Holidays & Infertility: How To Get Through The Emotional Ups and Downs

 “When you’re infertile and struggling to get pregnant,  even the sight of  a sidewalk Santa Claus can bring tears to your eyes. “  -  Sarah S, fertility patient.

 by Colette Bouchez

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care - and everywhere you look it seems the world is decorated just for children.  Indeed, it's the holiday season - and there's almost no other time of the year when the concept of family is more prominent.     
And for most folks, a warm and loving family celebration - complete with the "kids" table - is the picture perfect postcard of what the holidays should be.
But if you're trying to conceive - and especially if you're having a difficult time getting pregnant  – this time of year, and the emphasis on family and children,  might not make you feel much like celebrating.
"Normally the holidays bring out all kinds of emotions in everyone - happy memories, sad remembrances - and all kinds of feelings rise to the surface," says fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen, author of the brand new book "Eat, Love, Get Pregnant: A Couple's Guide To Boosting Fertility and Having A Healthy Baby " ( Ivy League Press - December 2011).

But when you are trying to conceive, " says Dr.Lauersen, "emotions are in especially high gear, and with so much emphasis on family and children, it's easy to see how couples trying to conceive can really feel  the sting of being childless this time of year more than ever, " he says. 
Other experts in the field agree.
"The nature of infertility is isolating. Holidays that are centered on family and the celebration of children tend to amplify the feelings of beingon the outside,  " says Eugenia L. Gullick, Ph.D, a psychologist with Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte, North Carolina, an Attain Fertility Center.
"We have over 13,000 Fans in our Facebook community and ... one of the most common [holiday] threads of conversation was about the desire to isolate and avoid family gatherings altogether," says Stephanie Himmel-Nelson, Community Manager for Attain Fertility. 
Jealousy, Anger, and Infertility
But in addition to feelings of isolation,  Dr. Lauersen says many couples may also feel an almost uncontrollable sense of jealousy and even anger towards friends and family members who either have children or who are pregnant - emotions they then feel guilty about experiencing.
If that is how you feel, Dr. Lauersen says it’s okay -  and ....

To continue reading this article click here.




Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Dr Lauersen Offers Couples New Advice For Getting Pregnant

 By Victoria Winston

Guest Blogger

Whether you’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while – without much luck – or you’re just starting your journey to parenthood,  you may be overlooking one of the most important ways to boost your fertility – and all you have to do is roll over in bed to catch a glimpse of what you need!

That’s because one of the newest concepts in boosting fertility involves your relationship with your partner .

Indeed, according to fertility expert Dr Niels Lauersen,  many couples do not realize the power that each of them has on the other’s fertility – and what each of you can do to help optimize your goals as a couple, to get pregnant fast. 

 “It’s a brand new science, but  the medical evidence is mounting that the ways in which we interact with our partner  can have not just  psychological effect on how we feel, but also a powerful physical effect on our body and on getting pregnant,” says Dr. Lauersen.

In fact the physical effects, he says, often involves the functioning of reproductive hormones necessary to get pregnant. 

“One of the first indications we had that this is true was a study done a number of years ago that that showed that women who have not ovulated for years can spontaneously begin doing so the as soon as they fall in love,” says Dr. Lauersen.  

Other studies , he says have shown that the way partner’s relate to one another both in and out of the bedroom can also have quite an impact on everything from sperm count and motility in men to health egg production and hormonal stimulation in women. 

“We now know, for example, that if a woman is in a stressful relationship, certain biochemical events occur that can keep her from ovulating  - or even stop her menstrual altogether,” says Dr. Lauersen. 

In men, he says, stress and unhappieness in a relationship can cause everything from temporary impotence to a reduce sperm count. 

“This is not to say in any way that every couple who has a fertility problem secretly has a relationship problem.  That is not true.  But what I am saying is that sometimes relationship stresses -  particularly when a couple is having problems conceiving – can get out of hand to the  point where they increase the fertility problems even more, “ says Dr. Lauersen. 

On the positive side, Lauersen says research also shows that couples who have a fantastic – even a little bit wild – sex life may have an easier time getting pregnant.

