What is PCOS?

In a nutshell, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a mess of hormonal imbalances. These imbalances can cause a number of different symptoms, most commonly the ovarian cysts from which the condition takes its name. PCOS occurs in roughly 5 to 10 percent of women, and though treating it is difficult, it is ultimately a manageable condition.

How Does It Affect My Fertility?

Unfortunately, PCOS is the leading cause of infertility among women. The hormonal imbalances that make up the condition also lead to an inability to ovulate, irregular periods, and other problems that decrease fertility. For instance, one of the most common symptoms is insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate sugar levels in your system. With insulin resistance, the hormone simply can’t do its job that well, so when sugar levels rise, your body produces more insulin to make up for the inefficiency. When your body produces extra insulin, it also produces more androgens, which in turn block ovulation. PCOS can also lead to weight gain, among other symptoms that decrease your fertility significantly.

Is It Even Possible to Get Pregnant with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome?

Thankfully, despite your fertility taking a massive hit from PCOS, it is still possible to get pregnant despite the condition. Through certain lifestyle changes, fertility drugs, and even more advanced medical procedures, your fertility can be improved enough to allow you to conceive.

What Do I Do First When Trying to Conceive?

If you’ve got PCOS and are TTC, the first and most important thing you should do is adapt your lifestyle to work around it. Many of the symptoms of PCOS can be managed through a few adjustments in the way you eat and treat yourself. For example, in order to get around insulin resistance, you can try going on a low glucose index or low-carbohydrate diet. By controlling the amount of sugar that goes into your system, you also control the amount of insulin your body produces, which may just be enough to allow for ovulation.

Regular exercise will become a must if you want to conceive. Another common symptom of PCOS is weight gain, and this can lead to irregular periods. By doing some light exercises on a regular basis, you can shed the extra pounds while keeping your stress levels low. This will promote regular menstruation and make your ovulation cycle more predictable.

Since taking care of your body is a major component of getting past PCOS, it only follows suit that you quit smoking and drinking alcohol. These two substances contribute to the effects of PCOS in multiple ways, so it’s best to cut them out of your system entirely. On that note, you can also try nutritional supplements that detoxify your system and increase the amount of essential vitamins and minerals you may be deficient in.

Of course, the very first thing you’ll want to do is consult your doctor or fertility expert regarding these changes. Trained professionals will be your best source of help in this department, and they’ll be able to determine which course of action will be the best for you to take. As always, try to get a second opinion elsewhere.

What About Fertility Drugs?

Sometimes, people make choices to go beyond the lifestyle changes mentioned above when they are trying to conceive with PCOS. If that’s the case, you’ll need to pay another visit to your doctor – this time regarding fertility drugs. There are several medications in the market that can help you improve your chances at getting pregnant. For example, metformin can help reduce the effects of insulin resistance, allowing you better chances of ovulating. You can also avail of drugs that make up for hormonal deficiencies in your system like Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, both of which play important roles in your cycles.

That doctor visit will be all the more important here, as they’ll know which prescriptions are best suited for your particular case. You’ll also want to play on the safe side and ask your doctor about the possible side effects that might come with the medication.

Else Can I Do to Achieve Conception?

If any sort of treatment doesn’t work, you can try Laparoscopic Ovarian Drilling. This surgical procedure removes parts of your ovary in an attempt to promote regular periods. Given the drastic nature of the procedure, however, it should only be used as a last resort.

The case may be that you can ovulate fine, but other complications from PCOS may be preventing the fertilization of your egg. For this sort of problem, there are two common solutions: in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). IVF entails the extraction of a viable egg from your body, to be fertilized outside of your system. IUI, on the other hand, involves the direct injection of semen into your uterus in an effort to make fertilization easier. Both procedures have varying degrees of success, but see favorable results nonetheless.

Getting pregnant with endometriosis

Sara from Texas tried to get pregnant for eight long years. The first four years of trying to conceive was spent with her first husband, who was a military guy stationed in Guam. During their time on the island, they had to live in family housing, where she was surrounded by women who were either pregnant or had happy children.  The experiences of these women made Sara long for motherhood even more. Unfortunately, trying to conceive was a constant source of frustration, especially when there were those around her who were getting pregnant on their first month of trying!

To find out what was causing her reproductive problems, she and her first husband got a complete infertility work-up. Her husband was fine, but Sara was diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease.  Her uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries were covered in scar tissue. She had surgery to get the scar tissue removed, and her doctors said she had a promising 90% chance of conceiving after that operation. Despite that, she still had difficulty getting pregnant.  A year later, Sara went back to see the doctors, who performed another ultrasound.  Her heart fell when she was told that the scar tissue had grown back. This time, she was told her chances of conceiving were less than 40%.

It was too much for her to see everyone’s bellies swell while hers stayed flat, and her husband could not understand her “obsession” with trying to conceive.  Heartbroken, she ended up divorcing him and joined the military herself.  During this time, she met another military guy who eventually became her second husband.  This time, the people they lived with were their age and had no children to remind her of what she was missing.

Throughout her second marriage, Sara and her second husband constantly had unprotected sex.  Even though they had pretty much accepted that they would never have children because of Sara’s health issues, they still figured it wouldn’t hurt to have frequent sex and see what happens. The couple decided to leave the military and return to the mainland United States. Three months later, Sara was shocked when she discovered that she was pregnant. At the time, she and her husband were both out of work, and getting pregnant was the last thing on their mind. But they still received the news with so much joy and excitement. Sara is still not sure why the move to the US and away from the military environment was the precursor to her conception after eight years without a successful pregnancy.

Their baby boy was born nine months later, absolutely perfect and healthy. Although they are still adjusting to their transition away from military life, they are so happy because they were finally blessed with their miracle baby, completely by surprise.  

Conceiving a big family with PCOS

Leslie and her husband patiently tried to conceive for three years.  The OB/GYN she went to told her that it was normal to have problems conceiving; contrary to everyone’s wishes who is ttc, getting pregnant often doesn’t happen on the first try. But she would menstruate continually for months at a time, sometimes very painfully – which didn’t seem to alarm her doctor. Frustrated, she went to see another doctor who was recommended by a friend from her church.  Her fallopian tubes were screened, her husband’s sperm count was checked, and the new doctor found no problems with either.  She was given Clomid to help her conceive, but after seven months of taking the fertility drug it did not bring her any closer to getting pregnant.

Finally, the couple decided to see a fertility specialist, who performed a more rigorous physical exam and asked in-depth questions about her history.  Not long after, her diagnosis came – polycystic ovaries.

To get pregnant, Leslie went through an IVF.  Leading up to the IVF, she did some research that led her to drastically change her diet to get her body in the best condition she could to prepare for conception. During their first try, she was able to ovulate 18 eggs, which formed six class-A embryos.  Two were transferred and the four were frozen.  After the agonizing two week wait, Leslie found out that she was pregnant with twins! She and her husband were completely shocked – they didn’t expect the procedure to work on the first try.

Unfortunately, during a follow-up two days later, the doctor told her that one of the twins was too weak to survive.  Leslie was devastated about the baby that didn’t make it, but comforted herself with thoughts of the little one growing inside her.

Her daughter was born at 37 weeks, weighing 5 lbs absolutely healthy.  After giving birth, Leslie’s doctor gave her Glucophage so she could ovulate regularly.  Five months later, a miracle happened – she got pregnant naturally! Leslie’s son was born 6 lbs and as healthy as her sister. When the couple decided they wanted a third child, they went back to use their frozen embryos.

Three of the four embryos survived the thaw and two survived the transfer.  Leslie was pregnant with twins – one boy and one girl – but the pregnancy was not without its complications. She had to go on bed rest for three months because of the pressure the pregnancy was putting on her body.  At 36 weeks, she was rushed to the hospital to have an emergency Cesarean section – her blood pressure was getting dangerously high.  Her daughter was delivered first, weighing 4lbs while her son came next, weighing 5lbs. Although the twins had to spend a week in the NICU and the boy had to be on oxygen for a month, both babies are the picture of health and curious about the world around them.

Unexplained infertility and conception success

After two years of trying to conceive, Samantha from Washington finally visited her OB/GYN and brought up her concerns.  He didn’t seem too worried and told her to chart her basal body temperature, use an ovulation predictor kit, and stay away from alcohol – things she already knew about.  After a year of no luck, she visited the doctor with her husband. This time, both of them got a complete fertility work-up.  Unfortunately, the results confused the couple even more – her husband’s sperm were fine, and a hysterosalpingogram revealed no physical blockages in her fallopian tubes.  She never experienced any symptoms that might suggest PCOS or other menstrual irregularities, either.

Another year went by, and this time Samantha was getting impatient. While she was watching TV, she saw a news special about an infertility specialist who commented about multiple births successfully delivered in her area. She took down the specialist’s name and gave him a call. She was excited about her first appointment – it’s been four years since she decided she wanted kids, and she was starting to lose all hope.

During her first visit, Samantha made plans to do all the necessary blood work. Her tests results were just as puzzling as the one from a year ago – her estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin levels were perfect. She ovulates at exactly the same time every month and has a perfect, 28-day cycle.  So that was that – no explanation could be found for her infertility problem.

The fertility specialist suggested an IUI with Clomid and HCG injections, then working their way up to more complex procedures if needed. For Samantha, Clomid was a complete waste of time. The only thing she got was always bloated, cranky, and not pregnant. Five months later, when she got her period, Samantha gave the doctor’s office a call and started bawling as the nurse picked up.  She tearfully requested that they try something else – she was so desperate and couldn’t take another month of dead-end dreams.

Her doctor decided to start her on a new synthetic injectible drug called Repronex using HCG shots, IUI, and progesterone supplements.  The injections began that month and Samantha felt positive when she found that she had two well-sized follicles growing – a 23mm and 24mm.  On her most fertile time period, an IUI was done and Samantha went home to rest and pray.  The following day, she and her husband went out of town to a retreat where they did yoga and meditation so that they could completely relax and get emotionally grounded.  Her next period was due the day after coming home from their retreat and while it didn’t come, she also experienced bad menstrual cramps.

Months before the IUI, Samantha would have taken a home pregnancy test to see if she was finally pregnant. But at this point, she was so tired of being disappointed and couldn’t bear to see another negative result.  So she went to the doctor, who made her take a pregnancy test. Two seconds later, she got her first positive in four and a half years! Samantha was 34 years old then.

The rest of Samantha’s pregnancy was otherwise uneventful. In nine months, she gave birth to her son through a natural vaginal delivery.

TTC victory story over 40

Grace was almost 40 before she tried to become pregnant for the first time in her life. Although she was not married nor as financially stable as she would have wanted, she knew she may have waited too long to conceive and that time was running out.  Six months after trying to conceive with her boyfriend without any results, she went to a fertility clinic to get tested.  Her results came back and were poor at best – her anti-mullerian hormones (AMH) were 0.00, her ovaries were extremely small, and the last antral follicle count was 1. In other words, Grace was fast approaching menopause. In fact, the doctor said that it was unlikely that she’d be menstruating within a year.  IVF was presented as an option, but the doctor warned her that there would be a very low chance of success – it was unlikely that she would produce enough viable eggs.  Nonetheless, Grace decided to keep trying to conceive naturally; she didn’t have enough money to spare for an expensive IVF treatment that may or may not work.

After doing research on the internet, she found stories of women with an AMH of .02 and follicle count of 4 – these were very low scores and their doctors said they couldn’t get pregnant.  Despite this discouraging information, Grace was determined to get pregnant. To make the most out of her remaining fertility, she started acupuncture and DHEA. Even though all the websites told her that acupuncture works best 4 months before trying to conceive, she did not have any time to waste.

Grace also started taking her basal temperature to determine the patterns of her ovulation.  Prior to this, her periods were erratic at best – anywhere between 13-26 days.  Before the IVF began, she had no period at 33 days but was worried because her temperature pattern fell completely flat.  She was starting to think that IVF wouldn’t work because she had run out of eggs. Any time she felt a bit warm, Grace wondered if she was experiencing a hot flash. Her libido was dying and she could not feel any cervical fluids at all.

On the 45^th day of no period, Grace took a pregnancy test and got a positive result. As soon as the two pink lines emerged, she started crying uncontrollably, amazed and grateful that she finally got the pregnancy she wanted. She wasted no time informing her doctor about the miracle – after all, who gets pregnant naturally while approaching menopause? The doctor’s response put a damper to her happiness; she was advised to wait about 3 more weeks before getting tested again.

Once the three weeks were up, Grace visited a colleague of her doctor. He looked through her chart and congratulated her for having beat the odds.  Then she hopped up on the table for an ultrasound to see if it was a real pregnancy.  By this time, Grace was no longer fond of ultrasounds and expected him to be as unimpressed as her first doctor. Instead, his first words were, “You seem to have done a good job.  Here is the embryo – if you look close enough, you can detect a faint heartbeat already. And here is the other one.” He pointed to the second blob of fuzzy dark-gray pixels on the screen. Grace had conceived twins.

Story of successful pregnancy after secondary infertility

Jody never thought she’d have problems conceiving again. After all, she and her husband have two very active little boys to prove that they had no infertility problems.  Unfortunately, it took two and a half years of trying to conceive baby number three before Jody and her husband decided to get tests at a nearby fertility clinic.  Her HSG, blood tests, and endometrial biopsy all came back as “very good” or “excellent.”  Her husband’s sperm were healthy, robust, and plentiful.  Seeing as there were no other explanations for their secondary fertility, the doctor suggested that an IUI with Clomid might help them conceive a third child.

The first IUI was done too early – Jody got anxious and insisted that the procedure be done a full day before she ovulated. This didn’t work.  The second IUI was well-timed, but failed to yield a pregnancy.

A few days later, she was at the pediatrician’s office with her son when she picked up a brochure for a mind/body clinic that specializes in fertility.  The clinic was currently having a promo – one free session for every five. Jody thought she might as well give it a shot; she had read about how such treatments can help women get pregnant.

After receiving those treatments, the third IUI was finally successful – Jody found out she was pregnant! In nine months, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Trying to conceive triumph after miscarriage

Every single one of Karen’s three miscarriages were heartbreaking. Her first attempt at trying to conceive happened when she was 30; she got pregnant easily but miscarried a month later. The next pregnancy happened almost a year afterwards; while she had no trouble conceiving, she also lost the baby during the first trimester.  Grieving for her two lost children, Karen and her husband put off trying to conceive until they felt ready, two years later.  It took several months before Karen got pregnant, but she eventually conceived a pair of twins.  Unfortunately, one twin died, and the other followed shortly.

Karen never got a definitive explanation for why the miscarriages happened.  She ate lean meat and organic vegetables, exercised moderately, and never smoked in her life.  To find some answers, she got tested and discovered that she had Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, a rare genetic condition that can lead to complications in pregnancy. However, the doctors did not feel that this contributed to the miscarriages. After other fertility tests came back negative, she tried and conceived for the fourth time.

Five weeks into the pregnancy, Karen started bleeding again.  Her doctor put her on bed rest until 16 weeks and at the advice of a naturopath she began using a natural progesterone cream.  After the 16 weeks were up, her pregnancy was stable enough for her to go back to work.  The rest of her pregnancy was uneventful until Karen gave birth to a lovely baby girl at 36 weeks.  Although she doesn’t know for sure if the bed rest and progesterone made a difference, she’s definitely overjoyed to finally be able to hold her healthy baby in her arms.

Create your own TTC success story

These stories are only a few reports of the countless couples who have successfully beat incredible odds and conceived. Please visit The Full Embrace Pregnancy Success Program to get tips about how to begin your journey towards pregnancy success today.

Hormones and Timing

Depending on a woman’s cycle, ovulation can begin as soon as 2-4 weeks after the miscarriage. During a pregnancy, the human body produces a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG, which hinders the production of the pituitary gland hormones that govern ovulation. After the pregnancy tissue is expelled from the body, hCG levels begin to drop. The effect of hCG on the pituitary gland typically wear off after two weeks, and depending on the woman’s cycle, ovulation may begin a few days after that.

Given a regular cycle and an uncomplicated miscarriage, women can generally expect to ovulate within 2-4 weeks if their reproductive system is otherwise healthy. However, as cycles are typically a case-to-case basis, there may be some variation to this and it might take longer than four weeks. Keep this in consideration when tracking your ovulation.

Signs of Ovulation

After giving the hCG time to wear off, you can check to see if you’re ovulating in the usual ways. An increase in basal body temperature is often a good sign of ovulation. Another way to check is to monitor cervical mucus – it tends to get stringier and clearer the closer you get to ovulation.

One more option is to use ovulation predictor kits. If you opt for the kits, keep in mind that your cycle can still be a ways from getting back to normal. Some women, for example, might find themselves ovulating 7 weeks after the miscarriage, instead of the usual 2-4. The costs of trying the kits again and again can add up; if money is an object, you’re most likely better off monitoring your basal temperature and cervical mucus, at least until you are sensing your cycle is back to its regular rhythm.

When to Try To Conceive After You Miscarry

A lot of women who suffer miscarriages worry that they may be less fertile afterwards. Fortunately, this isn’t true. Although complications may arise from unnatural miscarriages (violent force, drug abuse, etc.), normal miscarriages have little to no effect on a woman’s fertility.

The best first step to take is to consult a physician after the miscarriage. That way, any abnormalities or shifts in your cycle caused by the miscarriage can be detected and properly diagnosed. The need to get diagnosed increases significantly if you have undergone several miscarriages.

Once you’re given a clean bill of health, you can then take the necessary steps to try conceiving again. First and foremost is dealing with the emotional hurt of losing your pregnancy. Some women may undergo a deep depression early on, and this may affect their chances of conceiving. Always keep in mind, the miscarriage was not your fault.

The trick is not to rush back into trying again. Allow yourself some time to fully recover – physically and emotionally – from the miscarriage, and you’ll very likely have better luck the next time around.

For tips about things that can help prepare the body for a successful conception after miscarriage, you are welcome to opt in to our email mini-course.

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Blessings of baby dust,

Diana, and all your sisters on the Pregnancy Success Program Team

-Thomas Edison

Can eating make you pregnant? Well, the joking aside, the fact is, studies from various medical traditions and cultures have proven that proper diet can make you super-fertile!

When planning a fertility diet, I look to research from both Eastern and Western practices. And as those of us who follow the latest research in fertility have long been aware of, studies from the West that link improved conception success related to diet are often very closely in line with dietary recommendations of Eastern medicine. Furthermore, Western studies are finally confirming what the wisdom of traditional Chinese healers and other alternative health practitioners have acknowledged for many, many years – the foods we eat have a profound impact on our ability to get pregnant.

