Archive for the ‘Trying to Conceive’ category

If you have not found out yet, I am crazy about superfoods. Super foods are foods that are nutrient dense, have an abundance of minerals, vitamins, anitoxidants, and other beneficial ingredients in high amounts.

Superfoods should be a part of every couples fertility diet to help bridge the gap for proper nutrition, nourish the egg and the sperm, and help to balance hormones. Here is a rundown of 5 Fertility Superfoods your should know about:

Maca
Maca is a wonderful superfood from Peru which helps to balance the hormones, increase egg health, increase sperm count and sperm health while also being a tonic for the endocrine system. Maca also helps to increase progesterone if the body is low in this important hormone. Maca comes in capsules, powder and tincture. It can be taken everyday.

Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is another fertility specific superfood which may help to increase egg health, quality of egg, and genreal fertility. Royal jelly is the food that is fed to the queen bee which is what makes her the queen bee. She goes on to live 6 years and lays up to 2000 eggs per day. Most bees live less than two months.

Royal Jelly is rich in vitamins, A, B, C, D,and E. It is also contains minerals including calcium and iron, all of the essential amino acids plus antibacterial and immune stimulating properties.
Royal jelly comes in capsules or in a base of honey. It can be taken everyday.

Bee Propolis and Bee Pollen
Bee propollis and bee pollen are two more fertility super foods from our friends the bee. These foods are rich in nutrients. Bee pollen contains 50% more protein than beef and is rich in every vitamin and mineral. Bee Propolis is a powerful immune system stimulant and inflammation aid. It also helps women who have endometriosis.
Bee propolis and Bee Pollen are available in capsules or in a base of honey. They can be taken everyday. I like to take all three together in one product.

Whey protein powder
While we all know that protein is essential for a healthy diet, many women do not get enough protein in there diet daily. In the fertility diet it is essential to have protein with each meal so your blood sugar levels stay balanced. This can be hard in our daily lifestyles so I suggest for you to use a protein powder. But it can be hard to find a protein powder that is acceptable with a healthy fertility diet. All protein sources should be organic or raised without hormones and antibiotics, and the protein source should never be soy.

I have found one protein powder the is made from “clean” whey, which means it was made from cows milk that does not have any hormones or antibiotics. It is called True Whey. True Whey does not contain sugars, dyes, or artificial ingredients. This has been essential in many women sticking to there fertility diet.

Spirulina
Spirulina is a tiny aquatic plant has been eaten by humans since prehistoric times and is grown worldwide as a healthy food. Imagine a vegetable with more protein than soy, more Vitamin A than carrots, more iron than beef, profound source of protective phytochemicals, naturally low in fat, source of the essential fatty acid GLA and is easy to digest.

Spirulina makes it easy to get your greens every day. Spirulina is available in a powder form.

Get Your Free Maca Fertility Superfood Recipes Here!

The Maca Fertility Superfood Recipes shares with you easy and fast ways to eat Maca and other fertility superfoods to help increase your egg health, balance your hormones, and prepare forconception with nutrient dense fertility foods.

It can be quite frustrating if you are trying to get pregnant and yet have no period. having a healthy cycle is step one for boosting your fertility naturally and being able to get pregnant. There are a couple of reasons your cycle may be irregular such as stress, dietary deficiencies, low body weight, getting off of birth control pills, hormonal imbalance, or other underlying issues.

Since the lining of the uterus is not being shed, it is very important to clear out the old blood and establish a healthy cycle again. This can be done naturally and effectively with herbs and nutrition. I have talked with many clients who have been offered synthetic estrogens to get there periods going again… taking synthetic estrogen for this issue is like using a sledge hammer on a thumb tack.

Here are the steps you can take to get your period back:

1. Eat a healthy fertility diet. Diet is so important for a healthy menstrual cycle and reproductive system. What you eat impacts everything.

2. Take a whole food multivitamin. Iron deficiency is one of the major factors for women not having a menstrual cycle and lack of ovulation. Other nutritional deficiencies can cause the menstruation to cease.

