if I had known about it!

So whatever your particular testing needs are, pregnancy tests, ovulation tests, menopause tests, and sperm tests can all be purchased in bulk from TestCountry.com for a massive discount!

Good luck in your trying to conceive adventure!

Fertility Issues: Why I Don't Regret Them

2011-07-26T16:36:00.001-07:00

After struggling with fertility issues for a full three years, I chose to have in vitro fertilization (IVF). When I first learned that I was carrying twins as a result of my very first IVF cycle, I was ecstatic. In spite of my fertility issues, I was going to have two babies! It seemed that there couldn't have been a better outcome.

My morning sickness and fatigue were severe, which my doctor said was due to my carrying twins. I was also diagnosed with anemia in my first trimester. At only 13 weeks, I began to have regular contractions as well as some intermittent spotting. My doctor chose to put me on disability for the rest of my pregnancy and told me to take it easy as much as possible.

At 22 weeks pregnant, I developed gestational diabetes and started on a special diet prescribed by my doctor to control my blood sugar. My hips began to hurt really badly and it was hard to walk and sleep. Again, my doctor attributed this to carrying twins. I figured that I was tough enough to endure it, since I had already survived my fertility issues.

At 24 weeks, I went on bed rest because I was experiencing increasing contractions. One week after that, I passed a large amount of mucus and some blood while I was using the bathroom. I tried to convince myself that it was nothing serious. I was wrong. Twelve hours later, an ambulance brought me to the UCSF Medical Center where I gave birth to my twin daughters. They each weighed only one pound, seven ounces.

One of my daughters passed away at only 7 days old. It was the most painful moment of my entire life, and for a brief period, I wondered if I would ever be okay again. However, I now had one living daughter to attend to. I spent the next few months focusing my attention on her. She came home when she reached full term, and amazingly, has no lasting health problems from her premature birth.

It would have been easy to let years of fertility issues and the death of my daughter cause permanent emotional damage. However, quite the opposite happened. Since giving birth, I have stopped sweating the small stuff in life; most of the things that I worried about before don't seem to matter anymore. I easily shake off the things that used to bring me down. And the critical voice in my mind that once held me back from really living life to the fullest seems to have vanished. I'm sorry that it took my child's death to cause these changes, but I am grateful that they happened nonetheless. I now have the courage to follow my dreams, and am now halfway done with a degree in photography at age 38.

Most importantly, if it weren't for my fertility issues, my beautiful 2-year-old daughter wouldn't even exist. She is the light of my life, and I would go through all of it again just to have her.

Natural Pregnancy After Infertility

2011-06-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

So, I am truly one of those women now! I am experiencing natural pregnancy after infertility. I didn't think it would ever happen to me, but it did!

My husband and I tried to get pregnant for three full years with no success. After tons of fertility testing, including and HSG and laparoscopy, it was determined that I have one blocked fallopian tube and one tube which was likely narrow and therefore possibly not very functional. The dye spilled very slowly through that tube and it took extra pressure to get spillage.

We had IVF when I was thirty five, and I ended up pregnant with twin girls. Unfortunately, I went into premature labor and gave birth to the twins at only twenty five weeks. One of our daughters didn't make it, and one is still with us and is now two. She spent a full three months in the NICU before she came home. She is doing well now and I would go through that experience all over again just to have her. However, when I was going through it, it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me and there were days that I wondered how I was even still standing.

A full two years have gone by since my daughter's birth and had fully accepted that there was a strong possibility that I would never get pregnant naturally. We talked about dong IVF again "someday" when we could afford it, although being in my late thirties I was coming to grips with the idea of using donor eggs to maximize our chances at IVF.

Several months ago my mind started turning to again trying to conceive naturally, although I swore up and down that I would not lose my mind charting or using OPKs. I would not be anxiously pressuring my husband to have sex if he didn't feel like it just because I was ovulating. I also had reached a point like I mentioned where I was OK with it not working.

So, what I did do was purchase a good infertility hypnosis track for my iPod, a DVD on fertility massage and a three month supply of FertilAid. I have listened to the infertility hypnosis track almost every day for a few months, sometimes letting it auto-repeat as I slept with headphones on. I took FertilAid for only about a month. Seriously, still have a sealed bottle of FertilAid and FertilCM. FertilCM is designed to increase your fertile quality cervical mucus, and I did notice this happen while taking it. I never actually got around to using the DVD on fertility massage.