And it’s about time. For example, a wide scale study at Harvard University, spanning over many years and involving thousands of female nurses, found that changing diet alone to whole foods and complex carbohydrates, without any further medical intervention, reversed infertility resulting in natural pregnancy rates increasing 6 fold!

The Eastern philosophy of healing through diet involves understanding and appreciation for each food’s energetic, nutritional and taste qualities. And here are three fine examples of foods that are prescribed by Eastern practitioners for overcoming infertility. Not only are they especially potent for their nutritional and active energy components that target fertility enhancement, but they are delicious, too!

Enjoy!

Shiitake Mushrooms

Research has shown that shiitake mushrooms are up to forty times more powerful than wheat germ in the antioxidant L-ergothionein. As a matter of fact, they have a higher quantity of this antioxidant than is found in any other food. Why is this so beneficial?

A number of studies have revealed seminal oxidative stress can have a very damaging effect, leading to male infertility. Eating shiitake mushrooms, with their amazing levels of antioxidants, is extremely useful towards neutralizing oxidation and increasing sperm quantity and quality.

Shiitake mushrooms are not only advantageous for male fertility. They are an effective medicine for females trying to conceive, as well. Shiitake mushrooms are high in selenium content. Selenium is another antioxidant that goes a very long way in protecting the body from chemical fragments known as free radicals. In this capacity, selenium is a defender against chromosome damage, which is widely known to be a primary cause for miscarriages and birth defects.

Shiitake mushrooms are often used as a substitute for meat because their flavor and firm texture lends itself well in that direction. A favorite preparation is to sauté them with other vegetables and a little garlic and then serve over brown rice.

Pineapple

Did you know that indulging in a sweet juicy fruit from the tropics could help your embryo implant in your uterus?

Pineapple has a high content of bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme, that is beneficial for reducing inflammation and breaking up certain proteins that can negatively impact implantation of your embryo. The flesh of the pineapple, rather than the core, is the best part to eat in terms of the concentration of bromelain that is most conducive to pregnancy. It is recommended to include pineapple in your diet starting on the day of ovulation onwards.

Do not eat too much pineapple in the beginning of your cycle before you ovulate. This can cause your cervical mucus to become too acidic which isn’t the environment that you want to create to welcome your partner’s lovely sperm.

Molasses

The high content of calcium, iodine and iron in molasses are wonderful nutrients that are much needed to sustain a pregnancy, and lack of which may lead to miscarriage.

Molasses is also rich in a B-complex known as PABA. There was a study done which resulted in a 75% success rate of conception for women who supplemented their diet for 3-7 months with PABA. Out of the 16 women trying to conceive in that study, 12 of them conceived within those few short months!

The energetic and nutritional content of molasses also makes it an excellent remedy for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and other hormonal irregularities. The best variety to use is the black strap because it is extra rich in nutrients. I enjoy mixing a little with whole milk for a sweet fertility treat.

There are many other foods that are super powerful for reversing infertility and getting pregnant quickly. When you are trying to conceive, you really need to understand which foods will help you along the most. For example, there is one beverage that is especially effective and has been recommended by Naturopaths to drink every day when you are trying to get pregnant.

You can find out all the details you need to learn about the best fertility diet, as well as a complete program of natural, holistic, and Eastern treatments to overcome infertility and quickly achieve successful pregnancy in The Full Embrace™ Pregnancy Success Program.

It’s the best infertility treatment book of its kind ever developed. Get it instantly, right here.

And this long held notion has offered slim hope to women in their late 30’s or 40’s who have been told they are “running out of eggs” and worse yet, the eggs they have left are rapidly decreasing in quality.

But a new study co-led by Dr. Jonathan Tilly, associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, published recently in the journal Nature suggests that this long held belief could be all wrong. In their study involving mice, they discovered that ovaries are constantly replenishing their supply of tiny eggs. Constantly! So, what does a study on mice have to do with you? Does this hold any indication that a woman’s ovarian reserve is also continually renewing itself? Well, according to Dr. Tilly, in his own words, “At this point I think it is unimaginable that this does not happen in humans.”

It may be that our old-fashioned views of ovarian reserve will be retired along with the horse and buggy. If a woman’s ovaries have the capacity to be naturally replenished from within, then many of our beliefs about the unalterable effects of age on egg quality need to be tossed.  And it is the freedom from the beliefs about what we can’t do that can help us realize our full potential to reproduce naturally and easily – even into our forties. In the words of Deepak Chopra…

“The possibility of stepping into a higher plane is quite real for everyone. It requires no force or effort or sacrifice. It involves little more than changing our ideas about what is normal.”

The Supporting Evidence Keeps Pouring In

New studies continually arrive that support the view – in agreement with Eastern wisdom – that the reproductive system has a vast capability to be renewed, holistically, from within. Here are just a few examples:

• A study published at the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Center in Colorado Springs in the journal Fertility and Sterility involving 147 patients revealed that when treatments of Traditional Chinese Medicine were applied “in patients with poor prognoses (elevated Peak FSH, longer history of infertility, poor sperm morphology) [they] can achieve similar pregnancy rates to normal prognosis patients.”

• Case studies at the Zhai Fertility Treatment clinic of London have demonstrated that applying Traditional Chinese Medicine can affect the reproductive system such that abnormally high levels of FSH drop to normal levels. Patients who were scheduled for IVF treatments changed their plans after taking part in the Eastern practices – practices that allowed them to conceive naturally.

• R.G. Godsen and C.E. Finch, in Definition & Character of Reproductive Aging & Senescence, state, “Dietary and endocrine manipulations can also slow the pace of ovarian aging.”

• There is a study published in Biology of Reproduction, by J. F. Nelson, R. G. Gosden and L. S. Felicio in coordination with McGill University in Quebec and the Department of Physiology at the University Medical School in Edinburgh which reveals that feeding a special diet to rodents significantly reduced ovarian follicle disappearance.

• A study at Harvard Medical School found that women who attended a mind/body fertility retreat doubled their conception rate, compared to a control group.

• Another Harvard study found that women drastically increased their conception rates by changing to a diet optimal for fertility.

• Quoting Oriental Medicine expert, Dr. Randine Lewis, “Two specific areas are affected by the aging of a woman’s reproductive systems; the kidney and the spleen. Treat these… and you can often turn back the clock and restore higher levels of fertility.”

Maybe you are thinking, well, maybe some women can improve their fertility – but not me. Its in my genes – I can’t change those. Hold on. The next bit of information is for you. Studies have revealed a five year difference in the onset of menopause in identical twins. Five years. And they found this five year difference in 20% of the twins they tested. Scientists have further determined that environmental factors –  diet, activity, etc. – have a significant impact on ovarian age.

The impact of this information cannot be underestimated. What we choose to eat, what we drink, the healing treatments in which we engage, our activities, our rest, even the air we breathe all play a significant role in our reproductive age. For all of us. We have choice. There is still time…

Opportunity: The 90 Day Window of Egg Development

It takes about 90 days for a follicle (which holds your egg) to be awakened from its resting state in your ovary and go through the process of growth and development that ultimately results in an ovulated egg. And during that time the follicle relates with nutrients, oxygen, hormones, blood – an entire mini-lifetime of interaction with the rest of your body.

And this is the time of greatest opportunity. During this 90 day time period, you have a window where you can take incredible control over nurturing the quality of your eggs, and turning back the hands of time…

How to Reverse the Biological Clock?

You can learn specific techniques of Eastern and Alternative Medicine, nutrition and activity to optimize fertility and turn back the hands of time. These techniques couldn’t possibly fit in this single article. But they are all available, with step-by-step guidance that is clear and easy to understand.

In the comfort of your own home, you can learn the completely natural methods to reverse infertility, reverse the biological clock, and get pregnant fast. All of this can be found in the most effective system for overcoming both female and male infertility ever developed. It is called The Full Embrace™ Pregnancy Success Program, and you can get it instantly, right here.

When should I take the pregnancy test at home? Or How long should I wait before taking the pregnancy test?

There’s a reason that infertility forums call it the “two week wait.” In general, doctors recommend that you wait about fourteen days after IUI to take a test. The reason for this is that pregnancy tests that you can use at home are created to test for a certain level of hCG, the hormone that your body produces when you’re pregnant. Most of the time, it takes about two weeks for the levels of hCG in your body to get up to the level that will test positive.

This doesn’t mean that no woman would have high enough levels of hCG to test at day ten or eleven, but it seems to be best to wait the whole two weeks. This way, you aren’t unnecessarily disappointing yourself after just ten days when your test comes back negative. If you do decide to test early, just keep in mind that you’re much more likely to get a false negative!

What does a faint pink (or blue or whatever) line mean?

If you’re using a non-digital pregnancy test, a faint positive signal means positive. Basically, the test will react strongly to a large amount of hCG in the urine and faintly to a smaller amount. If you have enough hCG to make the test become positive, though – unless you were injected with hCG before IUI, in which case you need to read the next question – then you are definitely pregnant.

Can I get a false positive?

If you’re going through natural IUI or using just Clomid or a similar medication, then false positives are very, very rare. Chances are most likely that if you test positive, you are actually pregnant. However, if you were given an hCG injection before you underwent IUI, then you can get a false positive if your body hasn’t completely cleared the injected hormone.

Can I get a false negative?

This is way more common than the false positive, and you can definitely get a false negative. Testing too early is most likely to have this result, but you can also have a false negative if you wait a whole fourteen days before testing. Sometimes, women just don’t have high enough levels of hCG after fourteen days to make the test positive. If you get a negative test after fourteen days, it’s a good idea to wait two or three more days and then to test again just to be sure that you got the right answer the first time.

Can Clomid affect a pregnancy test?

At-home pregnancy tests are meant to test just one hormone – hCG. Since Clomid affects not hCG but estrogen levels, it shouldn’t affect your pregnancy test in any way, no matter when you test.

What do I do with a positive test?

Well, the first thing to do is to celebrate, but do it cautiously. Most pregnancies that miscarry do so in the first few weeks of pregnancy. A positive test just means that you’re pregnant, not that you’re any more or less likely than the next person to carry to full term. It can be a good idea to talk with your partner first, and then to spend some time figuring out who you want to tell about your pregnancy before you start spilling the beans to everyone you meet.

Also, as soon as you get a positive test, you need to make an appointment with your obstetrician. Your doctor will be able to give you nutrition advice, help you start on pre-natal vitamins, and take any other important steps towards having a healthy pregnancy. Also, a doctor will be able to help you figure out your due date, schedule sonograms, and do any other tests that you need when you’re pregnant.

What do I do with a negative result?

Again, if you test a negative within the first two weeks, it’s important to take another test within a few days. If you get to negative tests in a row, though, you should go on as if you aren’t pregnant, whether that means taking a break from trying for a while or scheduling your next IUI appointment.

Keep in mind that even two negatives in a row can still turn into a pregnancy in rare cases. If you still want to try to get pregnant, it’s important to keep up a healthy lifestyle, to eat well, and to avoid things like alcohol and smoking. If after a couple more weeks your period still hasn’t come, you might want to schedule a doctor’s appointment for a more accurate blood test.

What are some symptoms that I might be pregnant?

Pregnancy symptoms can start within a couple of weeks for some women, but other women could be totally unaware that they are pregnant until they begin to show five months down the road. However, if you notice some of the following symptoms, you might want to take a pregnancy test – or another one, if you’ve already taken one with a negative result:

• Swollen, tender breasts
• Darkening areolas around the nipples
• Nausea and vomiting
• Backaches and headaches
• Fatigue and tiredness
• Bloating
• Light cramping and bleeding

As you can see, some of these symptoms are common PMS symptoms as well. If you have them without starting your period, though, then you could most definitely be pregnant.

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Remember that not every woman has the same pregnancy symptoms. It’s a little like PMS. You probably have some girlfriends or sisters whose PMS symptoms are similar to your own, but you probably know people whose symptoms are totally different from yours. Add that to the fact that your own symptoms probably vary from month to month, and things get a little unpredictable.

The same thing can happen with pregnancy. Even if you know what your mother’s, sister’s, or girlfriend’s early pregnancy symptoms were like, that doesn’t mean yours will match up. Plus, if this isn’t your first pregnancy, your symptoms this time around might be totally different than they were any other time. So, again, it helps to have a comprehensive list of symptoms so that you know what to look out for, but the biggest thing you need to do is just to know your own body so that you’ll be capable of seeing any actual changes that do occur.

Some Common Early Signs of Pregnancy with Intrauterine Insemination

Unfortunately for women who undergo IUI, some of the most common early pregnancy symptoms are actually similar to symptoms of impending menstruation. If you’re starting to feel like you’re going to start your period, don’t totally freak out. It might just be that you’re pregnant! Here are a few symptoms that might mimic your PMS symptoms or, at least, PMS symptoms of other women you know:

Light Bleeding: While it’s never good to bleed heavily during a pregnancy, some light bleeding soon after the time of IUI might signal that your egg has implanted. If you bleed lightly for a day or two, don’t worry about it too much, but wait and see what happens next.

Light Cramping: Again, this can be a symptom of implantation, but it is also something that many women experience from the IUI procedure itself. If your cramps become heavier than you’re used to with even your periods, you might want to call your fertility clinic, but otherwise, just wait it out.

Breast Tenderness: Your breasts may be one of the first areas to react to your new pregnancy hormones, and often the first pregnancy symptom women notice is tender, swollen breasts.

Fatigue and Tiredness: Again, this is one that many women experience during PMS, and it’s also a common early pregnancy symptom. You have to remember than any time your hormones make major fluctuations, as they do just before menstruation as well as when you are first pregnant, tiredness can just happen. If you’re starting to feel exhausted right after IUI, take it easy for a few days, and, again, just wait and see what happens.

Backaches and Headaches: Aches and pains are common to women who are pregnant, and lower backaches that are very common late in pregnancy might even set in during the first couple of weeks. Headaches, too, are common because of hormonal changes and fatigue.

Not all early symptoms of pregnancy are similar to PMS symptoms. Some women have totally off-the-wall symptoms when they get pregnant, and others have a few of these other normal symptoms that are seen in many women:

Morning Sickness: Morning sickness is really a misnomer, since lots of women experience nausea and vomiting throughout the day or whenever they eat. This can start almost as soon as you get pregnant. It’s normal for women in their first trimester or so to be unable to hold down meals at certain times of the day, but if you can’t keep anything down at all, it’s time to see a doctor.

Frequent Urination: This is a classic pregnancy symptom that many women experience even before they have a five-pound baby sitting on their bladders. If you have to go to the restroom way more than is normal for you, it could mean that you’re pregnant.

Delay in Menstruation: This is probably the signal that women look for the most. At the end of your two week wait, if you haven’t started on time, it’s time to pull out that pregnancy test. Don’t, though, get too disappointed if the first one comes back negative, but wait two or three days before taking another test. Sometimes there simply isn’t enough HcG in your system for you to test positive on the first or second day of a missed period.

Darker Areolas: This is another odd symptom that many women aren’t aware of. When you’re first pregnant, hormonal changes can cause the area around your nipples to darken. Pay attention, though, because sometimes they were already that color because of a previous pregnancy.

Food Cravings: When we think of pregnant women, we often think of food cravings. If you start craving weird things at odd times of the day and night, that might signal pregnancy. It could, though, also mean that you aren’t eating very nutritiously, in which case it’s important that you start getting a more balanced diet, especially if you’re still trying to get pregnant.

A Note about IUI Pregnancies

IUI pregnancies will have pretty much the same symptoms as their natural, IVF, or drug-induced counterparts. One thing, though, to keep in mind is that sometimes the hormones that you take before IUI can induce a positive pregnancy test even if you aren’t pregnant. This is why it’s important to listen to your doctor about how long you should wait to take a pregnancy test.

For more information about IUI and tips for increasing your chances of success, please sign up for our email mini-course.

Origins of the Chinese infant conception gender calendar

According to legend, Chinese could plan and predict their children’s gender through the help of an ancient calendar, which was unearthed from an emperor’s tomb near Peking around 700 years ago.  No one knows who created the calendar, but it was an important royal treasure closely guarded by the eunuchs in the palace. Only members of the royal family could access the information within the gender calendar.

The secret got out during the late Qing Dynasty, when China’s royal family was experiencing political turmoil.  The capital was under siege and the palace was ransacked for treasure.  Many precious items including the ancient Chinese gender predictor were taken away and brought to the West.  European scholars translated the calendar, and word of this ancient prediction system spread.   Eventually, the original calendar made its way back to China, where it is now displayed at the Beijing Institute of Science.

Using the Chinese baby conception calendar

To use the Chinese pregnancy card, you will need the month your baby was conceived and your age when you got pregnant, based on the Chinese Lunar calendar.  Your Chinese Lunar age is your current age plus one.  Why do you need to add one more year? According to the Chinese, the nine months you spent in the womb counts as your first year of life.

According to a survey done in a Chinese hospital, the chart is about 70% accurate.  Still, it’s best to treat this calendar as nothing more than a fun exercise. Don’t go about buying pink or blue things based on its results!  If you already have children, check if the chart was able to correctly guess their gender.

For lots of tips about getting pregnant with the baby of your dreams, please opt in to our Full Embrace Program mini-course.

1 – Do have sex

This may sound like the most obvious tip, but you’d be surprised by how couples neglect to have sex regularly when they’re trying to conceive.  Couples were previously told to have sex every other day during the woman’s most fertile days, but current research shows that your chances of conceiving improve when you have sex once every day four to five days before ovulation (assuming that the man’s sperm is okay). If the man has low sperm count (oligospermia), once every other day is fine. 

2 – Do have sex in the morning

Try to sneak in a quickie before you get up and go to work – morning sex is the most ideal time for conceiving. Just as chemicals accumulate in urine when we sleep, so does a man’s sperm count increase throughout the night.   It might be a bit more difficult to get in the mood first thing in the morning, so get extra sleep the night before and set the alarm an hour earlier than you usually do.

3 – Do take Robitussin, especially if using Clomid

Taking a cough syrup together with Clomid may sound like a strange recipe for fertility, but it can work. Studies show that Robitussin’s active ingredient guaifenesin can improve the quality of your cervical mucus.  Choose the plain Robitussin as other versions with decongestants may actually dry up cervical mucus. The ideal dose is around2 teaspoons (200mg) a day.