3. Use herbs to help clear the stagnant blood and increase circulation to the uterus while balancing the hormones.

The best Herbs for amenorrhea (lack of menstruation)

Dong Quai
This is the main herb for this issue. Dong Quai works by promoting blood flow to the pelvis where it will stimulate an absant or scanty period. It also nourishes the blood (it is in nearly all chinese herbal blood-building formulas). Treats iron deficiency and anemia. One of the best uses is it helps women who are not menstruating to invite there menstruation back. The increased circulation also helps to stregthen and balance the uterus.

Vitex
Vitex is another great herb for amenorrhea due to hormonal imbalance. It helps to balance the hormones while not containing any hormones within the herb.

If you have not had a menstrual cycle for two or months you may want to do a Fertility Cleanse. The Fertility Cleanse helps to cleanse the uterus of old blood and tissues while helping the liver to get rid of excess hormones.

Be patient, the body needs time to establish a cycle and hormone balance. Be gentle with yourself and your body will come back into balance.

So many of you have written with questions about ovarian cysts lately that I felt that creating this guide would be of great help to any of you who are having trouble conceiving due to ovarian cysts.
I hope you enjoy this guide and find it helpful…

What is an Ovarian Cyst?

Ovarian cysts are the product of failed or disordered ovulation. One way an ovarian cyst is formed when the follicle does not release its egg and the follicle continues to grow forming a cyst.

Most ovarian cysts are normal and harmless but many women experience fertility issues if the cysts get too large, or are the symptom of a bigger issue such as PCOS.

Thankfully there are natural remedies that can help your body to rid itself of the cysts naturally and without surgery.

Read entire guide here: http://natural-fertility-info.com/ovarian-cyst-remedy

Question:
Am 38 yrs old, i have been married for now 4 yrs but no children. I really would like to conceive but the problem is that i was recently diagnosed with a cyst and was told it will dissolve after medication. Am still feeling a bit of some pain on the same side. What should i do? I really want to conceive could the cyst limiting the chance of me conceiving?

Hethir’s Answer:
Hi,
If you are off of the medication you should look into Fertility Enzyme Therapy. It helps to dissolve cysts and adhesions. It may take a little bit of time but you will know it has worked when the pain leaves you.

Cysts can limit conception due to the irritating and rubbing against organs causing irritation, inflammation, and scar tissue. But can be turned around naturally.

You can learn about the Ovarian Cyst Remedy Kit Here:

http://natural-fertility-info.com/shop-ovarian-cyst

There are natural therapies that can help you body to prepare for IVF by nourishing your body, increasing your egg health and promoting healthy implantation of the fertilized egg. You may not know it but many of these therapies are backed by studies and can make a big impact on the success of your IVF.

Check out the article here:

http://natural-fertility-info.com/increase-ivf-success/

In the past the standard belief was that the only factor that determines ovarian health is age. But that is not so.

The cycle of an egg in preparation for ovulation is around 90 days.

There are many environmental factors that can impact the health of the ovaries and eggs. Environmental factors, hormones in the diet, and stress can also have an impact on the health of the ovaries and eggs.

Having healthy fertility is based on many factors, proper circulation, healthy fertility cycle, balanced hormones, and healthy eggs. In this article I will be sharing with you how you can increase the health of your eggs by using natural herbs, supplements, foods, and applying self massage. Read Article…

I recently finished the programing for my new Fertility Profile creator and want to invite you to check it out.

All you have to do is fill out the short form and personalized fertility advice is created specificly for you and your personal situation.

You can get your Fertility Profile for free here:

Free Fertility Profile

Let me know what you think!

How many of you out there in the cyber space that are reading this today have had problems getting pregnant? This is a touchy subject for many and
unfortunately this is something that we will see more and more of as the decades roll on. Many people, it seems no matter what they try just can not seem to
get pregnant!

Even trying the expensive in-vitro methods do not always work and then you are left with a broken heart and a big doctor’s bill am I right? Well, remember
this, you are not the only one going through this. There are many women in the world who have a similar experience but now many are turning to foods that
will help their bodies become more “fertile”. Hard to believe? Not really when you think about it. Read on…

Well, the Fertility Success Formulas are now available! Below you will find four summaries and a link to each of the programs.