“It’s not just because they have sex more frequently – it’s because studies show that sexual excitement can help a man ejaculate a greater concentration of sperm , while orgasm in women helps to pull more sperm into the uterus, and helps keep it there longer. And both these things can increase the chance for conception,” says Dr. Lauersen. 

 To address these and many more “couples”  issues leading to infertility Dr. Lauersen recently published his 14^th book -  Eat, Love, Get Pregnant: A Couples Guide ToBoost Fertility and Having a Healthy Baby ( Ivy League Press, NY – December 2011).  Here he and co-author Colette Bouchez detail not only how relationships affect fertility, but also detail  dozens of everyday things couples can do together to simultaneously boost their chances for conception. This includes diet and exercise,  vitamins and nutrients, herbal remedies, sleep, relaxation – and of course how to have sex to make a baby! 

 Moreover, every suggestion in the book is backed by proven medical studies – as well as having been tested on thousands of couples in Dr. Lauersen’s  New York City fertility center.

Indeed, the book reads like a virtual blueprint for Getting Pregnant – as it uncovers many little known factors about the everyday things that can influence fertility. 

 To learn more about this fascinating new approach to getting pregnant visit www.EatLoveGetPregnant.”   The book is available in paperback at Amazon.com and fine bookstores nationwide, as well as in Ebook formats including Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony E-reader and more.  Find it at Smashwords.com .

 

Getting Pregnant In The Cloud: New Study Solves A Fertility Mystery

By Colette Bouchez

Two  new studies  published this week in the journal Nature shed new light on causes of male infertility- and offer new evidence of how certain vitamins and minerals could make all the difference!


Indeed, the research shows that just before fertilization,  cells surrounding an egg release a "cloud" of the hormone progesterone, which in turn not only helps bring sperm to it's side, but also creates a chemical reaction allowing  the tail of the sperm to beat wildly,  helping it to penetrate the eggs outer shell and allow fertilizaiton to occur.
What's more some  experts say that  in light of the new research,  certain  vitamins  linked to progesterone production could  play a vital new role in making sure an egg sends out the signal to sperm -and that it's strong enough to bring about the chemical reaction necessary for pregnancy to occur.
To read more on this fascinating new discovery, including the vitamins that can help,  and discover some brand new causes of male infertility and how to fix them,  CLICK HERE

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Halting Premature Birth: Conflict Over Common Treatments

Two new studies question the use of traditional methods for reducing premature birth. Here's what you need to know ....

By Colette Bouchez

Two popular treatments currently used individually to prevent pre-term labor – folic acid and progesterone – may not, in fact, stop early births as once believed. That’s the news according to two separate studies recently presented at the annual meeting of the Society For Maternal Fetal Medicine in San Francisco.

In the first study, a group of Norwegian researchers will present evidence that taking folic acid (the vitamin also known as B9) before and during pregnancy, does not protect against spontaneous, pre-term delivery as once thought.

Indeed, in earlier American studies research suggested that taking folic acid before and during pregnancy could reduce the incidence of pre-term labor by up to 70%. Because, however, the study group was comparatively small, doctors worldwide questioned whether or not these results could be duplicated in a larger study group.

In this new Norwegian study, researchers looked at the births of some 72,000 children. Using the criteria of singleton births with preterm delivery ranging from 22 to 36 weeks in otherwise normal pregnancies, they compared records from mothers who took folic acid supplements, or consumed foods high in folic acid, to those who did not. The information was gathered from questionnaires filled out by the mothers at weeks 17, 22 and 30, and the questions included not just the use of folic acid supplements, but also foods high in folic acid, such as enriched grain breads.

The result: There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of pre term birth among women in either gorup, regardless of the amount of either dietary or supplemental folic acid they consumed before or during pregnancy.

Indeed, the study, which to date is the most comprehensive of it’s kind, showed no protective effects of folate intake on pre term delivery.

That said, doctors continue to stress the importance of folic acid as a prenatal nutrient, particularly in regard to reducing the risk of neural tube defects, a brain development problem than can cause severe mental retardation and impair growth and development on all levels.

Study 2: Progesterone found unable to prevent pre-term birth in twins.