4 – Do use castor oil packs

A castor oil pack is an absorbent cloth soaked in castor oil. According to naturopathic healers, applying a castor oil pack on the lower abdomen can improve blood flow to the uterus, thereby increasing fertility.  For best results, cover the castor oil pack with cling-wrap, and then place a hot water bottle over the plastic to heat the pack.

5 – Do take folic acid to boost fertility

Folic acid is necessary to prevent neural tube defects, miscarriage, and stillborn births. Folic acid also synthesizes genetic material in cells, helps produce blood cells, and stimulates the production of serotonin, the brain chemical responsible for happy feelings. The recommended daily allowance is 400 mcg.  A recent study by Harvard School of Public Health has also shown that taking folic acid increases pregnancy rates.

6 – Do self-fertility massage

A well-done massage not only relaxes and soothes; it can provide healing properties too! During your down time, perform a self-fertility massage to improve your fertility.  A self-fertility massage is designed to increase blood circulation to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. It also stimulates the pituitary gland and promotes hormonal balance.  You don’t have to be a trained massage therapist to do a self-fertility massage; you can easily learn these techniques from a book or DVD.

7 – Do take royal jelly to improve egg quality

Royal jelly is the creamy white substance secreted by young worker bees to nourish bee larvae and the future queen bee.  It is rich in sugars, amino acids, vitamins, and proteins – all essential to support egg health.  Take a royal jelly supplement to boost egg quality, or better yet, use organic personal care products with royal jelly as the main ingredient.  

8 – Do limit or quit drinking to improve conception chances

Think twice about taking that nightcap! Researchers from Maryland discovered that alcohol consumption can reduce a woman’s fertility by 50%.  Alcohol can disrupt the delicate balance required for a healthy menstrual cycle, leading to irregular periods and anovulation (a cycle where your ovaries fail to release an egg).  The infertility risk is just as high for women who are social drinkers. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, women who drink 1-5 drinks a week are at risk of decreased fertility as compared to women who do not drink. Limit your drinks to at least once a week or better yet, quit drinking altogether.

9 – Do ask your partner to limit or quit drinking

While you’re cutting down on your alcohol consumption, you might as well ask your partner to do the same.  Males are just as likely to suffer from decreased fertility when they drink – alcohol has a negative on sperm quantity and quality.  The same study in the British medical Journal found out that men who drink alcohol regularly have 50% fewer sperm than men who do not. Alcohol also inhibits the autonomic system of the central nervous system, which controls the mechanism for erection and ejaculation. In other words, alcohol impairs a man’s ability to have sex by preventing an erection. The good news is that these effects are only temporary, and that normal sperm production resumes once a man abstains from alcohol.  

10 – Do quit smoking

Smoking’s ill effects on your health go beyond lung cancer; it also affects your blood vessels, heart, and fertility.  A recent report in the British Medical Journal shows that smoking can damage the ovaries, and increase the risk of miscarriage and cervical cancer.  Research also shows that a chemical in cigarette smoke called PAH binds to the receptors in the ovaries, telling it to stop the production of mature eggs. In other words, smoking can interfere with the maturation of eggs and even prevent ovulation, which has obvious consequences for your fertility. Scientists believe that this effect is why female smokers are more likely to experience early menopause.  Finally, your baby can absorb the chemicals in cigarette smoke even if you quit months before.  If it is possible, quit a year before you decide to conceive.

11 – Do ask your partner to quit smoking

Smoking can impair your partner’s fertility too.  Male smokers have been found to have lower sperm count than men who do not smoke.  Cigarette smoke can also damage the blood vessels, which has an indirect effect on male fertility.  In order to develop and maintain an erection, the body needs healthy veins that lead to the penis. Diseased veins of chronic smokers result in low blood flow, causing ineffective and weak erections.

12 – Do get light therapy to balance your circadian rhythms

Before electricity was invented, women’s menstrual cycles were triggered by the subtle changes in moonlight.  This natural synchronization was lost as we became more dependent on artificial light. Current research from the University of California San Diego Sleep Center shows that light therapy can make irregular menstrual cycles more regular by increasing the production of melatonin, the hormone-like substance that regulates your circadian rhythm or internal body clock. Melatonin also governs the production and release of sex hormones, thereby creating the hormonal balance required for optimal fertility.

13 – Don’t wait to start fertility testing

Most couples delay fertility testing until months of trying to conceive yield no results.  Don’t make this mistake!  Start fertility testing as soon as you decide to have children so that you can correct any medical problems or lifestyle habits that affect your fertility.

14 – Don’t do drugs

Like alcohol and tobacco, recreational drugs like marijuana can lower your chances of conceiving. Marijuana upsets the delicate balance required for ovulation and a regular menstrual cycle.  The THC in marijuana also makes its way to the vaginal fluid, which makes sperm swim too fast, causing them to burn out and die before reaching the egg. Other drugs like cocaine can also damage your tissues and blood vessels, reducing the blood supply to your baby if you do conceive.  The good news is that your fertility will return as soon as you stop using these substances.

15 – Do ask your partner not to do drugs

Just as marijuana smoking affects sperm motility (movement) in the womb, so can it produce unhealthy sperm.  A study from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences discovered that the sperm from marijuana smokers display abnormal swimming patterns that prevent them from reaching the egg. The sperm that do reach the egg have the reduced ability to attach to the egg before penetrating it.   Marijuana smokers were also found to have lower sperm count than men who do not smoke.  Don’t sign up for any expensive fertility treatments if you don’t plan on keeping off the grass soon. THC remains in the fat for a long period of time, and it may take a while for its effects on your fertility to wear off.

16 – Do yoga

Exercise is good for fertility, but yoga is probably the best way to stay fit. It’s a gentle form of exercise that won’t place too much strain on your body. In fact, the practice itself is relaxing and can help you cope with stress.  Yoga can also improve your general reproductive health – the poses can strengthen the muscles that support your reproductive organs, providing better blood circulation.  If you’re taking fertility drugs, the breathing exercises of yoga can fight off its toxic side effects.  The best part about yoga is that you don’t have to go to a studio to enjoy its benefits; purchasing a DVD and practicing the poses in your living room should do the trick.

17 – Do watch your weight

According to the ASRM, 12% of infertility cases are due to women weighing too much or weighing too little.  Estrogen is produced within fat cells and a woman with too much body fat also produces too much sex hormones. In response, the body puts itself on natural birth control, thereby limiting the odds of conceiving.  A woman with too little body fat has difficulty producing enough estrogen required for a regular reproductive cycle.  So make sure you stay within the ideal weight for your height.

18 – Don’t do pilates when you are trying to conceive

Yoga might improve the mind-body connection and set the stage for fertility, but pilates might not. While it provides a good workout and relaxes your mind, pilates also puts too much strain on the reproductive organs, upsetting the balance needed for conception.

19 – Don’t do ibuprofen

If you are timing intercourse according to your fertile days, avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.  A double-blind study in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology shows that women who took NSAIDs mid-cycle experienced delayed ovulation by five days.  Other smaller studies suggest that NSAID use can interfere with proper implantation. Instead of taking Advil, use common herbs that decrease inflammation naturally, such as turmeric and ginger.

20 – Don’t take acetaminophen

Another over-the-counter drug you need to stay away from is acetaminophen or Tylenol.  This drug can lower the amount of luteinizing hormone and estrogen produced by the body, which can temporarily impair your fertility.

21 – Do take nitric oxide

Make sure your multivitamin supplements include nitric oxide. A new animal study published in the journal Biochemistry shows that consuming nitric oxide was able to delay the signs of aging in mice eggs.  Like eggs in women older than 40, these deteriorate faster and are less able to fertilize properly.  Make sure your partner stays away from this chemical though – an Iranian study discovered that high levels of nitric oxide have a negative impact on sperm motility, metabolism, and viability.

22 – Don’t think having an orgasm will help you get pregnant

Men need to orgasm for a pregnancy to occur, but the female orgasm doesn’t do much in the way of increasing the odds.  Even though the cervix and vagina contracts during orgasm, it doesn’t make the sperm reach the egg any faster nor does it aid in fertilization. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy sex – by all means, orgasm! Just don’t develop any false hopes about increased chances of conceiving after having an orgasm or two.

23 – Do look into getting an IVF scholarship

The cost of IVF may be beyond your budget, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get it cheaper! Start finding an IVF scholarship as early as now. Many non-profit organizations subsidize IVF treatments of deserving couples if your application is compelling enough. Although most scholarships do not cover the cost of fertility drugs and you might have to do some PR work when you get pregnant, it’s still better than paying $12,000 right out of your savings.

24 – Do get genetic testing, especially if you have had recurring miscarriages

It might cost a lot, but in the long run, getting a genetic test for any chromosomal disorders can help you get pregnant faster, especially if you’re doing IVF.  Up to 60% of unexplained miscarriages are actually caused by undiagnosed chromosomal abnormalities, and this risk increases with age.  A test called preimplantation genetic diagnosis can be used to screen healthy embryos from those who carry the abnormal chromosomes. This will greatly reduce the risk of miscarriage and increase the chances of birthing a child with no birth defects and mental disability caused by imbalanced chromosomes.

25 – Do beware of early menopause and get treatment if you suspect it

Did you know that it’s common for women in their 30s and 40s to suffer from early menopause?  If you’ve been experiencing irregular periods, periods that are lighter or heavier than usual, and hot flashes, you should get tested and treated so you can make the most out of your remaining fertility. Menopause only affects ovaries, not the uterus; this means you can still have a chance to get pregnant using donated eggs or embryos if your own eggs are no longer viable.

26 – Don’t think using an ice pack on your partner’s genitals will help you get pregnant

If hot tubs, saunas, and laptops can decrease male fertility, won’t it make sense for ice packs to improve sperm production? Not exactly.  A man’s testicles are located exactly where they should be, temperature-wise.  They will naturally rise and fall closer or further from the body to make sure that they are at the right temperature.  So don’t think that applying a cold compress on your partner’s testicles can improve your chances of getting pregnant. If temperature is truly a concern, just ask him to wear boxers and loose pants.

27 – Do use progesterone cream

If you have a history or are at risk of miscarriage, you are likely to be deficient in the hormone progesterone.  Progesterone sets the conditions for conceiving – after ovulation, progesterone creates the changes in cervical mucus and makes it more sperm-friendly.  Progesterone also prepares the rich endometrium lining for the implantation of the fertilized egg, and sustains it once the egg has implanted. Natural progesterone cream can prevent the early shedding of the endometrium lining caused by the drop in progesterone levels.   If your doctor has diagnosed you with a progesterone deficiency, you should start using natural progesterone cream once you ovulate.    

28 – Do go to the chiropractor to boost your chance of conceiving

Don’t lose hope if conventional fertility treatments have failed you. Maybe all you need is a different approach to your problem. Consider seeing a chiropractor and getting the subluxations of your spine realigned.  You might be wondering – what does the spine have to do with my fertility problem?  The thing is, the spine contains thousands of nerve endings that affect your nervous system and how it communicates with your nervous system. For instance, the nervous system is responsible for ovulation and for the release of hormones. If the nerves are misaligned, the nervous system cannot produce a regular cycle and infertility can occur.  Many studies published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research suggest that chiropractic work can improve or restore fertility in women.

29 – Do see a naturopathic doctor

Another alternative health care practitioner you can consult is a naturopathic doctor.  Naturopathic medicine enhances the body’s natural ability to heal itself by finding the environmental causes of your infertility and treating it with herbs, lifestyle interventions, and other natural means.  Compared to IVF, treating your fertility problems with naturopathic medicine is cheaper and improves your overall well-being. You can also use naturopathic medicine to enhance the success of IVF and other medical fertility treatments.

30 – Do get support

Infertility is a highly personal battle. Even with your partner’s support and encouragement, this battle can take its toll on you and your relationship.  Do get support or join a support group, especially when you are faced with difficult decisions, when you are choosing an infertility treatment, or when dealing with a loss or failed cycle. Support reduces stress which is a good thing for conception.

31 – Do get a massage

While you can easily perform a fertility massage on yourself, nothing beats the relaxing power of a full-body massage at the spa.  It might not improve your fertility per se, but it sure will melt the stress away. And as you already know, stress contributes to infertility. So clear out your schedule for an afternoon and head to the nearest spa. You deserve a break!

32 – Do take alfalfa

Although alfalfa is not a home remedy for infertility, it contains high concentrations of plant estrogens, which is important if your estrogen levels tend to fluctuate.  Plant estrogens are safer than synthetic estrogens because they help when estrogen is low, but do not cause the damage of excess estrogen.  You can take alfalfa as a supplement, or add sprouts to your salad.

33 – Don’t take St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort may be a popular alternative to anti-depressant medication, but you might want to stop taking them if you are trying to conceive. A study at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine discovered that at high doses, St. John’s Wort damaged the DNA of eggs and sperm, making them too unhealthy to form an embryo.  Talk with your doctor and find a safe way to alleviate your depression while you are trying to conceive.

34 – Don’t wait until you are over 40

Shocking stories of menopause babies might have given you the impression that it’s okay to put off conceiving until you are over 40.  The truth is that menopause babies are the exception rather than the rule. Although it can be done and there are things to do that may increase your chances, it gets much more difficult to get pregnant –  ovarian stores are lower and eggs are less capable of fertilizing well as the biological clock ticks.  Bottom line: there is no such thing as the “right time” to have a baby. Don’t put pregnancy off while your fertility is still in good shape.

35 – Don’t think having sex on day 14 of your cycle will help you get pregnant

Articles on the Internet probably told you that the 14^th day of your cycle is the best day to have sex because this is around the time you start ovulating.  This piece of advice is based on the premise that you have a 28-day cycle that occurs like clockwork.  However, the 28-day cycle is actually not as common as you think. Every woman has a different cycle length, which means women ovulate at different times.  So how will you know when the best time to have sex is?

36 – Do chart your basal body temperature

Start charting your basal body temperature as soon as you make the decision to get pregnant.  Your basal body temperature will let you know when you’re about to ovulate and when you have already ovulated, as indicated by the rise in your basal (resting) temperature. All you need is a basal thermometer from a drug store and a basal body chart, which you can download free from our website. Take your basal temperature first thing in the morning, before you get up and make coffee.  Then plot your temperature on the graph. What you are looking for is an increase of at least 4 degrees Farenheit over a period of 48 hours. This indicates ovulation. Of course, your basal temperature is influenced by a lot of factors –a fever, the number of hours you slept, or whether or not you drank alcohol the night before.  Another limitation is that your basal body temperature indicates ovulation after it already happened; it’s not very helpful for deciding when the best days to have sex are. For that, you need to track your cervical mucus too.

37 – Do track your cervical mucus

As you get closer to ovulation, the progesterone in your body transforms your cervical mucus from a sperm-hostile kind to a consistency that allows the sperm to swim to the egg.  Immediately after ovulation, the cervical mucus becomes less fertile.  Every woman’s body is different but generally, cervical mucus starts out dry, then creamy, until it reaches the consistency of raw egg white. This is when you are most fertile and the best time to have sex.  You can check your cervical mucus by inserting a finger inside your vagina then pulling it out. Observe the consistency of the mucus you find by rolling it between your index finger and thumb.  If the cervical mucus is wet, watery, and stretchy, free up your schedule for some baby-making sex.

38 – Do check your cervical position to improve conception odds

There’s a third sign that indicates fertility, and this is your cervical position. While your cervical position is harder to determine accurately, it’s a surer sign of ovulation than your cervical mucus and basal body temperature.  It can also help you determine if you are pregnant or not.  At the start of the menstrual cycle, the cervix is low, hard, and more open to release the blood.  At this point, the cervix feels like the tip of your nose. Once the bleeding stops, the cervix stays low and hard, and the uterine opening is closed.  As you approach ovulation, the cervix rises to the top of the vagina and becomes softer.  During ovulation, the cervix feels more like your lips than the nose.  Before ovulation itself, you might feel as if your cervix has disappeared.  This is because the cervix has blended in with the vaginal walls and rose so high that a finger cannot reach it. When your cervix is soft, high, open, and wet, this is when you are at your most fertile.

39 – Do stay together

Since it’s difficult to predict exactly when you’ll be ovulating, it’s important that you and your partner stay together while you are trying to conceive.  If one of you takes extended time apart for a business trip, you might end up missing the fertile window of opportunity.  Find ways to get alone time as your ovulation date draws near.  

40 – Don’t use aloe

Nothing relieves sunburn better than aloe vera, but this spiny plant may actually pose problems as soon as you are pregnant. Some studies indicate that the purgative effects of the aloe plant might induce abortion.  Although aloe vera can alleviate some fertility problems, do not take it after you ovulate or after your embryo transfer.

41 – Do get a male fertility test

Approximately 25% of all cases of infertility is caused by a problem with sperm production, while 40-50% of couples experience sperm problems as a main cause or contributing cause of infertility.  When you decide to get tested for infertility, the male should take a semen analysis before the woman gets tested. It’s cheaper, it’s easier to perform than fertility tests for women, and discovering male fertility problems right away could mean immediate treatment and a successful pregnancy.

42 – Do use an ovulation predictor kit

While they’re expensive to use on a regular basis, ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) can be very helpful for scheduling some baby-making time. An OPK is a urine test that detects the luteinizing hormone, which peaks just before ovulation.  The OPK will help you determine when this surge will occur and help you decide the best time for sex.  Of course, an OPK is not without inaccurate readings; for instance, LH levels can surge regardless of whether or not an egg is released.  Make sure you follow the directions to the letter when you use an OPK.

43 – Do try reiki therapy

Aside from yoga, another ancient healing approach that can increase the likelihood of getting pregnant is called reiki therapy, a hands-on method that channels positive energy to your body to improve your overall health.  Reiki therapy has been used for many disorders; including those experiencing fertility problems who have got the treatment and have been able to minimize conditions that prevented them from getting pregnant.

44 – Do drink green tea

Cutting down on caffeine is one of the keys to boosting fertility, but if you really need caffeine to get you out of bed in the morning, get it from green tea.  Unlike other caffeinated drinks, which have refined sugar and artificial additives, green tea contains healthy antioxidants.  A study done by the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program also shows that women who drank more than half a cup of green tea daily had an easier time conceiving.  The researchers believe that the anti-oxidant compounds in green tea contribute to the production of mature eggs and viable embryos. 

45 – Do eat pineapple during the luteal phase

Pineapples contain a nutrient called bromelain which can assist in successful embryo implantation.  A glass of pure pineapple juice a day should do the trick, but avoid it after ovulation or embryo transfer. Pineapple is said to cause uterine contractions that can cause miscarriage.