Promote Egg Health and Promote Ovulation

If you’d like to increase the health of your eggs and promote ovulation, then invest in my “Fertility Success Formula to Promote Ovulation and Boost Fertility”. This program is PROFOUND. It will help you to get that extra fertility boost that can make all the difference. Learn more about this program here:

Fertility Success Formula (original)

Endometriosis

If you’re a woman who has endometriosis and wants to beat the odds, then consider my “Fertility Success Formula for Endometriosis”. This program is a protocol of techniques, diet, herbs, and supplements that are specific for women who want to become pregnant despite endometriosis. Find out the details here:

Fertility Success Formula for Endometriosis

PCOS

If you’re having fertility issues due to PCOS and want to get pregnant sooner then later, check out my “Fertility Success Formula for PCOS”. In this program are the exact steps you need to take to reduce insulin resistance and balance your hormones… which are the necessary steps you’ll need to take in becoming pregnant despite PCOS. Get more information about this program here:

Fertility Success Formula for PCOS

Recurrent Miscarriages

If you have experienced two or more miscarriages or have been labeled “unexplained infertility” then the “Fertility Success Formula for Recurrent Miscarriages” is the program you will want. This program contains the exact preparations necessary before you become pregnant again. Learn more about this program here:

Fertility Success Formula for Recurrent Miscarriages

Each one of my programs addresses totally different aspects of getting pregnant despite fertility issues.

Each program contains scientifically studied techniques, herbs, supplements and methods to help you get pregnant naturally.

If you have questions about any of my programs you can contact me here

I am putting the final touches on my new fertility programs, which will be available some time duing March.

So far, everything is looking great, But I want to make sure they are 100% complete.

And that’s where you come in…

I want to know what YOU would want to find in the “perfect” fertility program. What are the 5 Most Essential things you would like to know about boosting your fertility and getting pregnant?

I did not just create one program but FOUR different programs that target different fertility issues and take you step-by -step through the methods, supplements, and therapies.

Please share your ultimate “wish list” in the comments section below.

 It’s your chance to guarantee this new program answers all of your questions to help you get pregnant naturally!

As always, if you have any questions, please contact through the contact link at the top of this page.

In Part Two of this three part series we covered basal body temperature and today we will cover your graphing your temperature. Thank you for joining me for this series. If you enjoyed it let me know and we can create more of them in the future!

Article by: Marie Zenack

Your Temperature Graph

Put a dot on a graph on the spot corresponding to each day’s temperature. Join the dots of consecutive days. If you do not take your temperature one day, do not join the dots across that day. Also write out the temperature numerically, to guard against errors in graphing.

Interpreting Your Chart

1) Breathe and relax. Study your chart.

2) Can you find six low temperatures during the fertile mucus days of your cycle?

3) Draw a horizontal line at the highest of the six low temperatures. This is your low temperature line.

4) Draw another horizontal line four-tenths of a degree F. or two-tenths of a degree C. above your low temperature line. This is your full thermal shift line.

5) Can you find three high temperatures after the low temperatures? All of the high temperatures must be above the low temperature line. At least the third high temperature must be at or above the full thermal shift line.

6) This temperature pattern of low and high temperatures is called a biphasic pattern with a full thermal shift. A biphasic pattern with a full thermal shift confirms that you really did ovulate. A smaller, but sustained temperature rise also probably indicates ovulation.

If you are hoping to become pregnant, please pay close attention to nutrition. Look for unprocessed foods grown without chemicals. Exercise in moderation. Get plenty of rest. Avoid stress. Think happy thoughts. Pray for the child you desire, and begin sending your child love, now. Heal any hurtful feelings between you and your mate, and between you both and your parents. Your mate should avoid hot shower or baths and tight clothing, both of which lower sperm count.To increase your chances of conception, use the wet, slippery days for sexual relations.

If you have observed a biphasic pattern with a full thermal shift, and it is now 18 days since your last slippery, wet day, and menstruation has not arrived, you may feel confident that you have conceived.

Congratulations and blessings!

About The Author

Marie Zenack is a teacher of fertility awareness and a facilitator of women’s rites of passage.
http://www.menstrual-cycle-period.com/

Complete Series

Part 1: Cervical Mucous

Part 2: Basal Body Temperature

Part 3: Charting

In Part One of this series we went over cervical mucous and how to determine when we are ovulating. Today we are covering taking your basal body temperature to determine where you are in your cycle and if you have ovulated.