In at smaller, second study on premature birth aslo presented at today’s meeting, researcher C. Andrew Combs, M.D. will report that the use of the common pre-term labor hormone treatment known as 17-Hydroxyprogesterone does not, appear to reduce the rate of pre-term births among mothers carrying twins - a group most likely to be at risk for pre-term delivery.

In this small study carried out at 18 different locations, 160 mothers were randomized to receive either the natural progesterone treatment or a placebo with some beginning as early as the 20th week of their pregnancy. Normally, 17-Hydroxyprogesterone, which is manufactured by the mother’s adrenal glands, increases naturally during the third trimester of pregnancy, thus giving birth to the idea that supplements of this steroid hormone could play a role in preventing pre-term labor - an idea popular among many high risk obstetricians.

The study result: There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of pre-term delivery or neo-natal death among the group of women taking the progesterone supplements, vs those who received a placebo treatment.

As such, the study authors conclude that the use of 17 –Hydroxyprogesterone is not an effective treatment in reducing the rate of pre-term birth in women carrying twins.

Ironically, however, also presented today at today’s conference was a March of Dimes award, given on behalf of research showing how natural progesterone works to prevent pre-term labor.

The award was presented to study author Errol R. Norwitz, M.D, Ph.D., OB/Gyn –in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center for his research on how certain proteins found in progesterone appear to prevent pre-term labor by affecting apoptosis – the normal, orderly death of cells that takes place in the fetal membranes. If the death of cells that make up the fetal membrane can be halted or slowed down, Dr. Norwitz contends that the membrane itself remains thicker and stronger, which, he says, may mean it is less likely to rupture prematurely causing a premature delivery. The research was supported in part by a March of Dimes grant.

While this study appears to be in obvous conflict with the findings also presented today by Dr. Combs, experts say one reason may be that women carrying twins could respond differently to progesterone supplements than women carrying singletons - or that perhaps larger doses may be needed to see an effect. It's also possible that the cause of premature birth in twins may be different from the cause of premature birth in singletons, and may require a different type of treatment.

What everyone seems to agree on however, is the need for more reearch in this area. Indeed, in joint statements issued as early as 2008 by both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, it was noted then that further studies were needed on the use of progesterone as a treatment for preterm labor before any solid conclusions can be drawn on it’s potential value.

They also stated that “based on current knowledge it is important to offer progesterone for pregnancy prolongation only to women with a documented history of a previous spontaneous birth at less than 37 weeks of gestation," which is a recommendation that many doctors continue to follow today.

According to the March of Dimes more than a half million babies are born prematurely in the United States each year, at an annual cost of some 26 billion dollars. More importantly, premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who do survive a premature birth can sometimes face lifelong health challenges. Being born even just a few weeks early can result in higher rates of hospitalization and illness than babies born full-term. In the last few critical weeks of pregnancy many organs –including the brain – undergo important developmental changes, that might not occur if birth occurs too soon.

Continue reading more  on Examiner.com
Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted Courtesy of Examiner.com

Cervical Cancer: Good Nutrition, Regular Screenings & Safe Sex Can Protect You & Your Fertility!

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month – and it packs a powerful message no woman can afford to ignore. Here’s what you need to know …

By Colette Bouchez

As we spin head first into a brand new year – and a brand new list of resolutions we’re eager to tackle- it’s easy to let some of life’s more mundane tasks slip by - especially health screenings.

Which is one reason why health awareness months can serve such a strong and powerful purpose: They remind us of the importance of taking care of our health and move us in the direction of preventive care.

If you’re a woman, never is this more true than it is right now during January, the month dedicated to cervical cancer awareness - a disease which, while it affects some 12,00 women a year, can be prevented!

Indeed, with the help of 2 important cervical cancer screening tools – the Pap smear (which looks for abnormal cells within the cervix) and the HPV test ( which detects the human papillomavirus, the leading cause of cervical cancer ) your doctor has the power to not just detect this disease at its earliest, most easily treated stages, but in many instances detect the kind of pre-cancerous cell changes that, once treated, can stop this disease from ever occurring.

And that’s not just good news for your overall health – it’s also great news for your fertility.