46 – Don’t think standing on your head after sex will help you get pregnant

While certain sex positions can bring the sperm right into your cervix, standing on your head after sex will not help you get pregnant. The sperm will swim towards the egg whether you stand on your head, jump on your bed, or stay lying down.  Not to mention that you’ll look rather silly doing so!

47 – Don’t eat too much sugar

There’s a strong connection between fertility and the food you eat. Your body uses the nutrients from your food (or your supplements) to repair cells, release hormones, and create healthy eggs and sperm.  If you eat too much sugar and your blood glucose levels shoot up, the reproductive hormones that govern your cycle will not work properly, reducing your chances of getting pregnant.  Aside from that, refined sugar from processed foods consumes the nutrients in your body so they can get converted into energy.  I’m not saying avoid sugar completely – just limit your sugar intake to natural sources like molasses.

48 – Don’t eat refined carbohydrates

Like sugar, refined carbohydrates in pasta, bread, and baked goods can make your glucose levels rise, which will also cause insulin levels to rise.  This can disrupts ovulation and limit your chances of conceiving.  Obtain your carbohydrates from slow-releasing carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

49 – Do take licorice root

Herbs like licorice root can help you get pregnant by moderating your estrogen levels, balancing your blood sugar levels, and treating irregular cycles due to PCOS.  But you might want to look for a different herbal remedy if you are at risk for high blood pressure.  Licorice root also contains glycyrrhizin acid, a chemical with a similar structure to the hormone aldosterone. This can make your body retain sodium and lose potassium, which will cause your blood pressure to rise.

50 – Do be careful about eating wheat to improve conceiving chances

The bowl of cereal you had for breakfast could be the reason why you can’t get pregnant.  Cereal is made of wheat, which contains a protein called gluten.  One out of every 100 healthy Americans has difficulty digesting gluten; in its undigested form, gluten attacks the walls of the small intestines and prevents it from absorbing nutrients.  This condition is called Celiac Disease.  According to researchers from the University of Chicago, any woman who experiences persistent infertility and recurring miscarriages should be tested for celiac disease and go on a gluten-free diet. While you don’t have to get tested for celiac disease, try cutting down on your wheat intake and see if this helps.  

51 – Don’t think eating ice cream will help you get pregnant as is popularly written about on the Internet

A tub of ice cream may be comforting during trying times, but eating ice cream won’t help you get pregnant. In fact, it might even lower the chances of conceiving. Although full fat milk can help overcome ovarian infertility, Harvard University’s Nurses’ Health Study discovered that ice cream’s sugar content can upset your insulin levels, which is detrimental to your fertility.  Instead of ice cream, switch to less sugary sources of full fat dairy like (unsweetened) yogurt or cottage cheese.

52 – Don’t exercise too much

While exercise can improve your physical and emotional well-being, make sure you don’t exercise too much.  Together with a low-calorie diet, too much exercise can decrease your body fat level, which can upset your body’s production of estrogen.  This will cause a seemingly normal cycle without ovulation, irregular periods, or no menstruation at all.  Working out too much will also put your body under stress, which automatically lowers your fertility. Thirty minutes of cardio a day should be enough to meet your fitness needs while preserving your fertility.

53 – Don’t be a couch potato

On the other hand, try not to be a couch potato.  Remember – your body weight has to be proportional to your height for optimum fertility.  Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy body weight, and make sure you eat enough calories to make up for the energy you burn.

54 – Don’t use over-the-counter lubricants

Trying to conceive might make sex less exciting than it used to be, but don’t use over-the-counter lubricants to spice things up, even if it doesn’t contain spermicide. Lubricant itself is already a spermicide. You see, sperm require an alkaline environment (with at least a pH level of 7) in order to survive long enough to reach the egg.  Lubricants are very acidic and can make the environment in the cervix hostile to sperm, killing them as they are released.

55 – Don’t use saliva as lubricant

Saliva doesn’t make a more sperm-friendly lubricant either.  Its digestive enzymes affect sperm motility and cause them to wriggle uncontrollably, burning them out and killing them before they can reach the egg.

56 – Don’t use water as lubricant

Aside from being a poor lubricant, water gets easily absorbed into the sperm, which makes them swell until they burst.  

57 – Do use Pre-Seed to improve conceiving chances

Don’t lose hope – there is such a thing as a lubricant that won’t kill off sperm! Pre-Seed was developed by a doctor from the Washington State University in order to make sex more enjoyable to couples trying to conceive. This product contains the right pH levels required to help healthy sperm survive the journey to the egg.  Although Pre-Seed won’t increase the chances of conceiving per se, it provides a solution to vaginal dryness without damaging sperm.

58 – Do take red raspberry

Red raspberry leaf is used to prevent complications in pregnancy and promote an easy birth, but many women also take it to produce a thick endometrium lining for implantation.  You can take it as a tea by pouring a cup of boiling hot water over 2 teaspoons of the dried leaves.  Steep it for ten minutes then add honey to taste.  Unlike many fertility herbs, red raspberry leaf is quite pleasant to drink.  If you are undergoing IVF, consult your doctor before taking red raspberry leaf (or any other herb).

59 – Don’t eat cinnamon

While cinnamon can prevent your body from being sensitive to the effects of insulin, large quantities are thought to cause early miscarriage. A little cinnamon on your bread or hot chocolate is fine, but make sure you only eat it in very small amounts after you ovulate.

60 – Do spend time in the sunlight

Slather on some sunscreen and spend more time under the sun! A study from Yale University School of Medicine found a relationship between low amounts of vitamin D and ovulatory infertility.  Vitamin D deficiency can be a serious problem during winter, when the body has little natural exposure to sunlight, so consider taking supplements during this time of the year.

61 – Do stop birth control ASAP

Although it’s possible for a woman to get pregnant two weeks after getting off the pill, it’s best to stop birth control as soon as you decide you want a baby.  The birth control pill prevents pregnancy by using synthetic hormones to stop ovulation and it may take some time for the excess hormones to leave your body.  Although every woman’s body is different, the average woman’s reproductive system functions normally two to three months after stopping the pill.  Of course, if you had problems with irregular periods or ovulation before you got on the pill, the same issue will likely be present after you stop taking it.

62 – Do take horny goat weed to improve male fertility

The aptly-named horny goat weed is a powerful, time-tested aphrodisiac that improves erectile dysfunction problems in men. Horny goat weed is from a plant called epimedium, which grows in high altitudes and contains a variety of polysaccharides, flavonoids, and magnaflorine.  Legend has it that horny goat weed was discovered by a farmer who noticed increased virility in his goats when he takes them up a high mountain to graze.   You don’t have to chew on a raw leaf in order to obtain the benefits of horny goat weed; this potent herb is readily available in tea and capsule form. 

63 – Do meditate

When the stress of work, your daily responsibilities, and trying to conceive starts to overwhelm you, take some time off and meditate. For centuries, meditation techniques have been used to help women prepare their womb and bodies for a baby’s arrival.  More importantly, meditation will teach your body and mind to cope with stress; the techniques you learn will help you stay calm even if your journey to fertility presents you with surprising results. If you’ve never meditated in your life, consider purchasing a guided meditation DVD so you can learn the basics of clearing your head, breathing, and self-healing.

64 – Do take baby aspirin

Baby aspirin (or low-dose aspirin) can help you get pregnant, especially if you have a history of recurrent miscarriages.  Sometimes miscarriages occur when your body has an extremely high level of antiphospholipid antibodies.  This causes your blood to become thicker than normal, increasing the risk of blood clot formation around the placenta, which will deprive your baby of the oxygen and nutrients it needs.  Aspirin in small doses can thin out the blood in women who are predisposed to developing blood clots, allowing the blood to travel smoothly through the placenta and reach your baby.

65 – Do avoid saturated fats

Just as the nutrients you consume influence your fertility, so do dietary fats affect your chances of conceiving. Start cutting out saturated fats from your diet.  Aside from contributing to body weight leaving less room for healthier types of fat, saturated fats also influence cell function, aggravates inflammation, and hormone secretion.  Harvard University’s Nurses’ Health Study discovered that the nurses who ate the most saturated fats also experienced the most fertility problems.  So do watch out for these unwanted fats in fast food, fried food, and processed food.

66 – Do go on a “get me pregnant” vacation

When was the last time you and your partner went on a vacation?  Perhaps it’s time you used up those vacation leaves and took a “conceptionmoon” together. A study published in Fertility and Sterility shows that couples who are stressed are more likely to have problems conceiving than couples who do not.  Vacations will provide the change of pace and scenery that will help you forget about stress and set the mood for some baby-making fun. You don’t even have to go very far or spend a lot of money; just make sure the place you choose will help you unwind and has a nice, comfy bed.  Don’t forget to bring out your calendar or use an ovulation predictor kit to figure out when you are most likely to ovulate.

67 – Do get your protein from beans, nuts and legumes

The centerpiece of your dinner plate is probably a hunk of meat.  Protein can help you overcome ovulatory infertility, but only if it comes from plant sources rather than meat.  The Nurses’ Health Study showed that women who obtained their protein from beef, chicken, and pork are 39% more likely to suffer from ovulation problems than women who depended on beans, nuts, and legumes for their protein.  You can reduce your animal protein consumption by replacing it with carbohydrates or a side of beans; the same study showed that replacing 25 grams of meat with 25 grams of plant protein reduced the risk of ovulatory infertility.   Consider adding one serving of peas, beans, tofu, peanuts, or soy at every meal too.

68 – Do appeal to a higher power

Early civilizations used to climb mountains or travel long distances so they could pray to deities for improved fertility.  While many of us view such rituals as outdated or irrational, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to appeal to a power higher than yourself to help you cope with the hurdles of infertility, and studies have shown that there is power in prayer. Consider attending a worship session, a prayer group, or reciting a prayer for infertility in the privacy of your home. If you are not tied to any certain religion, it still helps relieve stress to be spiritually grounded by something as simple as a belief and ritual based on meditating on respect for the connection of all life.  It won’t cost you anything and it might even give you strength to face the trials ahead.

69 – Do get a postcoital test

If you are frustrated by your failed attempts at conceiving, you might want to take a postcoital test to find out what’s wrong. A postcoital test is an examination of your cervical mucus after sex to check for the presence of sperm and to see if they are swimming normally.  The test is usually performed a day or two before ovulation – the time when your cervical mucus is most receptive to sperm.  Two to eight hours after intercourse, your doctor will collect a sample of your cervical mucus and examine it under a microscope.  A postcoital test can detect any immune system problems, mucus problems that affect the sperm, and low sperm count.  Make sure you schedule the post-coital test after you ovulate; otherwise, the test results could indicate an abnormality where there isn’t any.

70 – Do get a hysteriosalpingiogram

One of the most important tests that can uncover female fertility problems is a hysterosalpingogram, or the HSG test.  This outpatient test is designed to find out if there are any physical impediments that prevent sperm from reaching the egg.  During the HSG, a dye will be injected through the vagina, which will then fill up your uterus and fallopian tubes if they are not blocked.  This will be viewed through the help of an X-ray photo.    Besides blocked fallopian tubes, the HSG can also detect pelvic scar tissue, polyps, fibroid tumors, and any uterine abnormalities that can hinder conception.

71 – Do eat black sesame seeds to help you conceive

According to traditional Chinese medicine, infertility problems are caused by a deficiency in kidney essence. The kidneys are the organs that govern the reproductive system, and this “essence” is the energy that fuels it.  You can replenish your kidney essence with foods like black sesame seed. Additionally, avoid strenuous exercise, spicy food, or extreme heat as this will affect the balance of your kidney essence.

72 – Do eat pumpkin seeds

Zinc is an important mineral for creating semen and fertile cervical mucus.  Increase you zinc stores by snacking on pumpkin seeds. Besides zinc, pumpkin seeds are rich in the trace mineral selenium, which has potent anti-oxidant properties that can boost fertility.

73 – Don’t take herbs if you are using fertility drugs

Herbs can make it easier to conceive, but stop taking them once you start using fertility drugs. Just like pharmaceutical medications, herbs contain certain components that might cause unwanted chemical reactions if taken together with the active ingredients in fertility drugs.  Feel free to take either herbs or drugs, but don’t take both at the same time.

74 – Don’t jump out of bed right after sex

While standing on your head after sex won’t necessarily increase your chances of getting pregnant, don’t let gravity work against the sperm either. Spend at least five minutes lying down in bed after having sex so they can have a chance to swim up to the cervix.

75 – Do take evening primrose oil at the beginning of your cycle

Evening primrose oil has a host of wonderful effects for your health, but the most useful benefit is the way it improves the quality of your cervical mucus.  Some women have difficulty conceiving because the quality of their cervical mucus is hostile to sperm.  If you take it early enough in your cycle, evening primrose oil can produce the fertile cervical mucus needed for sperm to glide through.

76 – Do get educated about the reproductive system

It won’t help you get pregnant per se, but getting to know the male and female reproductive system will make it easier for you to understand the fertility problems you and your partner might be facing, as well as the treatment options open to you.

77 – Don’t think that “not trying to get pregnant” will help you get pregnant

While you don’t have to spend every second of your day trying to conceive, resisting the urge to have baby-making sex to avoid getting your hopes crushed won’t help.  If you do, you might end up missing the small window of fertility that occurs just once in your cycle.

78 – Don’t think that having as much sex as possible will help you get pregnant

Don’t have sex every time you’re alone either! Although frequent sex shouldn’t be a problem if your partner’s sperm count is fine, remember that it takes 90 days for a fresh batch of sperm to mature. The percentage of mature sperm in the semen decreases as your partner ejaculates repeatedly. You might end up wasting the healthy sperms on your non-fertile days if you have sex too often.

79 – Don’t think that saving up sperm by not having sex will help you get pregnant

Avoiding sex won’t help you get pregnant as well.  If mature sperm get stored in the testicles for too long, they may end up expiring. Instead, use BBT and track your cervical mucus to determine your ovulation date, then schedule frequent lovemaking sessions around it.

80 – Do get educated about infertility and treatment options

Even if you haven’t made a decision about getting treated for infertility, it’s good to educate yourself about artificial reproductive technologies and treatment options within your budget.  If your efforts to conceive naturally don’t yield any results, you may end up finding a use for this information.

81 – Do avoid environmental toxins

The chemicals created by large industries have serious effects on your health and may be responsible for your fertility problems. Pesticides in food have been found to stimulate the production of antibodies that attack sperm in the uterus. Xenoestrogens or foreign estrogens in your personal care products can upset the delicate hormonal balance in your body and cause changes in your cycle. You can avoid environmental toxins by avoiding the dirty dozen – the twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables – and by using organic personal care products.

82 – Do take vitamin C

The antioxidant qualities of vitamin C are helpful for boosting male fertility. Vitamin C can protect sperm from DNA damage, prevent sperm clumping, and improve sperm motility.   Try to keep your vitamin C consumption to under 1,000mg; in higher doses, vitamin C may create acidic cervical mucus.

83 – Do be careful about prescription medications that can interfere with ovulation

Whenever the doctor prescribes a new drug, look at its side effects and check if it will interfere with ovulation.   If it does, ask if you can take a different drug that won’t affect your cycle. The last thing you need right now is for your ovulation to get delayed or for ovulation to not happen at all.

84 – Do get treatment for endometriosis

If you have been diagnosed for endometriosis, get it treated ASAP. While this disease is by no means life-threatening, it will cause infertility and it will get worse over time.  As long as it remains untreated, new mucus membranes and tissue lesions will form, causing scars that can block sperm.

85 – Do take omega-3 fats to increase your chances of conception

Omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docohexaenoic acid (DHA) are well-known for their heart-healthy benefits, but did you know that they can boost fertility as well? Omega-3 fats have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce blood clotting and increase blood flow to tissues, including the uterus. EPA and DHA can also reduce the production of immune cells that attack sperm or prevent an embryo from implanting onto the uterus. Finally, omega-3 fats are critical for fetal brain development. Be sure to invest in quality omega-3 fish oils.

86 – Don’t assume that the infertility problem is with the female partner

In the days before science, it was assumed that the inability to get pregnant was the fault of the female.  While female reproductive system is more sensitive to hormonal imbalances caused by environmental factors, most couples trying to conceive have male factor infertility to deal with.

87 – Don’t assume that the infertility problem is with the male partner

Even though male factor infertility is involved in a great many infertility cases, don’t assume that the problem is with the male partner.  However, it makes more sense for the male to take fertility tests before the female because it is less expensive and invasive.

88 – Don’t think that just because you got pregnant before, it will be easy the next time

Most couples believe that they won’t have problems conceiving a second child because they got pregnant before.  Unfortunately, secondary infertility is the problem behind 40% of infertility cases. The reasons behind secondary infertility are similar to those that cause primary fertility. Perhaps you developed unhealthy eating habits, gained weight, or developed an infection since your last pregnancy.  You have gotten older as well, and it’s possible that your egg quality may have started to decrease or your partner’s sperm is no longer as healthy as it was. The good news is that there are many natural and medical treatments to help you can overcome secondary infertility.

89 – Do try fertility drugs

If you can’t afford expensive ART procedures, consider taking fertility drugs. For many couples, fertility drugs are all they need to get pregnant.  Fertility drugs increase the chances of conceiving by promoting ovulation. Clomiphene stimulates the pituitary gland to trigger the maturation of several eggs, while gonadotropins work on the ovaries to release several eggs.  While these drugs have been safely and successfully used to overcome fertility problems, you are also at risk for developing multiple births.  The more babies you carry in the womb, the greater your risk for complications such as premature labor, miscarriage, and hypertension.

90 – Do try IUI

If your infertility problems are due to tubal blockage, advanced endometriosis, or ovarian failure, you might get pregnant with the help of intrauterine insemination (IUI). A sperm sample is obtained from your partner and “washed” to increase its concentration. Then the sperm will be introduced near the fallopian tube at the time of ovulation to bring them closer to the egg.  From there, the sperm can fertilize the egg naturally.  Aside from bypassing certain female fertility problems, IUI is also an effective way of overcoming poor sperm motility or low sperm count.

91 – Do try IVF

Most cases of infertility can be overcome with in vitro fertilization (IVF), the oldest and most popular assisted reproductive technology available. IVF involves stimulating the growth of multiple eggs, which are surgically retrieved and fertilized in the laboratory using her partner’s sperm. The resulting embryos are then transferred into the uterus. The world’s first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born in July 1978.  Since then, hundreds of thousands of babies were born through the help of this technology. Even if IVF costs might be out of your budget, there are ways to obtain this procedure less expensively.

