Natural Infertility Treatments

Infertility Solutions (Getting Pregnant )

You’ve received your fertility evaluation from your fertility specialist and now know the reason you’ve been having trouble getting pregnant. Happily, your condition is treatable. Your next step is to choose an infertility treatment plan. Choosing a plan depends on:

• the cause of your infertility
• your age 
• your overall heath 
• your lifestyle, including your ability to pay for infertility treatments 

Medical Infertility Treatments

Happily, a number of infertility treatments are available to you. The three best known medical infertility treatments are: 

• fertility drug therapy
• surgery to repair damage to or remove abnormalities from reproductive organs
• assisted reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization

Medical infertility treatments, even with their risks, have helped millions of women get pregnant and deliver healthy babies. But you might prefer a more natural infertility treatment. Happily, once again, you have options.

Natural Conception

You probably learned about natural conception and rhythm in your high school health or biology class. The latest research shows that the optimum time to get pregnant is the day of ovulation. The second best time is three or four days before menstruation, with frequent intercourse. 

Along with following the natural cycles of your body, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle as part of your natural infertility treatment. That means exercise (of course) and taking in the things that boost fertility and avoiding the things that increase the risk of infertility. 

Doctors recommend you avoid:
• tobacco
• alcohol
• caffeine, especially coffee, but even that found in cola and chocolate (sorry) 
• xenoestrogens, chemicals found in pesticides that show up on fruits and veggies (go organic)

Doctors recommend you increase your intake of:

• leafy green vegetables, legumes, chicken liver, and others sources of folic acid
• Brazil nuts, cod, tuna, and other foods that contain the trace mineral selenium
• oysters, toasted wheat germ, sesame seeds, and other foods that contain zinc
• salmon, halibut, walnuts, and other sources of omega-3, one of the essential fatty acids

You can also get these nutrients from supplements. But before taking any supplements-or any of the so-called fertility herbs such as Vitex agnus-castus-check with your doctor or pharmacist for any possible harmful drug interactions, especially if you’ve ever taken birth-control pills or fertility drugs.

Massage 

Energy bodywork as an infertility treatment has a number of advantages: it’s noninvasive and drug free; it has no side effects; and it usually feels good. Who can turn down a nice massage? Besides the feel-good effect, bodywork as an infertility treatment works. Massage: 

• helps to stimulate growth of reproductive hormones
• increase blood flow to reproductive organs
• decrease stress 
• contribute to a healthy pregnancy by boosting the immune system and strengthening muscles for childbirth

Reiki, reflexology, and the Wurn Technique are used as fertility massage. The Wurn Technique, in particular, has proven very effective as an infertility treatment. This procedure works by breaking down adhesions (scar tissue) that interfere with the normal functioning of the reproductive organs. 

Acupuncture

A mainstay of Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been used for centuries as an infertility treatment. According to the principles of Chinese medicine, acupuncture needles are inserted in specific points in your body to help stimulate blood flow to the reproductive organs and restore hormonal balance. As a natural infertility treatment, acupuncture is often teamed up with herbal medicines in capsule of tea form. (Go for the capsule; the tea usually tastes terrible.)

Article By: Larry Wurn

Fertility Treatment is an option for couples trying to have a baby

 Modern methods of Fertility Treatment

Having a baby could be one of the most important events in a couple's life. They might be yearning for a baby, but fate seems to have turned a blind eye to their wishes and that's when they turn to outside help. Infertility is when a woman is unable to conceive. The problems lie with either one of the spouses or both of them. The most common infertility problem in women is blocked fallopian tubes. And in men, the most common problem could be the lack of enough sperms. Infertility is diagnosed at a fertility clinic whether the couples have to undergo a series of tests and one to one meetings with their doctor.

Choosing a fertility clinic is a major concern. The proximity of the clinic, success ratio and rates charged there are the major factors that determine the choice. There are different methods to treat infertility and the doctor will advise them on the various techniques, including the chances of success for each. The couples have to weigh the pros and cons of each option before deciding to go ahead with the treatment.

