Even though nly a few men would admt it, they too need fertility help. Men may fight the reality, but let's face the facts. A fourth of infertility cases worldwide are due to male-factor infertility. So if you suspect you are in the minority, go ahead and get help. You are not alone with this obstruction.

Some men would delay getting fertility help because they are too shy to discuss the problem. As an obstetrician-gynecologist dealing with infertile couples, I observe that women are more likely to undergo testing and seek treatment for infertility. Men might escort their wives or girlfriends for consultation, but they would often draw back at the ideas of having themselves tested as well.

For men who think they may have fertility issues, here are some fertility help tips for you.

The first step is to get tested. To test for fertility problems, you will have to undergo a basic semen analysis. This test will assess the amount, concentration, and morphology (or appearance) of your sperm cells.

For men with a low sperm count, you may try supplementing with vitamins C and E. These two vitamins are powerful antioxidants. They put a stop to oxidative injure to sperm cells, improving the quality and motility of the sperms. Vitamin C has an added benefit of preventing agglutination. This is when sperm cells are all bunched up, making them move slower and unable to impregnate.

You may also supplement your diet with zinc and selenium, two minerals which are supposed to improve sperm cell concentration and motility. Zinc improves testosterone levels and sperm construction. Zinc has also been shown to increase sperm motility. Selenium, on the other hand, has antioxidant properties which prevent damage to sperm brought on by free radicals.

Women hoping to concieve are told to to take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. Now it seems that men can gain from this opinion, too.

There are also a variety of herbal supplements identified to boost sperm count and motility. Siberian ginseng and ginkgo biloba are two of the most all the rage herbs used to boost both male and female barrenness. Ginseng and ginkgo biloba are also known to increase libido and virility in men.

Men should keep away from smoking. Smoking hastens injury to sperm, resulting in suboptimal sperm count. Smoking can also damage small blood vessels to the male reproductive organs, resulting to decreased sperm production.

Coffee and other caffeinated drinks ought to be taken in moderation. Alcohol consumption should as well be kept to a minimum. Data from several studies have shown these two compounds to badly distress male sperm count.

To increase chances of getting their partners pregnant, men with low sperm capacity may opt to have sexual intercourse every other day instead of day after day. This is to improve sperm concentration in semen. You may time trying foe a baby during the period when a woman is most probable fertile. You may ask your surgeon about the separate methods to predict when ovulation has occurred.

Lastly, do not be unwilling to share your insecurities and apprehensions concerning your virility with your spouse. She can provide you with the reassurance and the love that you call for. Knowing that your partner understands your problem can do wonders for you and your relationship. And may make you more resolute to seek out fertility help and with anticipation, too .

Read more >>

Sifting Through a Multitude of Conception Tips

So you’ve been wanting to start a family for sometime now, but its not happening, so you turn to conception tips. You know of family, friends and workmates, who like you have been wanting to conceive and are now on the family way. You know your medical history and your partner’s as well, and you are aware that there is nothing in both medical histories to stop you from conceiving.

One unturned stone here is the host of practical advice from women who opted to conceive the natural way. This set of natural conception tips should be exhausted first before considering assisted fertility, because often times its the shortest route to getting pregnant.

The most basic of these conception tips have to do with female hygiene, particularly douching. A lot of women are in the habit of showering or washing right after intercourse. But did you know that this is a practice that women employ when they do not wish to get pregnant? The chemicals from the feminine wash acts to wash away all the seminal fluid in the area decreasing the chance for conception by at least 30 percent.

Moreover, couples seeking to get pregnant should consciously help the sperm reach its destination. To do this the women should raise their legs up for some time to make sure that the seminal fluids flow through to the uterus. This practice increases the chances of the sperm actually fertilizing the egg cell.

Sometimes couples contend with the problem of having little natural fluids during intercourse and so they resort to lubricants. The problem with over-the-counter lubricants is that they have properties that can affect the viability of sperm cells. Couples can use egg whites to substitute for these lubricants. Eggs works just as well as store-bought lubricants without the harmful effects.