92 – Do consider ICSI

You can increase the success rate of your IVF with the help of a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI. During ICSI, an egg is fertilized artificially by injecting a sperm right in the middle.  Some IVF clinics restrict the procedure to couples with male factor infertility, but most clinics will allow anyone to include ICSI in their cycle.

93 – Do see an infertility specialist in addition to your regular doctor

If you are trying to conceive, start your journey with a good infertility specialist – sometimes called a reproductive endocrinologist.  Although your general gynecologist can assess your initial fertility tests and provide you with basic treatments, a trained fertility specialist can do an in-depth examination of your case and make more complex recommendations. All fertility specialists should have a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. This means he or she did 2-3 years of specialized infertility training after completing residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

94 – Do work with your doctors as a team

Don’t sit back and let your doctors do all the work.  Do your own research about new treatments, read about others’ experiences, and ask your doctor how these available options can help you.  If you work together as a team, you’ll waste no time narrowing down your treatment options, which can help you get pregnant faster.

95 – Don’t rule out using donor eggs

If your infertility is due to poor egg quality, poor response to ovarian stimulation, or premature ovarian failure, consider using donor eggs during your next attempt at conceiving.  Women have been using donor eggs to get pregnant since 1982, and there are over 15,000 embryo transfers in the United States that make use of donor eggs. Pregnancy success rates using donated eggs are much higher, especially when compared to the success rates of women with poor egg quantity and quality.   

96 – Don’t rule out using donor sperm

If ICSI doesn’t work, one other way to overcome male factor infertility is through using donor sperm.  The donated sperm can be from someone you know, but most couples prefer to obtain it through a sperm bank. The success rates of IVF with donor sperm depend on the woman’s age, the number of eggs, and any other fertility problems she might have.   

97 – Don’t rule out using donor embryos when trying to conceive

You may also want to consider using donor embryos if the embryos you produce are unfit to survive. Donor embryos are usually from couples who have already gotten pregnant with IVF and were unable to use their remaining embryos.  Ask your fertility clinic if they have a donor embryo program that you can participate in.

98 – Don’t rule out surrogacy

If you are unable to carry a pregnancy to term, an option that might work is surrogacy.  This arrangement involves a third party who carries the pregnancy to term and delivers the baby in your place.   There are two kinds of surrogacy – a surrogate, who donates both her eggs and the uterus, and a gestational carrier, who only donates the uterus.  If you opt for a surrogate, your partner’s sperm will be placed into the surrogate’s uterus after she ovulates. She will then conceive and deliver the infant.  A gestational carrier will involve retrieving your eggs, having them fertilized with your partner’s sperm in the lab, and then transferred to the uterus.   If you are seriously considering using a surrogate or gestational carrier, you need to consult a trained professional who can educate you about the procedure. You will also need to familiarize yourself with the medical, legal, and ethical considerations of surrogacy before making a decision.

99 – Do keep an open mind to new and alternative treatments

IVF might seem like the most obvious answer to fertility problems, but these high-tech options aren’t the only one that can help you get pregnant.  There are many alternative treatments that couples have found helpful after thorough research and consultations with their doctor.  The options presented in this article are just the tip of the iceberg – there are a variety of ways to get pregnant without spending thousands on expensive treatments. Be on the lookout for new studies and keep your mind open to trying novel approaches to getting pregnant.

100 – Don’t stop trying to conceive

For most couples, the emotional drain is the hardest part about trying to conceive.  Every month, your sense of hope and anticipation rises, and you feel positive that this is the month when you finally conceive. Often, these feelings of anticipation give way to disappointment. But just because you didn’t get pregnant during the last cycle, it doesn’t mean you won’t get pregnant next time. Don’t lose hope and don’t stop trying to conceive while there’s still a chance of getting pregnant. Maybe there are some lifestyle changes you haven’t made, or a new treatment you’ve never heard of.  Keep on doing research, talk to your doctor about your options, and don’t be afraid to try different ways to boost your fertility. Your hard work can eventually pay off so that you’ll find yourself holding your baby in your arms before you know it.

101 – Do get The Full Embrace™ Pregnancy Success Program

These tips are just an easy few. The real powerful secrets and full details with instructions on how to set up your own program for conception success are more than we could include in this list. Give yourself your best chance of conception using our guide to start your journey towards parenthood today.

A Quick Overview of Your Fertility Cycle

Here’s how the female body works, in a very brief and simplified format. When a woman is born, she already has all the eggs she’ll ever produce inside her ovaries, but these eggs aren’t ready to be fertilized right away. They have to mature, and they do this one at a time. It takes an entire menstrual cycle for an egg to mature, be released, and either become an embryo or be reabsorbed into the body when it isn’t fertilized.

At the beginning of your menstrual cycle, which is the first day of your period, your body is cleaning itself out and preparing to try again to get pregnant. Right after your period, you produce more estrogen, which stimulates the maturation of eggs. When an egg is ready to go, it is released into the fallopian tubes, and progesterone takes over to make the uterine lining ready to receive a fertilized egg. If the egg is fertilized, it implants on the uterine lining and starts drawing nourishment from your body, but if it isn’t it simply dissolves within twenty-four hours and is reabsorbed into the body.

The Menstrual Cycle and Conception

The fact that these two very different hormones – estrogen and progesterone – are at work in your body throughout your menstrual cycle makes your body send various signals that you can use to track your own fertility with the help of nothing but knowledge and a basal body thermometer, which basically takes a very specific, accurate reading of your temperature.

You can use a specialized ovulation chart to see when you ovulate so that you know when intercourse is most likely to result in pregnancy. On this chart, you’ll track your basal body temperature, which is your waking temperature before you even speak or get out of bed in the morning. Throughout the beginning of your cycle, your temperature will probably stay within a few tenths of a degree, but as soon as you ovulate, the progesterone will cause a noticeable spike in your temperature.

This “noticeable spike” is probably actually only going to be a couple of degrees of difference, which is why an ovulation chart is going to have you measure your temperature to the nearest tenth of a degree. On the day that you ovulate and for a few days before, your chances of getting pregnant are very high.

While you may not ovulate at exactly the same point in every cycle, knowing what your body’s signals are leading up to ovulation and knowing the normal rhythm of your menstrual cycles can help you get pregnant much more quickly. Instead of haphazardly trying to have intercourse every other day for months on end, you can actually use the knowledge that you gain about your body to determine when you are most likely to actually get pregnant.

For an ovulation chart (pdf format) you can download and use yourself for free, please click here to download.

For lots more tips you must know to optimize your chances of conceiving, remember to sign up for our free email mini-course.

Jeanine’s Long Haul

When she and her husband were first married, they were immediately ready to have a family. After years of trying to conceive naturally, though, Jeanine finally got checked out by her gynecologist, who could find no reason for her infertility. After waiting a couple more years, Jeanine went on a more aggressive route through an infertility clinic. Several rounds of drug-assisted IUI later, she still couldn’t get pregnant.

Then, in a desperate attempt, her doctor suggested exploratory surgery to find out what the problem was, since they were almost sure it didn’t have to do with male factor. After finding and removing some scar tissue in her uterus, they tried another round of IUI, which didn’t work, again. Finally, Jeanine and her husband chose to move on to try three cycles of IVF, which turned out to be an unsuccessful and painful experience.

After taking a break from the infertility roller coaster for a few months, Jeanine needed to give it one last shot. This time, she decided she couldn’t go through IVF again, so she asked her doctor to give her all the medications for IVF but to do IUI instead. After her two week wait, she discovered that she was finally pregnant!

Tricia’s Incompatibility Problems

When Tricia and her husband of nearly ten years tried to get pregnant for several years without success, they decided it was time to see a reproductive endocrinologist. They found out that Tricia’s ovaries weren’t functioning properly, and before moving on to any medications or traditional treatments, the couple decided to try acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatments, which did help improve the situation somewhat.

Even with the improvement, though, the couple was still unable to get pregnant. Finally, doctor’s pinpointed the real reason for the problem: cervical mucus/sperm incompatibility. Basically, Tricia’s mucus was killing off her husband’s sperm, which meant that they would have almost no chance of getting pregnant naturally.

Luckily, this is one of the problems that is easily overcome by IUI. Tricia and her husband did one round of IUI with Clomid, and two weeks later, they found out that they were finally pregnant!

Elaine’s Male Factor Issues

One of the main things that IUI is used to overcome is male factor infertility. Elaine and her husband had already gotten pregnant through IUI despite his low sperm motility before, but they were ready to have a second child. Instead of trying naturally, they jumped right into IUI treatments.

Since the issues were with the sperm and not Elaine, who had a healthy, regular cycle and produced viable eggs, the couple opted for natural cycle IUI. By simply monitoring Elaine’s ovulation, they timed their IUI cycles. Unfortunately, they had to go through seven of these cycles. On the seventh cycle, just when they were starting to give up hope, Elaine finally found out that she was pregnant. She could hardly believe it because she felt no symptoms whatsoever.

For lots of great information about how to increase your odds of making your IUI a success, please sign up for our free email mini-course.

A woman’s body sheds endometrium tissue during menstruation. This tissue lines and normally grows inside her uterus (womb). Outside growth is called endometriosis, which—depending on the severity—can be quite painful.

Medical experts do not yet know what exactly causes this condition and why it decreases female fertility. Decreased fertility may be a result of endometrium scarring in the pelvis that could affect the Fallopian tubes which transport the eggs from the ovaries. Endometriosis also produces hormones and substances that may adversely affect a woman’s reproductive process.

Endometriosis might be the possible cause, if you and your partner have been having difficulty conceiving despite being healthy.

Signs of endometriosis

Pain in the lower abdomen or the pelvis is the most common symptom of endometriosis, often during or just before your period and lessening after menstruation. A woman afflicted with endometriosis may also feel pain outside her monthly period.

Pain may also be felt—

• during ovulation
• in the bowel during menstruation
• when passing urine
• during or after sexual intercourse
• in the lower back region
• in the lower back
• in the legs

Other symptoms:

• diarrhea and/or constipation (in connection with menstruation)
• Heavy/ irregular menstruation
• blood in the urine
• abdominal bloating (during menstruation)
• fatigue
• chronic/ recurring pelvic pain
• high blood pressure
• coughing up blood
• rectal bleeding
• blood in the urine or the stool
• frequent or urgent urination
• difficult or prolonged menstruation
• severe ovulation cramps
• irregular bowel movements
• dysmenorrheal (menstrual cramps)
• nausea and vomiting (in severe cases)
• previous miscarriage/s or ectopic pregnancy

Treatments for endometriosis associated with infertility

There is no current cure for endometriosis, but some procedures can treat the condition and make conception possible (depending on the condition’s extent):

1. Medication

Medicines can significantly or completely treat mild endometriosis in most women. Prescribed drugs such as birth control pills can suppress the condition and relieve endometriosis-related pain.

Endometriosis-specific drugs such as GnRH agonists (Lupron, Synarel, or Zoladex) and testosterone derivatives have been designed to regulate estrogen production and postpone ovulation for a short time. Some doctors recommend the hormone pill.

However, a number of well-controlled studies have shown that medication does not improve fertility. The pain may also recur maybe six months after the medication has stopped. You may also experience additional side effects, like depression, insomnia, acne, weight gain, etc.

1. Surgery

If your endometriosis is moderate to severe and you want to conceive, undergoing a laparoscopic surgery might work better for you. Laparoscopy is also one of the most effective methods in treating endometriosis as long as all the endometriosis tissues have been removed.

Some studies have noted improved pregnancy rates of 1.5 to 2 percent per month following this procedure. Others say laparoscopy improved fertility by 40 to 60 percent for women scarred by endometriosis tissue and by 10 to 90 percent for those with cleared Fallopian tubes.

There is a steep price to pay for this promising success: anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 per surgery. Expect possible post-surgery side effects, too, such as abdominal soreness, among others. Your doctor will advise you of the need for surgery.

1. Artificial insemination

Having sperm injected into your uterus may also up your chances to conceive by 5 to 25 percent, for a cost of $300 to $700. However, you may first have to take expensive fertility drugs such as clomiphene and gonadotropins—both known to have side effects, aside from the actual procedure’s own possible side effects.

1. IVF

In vitro fertilization is often recommended to women with severe endometriosis if insemination does not work out after six cycles, at most. The chances of success are higher for women below 40 years old. Be ready to spend $8,000 to $15,000 for this treatment.

1. Natural Treatments

If you want to avoid the painful cost and inconvenience of surgery, drugs, or fertility-assisted procedures, you may opt for natural remedies to treat endometriosis, such as adopting healthier eating habits (lessening/ eliminating caffeine, sugar, and alcohol and consuming organic food) and supplementing essential nutrients such as Vitamin B complex to help lower your estrogen level.

Traditional Chinese medicine experts also have therapeutic herbs to offer, aside from acupuncture and acupressure. Many women have reported success through these procedures.

You can also do exercise, yoga, and meditation to improve your general and reproductive health.

Insurance for Infertility

There are many different types of insurance for infertility floating about these days, but one is like your standard health insurance plan, but it covers infertility, unlike most plans. You already know how a basic insurance plan works: you pay a premium each month, and then the insurance provider covers a certain percentage or dollar amount of each treatment. An insurance plan like this can certainly simplify paying for your infertility treatments, but be sure to weigh the costs before you actually buy into a plan. Because infertility procedures have a high risk of failure and a high repeat rate, your insurance company is likely to charge very high premiums for this insurance.

Infertility Financing

You can get financing for everything these days, and infertility treatments are no different. Many couples choose to finance infertility treatments on their own by using credit cards, which most clinics accept, or even by taking out second mortgages on their homes. If you aren’t able to do either of these things, though, you may be able to finance your treatments either through a clinic or through a third-party company. Ask around at different clinics, and you may be able to find one that offers a package and financing so that you can pay for the cost over a period of months or years instead of all at once.

The good part about financing your infertility treatments is that you can begin them before you have all the money together. The bad part is the same as it is with any other type of financing. It could be years before you pay off the balance of your infertility treatment. You need to think about if you don’t end up getting pregnant, whether you would rather have that money to adopt, and if you do end up getting pregnant, whether you can afford the extra monthly cost of your infertility financing along with the extra costs a baby brings.

Shared Risk Programs

Shared risk programs may be some of the most interesting and innovative programs for helping couples spend less on infertility treatments. Most of these programs are for IVF treatments, and you will basically pay up front – or finance – three to four rounds of IVF. If after the first round you have a baby, the clinic will keep all of your money, but if after the last round you don’t have a baby, you’ll get some of your money back.

These programs can be good for couples who want to adopt if they don’t get pregnant, but they do come with some risks. For instance, some clinics only offer this program to women under the age of 35, who are more likely to get pregnant. And others who offer this program are more likely to implant multiple eggs on the first round of IVF, raising their chances of a bonus but also raising the chances of a dangerous multiple birth.

What’s Best for You?

No one else can decide what insurance or payment program is best for you and your partner, but the two of you need to take some serious time to discuss your options. Before you begin the emotional roller coaster that is infertility treatments, you need to decide how far you’ll go, how much you’ll spend, and when you’ll say enough is enough and fall back on other options. All the options, though, mean that everyone can afford to try to have a baby, so don’t give up hope even if it feels like you’ll never have the money to undergo ART.

Hormone Troubles

While the word “hormonal” is used more often for women than men, men actually have plenty of hormones in their bodies that control things like sexual function. For both men and women, when the hormones are out of whack – when there is either too much or too little of any one particular hormone in the body at a given time – the whole reproductive system can cease to function properly. In women, unbalanced hormones can mean lack of ovulation or simply ovulation at the wrong time, and for men, hormonal imbalances can cause problems with their sperm.

While the symptoms of hormone imbalances are many and varied, you may be able to notice some of them in yourself. For one thing, major changes in sex drive can signal hormonal changes, and many men with low levels of testosterone will experience a drop in sex drive and erectile problems. Women may become moody, have irregular periods, or experience significant weight loss or weight gain. Because men and women have the same reproductive hormones – simply in different concentrations – both men and women can have an overabundance of estrogen, which can cause emotional issues and things like bloating.

Sexual Issues

Obviously the more difficult it is to have sex, the more difficult it will be to conceive. Sexual dysfunctions like erectile issues and painful sex – for either men or women – can signal fertility problems later down the road, if only because a couple who is having problems like these is less likely to have sex at the right times to conceive a child. If you’re seeing any sexual problems in yourself or your spouse, it would be a good time to go to your doctor, especially if you’re trying to conceive a child.

Other Health Problems

While there aren’t any specific health issues that will certainly cause infertility, there are a lot of problems in both men and women that have been linked to infertility. Risk factors for infertility include being very over- or under-weight, smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, and taking in too much caffeine. Also, people who have certain sexually transmitted diseases are at a much higher risk for infertility, as are people who are taking certain medications, are being treated for cancer, or are constantly exposed to a number of environmental pollutants.

What You Can Do

Trying to conceive a child should be a fun, exciting time in your life. The best way to up your odds of conceiving naturally is to stay generally healthy; if you notice major, unexplained mood swings or other indicators of hormonal problems, if you have problems having fun, if having sex is uncomfortable, or if you are dealing with other health issues, now is a good time to go to the doctor and get these issues checked out. Being at your absolute healthiest is the simplest way to ensure that your conception and pregnancy go as smoothly as possible, even if you do end up needing to use some assisted reproduction therapies to make it happen in the end.

Who can benefit from tantric sex?

Regardless of your age, gender, or nationality, you can reap the benefits of tantric sex. Unlike sex that most people know, tantric sex is promoted as an everyday lifestyle that helps you become more comfortable with yourself.

In addition, tantric sex teaches specific sexual techniques (e.g. restraining ejaculation) and positions that will not only increase your sexual enjoyment, but also improve your overall health and bodily systems—two primary factors that improve fertility. In a sense, it’s like kama sutra but only better because of the health benefits involved.

Tantric sex techniques for health and fertility

The following are some examples of specific tantric sex techniques culled from the “The Classic of the Plain Girl” (Su Nü Ching, from the 2nd-3rd centuries BCE), in which the Plain Girl offers eight therapeutic sex techniques to the Yellow Emperor, seeking to increase his longevity and vitality. Six of these include the following:

1) Give the woman 81 strokes of love to improve your overall well-being.

The Plain Girl says this method will strengthen your bones, revitalize you, and adjust your entire physical system. To achieve this, the Plain Girl says your beloved should lie on her back, legs folded behind her. You then lean over her, legs apart, mount her, insert your love Weapon, and give her exactly 9 strokes of love. The Plain Girl says you must do this for nine consecutive days, nine times a day, to achieve maximum benefit. Added benefit: It will also cure female sexual problems.