Women's health is a major concern when couples decide to go ahead with fertility treatment. Normally, the chances of getting pregnant reduce as the woman ages. If a woman is not able to conceive even after having unprotected intercourse for more than a year, then she or her partner could be infertile. Only further tests can confirm whether that is true. The type of treatment chosen for an older woman will depend on a lot on women's health.

People have to go for different kinds of fertility treatments to get their reproductive system working in the right order. First, the fertility clinic will give some drugs to make sure the reproductive cycle for the women and the sperm count for men are balanced. Next, the clinic will simultaneously start on other treatments depending upon the severity of the problem. Artificial insemination is the most common form of treatment. Sperms from the partner will be placed in the woman's uterus and it will be observed closely. However, this treatment will not work if the woman has blocked fallopian tubes, ovarian cysts, fibroids, endometriosis or any other genetic effect. In certain cases, surgery is the only option where the blocked fallopian tubes are repaired or cleared. It could be an extensive surgery or a simple one.

In Vitro Fertilization is done for women with blocked fallopian tubes. The eggs that are fertilized with the help of fertility drugs are taken from the ovaries and copulated in a dish at the laboratory. The end result will be an embryo. Once the embryos are ready to be placed inside the uterus, the doctor will save a few embryos for another cycle if the first doesn't work. This treatment will take about 4-6 weeks to see results.

Getting ready for fertility treatment is a decision made by both the couples and they have to reach a decision on far they are ready to go. Once the treatment is started there is no choice, but to go forward with the complete treatment in order to see positive results. Often couples have to go through stressful moments when they wait to see if the treatment has worked. It could be uncomfortable and could make the couple high strung. Relationships could go from bad to worse, but the couples should realise that the success of the treatment will depend on each person's physical health, luck and mutual understanding.


Article By: Francesca Knap

The Wonderful Benefits of Pre- and Postnatal Massage

Kegel Exercises Video for Women during Pregnancy: Stronger Vaginal Muscles 

Women go through many marvelous changes during pregnancy, both physically and emotionally. The physical changes can sometimes become overwhelming especially during the first and last trimester. However, the pressures and strains may continue even after childbirth. Interestingly, studies show that physiotherapy or physical therapy is beneficial in the relief of muscular and skeletal pains, the prevention of urinary incontinence, and the strengthening of the body. A physiotherapy program includes exercises which are designed to treat problems related to obstetrics, pre natal massage and post natal massage, and professional advice on health care.

Benefits of Physiotherapy During and After Pregnancy

Carrying the weight of your baby for nine months is definitely not easy. A lot of pregnant women complain that they frequently experience back pains, neck pains, and pelvic pains. Urinary leakage is also a common problem not only during pregnancy but even after giving birth. Your physiotherapist will guide you through a series of pelvic floor muscle exercises and core stability training to prevent and treat these concerns during and following pregnancy.
Pre-natal massage and pelvic floor exercises are great for developing muscle strength and endurance which are essential especially if you will have a normal delivery. In addition, new mothers are often eager to get back in shape and lose all those extra pounds they gained. Post natal massage and pelvic floor exercises are recommended if you would like to achieve fitness effectively.

Seek the Help of the Experts

If you are pregnant, you will need to take extra care of your body to make sure that your baby would be healthy and strong. It is important to seek the advice and assistance of a health care professional before attempting to participate in any exercise program.
Who can help you? A certified physiotherapist who has acquired a degree in physical therapy and has completed extensive training can devise and deliver a safe and specialized program to meet the exact needs of an individual.

What Can You Expect from Your Physiotherapist?

Every woman’s body is unique and therefore needs special attention. Your physiotherapist would thoroughly study your medical history and health condition before making any recommendation. Your strength, flexibility and balance would also be assessed in order to know which exercises are suitable and safe for you.

The specific details of the program should be clearly explained as well as the purpose and the benefits of each step. You should feel comfortable and relaxed in the environment where you will be provided treatment.