Cervical Cancer and Getting Pregnant: What You Should Know

Though it has a specific name, your cervix is actually the lower portion of your uterus. It is the “connector ” which brings together the upper part of your uterus (where your baby attaches to the lining and grows) and the birth canal, through which your baby is born. So it’s easy to see how the health of your cervix is vital to your fertility.

Normally, that health is maintained by the lining of the cervix – a layer of cells that develop, grow and die, and are replaced by new cells, in a cycle that lasts anywhere from 7 to 14 days. The continuing turnover of these cells is one factor that determines cervical health

When, however, due to any number of health challenges these cells come under attack - including infection with the HPV virus - that normal life cycle becomes disrupted. Cells don’t die as they should, and as a result they begin to build up, causing the lining of your cervix to thicken and change in both shape and form. This cell “overgrowth” is known as “dysplasia” – a condition said to affect between 250,000 and 1 million women a year.

Fortunately, for some women dysplasia – even that caused by HPV - can revert to normal on its own. When your immune system is strong, and you are healthy, you simply overcome the HPV virus – or whatever factor is causing the cell build-up - and the dysplasia stops.

For a significant number of women, however, this isn’t the case. For these women, the HPV, if present, does not go away, and the dysplasia – regardless of the cause – continues to worsen. Eventually, if not stopped, these cell changes lead to the development of cervical cancer, which can progress at an alarmingly fast rate.

Unfortunately, the treatment for late stage cervical cancer involves removing not just the cervix, but the entire uterus and usually the ovaries , which is often followed by either chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of both. All of this pretty much puts an end to childbearing.

The Good News: According to fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen,  “ If you catch cervical cell changes early on, not only can the dysplasia be treated and the cancer prevented - or if the cancer is already there, treated at a very early stage - these  treatments won’t harm your ability to have a baby."

Lauersen adds that the treatments for dysplasia or early cervical cancer can include either electro cauterization or laser vaporization (both work to burn away or vaporize the pre-cancer or early stage cancer cells.)  Other treatments, he says,  include  the LEEP procedure (which uses electrical current passed through thin wire loop to remove the abnormal tissue) or a “cone” biopsy (which removes a wedge shaped piece of the cervix containing the bad cells).  And, he says,  none of these procedures will interfere with your ability to get pregnant in the future!

                          Preventing Cervical Cancer & Protecting Fertility:

                                                 What Else You Can Do

While having regular Pap smears and tests for HPV are two ways to protect your fertility, since the HPV virus is sexually transmitted, if you are not in a monogamous relationship ( or your partner is not monogamous) you might also want to consider the protection of Gardasil – the first and only vaccine shown to protect against HPV.

Although the vaccine has been the subject of some controversy – with some women having experienced life –threatening and life-changing side effects – to date the vast majority of women who have had the Gardasil vaccine appear to suffer no serious side effects or lasting problems.

If, however, you don’t want to get the vaccine, then practicing safe sex is a must – and using condoms is essential.

Perhaps most important to remember is that good nutrition can also make an important preventive difference in protecting against both cervical cancer and the effects of HPV . According to Dr. Lauersen’s new book Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets To Making Babies, there are also  a number of key vitamins and nutrients that studies have shown can help protect against the cell changes that lead to dysplasia – or in some instances even reverse dysplasia once it begins. As a bonus, these same nutrients protect your fertility as well!

Among the most important he says, are Vitamins C, E, and beta carotene ( vitamin A) , plus other carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apricots, squash and cantaloupe.

What do all these nutrients have in common?  Lauersen says they are all antioxidants, natural chemicals which enhance immune system function. And according to experts this could hold the key to protecting cervical cells from undergoing unhealthy changes.

How Vitamins Can Protect You From Cancer

Indeed, in a study at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, researchers found that women who had cervical dysplasia routinely had lower blood levels of both beta carotene and vitamin E when compared to healthy women. Moreover, there was also a direct correlation between the amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin E in the blood, and the stage of cervical abnormality – with the more advanced cases having the more significant nutrient deficiencies.