2) Give her 9 strokes of love to improve your blood circulation.

To achieve this, the Plain Girl says your beloved should lie on her side, with her right leg behind her and the left leg extended. You mount her (push-up style), insert your love Weapon, and give her exactly nine strokes of love. Do this six times a day for 20 consecutive days, to achieve maximum benefit.

3) Give her 9 strokes of love to increase your blood.

To achieve this, the Plain Girl says you must lie on your back, then your beloved kneels or squats over you. With her backside raised, insert your love Weapon deeply into her, while she moves up and down until she has received exactly nine strokes of love. Do this seven times a day for 10 consecutive days, to achieve maximum benefit. Added benefit: It will also cure female menstrual irregularities and strengthen you.

4) Give her 9 strokes of love to concentrate your semen.

To achieve this, the Plain Girl says your beloved must lie on her side and spread wide her thighs. Then, lie alongside her, and carefully insert your love Weapon. Give her exactly nine strokes of love, then stop making love. You should do this twice a day for 15 consecutive days. Added benefit: It will cure any female bleeding.

5) Give her 9 strokes of love to improve your bodily organs.

To achieve this, the Plain Girl says your beloved must lie on her side, pull her knees together and hold them (like in a fetal position). You then lie down sideways behind her, arms wrapped around her legs. In this position, insert your love Weapon from behind her and give her exactly nine strokes of love. You must do this four times a day for 20 consecutive days. Added benefit: This method also improves her internal organs.

6) Give her 9 strokes of love to calm your spirit.

To achieve this, the Plain Girl says your beloved must lie on her back, with her backside resting on a cushion and her legs stretched out. Then, kneel between her open thighs and insert your love Weapon. Give her exactly nine strokes of love, then stop. This should be done thrice a day for 20 consecutive days. Added benefit: It will cure female chills in her sexual area.

As scientists are becoming more interested in the effects of stress on infertility, more studies are being conducted on the way support groups can relieve stress and boost fertility. For example, a study by Domar and Associates showed a huge increase in viable pregnancies in women who took part in group therapy or support groups as opposed to women who went through infertility treatment alone.

Another study published in Therapy Today in June of 2006 concluded that women who have high levels of cortisol – a hormone that floods our bodies when we’re under stress – became more fertile when their cortisol levels plummeted.

Stress reduction, emotional outlet and support

Besides giving couples or individuals an outlet for their feelings of disappointment and vulnerability in a place that is safe, support groups can give people struggling with infertility a way to exchange information. This is especially true of local groups – as opposed to widespread online groups – in which members can help each other find the best infertility doctors and therapists in the area by word-of-mouth.

One study conducted through the U.K.’s University of Nottingham looked at an online chat room specifically for men going through infertility problems with their partners. The study, which looked at months of chat material, concluded that it was very helpful for these men to open up about their issues in an online medium, since it eliminated the necessity of face-to-face contact. In this group, the men were able to unload feelings that their wives either couldn’t understand or weren’t ready to hear.

Finding a support group

Going to a support group for infertile couples can be a great way to communicate with other people about your problems and, eventually, to become fertile again simply by lowering your body’s stress levels. You may not even know where to begin finding a group like this, but never fear, there are lots of ways to go about it.

If you or your partner is completely uncomfortable with face-to-face discussions about infertility at this point, you can check out online support groups, although they will be lacking the reassurance and comfort that physical contact with other people can often bring. If you are ready to step into a more personal group situation, start looking for support groups in your area online. There are several organizations, like RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association,that can connect you with infertility support groups in your area.

If you would prefer a faith-based approach to infertility support, try contacting the church you attend or another local religious organization. Many churches of different religious persuasions are joining in the fight against infertility by creating support groups for infertile couples in their communities, and even if you are not affiliated with any faith, this could be a good place to begin looking.

If at this point you are still unable to find a group with which you and your partner can connect, try getting into those chat rooms and asking around. Many people who are there may also know of face-to-face groups that meet in certain areas. You could also ask your local infertility clinic or doctor, as many physicians are beginning to realize the value of infertility support groups.

Why use the OPK?

The rise in LH triggers ovulation which is the most fertile time of your monthly female cycle. Using the OPK helps pinpoint increased LH, making it more accurate to tell when ovulation will occur. Women with normal cycles benefit most from OPKs.

It can get confusing when you still have your periods yet you don’t ovulate. If you are suffering from fertility issues, the OPK can help determine if you are ovulating at all.

Even doctors like Angie Beltsos of Fertility Centers in Illinois encourage the use of OPK because she finds it very helpful in detecting the specific days of ovulation. She admits it may not be a perfect test, but it does help women find out when it’s time to ovulate. Combined with fertility drugs, however, OPKs need to be used with care and proper direction from your health care specialist, says Dr. Beltsos.

How to use the OPK

First, know the best day to start testing, according to your monthly cycle. Second, reduce your liquid intake at least four hours before you administer the test. To ensure greater success, once you’ve started testing, make sure to repeat the test the following day at around the same time.

FSH test kits

Another type of fertility test measures your Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). High levels of FSH may affect female fertility. Thus, if you know or suspect that you are suffering from infertility, missed periods, or irregular ovulation, use an FSH test kit to help you detect high levels of FSH.

Why use an FSH test kit?

Infertility clinics commonly use FSH test kits to measure ovarian reserve or the female egg supply. If you experience menstrual problems, this type of fertility test can help you know if you are perimenopausal, menopausal, or having fertility issues that may be linked to other causes such as pituitary disorders involving the ovaries or the testes.

In other words, high levels of FSH may indicate poor ovarian reserves.

How to use the FSH test

Your doctor, not you, administers the FSH fertility test sometimes called the Day 3 FSH test, because it is done on the third day of your menstrual cycle. However, most doctors do not follow the Day 3 testing and believe it is okay to administer the test anytime between Days 2 to 4 of your cycle.

To conduct the test, your doctor will likely ask you to submit a blood sample, specifically on the third day of your menstrual cycle.

Male fertility kits

If you are undergoing a fertility test, it is important for your partner to get tested, as well. Yes, it may bring up some vulnerabilities for him. But what if male factor fertility is the main problem that prevents you from getting pregnant? According to research, about 20-30 percent of the time, it is. On the bright side, discovering male-related fertility issues early on can mean early treatment and prevention of unnecessary pain and expense on your part.

Sperm and semen analysis

Generally, men get tested through sperm and semen analysis. This kind of fertility test evaluates sperm count, shape, and movement, among others. According to experts, high sperm count does not necessarily mean high fertility. Many men have low sperm count or abnormal semen and yet they are fertile. At other times, some men may have normal sperm count and semen and yet they are infertile.

Conducting sperm and semen analysis

A urologist usually begins the test with a basic interview about lifestyle and full medical and reproductive history, followed by a physical exam, and a discussion about personal sexual activity. Next, the man needs to provide a fresh semen sample for analysis.

If the first test is normal, the doctor may ask for a second test to confirm results. If the second test is also normal, it usually means the absence of significant fertility problems. But if something looks irregular, the doctor may order more tests. Ironically, the absence of any sperm or semen (azoospermia) suggests a blockage rather than infertility. If this is the case, the problem can be easily corrected by surgery.

What Goes Wrong: Men

There are literally hundreds of causes of infertility in men, and in some cases doctors are unable to assign an actual reason behind it. There are, however, a few things that are more common than others; because a man must usually have plenty of healthy sperm in order to impregnate a woman, many of the problems with male infertility are due to conditions that compromise sperm count or quality. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can have a negative effect on sperm. Here are some of the most common:

• Varicocele: Usually you hear about varicose veins in women’s legs, but they can also form in a man’s scrotum. The veins keep the environment in the scrotum too hot, which can prevent healthy sperm from forming.

• Infections: It may not be surprising that many STD’s can cause a drop in male fertility, but it is surprising that some infections are completely undetectable except in problems with sperm.

• Testosterone Deficiency or Imbalance: Hormones are just as important for men as they are for women, and men who have a deficiency or imbalance of testosterone may be unable to produce lots of healthy sperm.

• Sexual Problems: No one likes to talk about sexual issues with a doctor, but it can be necessary in order for a couple to have a baby. Some men can’t get an erection, which leads to an obvious problem, and others ejaculate too early so that the sperm never reaches the egg. Also, many couples don’t know this, but some lubricants can actually kill sperm or keep them from moving freely through the woman’s vagina and fallopian tubes.

• Malnutrition: In a day where many people subsist on French fries and burgers, it’s increasingly common for male infertility to be caused by vitamin deficiencies, especially deficiencies in zinc, selenium, folate, and vitamin C, all of which are important to the formation and health of sperm.

• Environmental Issues: Men who are exposed to pesticides, who spend lots of time in very hot environments, or who smoke are much more likely to have fertility problems.

• Age: The biological clock doesn’t only tick for women! Men over the age of forty are much more likely to struggle with infertility issues than younger men.

What Goes Wrong: Women

There are also many things that can go wrong on the female side of infertility, including polycystic ovarian syndrome and fallopian tube blockage. Most of these problems are treatable, but, again, you have to know what you’re dealing with. Here are a few common causes of female infertility:

• Damage or Blockage in the Fallopian Tubes: There are many things that can damage the fallopian tubes, including scar tissue left over from abdominal surgeries. Infections in the tubes can also cause this problem, and women who have fallopian tube blockage are more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy, a dangerous situation in which an egg implants in the tubes instead of the uterus.

• Endometriosis: This often painful disorder occurs when uterine tissue implants outside of the uterus; the tissue goes through the cycle of lining and bleeding with the uterus each month, causing scarring and other issues.

• Ovulation Problems: Ovulation is a tricky hormonally-regulated procedure, and many women have low levels of the hormones needed for ovulation because of problems in the pituitary gland.

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): This happens when women produce too much of the hormone androgen, which causes issues with ovulation and which often results in obesity and insulin resistance.

• Pelvic Adhesions: These occur when scar tissue unnaturally binds soft tissue together, often causing fallopian tube blockage and other reproductive issues.

• Thyroid Problems: Women whose body’s produce too much or too little thyroid hormone are likely to have fertility issues.

While you can scrimp and save to be able to afford these treatments, you need to remember that they aren’t always successful on the first – or even the fourth – try. You’ll need to have enough money behind you that you can keep going until you get pregnant, but you can also keep the costs of your fertility treatments low by using a few of the following ideas.

Opt for surgical procedures for him

It used to be that fertility problems were primarily associated with the female, but more and more fertility treatment clinicians are also testing and treating men who may be infertile. While it might seem like the easiest way to overcome male infertility is to go through in-vitro fertilization, this is actually not the most cost-effective choice you can make.

One study on the cost-efficiency of different treatments for male infertility concluded that it is much, much less expensive to opt for a vasectomy reversal or varicocele repair. These treatments, which may seem to be more complex than IVF, actually significantly reduce the costs of having a baby. In fact, this study states that the average costs involved with all the procedures combined for babies born through IVF/ICSI is about $89,000, which goes up exponentially if the first round of treatment is unsuccessful. The total average costs involved with undergoing varicocele surgery and then having a baby are somewhere in the range of $26,000 by comparison.

If you still can’t conceive after treatments like these, you might try other procedures. The cost-effectiveness study concluded that the next most cost-effective fertility treatment would be IUI – intrauterine insemination – and that this treatment is more effective after male surgery. If, however, you would like to try IVF after a vasectomy – or any time male infertility might factor into your infertility problems – try the type of procedure in which the sperm is injected directly into the eggs, ICSI, because this can help increase the effectiveness of the IVF treatment, meaning you might have to go through less IVF cycles.

Discount programs for IVF

IVF remains the most popular form of assisted reproductive treatment, and with good reason. However, this procedure is very expensive. A single cycle of in-vitro can cost upwards of $10,000, and many times that first cycle doesn’t work. There are, however, a few ways that you can save money here, and you’ll want to ask about these options before deciding on a clinic.

One good way to go is to purchase a plan that covers more than one round of IVF. These plans will usually offer a discounted rate, and, for some of them, the rate will depend on the age of the woman being impregnated. Check around for different plans, but try to find one that allows for three or four rounds of IVF at a lower rate.

Some clinics are also offering discount plans with money-back guarantees, which can be very helpful. Depending on the clinic, you may get your money back if you don’t carry a pregnancy to full-term, or you may get it back if you don’t carry a pregnancy for more than a certain number of weeks. For instance, some clinics will consider their work done once you are beyond twelve weeks. These programs are often called shared risk programs because the clinic is sharing some of the financial risks of failure with you, which can relieve some of your financial burden and give you the impetus to try again later.

Another good thing about these programs is that they may allow for cryopreservation of extra embryos that you can transfer later on. If the discount program allots for harvesting and inseminating eggs several times, chances are likely that you’ll end up with extra viable embryos, which can reduce your IVF costs down the road if you decide to try again.

Infertility Myths

There are lots of old wives’ tales and myths surrounding infertility, which isn’t a strictly modern problem. Sometimes you may hear that it’s all in your head, and other times you may hear that you’ll eventually get pregnant if you adopt first. In the end, many things that are said about infertility are untrue, and, in fact, scientists are uncovering new causes of and solutions for infertility every day. If you are researching ways to restore your fertility so that you and your partner can conceive, you need to know about the myths that some people will tell you.

#1. Assisted Reproductive Technology is Risky and Expensive

While you should carefully research ART procedures before you go through them, you should also know that if you choose a good clinic and doctor, you won’t be risking your health, and many forms of ART aren’t unaffordable. This is not to say that you won’t have to pay for ART because you most certainly will, but it does mean that most people can afford some of the more basic procedures, which come with very little risk.

#2. Traditional Doctors are Against Alternative Treatments

The fact of the matter is that more and more scientific studies are turning up evidence that some alternative treatments – such as acupuncture, talk therapy, group sessions, and stress management techniques – actually do improve a couple’s chance of getting pregnant. In the face of this evidence, many infertility clinics are actually supplementing their ART treatments with alternative medicine, including acupuncture.

#3. Alternative Therapies Don’t Work

One study by an infertility doctor in India showed that certain herbal, natural treatments can enhance sperm count and viability in infertile men. Several other studies, including one published in Therapy Today, indicate that relieving stress, which lowers the body’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, can help women become more fertile. Another article in the Indian Journal of Medical Research links stress and poor sperm quality, although the article says the relationship between stress and infertility in men deserves more research.

There is plenty of evidence out there that alternative infertility treatments do work. In fact, one study on acupuncture and infertility showed that the therapy helped increase certain hormones in women that made them more fertile and more likely to carry a pregnancy to full-term. This is, of course, why many clinics are beginning to incorporate acupuncture into their infertility treatments.

#4. We Should Stick with One Type of Treatment

There are so many treatment options out there that have shown positive results for infertility that you would be silly not to keep an open mind about everything. This will, of course, take a little more time on the front end as you research various infertility treatments, but the best way to find a solution that works for you is to try whatever you can in a systematic, logical manner. For most couples, this simply means starting with the less invasive, more affordable treatments and work your way up to the very expensive procedures as a last resort. For all couples, this means being open minded about the treatment possibilities that are out there today.

Be clear on what he needs to know

Sometimes suffering from infertility issues can make us emotionally volatile. So before you even broach the subject to him, be very clear with yourself on what he needs to know. In other words, set aside your personal emotional issues, for now—if you already have them. Be clear with yourself that your main goal is to tell him clearly, factually, and rationally why he needs to get tested.

This is not to say that your feelings don’t matter. Of course, they do! However, if you insist on discussing your emotions along with why he needs to get tested, it could lead to a messy argument as your emotions well up. Therefore, be focused and save the emotional talk for later.

What does he need to know?

Many couples assume that infertility is the woman’s problem. After all, it is too often supposed it is a woman’s job to conceive. So when you fail to get pregnant, that’s your problem, right? Wrong.

To illustrate this by example, I’ll tell you a story about a couple I know. Gene and Suzanne, seeking help for infertility, were shocked to find out that Gene was the one with the infertility issue, even after having sired one child from a previous marriage. From his history, they easily concluded that Suzanne had the problem. But after Gene’s fertility test results came back, it turned out that his sperm were not correctly shaped and had morphology issues.

This is why you need to let your man know that infertility is as much his issue as it is yours. Conception is a shared responsibility. And when conception is not occuring that means it becomes a shared challenge. Therefore, you both need to accept the fact that infertility could be both or either one’s issue.

You can tell him, too, that many women who have gone through infertility treatments express physical as well as financial pain—something both of you may be able to be spared from if he agrees to a simple sperm analysis. The beauty of it is that it’s guaranteed painless on him and on his pocket at only around $90-130, even without insurance. If he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t want anything to do with doctors or hospitals, be sure to emphasize the painless part.

It’s all because of love

Because he is the person you chose to love and spend the rest of your life with, it follows that you want to have his kids. In the same way, love should be your motivating factor for asking him to get tested. For his part, love can also be his big motivation to appreciate the need to get tested.

Educate him

Ask your doctor if they can provide you with brochures which can be beneficial information to help him better understand fertility tests and why he needs to undergo one. Such information will help him realize that testing is not only important, but that your future child’s health may also depend on it.

Let him talk

It’s only fair to give your man the chance to speak up, too. When he does, accept his words with love and openness. Doing so will help prevent an argument. Do not judge him for any negative feelings he may have.

Let him talk to vent his own struggles about the issue. You might even be surprised to know that he is taking this problem with infertility more seriously than you think and that all along he’s just been very good at hiding it, for fear of losing your love or respect.

If he expresses this, assure him that whatever the test result, it will not in any way diminish his value in your life as well as your love for him. For all you know, this is all he wants to hear from you.

However, fear, stress, and anxiety can disrupt the flow of energy in your chakras. When energy is blocked from any of the chakras, the physical body manifests imbalance and thus becomes unhealthy, resulting in health issues such as infertility..

To improve your chances of becoming a parent, Hindu belief says chakra healing must first take place. If you are struggling with infertility, yoga could be your best natural solution, starting today.

How yoga improves fertility

According to certified yoga instructor, Julie Cade Bon, whether you are male or female, yoga can help decrease stress in your body. Julie, who runs a retreat facility in the US for couples struggling with infertility, says yoga techniques tone and strengthen the muscles, correct the spine’s alignment, improve blood circulation and respiration, and support the reproductive organs.