Generally, the pre-natal and post-natal treatment, each focuses on different concerns. For instance, the pre-natal program is designed to prevent musculoskeletal pains, prevent or treat incontinence and prepare a woman for labor. The program often includes advice on relaxation, breathing techniques, pre-natal massage and positions for labor.
Meanwhile, the post-natal program is designed to treat musculoskeletal pains, post-natal abdominal problems, and incontinence and involves post-natal massage and exercise routines.

New moms are also given advice on how to properly breast-feed and carry a baby. Last but not the least, each woman is guided well on how she can achieve and maintain fitness.

Article By: Lara Reynolds

How to Diet Well After Delivering Your Baby

 
How to diet after having a baby? This is a question that most moms ask after delivering their baby. At first, you probably don’t realize about your body changes. You are full of happiness when your loved one comes into this world but soon thereafter, you find that you have gained some pounds. You realize that your tummy is mushy and you find stretch marks here and there.

Most moms experience this weight gain so you don’t need to worry about it. Your pre-pregnancy body can be restored as long as you practice a proper diet. With the right food choices of the right portions, it will be easier to lose those extra pounds. Below are some tips on how to diet after pregnancy to help you regain your body shape:
 
1. Know the right time to start dieting. After pregnancy, it is not recommended to start dieting too soon. Give your body time to recover from labor so that your diet program will run successfully. You need to wait until after your six-week postpartum checkup before you are ready to start a diet. How about dieting for breastfeeding moms? They are not recommended to go on any diet to lose weight until their baby is at least two months old. This is because early dieting will have an impact on their milk supply during the first months.
If you start a diet too soon, it can make you feel more fatigued and can postpone your recovery. It would be better to give more time for your body to recover and you will be excited to know how many pounds you lose naturally.

2. Know the limit. When losing weight after pregnancy, you need to be realistic about it. Remember that you probably will not be able to gain a body shape exactly like before the pregnancy. Most women find permanent changes after pregnancy such as larger waistline, softer belly and wider hips.

3. Combine your diet with exercise. Weight loss pills can be a shortcut to lose weight but they are not the best way to shed the pounds. To achieve the desired weight, it is important to do some exercises to lose fat instead of muscle. You can start exercising about six weeks after pregnancy and eight weeks if you had a cesarean. A little exercise such as walking around the neighborhood will help you burn the fat.

4. Try to avoid a restrictive diet. Instead, you should practice your diet program slowly especially if you are breastfeeding. Its aim is to ensure that your baby always obtains the right amount of milk supply. Generally, women need at least 1,200 calories a day and most women even need about 1,500 up to 2,200 calories a day to keep up the energy. Nursing moms need at least 1,800 calories a day but generally, they will need about 2,000 to 2,700 calories to nourish themselves and their baby.
There is another risk if you undertake an unusually rapid weight loss program. It can cause the release of toxins from your fat reserves into your bloodstream and into the milk supply. It is safe to lose about 1.5 pounds a week since it won’t affect your milk supply. This weight loss can be achieved by cutting out about 500 calories a day from your present diet.

5. Be selective about your food intake and drinks. In losing weight, you need to be selective in foods and drinks that you consume. Low-fat milk, whole wheat bread, fruits and raw vegetables are great choices to succeed your diet program. If you get bored consuming the same fruits and vegetables every day, you can make smoothies or vegetable salsas over chicken or fish.
Fats have more calories than carbohydrates or proteins. That means that reducing fat from your diet is a good way to cut calories. To limit your calorie intake, you can consume fat-free dairy products, boiled or baked foods, and reduce eating too many sweets. However, fats are also important nutrients so make sure that you don’t eliminate them entirely from your daily diet. However, total elimination of fats can cause you to feel hungry all of the time and thus consume more calories from increased carbohydrate consumption, especially between-meal snacks. To fulfill your fat needs, choose the "good" fats rather than the "bad" ones. Good fats are contained in avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil, salmon, etc. Meanwhile, bad fats can be found in snacks and fried foods.

6. Watch your water intake. It is recommended that you take about eight glasses of fluids a day but make sure that your beverages do not contain calories like soda, sweetened coffee or juices. When thirsty, drink water. These simple steps will help answer your questions on how to diet after pregnancy.