The pressure of trying to conceive and the frustration brought by failed attempts could impact the body negatively. Stress and emotional upheavals can affect a woman’s monthy menstrual cycle and the man’s ability to produce sperm at the very least. If you are trying to conceive naturally, here’s another one of these natural conception tips that may yield good results. If something is forced, sometimes the output is all wrong.

The trick is not to be too hard on yourself and allow the body to rest and to work at its own pace. Instead of always thinking about conceiving when engaging in intercourse, why not focus on just enjoying the moment and allowing nature to do its work.

Read more >>

“No coffee, cigarettes or Coors”. These and other conception tips

There are a plethora of conception tips: from the Internet, from your doctors, even from your mother. What works and what does not? There is no single authority on conception and pregnancy. The trick is to sift through material available and decide which conception tips work best for you.

1. Avoid coffee. Coffee adversely affects fertility. It is postulated that the effects of coffee on metabolism has deleterious effects on our hormone levels, especially that of estrogen. Coffee may also cause problems with our fallopian tubes, hindering fertilization.

2. Avoid smoking. Smoking has been linked to a variety of health problems. Decreased fertility in both men and women has also been associated with smoking. Smoking may decrease sperm count. Smoking women are less likely to conceive successfully when compared with non-smoking women.

3. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol, even in moderation, adversely affects fertility by inhibiting ovulation. Population studies also show decreased fertility and pregnancy rates among women who drink. Data are conflicting on what amount of alcohol consumption can induce these effects. Most data show that drinking four to eight times a week is significant. But newer studies have shown that even a single glass of wine weekly can already affect fertility adversely.

These 3 conception tips have been proven to be true. Most doctors would advice you to quit smoking, coffee, and alcohol when attempting to get pregnant. You should also abstain from these 3 when you are pregnant to ensure the health of your developing baby.

4. Some sexual positions favor fertility. The most popular positions recommended are the missionary or the man-on-top position and the rear entry. Although sexual position does not significantly affect the chances of conceiving in couples who are fertile, some couples may benefit from this advice. Depositing the sperm as near as possible to the cervix may have its benefits for couples with subfertility or infertility problems. If the sperm were the size of a man, it has to swim a distance akin to the Pacific Ocean to meet and fertilize an egg. It would certainly boost our chances of success if we shorten that distance considerably.

5. Herbs improve fertility. Some herbs like Vitex, Ginkgo biloba, and Siberian ginseng have been shown to boost fertility. In fact, these herbs have been a mainstay in the armamentarium of herbalists and practitioners of alternative medicine in the treatment of infertility in both men and women. However, there are still no large, well-designed clinical trials to boost this claim. If you are on fertility drugs, ask your doctor if you may start taking any of these herbs to avoid unwanted drug interactions.

6. Whelan method for conceiving a boy or a girl. The Whelan method, developed by Elizabeth Whelan, is based on timing sexual intercourse around the period of ovulation. Having intercourse several days prior to ovulation would result to conceiving male babies, while intercourse after would result to female babies. Predicting when ovulation would occur is based on measuring the body’s basal temperature.

A rise in basal body temperature is indicative of ovulation. Whelan’s method is based on sound scientific evidence. Ovulation is usually heralded by a slight increase in the body’s basal temperature. This temperature increase is due to the effect of progesterone. Levels of this hormone increases after ovulation. However, this procedure is not 100% effective. Using Whelan’s method only gives a 60-70% chance of successfully conceiving a baby of a preferred sex.

Talk to your doctor before deciding to follow any one of these conception tips. Some of these conception tips might be harmful to you or your developing fetus

Read more >>

When You’re Ready and It Doesn’t Happen: Some Basic Fertility Help Tips

Oftentimes when we try the hardest to get pregnant it doesn’t happen, so you might as well settle down and take stock of some basic fertility help and knowledge that may just be what you need to finally conceive.