Benefits of infertility yoga

Primarily, yoga aims to improve your body’s overall physical health and that can lead to improved fertility. It not only tones the muscles, but it also aligns the body and increases blood circulation, physical energy and stamina.

Couples who have been trying to conceive for some time are commonly susceptible to physical, mental, and emotional stress. Too much stress can lead to hormonal imbalance and affect the woman’s reproductive cycle even more. Doing yoga together can help a couple reduce stress and rediscover their passion towards each other.

Does yoga really improve fertility?

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School researcher Alice D. Domar, PhD shows that yoga increases the chances of getting pregnant. The study involved 10 weeks of a mind and body program (including yoga) on medically infertile women, or those who have been trying to conceive for at least a year with no success. Astoundingly, within only a year of undergoing the program, more than half of the women became pregnant.

Dr. Domar, who is currently the Director of the Mind/Body Center for Women’s Health at Boston IVF Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, considers yoga as an invaluable asset in her program that has helped hundreds of women increase their chances of getting pregnant.

Studies have also demonstrated that yoga has the potential to lower the stress hormone cortisol. The presence of too much of this hormone is a frequent cause of infertility. Correspondingly, depression and anxiety have been associated with sub-normal levels of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). It has been proven that Yoga aids in increasing GABA, which can lead to improved mood and an overall feeling of well being, which is also important to a healthy fertility.

Unlike other causes of infertility, stress is like a ball rolling downhill – it gains momentum over time.  The inability to conceive causes more stress among couples, which in turn aggravates infertility, and so on, resulting in a vicious cycle. This is why managing stress should take just as much priority as finding ways to treat your infertility, as the two factors are integral.

The science behind stress and infertility

Existing research on the relationship between stress and infertility presents a lot of compelling evidence.

When you are confronted by a “fight or flight” situation, your body produces a hormone called cortisol as a response to stress.  Small doses of cortisol can actually bring some positive effects – it heightens your memory, makes you less sensitive to pain, and gives you a quick burst of energy for your survival. If the source of stress is constant, levels of cortisol keep on climbing, interfering with functions of the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that produces sex hormones.

Until recently, the effect of stress hormones on fertility was only a theory. But, in June 2009, researchers from the University of California Berkeley found new evidence showing how cortisol interferes with the function of the sex hormone gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH).   When there are low levels of GnRH, low sperm count, irregular ovulation, and sexual dysfunction occur. According to the findings, cortisol has a double-whammy effect on fertility.  Not only does it inhibit the effects of GnRH; cortisol also increases the levels of another hormone called gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH).  As you can tell by the name, GnIH aggravates infertility by preventing the release of gonadotropins.  Although these findings were based on experiments in rats, the conclusions have opened the door to further research on the subject and new ways of thinking about infertility.

Boost your fertility with stress management programs

The effects of stress on fertility may vary from couple to couple, but studies seem unanimous on their conclusion that it’s easier to conceive when you’re under less stress. A paper in the journal Human Reproduction provides evidence that pregnancy is unlikely during months when the couples report feeling anxious or stressed. Conversely, the likelihood of pregnancy increased during months when couples reported feeling happy.

Stress can also affect the success rates of artificial reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization.  In a study published in Fertility and Sterility, researchers observed that women with high stress levels released 20% less eggs during ovulation than women with low stress levels. Those who were more stressed were also less likely to have a successful pregnancy.

So when you are trying to become pregnant, you have nothing to lose by spending more time relaxing.  Unwind after work with a massage, sign up for a yoga class, or attend a stress management program.   Harvard Medical School’s Mind-Body Institute shows that 57% of infertile women became pregnant 6 months after taking a 10-week mind-body program.

Medical treatments

PCOS affects fertility by preventing the release of a mature egg from the ovary. For this reason, the most common medications for PCOS are drugs that induce ovulation. In rare and serious cases, surgery can treat a polycystic ovary.

Clomid with or without metformin

Clomid is an oral medication that can help you ovulate.  For this to happen, Clomid has to be taken daily for five days early in the menstrual cycle.  Within eight or ten days, you should start ovulating, but it’s common for some women to ovulate much later than this.  After six cycles of taking Clomid, studies report that you have a 30% chance of conceiving.   Doctors warn against taking Clomid for more than six cycles because it can increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

Sometimes Clomid is taken with Metformin, a medication used to treat diabetes.  PCOS is triggered by insensitivity to insulin, and Metformin reduces this by making the body more responsive to insulin.  Once insulin levels have normalized, the ovary will no longer produce as many androgens (male hormones), which will increase the chances of ovulation and a more regular menstrual cycle.

Gonadotropin injections

If the medications above do not work, the next option could be gonadotropin injections.  Gonadotropins increase the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in the body, the hormone responsible for the development and release of an egg.   This medication is usually injected intramuscularly (directly into a muscle, usually the buttocks) or subcutaneously (the fatty tissue below the skin, usually the abdomen). Gonadotropin treatments begin early in the cycle and should be done daily for 8 – 14 days, or until a doctor detects at least one mature follicle through an ultrasound.  At this point, you will get a human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injection, which will trigger ovulation in 36 hours.  This will help you determine the best time to have intercourse.

Ovarian drilling

Ovarian drilling is a surgical approach for PCOS, but it is only recommended when you have exhausted all other possibilities and treatments.  During the procedure, your doctor will make a tiny incision in your lower abdomen and destroy a small part of the ovary with a cautery or laser.  The theory behind ovarian drilling is that destroying ovarian tissue reduces androgen production, allowing you to manage the symptoms better and restore regular menstrual cycles.   However, ovarian drilling may end up aggravating your fertility problems instead; 30% of patients walk away with ovarian scar tissue or pelvic scarring. Studies are also highly inconsistent in the effectiveness of this procedure as a fertility treatment, with pregnancy rates ranging from 10% to 90%.

Natural treatments

Increase your chances of a successful PCOS treatment by complementing medications with lifestyle changes and alternative approaches.  These methods will not only help you get pregnant; they can also minimize the risks of complications due to PCOS.

Low carbohydrate diet

For many women, PCOS is caused by insulin resistance.  When a body does not respond to insulin, it stops using carbohydrates as energy and stores them as fat, which leads to diabetes or obesity if left unchecked.   A low-carbohydrate diet can prevent this by minimizing insulin resistance while providing the energy your body needs.  Going on a low carbohydrate diet does not mean eliminating carbohydrates completely. Limit or eliminate your consumption of refined carbohydrates, and refined sugar. Replace these with low-glycemic index carbohydrates from nuts, low glycemic index fruits, and vegetables. Make sure your meals have enough protein – white meat, lean meat, nuts, and low-fat dairy.  Buy organic food as much as you can and avoid sugar in all forms.

Vitamins and supplements

A lack of vitamins and key nutrients can aggravate PCOS, but you can correct this with a high-quality multivitamin.  The following vitamins and supplements are known to improve your body’s response to insulin:

• Zinc and magnesium balance blood sugar levels and suppress appetite.
• Chromium helps insulin respond to hunger and cravings.
• Co-enzyme Q10 improves carbohydrate metabolism, or the way our bodies use carbohydrates for energy.
• B-vitamins are needed for hormonal balance, fat burning, and energy production.

Herbs

Certain herbs are very effective natural treatments for PCOS. By acting on your blood sugar levels and hormone production, herbs can improve your chances of conceiving.

• Chasteberry works on the pituitary gland and regulates androgen levels, preventing cycles with no ovulation.  This herb can also increase progesterone levels, giving you an ideal luteal phase and preventing miscarriage. This herb can be taken in tincture or capsule form for 18 months or until pregnancy occurs.
• Brindall berries are small tropical fruits from central Asia.  They contain hydroxyl citric acid, which helps the body metabolize carbohydrates instead of storing them as fat.  Brindall berries also suppress cravings, reduce appetite, and increasing insulin sensitivity.

Is your menstrual cycle regular?

Irregular menstrual cycles are the first red flag for female fertility problems.  Although cycle lengths vary from woman to woman, you need to visit your gynecologist if your cycle is consistently too short (less than 24 days) or too long (over 35 days). The absence of a monthly period is also a cause for alarm.  But the occasional late period is nothing to worry about; once in a while, women experience delayed menstrual cycles due to stress and other extraneous factors.

How heavily or lightly do you bleed?

Menstrual bleeding usually lasts three to seven days and involves slight to moderate cramping and bleeding. But if your period causes so much blood loss and pain that you can’t go to work, you should take time to see your doctor. Heavy and painful bleeding can be a symptom of polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, or pelvic inflammatory disease – conditions that can spell infertility problems for women.  You should also watch out if the blood flow changes drastically from cycle to cycle, e.g. heavy bleeding last cycle, light bleeding this cycle.

Are you older than 35?

Sperm cells and egg cells age along with the body, which is why fertility in men and women starts to decline rapidly after age 35. As a woman nears menopause, her ovaries become less responsive to the hormones that stimulate ovulation.  The remaining eggs are also likely to have genetic defects, causing an increased risk for Down ’s syndrome or miscarriage.  In males, low semen quantity has been observed as they near age 55.  The genetic quality of sperm cells is also affected by age, leading to an increased risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and decreased fertility. Despite these setbacks, many couples older than 35 have successfully gotten pregnant through timed intercourse or artificial reproductive technologies.  If you still have trouble conceiving after six months of unprotected intercourse, talk to your doctor and ask about your options.  The sooner you seek medical help, the better your chances for a successful conception.

Is there a presence of sexual dysfunction?

The symptoms of male infertility are hardly ever obvious; it usually takes a sperm analysis for a couple to detect male factor infertility. However, signs of sexual dysfunction in your partner could suggest a fertility problem.  If premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, or loss of interest in sex is a constant problem in bed, your partner could be suffering from an underlying fertility problem.

Are you overweight or underweight?

Fertility problems can be aggravated by unhealthy weight.  Fertility experts observed that women with regular cycles and no other obvious signs of infertility have difficulty getting pregnant if they are obese or overweight.   Being overweight could also be a symptom of an underlying fertility disorder, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is characterized by trouble losing excess weight.

Do you or your partner have chronic illnesses? What medications are you taking for them?

Common chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, and their treatments can aggravate infertility.  Thyroid hormones and insulin shots can cause irregular cycles, while a medicine for peptic ulcers can cause problems with sperm production.  If you are taking medications for a chronic illness, find out if their side effects may have a negative impact on your fertility.  Talk to your doctor and ask about other medicines or fertility-friendly alternative treatments you can take instead.

Stop smoking

Tobacco and the toxins in cigarette smoke damage male fertility in so many ways. It can decrease sperm density (concentration) and sperm motility by as much as 23%, produce sperm with abnormal morphology (shape), and make the semen too toxic for sperm to survive. The harmful effects of smoking don’t end there; some chemicals can affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadtrophin axis, or the regions of the brain that produce sex hormones.  Quitting smoking is an important first step to better fertility.  Avoiding tobacco can help your partner conceive too; research shows that secondhand smoke impairs female fertility as much as firsthand smoke.

Avoid recreational drugs

One other drug you should stop smoking is marijuana because its cannabinoids cause sperm to get hyperactivated too early.  Hyperactivation is the signal to swim very hard so the sperm cell can push through the egg cell’s membrane.  But when sperm are hyperactivated too early, they will be too tired to fertilize an egg.  Marijuana is also known to cause low semen volume, which means fewer sperm can reach the egg during intercourse.

Two other recreational drugs you should avoid are cocaine and anabolic steroids. Studies show that even infrequent cocaine users experience lower sperm counts, poor sperm motility, and abnormal morphology.  Anabolic steroids, which are used to improve athletic performance and build muscle mass, suppress the body’s ability to produce testosterone.  This results in azoospermia or very low sperm count.

Eat your greens and fruits

A salad may not be the manliest meal in the world, but your fertility will increase if you eat more greens.  A study by researchers from the University of Rochester discovered that men who eat the fewest vegetables and fruits have the lowest sperm motility.  Fruits and vegetables, particularly brightly colored ones, are rich in antioxidants, which protect sperm from damage to motility or movement.     They also contain vitamins and minerals that protect sperm from the reactive oxygen species in semen:

• Vitamin C – Necessary for the production and maintenance of normal sperm. It also prevents sperm agglutination or sperm clumping.
• Vitamin E – Prevents free radical damage and oxidation by protecting the polyunsaturated fatty acids in sperm cell membranes.
• Vitamin B9 – Also known as folic acid, a deficiency in this vitamin is linked to low sperm count and concentration.
• Zinc – This trace mineral is needed for a healthy prostate, which produces seminal fluid.

Keep it cool

Testicles are located outside the body for a reason, and the reason is that sperm production only occurs in a cool environment.  High scrotal temperature can have a serious negative impact on sperm quality and sperm count.  While there is no scientific evidence supporting the claim that boxers are better than briefs, it’s important for you to avoid other sources of scrotal heat like saunas, hot tubs, electric blankets, and heated Jacuzzis.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a practice from Chinese medicine where thin, sterilized needles are painlessly inserted into certain points in the body.   There are over 2,000 acupuncture points all over the body, each located along various meridians (pathways) where the body’s Chi (natural life energy) flows.  The philosophy behind Chinese medicine is that illnesses, disorders, and poor health are caused by an obstruction of Chi. Practices like acupuncture can remove these obstructions to regulate a number of bodily, emotional, and mental functions to ultimately restore good health.

The beauty behind acupuncture and Chinese medicine is that practitioners view the person as a whole organism made up of a complex web of mind, body, and spiritual relations.  Instead of isolating a problematic uterus or ovaries and treating its symptoms, acupuncture provides a holistic treatment.  It identifies the problem and corrects the relations between the problematic organs, the meridians, and the rest of the body.  Acupuncture focuses on the person’s unique needs and symptoms and treats these with highly individualized treatments.  Perhaps this is why acupuncture has been very successful in treating a wide range of male and female fertility issues, especially when combined with Western medicine’s more familiar approaches.

Acupuncture for male and female fertility

In women, acupuncture can improve fertility by restoring balance to key sex hormones and assisting in the maturation of eggs.  Even though the production and regulation of hormones like estrogen and progesterone are regulated by the pituitary gland, the slim acupuncture needles are inserted in points located far from the brain.  This is because the meridians affecting hormone production pass through other areas in the body.  Together with pharmaceutical drugs or Chinese herbs, acupuncture improves egg maturation and ovulation during the ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, and provides the hormone balance needed during the luteal phase.   Even more serious conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and luteal phase defects can be treated by acupuncture.

Aside from maintaining hormonal balance, acupuncture increases the blood flow to the uterus and aids in the formation of the uterine lining or endometrium.  If progesterone levels are not enough to sustain the endometrium, acupuncture can prevent miscarriage by increasing progesterone production and maintaining the integrity of the uterine lining.  Acupuncture can also treat endometriosis by removing the impediments blocking the blood flow to the uterus. A case study on a 32-year old woman showed that acupuncture treated her endometriosis, normalized her menstrual cycle, and decreased the intensity of menstrual cramps.  Two months later, she finished her acupuncture treatments and got pregnant without the help of ART.

The effects of acupuncture on men are not as well-documented, but there are treatments designed to boost sperm production and health.  In 1992, a study in Molecular Andrology showed that an acupuncture treatment was able to improve sperm motility, density, and vitality after 12 weeks. A more recent study showed similar results; however, it seems that acupuncture cannot treat a few common sperm pathologies such as programmed cell death.  Despite its limitations, acupuncture was found to improve overall sperm quality and numbers, leading to increased male fertility.

Acupuncture and ART

If you choose to use conventional ART to get pregnant, fertility experts recommend a course of acupuncture treatment to increase your chances of conceiving.   Acupuncture’s ability to facilitate ovulation, egg maturation, and hormone balance can increase the success rates of ART procedures, particularly IVF.  But that’s not the only way acupuncture can help.  This ancient practice’s positive effect on mood, anxiety, and emotional equilibrium also contribute to the success of ART.  For women who take fertility drugs at the start of ART treatment, acupuncture can be used to cleanse the body of pharmaceutical toxins, thus reducing the medications’ detrimental side effects and improving the odds of the procedure’s success.

Fertility and proper nutrition

The sooner you start eating right, the sooner you’ll conceive.  Most women treated advice on nutrition and fertility as an old wives’ tale until Harvard University’s groundbreaking Nurses’ Health Study lent credibility to this statement.  After examining the eating habits of over 18,000 female nurses who were trying to conceive, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health confirmed that women who received iron, folic acid, and other nutrients from fruits, vegetables and meats were more likely to get pregnant. Conversely, women who regularly ate donuts, refined carbohydrates, and sweets had a more difficult time conceiving.

Although researchers were unable to determine exactly how food affects fertility in women, the working theory has to do with insulin’s impact on ovarian function.  Women with normal insulin levels are much more likely to have normal menstrual cycles and ovulation, whereas women with diabetes or insulin resistance are more likely to experience anovulation, meaning that ovulation does not occur.

Certain nutritional guidelines seem to have a universal positive effect on fertility.  Refined carbohydrates, which can boost insulin levels and blood sugar levels too quickly, should be avoided because the insulin surge upsets the delicate hormonal balance required for optimum fertility. On the other hand, eating whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, and other low-glycemic foods improves ovulation by regulating insulin and blood sugar levels. Trans-fats from junk food should also be avoided because they increase insensitivities to insulin.

Eat organic when possible

The high prices of organic food make it impractical to eat organic all the time, but it is important to do so as much as you can when you want to boost your fertility.  Conventional crop farming makes use of chemical pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides which can aggravate fertility problems in men and women.  One of the dangers posed by conventionally raised crop and cattle has to do with the xenoestrogens or “foreign estrogens” used to protect them from pests or encourage them to grow.  Xenoestrogens are often the culprit behind unexplained infertility because they upset the delicate hormonal balance required for conception.  They also imitate the actions of natural estrogen and cause conditions like endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and luteal phase defects.  The harmful effects of xenoestrogens don’t only affect the mother; studies show that this chemical can even cause miscarriages and birth defects in the baby.  In men, xenoestrogens can cause andropause, low sperm count, and low testosterone levels.

Boost your nutritional intake with vitamins

Food alone may not be enough for you to obtain the nutrients you need for optimum fertility.  Keep your bases covered by taking a quality multivitamin or pre-natal vitamin every day.  Pre-natal vitamins contain all the nutrients you and a healthy baby will need, but they are also more expensive. If you do choose to get a regular multivitamin, make sure it contains the following nutrients.