Article by: Marie Zenack

Basal Body Temperature

If you are not sure you are ovulating, you can take your temperature. The body’s resting temperature increases four-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit or two-tenths of a degree Centigrade under the influence of progesterone at ovulation. Observing this sign involves taking your temperature at the same time each morning before rising. (This is not as hard as it sounds. It takes less than two minutes and you can go back to sleep if you want.)

To observe your temperature rise, buy a BD brand digital basal thermometer. This brand will give you a consistent and accurate reading. Other high quality brands of digital basal thermometers are also probably accurate, but have not been tested for fertility awareness. Make sure the battery is good. (You can replace it.) An ordinary clinical thermometer is not accurate enough for fertility awareness. Nor is the “ear thermometer” (tympanic thermometer).

Take your temperature every day immediately upon waking, before 7:30 a.m. The body’s rhythms (circadian rhythms) fluctuate over a 24-hour period. Your temperature is lowest in the early morning and highest in the afternoon. Fluctuations are greater after 7:30 a.m. If you go to bed before midnight and wake up before 7:30 a.m., you will get the clearest temperature readings.

If it is not convenient to take your temperature immediately upon waking, you may take it during light morning activity. For example, if you need to go to the bathroom, you may take your temperature while getting up and using the toilet. But be consistent about the circumstances under which you take your temperature. If you take it during light morning activity, take it that way every morning. Don’t take it sometimes before getting up and at other times during light morning activity. If you have sexual relations, take your temperature before.

Many women find that the digital thermometers require such a short time to use that it is easy to take their temperature before getting up. Take your temperature by mouth. Under arm and ear temperatures are not accurate enough for family planning purposes. The thermometer will beep softly several times before beginning to beep slightly louder and repeatedly. Keep the thermometer under your tongue until the louder, repeated beeps begin. You can read and chart your temperature as soon as is convenient after taking it. Your thermometer has a recall button that allows you to read the last temperature taken. Be sure to wash your thermometer after each use.

Fertility charting and using a menstrual calendar is like having a window to peek in on your fertility cycle. Here is a great 3 part series on how to use these methods to increase your fertility through having fertility awareness.

Article by: Marie Zenack

Charting the signs of our menstrual cycle is a good way to keep in touch with our bodies, our feelings, and our health. It is also a good way to predict our days of menstruation in advance, even if menstrual cycles are irregular, and to know the most fertile times if we are hoping to conceive.

by: David Picella

While scientific studies continue to tout the benefits of technology in assisted reproduction, relatively little is known about natural methods of fertility enhancement. The importance of the cervical mucus environment and it’s affects on the function of male spermatozoa is underappreciated.

In the absence of cervical mucus, or in the case of vaginal dryness, couples frequently resort to personal lubricants. In recent studies, some of the commonly recommended lubricants, like KY®, Astroglide®, and Replens® have been found to actually damage sperm, perhaps even at a rate that is equivocal to contraceptive Jellies (http://www.helpconceive.com/hc_underEffects.html).

Brand new evidence from a comparative study presented at the Cojoint Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine suggests that only Pre-Seed® did not appear to cause significant damage to sperm.

In the first experiment, sperm was incubated for 30 minutes. Motility measurements were 66% in the lubricant-free environment, versus 2% for Astroglide®, and 64% for Pre-Seed®. In the second experiment, sperm were evaluated after 4 hours of incubation for damage to the genetic material and graded according to the DNA fragmentation index. Pre-Seed demonstrated the smallest effect with a 7% increase over the control (no lubricant).

The findings of this and other studies are significant. At the Saint Gerard Fertility Care Center, we always ask about personal lubricants and the only one that we recommend during the fertile time is Pre-Seed®. Another reason to use Pre-Seed is because Pre-Seed is also the only personal lubricant that meets physiologic pH and osmolarity requirements for sperm and may protect against the harmful effects of free radicals.

Recently I interviewed a woman who had been going to an infertility specialist for more than 10 years and after undergoing many medical treatments and surgical procedures with no pregnancies to show for it, she is now facing menopause. Interestingly, she and her spouse were using KY® routinely. In fact, they were buying it “by the box.” She was surprised to find out about the effects of KY®.