Likewise, a previous study also conducted at Albert Einstein, found that women who consumed less than 30 mg of vitamin C daily were 10 times more likely to develop cervical dysplasia than women who consumed more.

In studies elsewhere, doctors showed that topically applying vitamin A directly into the cervix was able to reverse cell changes associated with dysplasia in up to 50% of women

According to Green Fertility, another key nutrient is folic acid or vitamin B9. How can this help? As you read earlier, cells lining the cervix renew themselves every 7 to 14 days – and in the process continually form new DNA.  Lauersen says  that when the body is short on folic acid, abnormalities in DNA formation can occur – and that can mean a higher risk of dysplasia.

Conversely, keep your folic acid levels high – at least 400 mcg per day – and you may keep your DNA production humming along in a normal and healthy fashion. Not surprisingly, folic acid is also the nutrient that can protect the DNA in the cells of your developing baby, thus helping to ensure a successful pregnancy and reduce your risk of miscarriage at the same time.

So, along with regular screenings, practicing safe sex, and the addition of these nutrients to your diet, you not only have the power to reduce your risk of cervical cancer, but maybe even eliminate that risk entirely – and preserve your fertility for years to come. And that’s the kind of awareness that can make a real difference in your life!

To learn more about these specific helpful foods and nutrients– as well as how much you need to take - and to read more about other natural ways to protect your fertility and your health, visit GreenFertility.com – or pick up a copy of Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets for Making Babies.

Colette Bouchez is the co-author of Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets For Making Babies.

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements. The owners and contributors to this blog may or may not benefit from the products, services or treatments mentioned herein.

Relieving A Mother’s Guilt About Autism: The Cause Remains Unknown

An off handed comment by a researcher suggesting mothers who don't take good enough care of themselves might to be to blame for their child's autism touched off a firestorm of anger and rightly so. If you were one  troubled by this week's report take heart:  There is no evidence you should ever blame yourself.  Here's what you must know ...

 

By Colette Bouchez

This week the early release of a study from the February issue of the journal Pediatrics made headlines, with news concerning  new reasons  for  autism – a developmental disorder that can range from mild to severe and is said to effect up to in in every 110 children.

In the paper, lead author Peter Bearman, PhD, the Jonathan Cole Professor of the Social Sciences at Columbia University in New York City  reported that  one reason behind the disorder could be  having  children too close together. 

Based on records of some 660,000 children born in the state of California between 1992 and 2002  the researchers say second born children conceived within one year of their older siblings were three times as likely to be diagnosed with autism when compared to second children conceived three or more years after their older sibling.

The results, say researchers suggest that  having children close in age could be the link to autism.

When asked for a possible reason, Bearman commented in media reports  that it could be linked  to a mother’s prenatal and even preconception nutrition, suggesting as he did  that possible low levels of nutrients such as folic acid or  iron could be the cause.

“ It could be a biological factor, such as maternal depletion of nutrients  … or another process that hasn’t been described or discovered yet,” Bearman  has said,  igniting somewhat of a firestorm of guilt in mothers everywhere.  But is there any real truth to the idea that prenatal nutrition is at fault?   

Looking To The Past For Answers In The Present

Certainly, past research has shown that a woman’s prenatal and preconception intake of nutrients can play a key role in affecting  baby’s health in myriad ways. Most notable are the mound of studies linking a low prenatal intake of folic acid to a group of devastating birth defects  known collectively as neural tube defects.  In short, when a mother’s intake of folic acid during pregnancy is low her baby’s risk of being born with neural tube defects rises significantly.

And who could forget  the now-famous Dutch study of 1944 – conducted  using records of births recorded during a severe famine in the Netherlands.  Here researchers learned that babies born to mothers who did not support their pregnancy with proper nutrition were more likely to suffer low birth weight – a condition that can go forward to affect the child’s health and development in myriad ways – including an increased risk of coronary heart disease later in life.

Indeed, time and again it has been shown that prenatal nutrition – and more recently, preconception nutrition -  can have an enormous impact on not only the  health of the developing baby, but also on whether or not conception even occurs!

And in this respect, it’s perfectly logical to want to  take that small leap of faith and link the possibility that close births deplete a mother’s nutritional stores in a way that might increase the risk of autism.

