Fertility Diet: Avoid these foods

Foods that Harm Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

The following foods can negatively affect fertility:

• Alcohol. An occasional glass of alcohol is generally considered to be safe for women trying to conceive, however, if you irregular menstrual cycles or if you have experienced problems getting pregnant, it is best to avoid alcohol consumption altogether. While some studies have found the link between alcohol and fertility to be inconclusive, others have found a slight relationship between the two. For example, a Danish study that included 430 couples trying to conceive their first child found that woman’s chances of getting pregnant diminished as her consumption of alcohol increased. In fact, women who consumed less than 5 drinks a week were twice as likely to get pregnant compared with those who consumed 10 alcoholic beverages weekly. Studies have also found that men who consume beer, wine or hard liquor on a daily basis had lower levels of testosterone and lower sperm count levels, as well as a higher number of abnormal sperm in their ejaculate.
  

• Caffeine. While most experts agree that a low to moderate daily caffeine intake (2 8-ounce cups of coffee a day or a daily intake of less than 300 mgs of) will not impact fertility, it is best to avoid caffeine altogether if you have fertility problems. This is because caffeine constricts blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the uterus, making it difficult for a fertilized egg to implant in the uterine wall. A recent study has also found that caffeine affects male fertility, as it causes damage to sperm DNA.

• Refined carbohydrates. White pasta, rice and bread are harmful to your reproductive health and to fertility, particularly if you have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), as increases in insulin levels caused by a high consumption of refined carbohydrates results in irregular ovulation. This is because during the refining process, 17 key nutrients are removed from grain, many of which help to boost fertility, such as iron, B vitamins and antioxidants. You should aim for 6 ounces of whole grains a day, including whole wheat pasta, cereal and bread.

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Foods that help you in conceiving

Foods to Improve Your Fertility when Trying To Conceive

Much advice is given about what to eat while you are pregnant. Even more advice can be found for what to avoid while you are pregnant. But what should you eat if you want to improve your fertility? You should eat a healthy diet with a focus on a few key items.

Fish

This may seem counter-intuitive because of the warnings against exposing yourself and your baby to mercury that can be found in fish. However, it is important to have adequate amounts of omega three in your diet if you want to improve fertility and the best source for this is found in fish. To limit your exposure to the mercury eat only fish that have little or no mercury present such as catfish, salmon and shrimp.

Omega 3 fatty acids can be found naturally in walnuts, flax seed, and whole grains. Increasing omega 3 fatty acids can also be achieved by taking an over the counter omega 3 supplement. Fish oil supplements will often contain a blend of Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids.

Iron

Iron is necessary for reproductive health as well. Some good sources of iron are meat, iron fortified cereals, beans, and asparagus. Adequate amounts of iron will also be important once you are pregnant because of the increased volume of blood.

While You Are Trying to Conceive Explore the Rainbow

When you are trying to conceive it is more important than ever to eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet consists of fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colors. Each color has a specific health benefit that can help improve your health and thereby your fertility. You should try to eat at least two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables in a variety of colors every day. In the green category try kale, spinach, cucumbers, kiwi, and green peppers. To get your daily dose of red try strawberries, apples, and red peppers. For the blue and purple hues eat blueberries, plums, black berries, and eggplant. For your dose of yellow and orange eat squash, bananas, oranges, nectarines, and lemons.

Increase Water Intake

Sometimes the diet changes to increase fertility are not limited to foods. High levels of soda consumption means the body is probably not getting enough water. Increasing water consumption to at least 8 glasses every day may help to increase fertility. If the water is simply too plain, try adding some fresh lemon, lime or fruit extracts to the water.

Along those same lines, increasing the consumption of green tea (decaffeinated) has been shown to increase overall health. Body health is essentially the aim of increasing fertility. The more healthy the female body, the better the chances of conceiving.

Taking steps to increase your health by eating healthy foods rich in vitamins and nutrients needs for better body health will help to prime the body for conception. An added benefit to better health before conception is better health during pregnancy.

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source: babymed

Abortion ! Does it affect me?

Can having an abortion affect my fertility?

An abortion is a very safe procedure, and problems, such as damage or infection of the womb, or cervix, are very rare. If you have a successful abortion with no complications, there should be no reason to worry about your chances of becoming pregnant in the future, although you may have a slightly increased risk of miscarriage or early birth.