So, here I am at age thirty eight with a natural pregnancy after infertility! I can't say which product, if any, actually got me pregnant. All I know is that I am. Currently I am about seven weeks along, and have my first prenatal visit next week.

Wish me luck!

Holy Moly I Am Pregnant!

2011-06-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, I just found out about two hours ago that I am pregnant! I have been taking FertilAid for only a short time, and I honestly can't say that this is the reason I am pregnant, especially with the tubal issues.

Something worked though!

I Think I might Be Pregnant!

2011-06-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly...I think I might be pregnant! It is of course premature for me to make any absolute announcement or pronouncement on this, since I haven't even done an HPT yet.

My period is officially more than 2 weeks late, and I have thrown up twice today for no particular reason. I am also crazy thirsty and can't seem to get enough water. I'm on my 3rd liter right now and still feel parched. I don't remember that being an early pregnancy symptom, and off the top of my head, I'm not sure have read that it is. However, it is noticeable today.

I will report more when I know for sure either way. I guess I better get my butt to the store if I really think I might be pregnant!

Stay tuned...

Am I Pregnant Or Is It PMS?

2011-06-16T00:55:00.000-07:00

Am I Pregnant Or Is It PMS? In my case, I think it's PMS once again.
However, having been pregnant on at least two occasions in my life, I can vouch for the fact that it can be really hard to tell the difference in the beginning of pregnancy.

According to all of the Online early pregnancy lists, here are the top ten signs you might be pregnant:

Abdominal bloating

Heightened sensitivity to odors

Nausea or vomiting

Frequent urination

Fatigue

Tender, swollen breasts

A missed period

Implantation bleeding

Your basal body temperature stays high

The proof: A positive home pregnancy test

In a sense, I've experienced all of these except a positive pregnancy test, and not been pregnant! So, symptoms experienced when first pregnant pretty much mimic those experienced during PMS.

I have a strong feeling that I'm about to have a period!

Miracles do happen however...

Foods To Increase Sperm Motility

2011-06-10T04:02:00.000-07:00

While this blog is mostly about natural female infertility cures, I think it's worth mentioning the male side of the equation too.

While much emphasis is placed on the sperm count on its own, this is really only part of the equation. Sperm motility is about the ability of the sperm to move toward the egg. So, it is entirely possible to have a good sperm count, but poor motility. Obviously, this situation results in reduced fertility, and if bad enough, infertility.

There are in fact a number of foods which are reported to increase sperm motility.

Foods which contain zinc, such as turkey, oysters, nuts, red meat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and lamb, can help increase sperm motility. Each time semen is ejaculated there is a loss of zinc, so it makes sense to be conscious of consuming this nutrient.

Vitamin C, E and B12 are thought to increase sperm production in general, so it stands to reason that more sperm can mean more sperm that are motile. Good sources of these nutrients are citrus foods such as oranges, leafy green vegetables, seeds and egg whites.

Making sure to avoid dehydration by drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water per day flushes toxins out of the body, and allows for thinner semen for sperm to swim in.

Finally, foods which contain selenium can be helpful with sperm motility. Many of the foods which are high in zinc, vitamin C, E, and B12 are also high in selenium. So, turkey, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds are good sources.

Foods that should actually be avoided are processed foods of any sort, especially foods made with lots of sugar or white flower. Definitely avoid smoking and excessive drinking as well.

Hopefully I provided a few good foods to increase sperm motility!

Good luck.

IUI vs IVF

2011-06-08T02:18:00.000-07:00

The decision to have IUI vs IVF shoulde mostly depend on your particular fertility diagnosis.

In my case, since I had one open tube (albeit narrow) my regular OB decide to do a few cycles of Clomid with IUI. What great fun this was. Not.

Clomid made me feel awful. I was bloated and emotional for weeks. Also, when my ovulation predictor turned positive and it was time to actually do the IUI, it turned out I was ovulating from the side with the blocked tube. My doctor felt we still had a chance so he performed the procedure. We didn't get pregnant that month and opted to not go through with another IUI.

It was at that point that we chose to be referred to a fertility specialist. She immediately recommended IVF, and felt that our chances of natural conception were slim. She was clearly right, since we had already been trying for three full years. As upsetting as it was to be told this point blank, it was good to hear the truth.

So, if you are considering IUI vs IVF, your situation may be entirely different from ours. IUI does work for many couples, and is much less expensive than IVF.