 But does it?  

 What We Don't Know About Autism

 First it’s important to realize that nothing in this study looked at a mother’s prenatal nutrition or her levels of folic acid or iron. The study simply made a connection between close births of children and an increased risk of autism – and nothing more. The suggestion that  prenatal nutrition may be a link  was entirely speculative and not shown in this study or any other to be relevant to the findings.

Fred R. Volkmar, MD, the Irving B. Harris Professor and director at the Child Study Center at Yale University in New Haven recently told WebMD , “This is preliminary, and nobody else has seen this yet ...We don’t know if it is true, or if it is true, why would it be true.”

Also important to keep in mind: Three  weeks ago a very solid study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives offered similarly  convincing evidence that autism was linked to freeway traffic – and the pollution that resulted.  

Before that it was studies linking autism to  food preservatives, artificial sweeteners,  too much food coloring  … the list is almost endless.

And let’s not forget the most recent debacle over the now-defamed studies linking autism to the MMR vaccine.

Certainly, this new research could  one day turn out to be  the most exciting advance in the history of autism science.  But the point is that right now, it is just one more in a sea of studies that have  failed to prove anything we can rely on as true.  And in my opinion,  based on what we know thus far, to prematurely suggest to mothers of autistic children they may have been at fault ,  seems a bit irresponsible - and the kind of guilt trip that quite frankly helps no one,  least of all the children. 

Worse still may be the  charlatans who may follow  this lead , twisting the facts  to sell you vitamins, or nutritional guidance or even a crate of oranges in hopes of protecting your child from autism.

So  to all the loving and caring parents of autistic children who look deep into their own soul everyday searching for answers:  Do not  blame yourself.  We all pray that the mystery of autism will one day be solved.  But as of today, no one has yet solved it.  

Colette Bouchez is the co-author of Green Fertility: Nature's Secrets For Making Babies - a diet and nutritional guide to pre conception health. The opinions expressed in this blog are strictly her own.

Copyright by Colette BouchezBouchez retains all rights in those elements. The owners and contributors to this blog may or may not financially benefit from the products and services associated with the materials presented herein. The owners and contributors of this blog may or may not benefit directly or indirectly from the products and services featured throughout.

Danes Say Going Organic May Not Make You More Fertile

If you’re spending a ton of money on organic fruits and veggies listen up: A new study says traditionally grown products could be almost as good for your fertility . Here’s what you need to know. 

By Colette Bouchez

The premise seems so obvious it’s hard not to believe it: Vegetables grown organically, without the use of pesticides or chemicals should be healthier and more nutrient dense.

But at least according to one study, that’s just not true. In research presented this week in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers from The Food Institute at the University of Denmark found that carrots, onions and potatoes grown under organic conditions generally contained no higher levels of antioxidants –among the key nutrients in veggies – or other healthful properties, than the same produce  grown commercially, using pesticides and other chemicals to help them grow.

According to Danish researcher Pia Knuthsen,  there are certainly many good reasons to pay the higher price that organic fruits and vegetables command – most notably better taste and possibly  health benefits that come from avoiding the chemical contaminants not found on organic food.

That said, if you’re buying organic because you think the nutrient value is higher, then Knuthsen says her studies show that’s probably not the case.

“On the basis of the present study carried out under well-controlled conditions, it cannot be concluded that organically grown onions, carrots, and potatoes generally have higher contents of health-promoting secondary metabolites in comparison with the conventionally cultivated ones. The ability of crops to synthesize selected secondary metabolites was not systematically affected by the growth system across different growth years and geographical locations,” says Knuthsen in the study.

Why  Organic May Not Be Worth The Price

For the current Danish study researchers cultivated onions, carrots, and potatoes in three different geographical locations over a two year period. One group of vegetables were treated to conventional agriculture techniques while two other groups were cultivated using organic farming methods.

After harvesting,  the scientists measured  levels of flavonoids and phenolic acids – two key types of antioxidants – in all three groups.