• At least 400 mcg of folic acid. The Nurses’ Health Study discovered that folic acid makes a woman 40% less likely to suffer from problems producing and releasing mature eggs.  However, there’s another reason why you should stock up on folic acid: it protects babies from neural tube defects like spina bifida.
• No more than 770 mcg of vitamin A. Unless the vitamin A is in a form called beta-carotene, make sure it does not exceed the daily recommended allowance.  Certain types of vitamin A are known to cause birth defects. However, the vitamin A found in fruits and vegetables are safe.
• 2.6 mcg of vitamin B12. Some studies suggest that a lack of vitamin B12 can also contribute to neural tube defects.  Since vitamin B12 can only be obtained from meat and animal-based food, vegetarians should look for a multivitamin with the recommended daily allowance of this nutrient.

Exercise in moderation

Exercise can boost fertility by helping maintain a healthy weight, lowering your blood sugar levels, and reducing stress.  However, it’s important to exercise in moderation because there is such a thing as being too fit. A study in the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal found out that women who work out more than four hours a week are 40% less likely to conceive. When intense physical activity or calorie burning occurs, the body interprets this as danger and suppresses reproductive hormones.  Walking 30 minutes a day is enough to stay fit, healthy, and fertile.

If you do decide to give pregnancy another chance, there is hope on the road ahead of you.  Did you know that most women who experience a miscarriage have healthy, trouble-free pregnancies afterwards?  Even women who have three or more miscarriages in a row have a 75% chance of giving birth to a live, healthy baby.   Of course, your chances of carrying a pregnancy to term will increase if you take a couple of preventive measures.    Although there is no treatment to prevent miscarriages per se, taking good care of yourself and your body will go a long way to help you conceive again and carry a healthy baby to full term.

Learn about the possible causes

Generally speaking, miscarriages happen more frequently to women older than 35.  The following are the most common causes behind a miscarriage.

Abnormal chromosomes

Problems with the embryo’s chromosomes are responsible for as many as 60% of miscarriages that occur in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. Usually, this sort of spontaneous abortion occurs even before the woman is aware that she is pregnant. Women aged 35 and older are more likely to experience a miscarriage due to chromosomal abnormalities because eggs start to age rapidly at this point.  In rare cases, genetic problems in the parent cause the defective chromosomes.  Think of it as nature’s way of ending a pregnancy where a serious genetic defect in the egg or sperm will make life impossible for the baby.

Testing the tissue from the miscarriage will help you find out if a chromosome problem was behind the miscarriage.  The tissue sample has to be obtained immediately; otherwise, the cells will not grow and the test will be of no use.  But if this is your first miscarriage, there’s no need to do a test; doctors usually assume a chromosomal cause for first miscarriages.

Hormonal imbalance

A deficiency in the sex hormone progesterone is among the most common causes of a miscarriage. Progesterone is responsible for preparing the uterine lining to receive and nourish a fertilized egg.  However, a dip in progesterone levels is a signal for the body to shed the uterine lining, and with it the embryo.  This problem can be detected through a hormone blood test and a biopsy where a tissue sample from the uterus is obtained. If an imbalance in progesterone levels is found, you can take progesterone supplements to restore the balance in hormones.

Physical defects in the cervix or uterus

A weakened cervix or a uterus with an abnormal shape can induce early labor during the first 12-24 weeks of pregnancy.  This is the stage where the embryo develops into a fetus and grows rapidly in shape. An abnormally-shaped uterus may be unable to expand and accommodate the fetus, whereas a weak cervix cannot hold the fetus in.  Fortunately, these conditions can be treated by a corrective procedure to the cervix or surgery on the uterus. If left untreated, a miscarriage is likely to happen again.

Immune disorders

There are a number of reproductive specialists who study the relationship between auto-immune problems and pregnancies.  It’s possible for the immune system to produce antibodies that terminate a fetus’s life.

1)     Antiphospholipid antibodies form blood clots in the placenta, blocking the baby’s blood supply and causing it to abort.  This can occur anytime during the pregnancy, but it is far more common in the first trimester.  An inexpensive blood test called anticardiolipins can detect the presence of these antibodies.  Treatment involves taking a blood thinner.

2)     Antinuclear antibodies are the result of Lupus or similar conditions where the body forms antibodies against itself.  This can be treated with a medicine called Prednisone, but it has significant side effects including bruise marks.  This drug is never given unless absolutely necessary.

3)     Fetal blocking antibodies form when the mother’s immune system attacks the father’s genetic material.  Ideally, the fetal-blocking antibodies are supposed to block the baby from the father’s genetic material.  However, a miscarriage occurs during the first 12 weeks if the father’s genetic material resembles the mother’s too similarly.  There are only very few clinics that test for fetal-blocking antibodies.

Other health problems

It’s possible for health problems and infections to cause miscarriage, but only serious ones like malaria, syphilis, German measles, and AIDS.  Infections that affect the uterus itself can increase the risk of a miscarriage, but a yeast infection, which is common in pregnancy, is harmless.  Generally speaking, common illnesses are nothing to worry about in pregnancy.  However, an infection that induces a fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit should be treated immediately.  Ask your doctor about the best way to lower the fever.

Although chronic health problems like thyroid disorders and cardiovascular problems may create complications, having these does not mean you cannot carry a pregnancy to term.  You simply need to take better care of yourself, eat well, and make sure that the treatments you take for these conditions are safe during pregnancy.

Avoiding miscarriage

Although there is no injection or pill that can prevent you from experiencing another miscarriage, there are a lot of simple things that you can do to ensure a successful pregnancy.  Nourish your body with a well-balanced diet, healthy organic food, and pre-natal vitamins.  Keep the environment around you clean so that your body has every advantage of staying healthy.  Avoid secondhand cigarette smoke, sources of pollution, and toxic chemicals.  Exercise regularly, but make sure you do not over-exert yourself – 30 minutes of moderate walking should do the trick.  If you have a chronic condition like diabetes, make sure it is under control before you start trying to conceive.

As to how long you need to wait after the miscarriage before trying to get pregnant again, this decision is entirely up to you.  Doctors recommend waiting until you experience at least one normal menstrual cycle; this is a good sign that your reproductive system is back to normal.  However, it’s just as important for your emotional and spiritual state to heal. Seek support from trusted friends, or a counselor.  It might also help to join a support group; many people find it comforting to talk to others who have experienced a similar loss. Above all, take time to nurture yourself and your partner with love and compassion after the painful event you have been through. You are doing everything you can, and the steps you take towards caring for yourself will give you an excellent chance of conceiving again and giving birth to a healthy baby.

Minimize the Use of Cosmetics

The average woman uses 12 different kinds of personal care products every day, but every single one of these contain a cocktail of chemicals and toxins that cause health problems like infertility.  The cosmetics industry produces so many products each year that the FDA cannot possibly test every single chemical that goes into each new lotion, shampoo, body wash, or lipstick formula.

What women need to watch out for is a group of chemicals called parabens, a preservative found in everything from shampoo to moisturizer (you can easily spot them among the ingredients; they are chemical compounds with the prefix propyl, methyl, butyl, and ethyl).  Parabens belong to a group of chemicals called xenoestrogens, or false estrogens.  Even though they are man-made estrogens, they behave like real estrogen when they enter the body and upset the delicate hormonal balance needed for conception.  High amounts of estrogen, whether real estrogen or xenoestrogen, can also trigger conditions that disrupt fertility, such as ovarian cysts and endometriosis.

Men also need to be careful about the personal care products they use.  A number of shampoos and deodorants contain a chemical called phthalates, which can cause testicular tumors, low sperm count, and hormonal imbalance.

It would be impractical to suggest avoiding cosmetics completely, but reducing the number of personal care products you use can go a long way to boost your fertility.  You can also limit your purchases to cosmetics with organic or natural ingredients.  Just make sure you look beyond the “all-natural” label and inspect the ingredients list before you buy anything.  Many of these so-called natural cosmetics actually contain chemicals like nano-particules, phenoxyethanol, and triclosan, which are all known to disrupt hormone production.

Stay Away From Lubricants

Lubricants might make things sexy in the sack, but did you know that even water-based lubes have spermicidal effects?  Sperm can only survival in alkaline environments with a pH level of 7.0 or 8.5.  Oil-based and water-based lubricants are acidic, with pH values of 3 or 4.  Not only do these products create a hostile environment for sperm, but the osmotically active particles in lubricants also affect sperm motility.  Saliva and water aren’t any more sperm-friendly than lubricants either.  The digestive enzymes in saliva can kill sperm, whereas the sperm cell absorbs water too easily, causing it to burst.

If you really must use a lubricant, there is one sperm-friendly product you can use.  Pre-Seed is the only lubricant with the right pH levels required for sperm to survive.  Its maker, Dr. Joanna Ellington from Washington State University, essentially replicates the alkaline environment provided by semen so that sperm can easily swim through it.  Pre-Seed doesn’t guarantee pregnancy of course, but at least you won’t need to worry about the damage it might do to your partner’s sperm.

Stop Using Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen

Instead of using over-the-counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for your headaches or cramps, try to find natural remedies instead.  Studies show that NSAIDs acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) can cause temporary infertility in women.  Acetaminophen and ibuprofen signal the pituitary gland to produce high amounts of the luteinizng hormone (LH), the hormone that triggers ovulation.  However, too much LH can cause the ovarian follicles to swell and turn into cysts instead of releasing a mature egg.  When this happens, a woman may go through a menstrual cycle without ovulating.

The good news is that only a small margin of the female population is negatively affected by NSAIDs.  The damage isn’t permanent either; studies show that levels of LH normalize as soon as the woman stops taking these drugs.  Still, it might be a good idea to stay away from over-the-counter painkillers and to reduce inflammation naturally.  Eat lots of green leafy vegetables, fruits, and take an anti-inflammatory omega-3 capsule every day.

Do Not Use Plastic Containers to Store or Heat Food

We hardly give a second thought to how plastic can affect our health, but researchers from Yale University’s School of Medicine show that chemical ingredients in plastic can cause infertility in women. These chemicals are Bisphenol A and phthalates.  Both of them are considered endocrine disruptors, chemical substances that cause infertility by altering the amounts of sex hormones in the body.  Bisphenol A, in particular, has been found to prevent fertilized eggs from implanting themselves onto the uterus.  Women who experience frequent miscarriages also have higher levels of BPA in their blood than women who carry their pregnancy to term.

How does this happen? When we microwave food inside a plastic container, the heat triggers the release of these chemicals and makes them leech onto the food. Fatty foods also tend to draw them out.

Although it might seem eco-friendly to recycle your plastic food containers, your fertility will fare better if you reduce the amount of plastics you use or stop using them altogether. Use porcelain or glass dishes to heat or store food, cut down on the cling-wrap, and avoid plastic containers and bottles with the recycling number 7. This type of plastic contains the highest amounts of Bisphenol A.

Ovulation is the small window of fertility in the menstrual cycle where the ovary releases a mature egg into the fallopian tube. As the egg moves down the fallopian tube and travels to the uterus, it may get fertilized by a sperm cell if unprotected intercourse takes place during this time.  Ideally, ovulation should occur 14 days into the menstrual cycle, but this is not a universal rule. The date of ovulation depends on the length of a menstrual cycle, which varies from woman to woman. Not to mention that environmental factors like stress can delay ovulation and cause you to miss this small window of opportunity.

What is an ovulation calendar?

An ovulation calendar allows you to track the changes in your menstrual cycle so that you can easily predict when your luteal phase begins. The luteal phase, or the days past ovulation, is the second part of the menstrual cycle that begins on the day after ovulation and ends on the first day of your period.   The idea is to be able to predict the day of ovulation so you can schedule intercourse around your “peak fertility” – that is, the day before and the day after ovulation.  Our website contains an ovulation calendar that can help you out with this, completely free of charge.

Ovulation calendar and basal body temperature

The ovulation calendar alone cannot help you determine when your peak fertility begins. For best results, you need to use it to track your basal body temperature (BBT), the temperature of your body at rest. Your BBT varies throughout the menstrual cycle and these changes can help you figure out which days you are the most fertile.  During the first part of your menstrual cycle (right after your period ends), your body temperature stays at 96-98 degrees.  However, this temperature can rise up to 99 degrees as soon as ovulation occurs in order to provide a fertile environment for the egg.  This temperature does not lower until the first day of your period.

You can track your BBT with a special thermometer called a basal thermometer.  To make life easier, choose a digital basal thermometer that provides readings up to two decimals, e.g. 96.55.  These decimals are critical to detecting the shift in temperature prior to ovulation.

Take note that the BBT method is not a precise method – it only lets you know when ovulation has taken place. It’s important that you get used to predicting the general pattern or rise in temperature so you can have intercourse on the days before ovulation occurs.

How to use the ovulation calendar

You can start using the ovulation calendar at the beginning of a new menstrual cycle. Print out the calendar and enter the date at the top left corner, starting with the first day of your menstrual cycle. Using your basal thermometer, take your morning temperature as soon as you wake up, before you get up and start your day.  It’s best if you keep your basal thermometer by your nightstand because the slightest physical activity can alter your temperature. You can also obtain accurate results if you take your temperature at the same time every morning. It also helps to go to bed at the same time at night and to avoid drinking alcohol.  Sleeping late and drinking can alter your body temperature, and it is important to make this chart as accurate as possible.

You can take your basal body temperature orally, vaginally, or rectally, as long as you use the same method throughout the entire cycle. You also need to place the thermometer the same way every day, e.g. same vaginal or rectal depth, or the same location in your mouth.  Stay very still as the thermometer reads your temperature.

At the left side of the calendar are temperature readings in Fahrenheit ranging from 96.8 to 99.  As soon as you obtain your reading, place a dot on the box below the date that corresponds with the temperature reading. At the end of your cycle, connect the dots so you will know when ovulation has occurred.

It is difficult to say what a “normal” temperature is because pre-ovulatory temperatures vary from woman to woman. What you want to find is a temperature change of at least .4 degrees over the last six days.  If the temperature stays elevated for three consecutive days, then you have probably ovulated.

Repeat the practice every cycle. Within six months, you should be able to discern a pattern that will help you predict when your luteal phase begins.  Charting your basal body temperature can also help you look for signs of pregnancy. If your temperature stays elevated for at least 18 days after you ovulate, you might already be pregnant.

Age and Infertility

Every girl is born with over one million eggs, and these numbers start dropping as she starts to get older.  After puberty, there are only 300,000 eggs left in both ovaries.  Reduced ovarian reserves is one of the reasons why the chances of conceiving over the age of 30 decline.  By the time a woman is older than 45, experts believe it is almost impossible for her to conceive using her own eggs.

Aside from the ovaries’ finite supply of eggs, another obstacle to fertility as a woman ages is that the body’s response to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) will begin to naturally interfere with ovulation and a regular menstrual cycle.  FSH is the hormone responsible for developing and releasing a mature egg once every menstrual cycle.  As a woman gets older, the ovaries become less and less able to respond to FSH levels in the body and menstrual cycles become shorter.  The pituitary gland compensates for this by producing even more FSH in an attempt to boost egg development in the ovaries.  Eventually, the ovaries reach a point where they cannot release an egg every month. By age 50, you have very little or no eggs left in your ovaries.

A blood test called the Day 3 FSH test should tell your doctor all about the state of your ovarian reserves. The Day 3 test involves taking a blood sample on the third day of your menstrual cycle.  High amounts of FSH in your blood indicate that your ovarian reserves are running low. But, normal FSH levels do not necessarily mean you are in the clear. The quantity of the eggs in your ovaries is just one side of the coin; the quality of the remaining eggs affects your fertility too.

Egg quality refers to the number of normal chromosomes in an egg, its ability to accept a sperm cell, and its ability to sustain growth. Eggs with only a cytoplasm (the jelly-like substance that makes up a cell) or with abnormal chromosomes cannot develop into an embryo.  A woman in her 20s and early 30s has a larger proportion of healthy eggs available for fertilization.  She will have bad eggs too, but the number of healthy eggs is usually larger and present at a higher volume in a woman younger than age 30.  When she reaches her late 30s and 40s, the number of bad eggs increases, making it more difficult for the woman to get pregnant or sustain a pregnancy.

Often, the cause of poor egg quality in terms of age is a problem with the mitochondria, the energy centers found in the egg cells.  The mitochondria need to produce a high amount of energy for the fertilized egg to implant itself and transform into an embryo and fetus. However, the amount of energy produced by the mitochondria declines with age. If the mitochondria cannot provide the energy needed by the fertilized egg, the egg cells disintegrate and a miscarriage occurs.

Even if a woman in her 40s is able to carry the pregnancy to term, there’s also a high chance that the egg contains abnormal chromosomes, resulting in genetic abnormalities.

Treatment options

Fortunately, reproductive science provides a number of fertility treatment options for women older than 30.  Before deciding on treatment, you need to go through a testing process to as best as possible determine the real cause behind your infertility.  Once there is an identifiable cause, it will be easier for your doctor to recommend a fertility treatment.  However, if a cause is not identified, medical fertility treatments are often also effective in cases where there is unexplained infertility.

Fertility drugs like Clomiphene and Menotropins are the primary treatment for women with ovulation problems.  These medications work like FSH and trigger the ovaries to release more than one egg every month.  When you are taking a fertility drug, your doctor will need to monitor you carefully with hormone tests, blood tests, and ultrasounds.  

Fertility treatments for women over 30 can make use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) – artificial or partially artificial treatments handling the sperm or the egg, or both, to assist in achieving pregnancy.  ART can be expensive and should be considered a last resort if you’re working within a budget. However, it has wondrous capabilities to help couples achieve pregnancy that may have not been able to without its assistance.

Take charge of your fertility

There are a number of lifestyle changes you can do to boost your fertility. Cigarette smoke and alcohol are known to deteriorate egg health, and quitting these habits can increase your chances of conceiving.  A healthy diet of green vegetables, lean meats, and no trans-fats will also help. Additionally, many people are turning to unconventional means such as Chinese medicine to help them get pregnant. Acupuncture and acupressure are just two examples of alternative methods that have been proven to improve chances of conception.

Even though your fertility naturally declines with age, it’s no guarantee that you cannot conceive.  With enough of your own personal research and through the help of your doctors, there is a good chance you will eventually find a fertility treatment that will assist you in becoming pregnant and carrying a healthy baby to full term.  Think carefully before you decide to try a fertility treatment, especially if its cost goes beyond your budget.  Ask your physician a lot of questions about your chances of conceiving with a particular approach and take your time deciding if this is the best path for you. If you do decide to opt for an ART treatment, take very good care of yourself before during and after the entire procedure to have the best chance for a successful outcome.