We are the masters of our body so we are our own source of fertility help. No one knows our bodies more than we do, and so when we are aware that there is a small window for getting pregnant monthly and if we can hear our body clock ticking, we would be able to take full advantage of this short window.

The first bit of information that women should know is that conceiving has nothing to do with the frequency of intercourse. This is one area where quality, not quantity, counts. Under the best conditions, there are only a few days a month when a woman is fertile and even then they only have around a 25 percent chance of conceiving.

Timing is perhaps the most critical factor in conceiving but so many people do not get this right. One basic fertility help is dispelling the notion that ovulation starts on the 14th day of the menstrual cycle as this is only accurate for women who regularly have a 28-day cycle. There are a lot of women who have either shorter or longer cycles than 28 days and who do not ovulate on the 14th day. That is why this information is dependent on how well a woman knows her body. The menstrual cycle also changes month on month and that it is very common to ovulate on the 13th or the 15th day after the monthly menstruation.

One of the best ways to get pregnant is to determine approximately what time each month you do ovulate. The best way to do that is to get a basal body temperature and chart your temperature each morning upon waking, before doing anything else. If you do this for some time you will see that your temperatures rise each month a few tenths of a degree and then stay up until your period comes. This shift in temperature signifies that you have indeed ovulated. Once you have a good idea when this occurs month to month, you will have a better chance of predicting when you might be ovulating.

Another fertility help tip has to do with the timing of intercourse, and the location and viability of the sperm after. Make sure that the sperm is inside the woman’s body before the egg cell is released. Sperm cells are viable as long as 5 days but the egg cell only survives for half a day to a day. For good measure, the couple would want to have intercourse days before ovulation and on the day of ovulation itself.

To sum it all up, the most useful fertility help is having a basic awareness of the body’s ovulation cycle and being able to time intercourses with them.

Read more >>

Getting Pregnant 101: Natural Fertility Help and General Guide

Not all women who opt for motherhood get there fast, so fertility help is often resorted to. Leading a healthy life promotes high fertility levels. If the goal is getting pregnant, the means is being healthy.

Some basic facts about a woman’s bodily function directly affect conception, but out of all these functions, the menstrual cycle is paramount. Women planning on getting pregnant would need to master their menstrual cycle, to know the days when they are fertile. A sound fertility help is an ovulation calculator and calendar that will help identify the exact time of ovulation and time intercourse properly.

One bodily sign to look out for during ovulation is the cervical mucous. While ovulating the cervical fluid will increase both in texture and volume. When the mucous is at its most clear, this is the peak of fertility. When the mucous consistency is clear, thick and slippery it is best to have intercourse. This indicator is nature’s way of readying the uterus for the sperm.

Intercourse position should be in such a way that the sperm directly enters the uterus. Artificial lubricants, scented tampons and vaginal sprays can wash away cervical mucous so they should be avoided. The hips should be elevated by use of a pillow for 5 minutes after intercourse to improve the chances of conceiving.

Stress has been proven to hamper the chances of conceiving. All the work getting pregnant with various fertility help would all go to waste if a woman deals with stress. Stress can lead to an irregular menstrual cycle, which is the basis for knowing when the body is most fertile and more likely to conceive. However, women wanting to get pregnant should avoid steam rooms, saunas and hot tubs as a form or relaxation because excessive heat can prove to be harmful before and during pregnancy.

A healthy diet promotes hormonal balance that enables men to produce good sperm and the women to reduce their estrogen levels, creating a condition advantageous for conceiving. Alcohol and smoking leads to lower sperm count in men and hormonal imbalance in women. Green leafy vegetables and fruits should be an integral part of a woman’s diet. The dietary supplement folic acid should also be taken as it helps in reducing the chances of birth defects affecting the spinal cord and the brain. Substitute coffee or tea with milkshakes which are a good source of calcium for healthier bones.