The result: There was no statistically significant differences between the level of nutrients found in  foods grown using traditional commercial agriculture methods and those grown organically. In short, the commercially grown, non-organic produce was as healthful, in terms of key nutrients, as that which was grown organically

Organic Food And Your Fertility

So, what does this mean to you – particularly if you’re trying to get pregnant? According to the book Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets For Making Babies, the nutrients found in many fruits and vegetables can play a key role in enhancing fertility. Onions, for example, are one of the main sources of polyphenols and a rich source of flavinoids  – both of which  have been shown to play a key role in the production of healthy sperm.

Another group of polyphenols are phenolic acids, found in many fruits and vegetables, including carrots and potatoes can boost female fertility, by increasing blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, and help insure the health of every cell involved in conception.Other nutrients found in many types of fruits and vegetables can have direct effects on the reproductive hormones necessary for egg production and a health conception. So, a fertility diet high in these nutrients can be a real plus - whether you're trying to get pregnant on your own or looking to boost the success of your next insemination of IVF.

Certainly  it’s always a good idea to avoid chemical exposures when and where you can –particularly when you are trying to conceive. But that said,  it’s also comforting to know that many of the key nutrients which protect your reproductive system from chemical assaults, are in full force,  ieven in  the fruits and vegetables that aren’t grown organically.

The bottom line:  If you just can’t afford to “fork over” the extra bucks for organic fruits and vegetables, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be helping your reproductive health by filling your plate with produce - no matter how or where it is grown! 

For more information on dozens and fruits and vegetables proven in medical studies to have specific and direct effects on fertility and getting pregnant, visit GreenFertility.com – or pick up a copy of Green Fertilty: Nature’s Secret’s for Making Babies. 

ColetteBouchez is the co-author of Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets for Making Babies. 

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements. The owners and contributors to this blog may or may not financially benefit from the products and services associated with the materials presented herein.

Med Study: Increase IVF Success and Reduce Miscarriage With Natural Treatment

A new study found that a simple natural oil emulsion could be the key to a more successful IVF. Here’s what you need to know… By Colette Bouchez

If a group of British researchers are right, improving your odds of a successful IVF – and reducing your risk of miscarriage - could be as easy as using a simple, inexpensive soy-based oil treatment one week prior to when your fertility procedure takes place.

That’s the conclusion of some new research being presented later this week at the British Fertility Society Meeting in Dublin , Ireland on January 6^th.

Here researchers from Care Fertility, an IVF clinic in Nottingham, England will present evidence that an intravenous treatment using a prescription-only soy-based oil known as Intralipid prior to an IVF procedure , dramatically increases pregnancy success rates while reducing the risk of miscarriage.

Dr. George Ndukwe, of the Care Fertility Clinic in Nottingham where the study was conducted, told the Daily Mail: “Every day in my clinic I see women who have had numerous IVF cycles all with the same negative outcome and no baby. We are now devoting our attention to finding answers when nature goes wrong.”

According to Ndukwe and his team at least some of those answers can be found in Intralipid, the soy based fatty acid that researchers say plays a role in helping a newly implanted embryo attach to the mother’s uterus and begin to thrive.

The Study: Research  on Intralipid involved 96 women – average age 37 - all of whom experienced at least 6 previous failed IVF attempts. Fifty of the women in the group received infusions of the soy-based oil, given by intravenous drip about a week before their IVF was to take place. Forty six of the women received no treatment.

All the women subsequently underwent an IVF procedure, which included removing their eggs, combining them with sperm in a laboratory dish , and then implanting the resulting embryo into the woman’s uterus.

The Result: Fifty percent of the women who received the Intralipid infusions achieved successful pregnancies, compared to just 9 percent of those not treated.

In terms of miscarriage, just two women who received Intralipid miscarried (about 8 percent) compared to seven miscarriages in the group who did not receive the infusions (about 64 percent).

What is Intralipid – And Can It Help You?

So what is this seemingly “magic” fluid called Intralipid? Lest you think it’s a brand new “miracle” drug, guess again. Intralipid was approved by the FDA in 1962 to help correct an essential fatty acid and calorie deficiency in those who are unable to eat normally – either due to gastrointestinal difficulties or the inability to swallow.