We believe that combined with the monitoring of fertility and cervical mucus, Pre-Seed can be added to a program of infertility (when fertility is present and cervical mucus quality is poor) as a routine recommendation for assisting couples who desire to achieve pregnancy the natural way. At our center, we have an easy to learn protocol that combines the monitoring of fertility and the use of Pre-Seed for this purpose.

Copyright 2005 Majella.us

About The Author

David Picella helps couples who are trying to conceive naturally without the use of expensive artificial reproductive techniques. You can read more articles published by him and by other experts in this area at: http://majella.us

Finding the cause for your fertility issues and infertility is important to understand for treating the situation effectively… Just like with western medicine.

Knowing if you are ovulating, or have low progesterone makes all the difference in how to treat the imbalance. It is also extremely helpful to know if the situation lies within the man, (which it happens to be in 40% of the cases.) This can be found out through testing you can do or have an endocrinologist do.

But that is not the end all. Having insight as to what the issue is gives you the knowledge to know where the body has become imbalanced… Than you can begin to support those systems and balance the situation.

Here is another great success email that I received….

 Hethir, I took your advice and relaxed while trying to
get pregnant, after having a tubal reversal. I found out I’m 5.5weeks
pregnant. I was wondering if there is a smoothie that is fantastic and
safe to have in the mornings, which will be full of great things for me
and the baby.

Thanks,

 Maree
 

Study:

Women who followed a combination of five or more lifestyle factors, including changing specific aspects of their diets, experienced more than 80 percent less relative risk of infertility due to ovulatory disorders compared to women who engaged in none of the factors, according to a paper published in the November 1, 2007, issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The study was led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and did not examine risk associated with other kinds of infertility, such as low sperm count in men.

“The key message of this paper is that making the right dietary choices and including the right amount of physical activity in your daily life may make a large difference in your probability of becoming fertile if you are experiencing problems with ovulation,”

Read entire study here…

Hethir:

It is great to see research being performed on the effects of diet and lifestyle on fertility and ovulation. The results are not surprising to me at all, but refreshing. Once again an 80% success rate using a natural approach…

There are three areas included in this study where if you made lifestyle shifts now could make a big difference in your fertility.

Diet/nutrition:Eat a whole foods diet with emphasis on organic, fresh foods. Take a multivitamin…

Stress: Have a stress reducing “practice” in your life such as exercise, meditation or yoga. Learn more about the effects of stress in this article.

Exercise: Exercising every day makes for a healthy body in general…

All of these factors are not new news. They work because they help to bring the body back into balance, where your fertility is abundant.

Hi, Hethir

I just wanted to say THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart!

The thing is… I had to cancel my IVF today…. Because… Guess what?

I’M ALREADY PREGNANT!!!

I don’t have a clue as to why this suddenly happened in our 21st TCC, only two weeks prior to the egg retrieval, but all I know is that I had a perfect ovulation this time. The mucus was clear and stretchy, and my body didn’t have to try for it more than once. The OPKs came back negative until it was time for the egg to go (as opposed to previous ovulations, where they could come back positive, then negative, then positive 4 days in a row and THEN ovulation would occur), and everything just felt so right this time. Perhaps my hormones finally got it right, and that my body has found its balance?

Cervical fluid is necessary for allowing the sperm to swim freely through the cervix. Some of us have low or no cervical fluid, so it is harder for the sperm to move and there may not be a friendly environment for the sperm to sustain themselves.

When a woman ovulates there should be an increase in cervical mucous (CM), as well as a change in the mucous texture, from “wet” to a more pliable, stretchy, egg white like mucous. This is easily helped by using one of these 5 suggestions:

If you laughed at this title, this article may be for you. HPT means Home Pregnancy Test and they are without a doubt, addictive. Alcoholics try to hide their addiction, so do women addicted HPT’s. I know because I’m one of them.

I found HPT’s at the dollar store for, you guessed it, a dollar. I was so excited. I only grabbed one test the first time I saw them. I ran home and used it right away. I got a BFN (Big Fat Negative). Of course I was only 7 days after ovulation so what could I expect.