Article By: Rendi Elifas

Getting Pregnant Woes: Reasons And How To Deal

Are you one of those women who feel so useless because you cannot get pregnant? Have you tried for so long and still cannot complete the whole term of a pregnancy? Getting pregnant may seem easy for some, the reason why birth control is a big industry but millions of women are struggling to have a baby.

Why I Can't Get Pregnant

There are many reasons why getting pregnant is not easy. There are biological reasons, lifestyles and medical problems that could contribute to your situation. Age is the most common reason why some women do not get pregnant easily.Women who are above 35 and men above 40 are least likely to get pregnant. The reason for this is that as we age, the egg and sperm lose their "quality" for fertilization.With this age, women ovulate less.Sperm count also lessen and mortality decreases with age.

Sometimes, even couples who seem healthy and young find it hard to conceive due to the kind of lifestyles they have. Couples who want to get pregnant must stop unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol.Smoking and alcohol can lessen sperm count and will affect a woman's egg's health.Vices like these can also lower energy levels which can affect a couple's sex life. Weight can also be a hindrance to pregnancy.Being overweight and underweight will not only affect the sperm and egg count but it will make the body unfit to carry a pregnancy which is often the cause of miscarriages.

The Medical Reasons Behind "Why I Can't Get Pregnant?"

A not so simple case of not getting pregnant is when it is due to medical problems. Irregular ovulation among women is the most common medical blockage for pregnancies.While more complex situations are those with blocked fallopian tubes,thyroid problems and those with undetected diabetes. Complications from STD also prevent one from getting pregnant.You can always work this out with your doctor.Treatments can range from minimizing stress and taking supplements to more advanced fertility treatments.

Stop Crying About "Why I Can't Get Pregnant"

Frustrations and dismay are totally understandable but too much worrying about it can make your problem worse. However,if you become too obsessed with it, putting pressure on yourself – the less likely you will get pregnant. Stress is also a big factor in why it is hard to get pregnant and if you let yourself enter emotional and mental stress, you will definitely have a hard time getting pregnant.

Seek medical treatments, change your lifestyle and just let nature do its work. It takes 6 months to years of trying to finally get pregnant.Though there are many options available to have kids, having your own and giving birth to them is still a priceless form of happiness.There are many stories of couples who stopped trying but ended up getting pregnant.Relax and just wait for the right moment to grow a wonderful gift inside you.

Article By: Jeremy Cunniff

Combating Morning Sickness

  The most common problem during pregnancy which affects all expecting mothers is morning sickness. Generally it starts between the 4th and 6th week of conception and lasts until the 14th to 16th week. Some mothers may even experience morning sickness all across their pregnancy. This induces mild nausea or vomiting.

Why does it happen?

To a large extent the cause of morning sickness is attributed to the drastic hormonal changes that take place inside the body. However, an actual cause is yet to be established. Some of the possible causes of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are mostly related to hormonal releases.

HCG hormone causes nausea: During pregnancy a high amount of the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone is released in the system. This stimulates the maternal ovaries to secrete estrogen, which in turn causes nausea.

Progesterone relaxes muscles: During pregnancy an increase in the levels of progesterone relaxes the muscles in the uterus to facilitate babies’ growth and birth. However, it may also relax the muscles of the stomach and the intestine, leading to excess gastric acids causing gastro-esophageal reflux (regurgitation of stomach acid causing heartburn). A low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) that occurs due to the placental drainage of energy is also seen as a possible cause of nausea, though it is not confirmed yet.

Hypersensitive smell sensation: This is one of the most common uneasiness experienced by many expecting mothers. The increased sensitivity to odours can over stimulate the digestive system and trigger the release of gastric acids which can also result in nausea.

Increasing levels of Bilirubin: The increase in the levels of Bilirubin (an enzyme found in liver) can also cause nausea.

How can you prevent it?
All remedies aim at reducing the symptoms of nausea to a certain extent.