These fertility help tips are the things one can do before resorting to a consultation with an obstetrician. Although doctors can give you expert advice, it wouldn’t hurt if you try these tips first. For all you know, all you need is a healthier lifestyle to finally get that little bundle of joy you have always dreamed of

Read more >>

Fertility help to make each woman whole
For most women, the inability to get pregnant is such a serious concern, that they invariably get fertility help from their obstetricians. Motherhood is one of life’s greatest journeys. Indeed, most women would equate womanhood with motherhood. But what of the woman who could not conceive? Is she less of a woman?

In our fast-moving world of changing values, this might be misconstrued as a very traditional, even a backward, way of thinking. There are a lot of things that make a woman complete — achieving financial and emotional independence, gaining maturity and a better understanding of her self-worth, having a successful career, and being surrounded and loved by friends and family.

But ask any woman who has tried, but failed, to get pregnant and you will understand that this sentiment remains true. And this is further born out by the abundance of resources providing fertility help for women.

For hopeful mothers-to-be who delayed pregnancy for different reasons, for women who have tried but failed, and for those who just want to optimize their chances of conceiving, here are some fertility help tips for you.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy body will ensure that all your organs are working perfectly, including your reproductive organs. Your chances of being pregnant improve considerably if you have a healthy body. The same goes for your ability to carry the baby to term, or throughout the entire nine and a half month duration of your pregnancy.

Supplement with vitamins and minerals. Most of the vitamins and minerals needed for the growth and development of a healthy baby are readily provided in a balanced diet. But some need to be supplemented. Mothers-to-be should take folic acid supplementation 3 months prior to actually getting pregnant and continue taking it for the first 3 months of pregnancy. This is to prevent neural tube defects in the developing fetus. You should also stack up on vitamin B complex, calcium, and iron because most of your body’s reserves will be used during the entire duration of the pregnancy.

Keep your weight in check. Women who are overweight or underweight are more likely to encounter difficulty in getting pregnant. Fat cells are exogenous sources of estrogen, one of the hormones needed to ensure that ovulation takes place. Excess estrogen can result in a condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. In PCOS, several cysts develop in the ovary but none matures to become the dominant follicle. The dominant follicle releases the egg during ovulation. So women with PCOS are usually infertile, until their hormonal levels are brought back to normal.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine is believed to interfere with levels of estrogen, leading to infertility. Caffeine is also postulated to cause problems in the fallopian tubes, making it difficult for the egg to be fertilized by a sperm. Women who drink 2 to 3 cups of coffees daily are considered to have a significant risk for fertility-related problems. Also, drinking more than 6 cups of coffee per day is associated with a significant risk for having spontaneous abortions or giving birth to a small baby.

Drinking alcoholic beverages have been found to interfere with the menstrual cycle and with ovulation. Even engaging in a single drink weekly have been found to adversely affect one’s chances of getting pregnant

And if you do get pregnant, alcohol has been found to increase the risk for spontaneous abortions, preterm deliveries, and having stillbirths. Babies born to alcoholic mothers may have mental and developmental disorders. One of the most feared effects of alcohol in babies is the fetal alcohol syndrome, which is characterized by mental retardation, behavioral problems, growth delay, and a characteristic facies.

Relax. Stress negatively affects fertility. Stress releases certain neurotransmitters which disrupt the menstrual cycle and causes anovulation. Most women who have difficulty conceiving often feel mounting pressure, real or imagined, from friends and loved ones. They may feel that something is wrong with them. If you are harboring these thoughts, stop. Worrying will not help you get pregnant. You may enroll in yoga or visit the spa.

Keep an open mind about alternative medicine. If you are on fertility treatments and is increasingly disappointed with the results, you may opt to take a breather. You may go for alternative medicine like acupuncture. Data on acupuncture effects on fertility are very promising. You may even combine fertility treatment with acupuncture. Research on women who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) and acupuncture showed that acupuncture increased the chances of IVF success.

I hope these fertility help tips boost your chances of conceiving. Or if you are happily infanticipating, I hope these tips help you have a stress-free pregnancy. Enjoy, you are embarking on one of life’s greatest journeys.

Read more >>