It consists of 20% Soybean Oil, 1.2% Egg Yolk Phospholipids, 2.25% Glycerin, and Water . Given as an intravenous infusion it bypasses the stomach and goes directly into the bloodstream to supply the body with several essential fatty acids. These are substances required for many biological functions, including reproduction – but they can’t be made by the body. As such they must be obtained via food, supplements, or in this case the intravenous infusion.

Reduce Inflammation – Get Pregnant Easier

Although the new study surrounding the use of Intralipid for fertility purposes is new, it’s important to point out that previous studies have  found that other sources of essential fatty acids have had similar fertility-related results.

Indeed, in one study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers found that simply adding more foods high in an essential fatty acid known as Omega 3 to the diet had enough of an impact on reproduction to kick start ovulation in women with PCOS ( poly cystic ovary syndrome) who were not ovulating at all.

Other studies have shown that foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids ( like cold water fish, flax seeds and walnuts) can encourage a healthy conception in all women by reducing inflammation that can frequently impact the production of fertility hormones, as well as cause inflammation within the uterus that could result in pregnancy loss.

Indeed, Dr. Ndukwe suggests  - and many fertility experts agree - that a leading cause of infertility in women today is  related to inflammation, often the result of undiagnosed immune system malfunctions. This, he believes causes an excess production of white blood cells (called natural killer cells) which he says ‘fight’ the pregnancy by triggering the production of  chemicals that attack the placenta or the embryo. And indeed, abnormally high levels of white blood cells have been shown in some studies to increase the risk of miscarriage.

In fact, currently the arthritis drug Humira – which reduces inflammation - is being used by some fertility experts to boost pregnancy rates in some women suspected of having inflammatory –related infertility. Moreover, Professor Siobhan Quenby, of Solihull Hospital and Warwick University, in England, has already successfully used an anti-inflammatory  asthma drug to curb the immune response in a pilot trial of women plagued with chronic pregnancy loss.

And of course, there is the old standby of taking one baby aspirin a day beginning two weeks prior to conception and continuing throughout the first trimester, to reduce the risk of miscarriage – a regimen long prescribed by many fertility doctors.  The active ingredient in the baby aspirin: the anti-inflammatory compound salicylic acid.

But it’s also important to remember that  studies show that for many women, simply increasing their intake of essential fatty acids – particularly Omega 3 fatty acids – either via diet or supplements, can have a similar positive impact on reducing inflammation, while increasing conception rates and decreasing the risk of miscarriage in women who do conceive.

Moreover, once you do get pregnant, studies also show that  essential fatty acids reduce the risk of premature birth while helping women avoid pre-eclampsia and possibly post partum depression after birth.

Getting Pregnant: The Green Fertility Plan

The new study on  Intralipid reports that the treatment is easily tolerated, has few side effects and is relatively cheap to administer. So in this respect, it may be worth talking to your doctor about adding it to your IVF regimen.

At the same time, however, remember that Mother Nature offers similar results via foods and nature-based supplements of essential fatty acids, including Omega 3’s as well as fatty acids known as linoleic acid and gamma linoleic acid, otherwise known as GLA.

To learn more about the power of all anti inflammatory essential fatty acids to boost your fertility naturally, as well as increase the success of your IVF procedures and reduce your risk of miscarriage visit http://www.greenfertilty.com/ – or pick up a copy of Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets for Making Babies.

Colette Bouchez is the co-author of Green Fertility: Nature’s Secrets for Making Babies. 

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2010 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

VIDEO: Miscarriage - 5 Ways To Reduce Your Risks

If you've lost even one pregnancy then you know how devastating this experience can be.  While many women blame themselves when a miscarriage occurs, this is virtually never the case. 

There are, however, some things that every couple can do to reduce

their risk of pregnancy loss and have a healthy baby!  

Watch this video for 5 tips on avoiding miscarriage 

from Green Fertility: Nature's Secrets For Making Babies

To learn more about reducing your risk of miscarriage and having a healthy baby be sure to visit 

http://www.blogger.com/goog_2023512441

 Copyright  2010 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text and video  of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and the owner of this blog  retains all rights in those elements.