Carbohydrate rich snacks: You should eat carbohydrate rich snacks like biscuits, toast etc early in the morning. Eating small carbohydrate rich snack - fruits and vegetables that are high in water content, like tomatoes, grapes, watermelon, spinach, and lettuce are also helpful. Include lemon and ginger to the mix and it helps further.

Avoid empty stomach: This causes the levels of gastric juices to rise and can lead to nausea. If the nausea is high, then avoid food items that are rich in fat as well as highly seasoned and flavoured food.

Increase liquid intake: Since your vomiting leads to a decrease in the fluid level of the body, make sure that you complement the situation with lots of water as well as fluids like fresh fruit and vegetable juices, buttermilk, and coconut water.





If your nausea remains out of control for long, then consult your doctor. But remember, there is nothing to worry about. It is one of the most common symptoms that show up during pregnancy and about 50-70% of all pregnant mothers go through this phase.

Digestive Discomfort Constipation During Your Pregnancy

   As you begin your third week of pregnancy, you are likely to go through bouts of constipation. Don’t worry, this is one of the most common symptom that appears in an expecting mother. The reasons for constipation in pregnancy can mainly be attributed to various physiological changes taking place in the mother’s body. The other reasons are also associated to an altered lifestyle patterns.

Some of them are as discussed below:

Delayed digestion: As a high level of progesterone hormone is released in the body during pregnancy, it affects the gastro-intestinal activity and slows down the process of digestion and excretion, leading to constipation. The growing uterus also exerts pressure on the intestine that further makes the system sluggish, thus contributing to constipation.

Growing demands of water: As the baby in the womb develops, her own need of water arises.  To fulfill the demands of the baby, fluids from the mother’s body are passed on to the baby, creating fluid deficiency in mothers.  One of the functions of water in the body is to soften the stool. This lack of fluid can make stool harder and more difficult to eliminate.

Improper diet: During the first trimester of pregnancy, expecting mothers tend to lack proper and balanced diet since they may lose taste of certain food or due to morning sickness. This may also cause constipation.

Inactive lifestyle: Another reason for pregnancy-related-constipation is that many mothers start leading a sluggish lifestyle. They stop doing much work and become sedentary.  This not only makes you constipated but also reduces the chances of normal delivery.

Stress: Stress and tension are also some factors that contribute to constipation. It is highly advisable to avoid such situations during pregnancy.

Iron supplements: During this period, chances are that your doctor is going to prescribe you iron supplements. These make you prone to constipation. Moreover, you are more susceptible to constipation if you had this problem during the pre-pregnancy days.

Remedial steps to prevent constipation.

Stay hydrated: Drinking lots of water and increasing your fluid intake can help make your bowel movements more frequent and less hard to pass. Be sure to get 8-10 glasses (up to 2 litres) of water every day. You are going to have fewer problems with constipation. Try to start your day with a glass or two of warm water. Always keep your body well hydrated, as during pregnancy, you need to fulfill yours and your baby’s fluid requirements. Apart from water, other fluids like fruit and vegetable juices, especially, buttermilk, soups, coconut water, nimbu paani, aam ka panna , kokum sherbet etc. are helpful in preventing you from getting constipated.

Add fibre to diet: Fibre has an important role to play in the body. It helps in giving bulk to your stool and thus, ease elimination. The natural sources of fibre are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and pulses. These help your bowel movements loosen up and stay regular. Include as much fibre as possible, increasing them gradually in your diet.  Eat a balanced diet which is rich in fibre and support it by enough intake of fluids.

Exercise: It is known to stimulate the intestinal muscles thus facilitating digestion and alleviating constipation. Include exercise in your daily regime with the advice of your doctor. Exercising also helps you maintain good health and improves chances of normal delivery. You can safely include swimming and walking as your normal routine, unless advised adversely.

Avoid stress: Stay away from stress and tension as much as possible. Try out some relaxation means, like meditation. These not only make you relieved but are also beneficial for the baby’s growth.

Including these tips in your diet and lifestyle can help you avoid the discomfort of constipation. Follow them along with advice from your doctor to help your body maintain a healthy digestive system.