IVF worked for us on the first try. We were told that we had about a 60% chance of success. Although I had just turned 35 at the time, my antral follicle count showed that I had the ovarian reserve of a female in her 20's. My hormone tests were awesome as well. So, we went through with the IVF process and we conceived not one but two babies. We did lose one of our babies to premature birth however.

Here is a picture of our beautiful two year old daughter conceived via IVF, playing at the park with dad:

Lupron and IVF

2011-06-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

Like everybody who has IVF, I had to give myself Lupron injections for a period of time.

Lupron is used in during IUI and IVF cycles to suppress the pituitary gland. Suppressing the pituitary gland then prevents ovulation from happening prematurely. In essence, your ovaries "go to sleep" on Lupron. Controlling the exact day of ovulation is very important in the IVF process since the eggs need to be harvested at just the right time for there to be a good chance of success.

The crappy part about Lupron is the side effects. It in essence throws you into a temporary "menopausal" state, due to the suppression of estrogen. I felt somewhat awful due to the hot flashes and irritability caused by suddenly losing my estrogen, but I tried to keep telling myself that it was all going to be worth it, which it of course was.

I found that exercise helped me to cope with the side effects of Lupron. My RE wouldn't agree to do IVF unless I was under 180 lbs. When we first started the cycle I weighed like 183 lbs., so I had some pretty intense motivation to start losing some pounds! 3 years later I still weigh 178 lbs. Sigh.

When I was to first begin the Lupron phase of my IVF cycle, I was terrified to give myself injections into the fat of my abdomen. However, the needle was so tiny that it seemed to slip into my skin like butter and I felt very little discomfort. After a few injections I felt pretty calm about giving myself the injections. It was the follistim part of the process that was pretty uncomfortable! More about that in another post however...

Anyway, the side effects are only temporary of course, and I frankly felt worse when I was pregnant! At least I had a baby (actually there were two, but lost one due to premature birth) on the way.

How Much Is IVF?

2011-06-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

How much is IVF? A lot!

Our one IVF cycle was over $12,000. There was no way that we could have paid this amount at the time. Thanks to the loving generosity of my husband's parents, we were able to have IVF and now have a beautiful two year old daughter.

Most infertile couples are simply not going to have this kind of money just laying around, and it's likely that most don't have family that does either.

We checked into getting a fertility loan prior to IVF, which we were actually denied for due to credit issues. However, this is a very good way to pay for IVF for many couples that have decent enough credit.

If you Google the term "IVF loans" about a gazillion websites come up. Also, many fertility clinics have deals with loan companies , which can make the process easier. Ours offered this option to us, and as I mentioned, we didn't qualify.

One of the things that we looked into when we were trying to figure out paying for IVF was going out of the country to have it done.

There are several countries with very respected fertility clinics, which will perform IVF for much cheaper than what you would pay in the US. For example, in India, the cost of IVF is fully 80% lower than in the US. However, with travel costs the grand total could easily match the cost of getting IVF at a fertility clinic in the US. You do get a fun vacation out of it though.

Anyway, once you have asked the question "How much is IVF?" and are able to get over the initial shock, my advice would be to try really hard to think about what the solution is. My initial reaction at hearing that I had to have IVF was complete and utter despair and days of crying. After several days of that I pulled myself up by the emotional bootstraps however and started thinking about how to pay for the procedure. We had a plan in place to work extra hard and save money for a year or so. It was then that my in-laws stepped in to help.

I wish you every success on your ttc journey. If you would like personal support or have any questions about the IVF process from someone who has actually done it, please contact me. I would love to offer any help I can.

Can I Get Pregnant With One Fallopian Tube?

2011-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Can I Get Pregnant With One Fallopian Tube?

This is a question I must have Googled about a thousand times prior to doing IVF. The simple answer to this question is in fact "Yes, you can get pregnant with one fallopian tube".

I was to discover however that the answer to this question is not always so cut and dry. In my case, I did have one open fallopian tube and one closed tube. However, my open tube was considered "narrow" since it took a lot more pressure than normal to cause the dye to spill during my HSG. This left the answer to this questions rather ambiguous, and still does frankly.

According to the statistics I've read, the chance of achieving natural pregnancy at some point with only one open fallopian tube is almost as good as the chance of conceiving with two open tubes. I guess I must be in the rare minority with this one, since it never happened for me. I'm still optimistic that I have a chance however. Miracles do happen every day! Anyway, I sincerely hope that whoever you are, whatever your fertility diagnosis, that you do get to experience your dream of having a baby.

I guess I'm going to digress a bit here, but I do believe in the power of our thoughts and actions attracting things into our life...

If you do have one open fallopian tube you really most likely can get pregnant! Statistics are definitely on your side.

Does FertilAid Work?

2011-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Does FertilAid Work? The short answer...I really don't know!

I just started taking it recently, so I can't vouch for its effectiveness with any personal experience. There are studies out there that show increased pregnancy rates, for some of the ingredients in the female formula. Mainly, the Chasteberry (Vitex) component, but the other ingredients all have some proven effectiveness.

Not all forms of female infertility are really expected to respond to FertilAid, such as tubal infertility, but as far as I'm concerned taking it certainly couldn't hurt! This may not be true if you are currently undergoing IVF however, as the herbs may interfere with the process. I don't know this as a proven fact, but I have read this someplace else and it makes sense to avoid anything that may have unexpected results while undergoing any type of fertility treatment.

There is also a well known published study on the male version of FertilAid which according to the FertilAid website itself, showed:

"Results of the FertilAid for Men study revealed a "significant improvement" in the number of motile sperm, or "total normal sperm motility"... suggesting an increased odds of pregnancy."

In any case, I would always try and vouch for natural female and male infertility cures before resorting to medical fertility treatments. As mentioned in my first post, I did eventually succumb to IVF, and I'm awfully glad I did. However, during the long period of being unable to conceive, I would have given almost anything to be able to get pregnant naturally!

Natural Female Infertility Cures - Welcome

2011-05-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Edit: I am pregnant! Only a few weeks after writing this post I discovered that I was 5 weeks pregnant!

I dealt with infertility for a long time. Three years in fact.

Personally, I tried just about all of the natural female infertility cures in existence before finally doing IVF. I'd love to tell you that it was acupuncture or herbs that finally got me pregnant, but that is not the case. I had tubal infertility, which doesn't respond as readily to diet, herbs, supplements, and lowering stress levels, as some other forms of infertility.

I didn't expect it to be particularly difficult to conceive. I was only thirty-two when we started trying to conceive and I already had a teenage son, who was born when I was only eighteen. My husband also had proven fertility, and was only thirty-four at the time. I figured it might take a few months.

Well, three years later we were still trying. At that point I had tried gazillions of supplements, had endured all kinds of fertility testing via my OBGYN, and had a fully blown addiction (not kidding) to ovulation predictors (OPKs) and home pregnancy tests (HPTs).

Ultimately it was discovered that my husband's sperm count was completely normal, and that I had one blocked tube. My initial HSG was encouraging and disappointing at the same time. I was told by my doctor "It only takes one". Well, after trying a few months of Clomid and IUI without success, my doctor performed a laparoscopy, which showed that my one open tube had very slow spillage.

I was referred at that point to a fertility clinic, and IVF was the only thing recommended. Thanks to the generosity of my husband's parents, we were able to do IVF and conceived twin girls. While we did go through a heartbreaking loss of one of our twins due to premature birth, we have a healthy and beautiful two year old daughter now.

During my time of desperately trying natural female infertility cures, I wanted to someday be able to report to the world that this is what ultimately got me pregnant. However, looking back I wouldn't change a thing.

I still however optimistically believe in natural infertility cures, and want to share my knowledge and experience in this site. I spent literally hundreds of hours researching ways to naturally increase female (and male) fertility. Also, statistics absolutely prove that many of these methods do work for some of the most common know causes of infertility, as well as for the "unexplained" diagnosis.

Also, perhaps it is a long shot at this point, but I am now hoping to conceive again and have just started on FertilAid, and purchased a DVD which will supposedly teach me how to deep fertility massage. Fertility massage has been reported to break up tubal adhesions. We will see.

I would like to use this site to start chronicling my experiences with my new attempt to conceive. I'm now thirty seven (almost thirty eight), have only one open (albeit narrow) tube, and had IVF to conceive my last child. The optimist (law of attraction practice :) in me feels ready to take on the challenge.

I was in a different mindset several years ago, and my infertility caused lots of stress, suffering, and despair. Perhaps having a small child helps that state of mind to not return now, but I can't help but suspect that the intense stress I felt during the few years prior to finally resulting to IVF somehow made things worse.

I look forward to connecting with those of you who have dealt with infertility or are currently suffering with it. I also very much hope to help as many people as possible find natural female infertility cures that actually work for them.

Feel free to comment! I'd love to hear from you.