There are two types of abortion, abortion by medication and abortion by surgery.

Abortion by medication

An abortion by medication is carried out by taking oral medication during your first trimester, which is between the first and ninth week of pregnancy.

Research into this type of abortion shows that it doesn't affect your fertility and there is no increased risk of future miscarriage.

Abortion by surgery

During an abortion by surgery, the pregnancy is removed through the entrance to your womb using gentle suction. In rare cases, this can cause scarring of the womb, but this can be treated with a relatively simple operation to repair the scarring. In some rare cases, this kind of abortion can weaken the cervix. If this happens, you may need a small operation in which a small stitch is made in the neck of your cervix to help keep it narrow.

If your cervix is weakened, you may have an increased risk of future miscarriage due to 'cervical incompetence', which is when your cervix can't stay tightly closed during pregnancy. However, this is also very rare.

There is no evidence that having more than one abortion can affect your fertility, although you may have a slightly increased risk of future miscarriage.

If you're considering an abortion, it's vital that your GP, consultant and midwife are aware of your full medical history, so that they can decide whether or not there are any factors that may affect your pregnancy. Make sure you tell them if you have previously had an abortion.

If you experience any pain or problems after having an abortion, seek medical advice immediately.

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Source: NHS UK

Is Alcohol Good or Bad? What does it do ?

What alcohol does to your mind and body?

The immediate effects of alcohol on the human body are fairly apparent, but have you ever thought about the other side-effects? We don't just mean headaches and nausea - alcohol is thought to be highly calorific and can pose long term threats to our health.

• Why does alcohol seem to make me put on weight?
• What are the good and bad effects?
• New research about alcohol

Why does alcohol seem to make me put on weight?

It's just a question of maths! Approximately 3,500 calories will produce one pound of fat. Alcohol is full of calories, so, two or three G

&Ts a day for four weeks will fatten you up by about 4lbs.

Drink	Number of calories
1 pint of beer or lager	180 - 300
1 vodka and orange	140
1 gin and tonic	140
1 whisky and dry ginger	145
1 rum and coke	145
1 glass of white wine	85

Even worse news is that alcohol has no essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

What are the good and bad effects?

Alcohol affects everyone's health in different ways - but the good things are still outweighed by the bad.

Mind and emotions

Alcohol is a drug that depresses the brain. We all know the cheeriness that can come with the first drink, but alcohol can actually cause severe depression. 'Letting go', another effect which can initially be pleasant, gets some of us into difficulties, because when our petty or angry side gets exaggerated by alcohol, friendships or marriages can be threatened.

Does alcohol improve sex? Alcohol can certainly increase our desire and, by reducing tension, enhance our enjoyment. In men however, large doses of alcohol block the nerves necessary for erection. If this happens once or twice, a man can become worried about his sexual ability - which is a sure way to impair erections from then on - unless confidence is re-established with a sympathetic partner. In addition, the loss of inhibition that accompanies alcohol intake can lead to a failure to consider the need to practice safe sex, by using a condom. Not using a condom has potentially devastating consequences - whether it be an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia or HIV.

Hidden physical effects

Some effects of alcohol on the body are obvious - such as a deterioration in complexion, and the nausea and headache that can accompany a hangover. However, if you are a heavy drinker, think about what you are doing to the parts of your body that you can't see. Liver disease is one of the more common diseases linked with a high alcohol intake - it can cause varicose veins in the stomach lining which may have been swelling up due to liver blockage to suddenly burst, and the bleeding can be very difficult to stop. Only a blood test can really reveal when the liver is under strain.

New research about alcohol

According to some research studies, a moderate alcohol intake (one drink per day) is associated with less risk of heart disease. This applies to all forms of alcohol and not simply to red wine, as is popularly believed. So, should someone start drinking just to reduce the risk of heart disease? This question is commonly posed to doctors. The answer is still no: there are many ways to powerfully reduce the risk of heart disease, and alcohol should probably not be used as a medication. However, this is an important individual issue and you should discuss it with your Doctor. Researchers also believe that all types of alcohol reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (at least in part) by reducing serum levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Alcohol also raises the HDL (good) cholesterol, which could play some role in protecting against heart disease. And, red wine is thought to have some beneficial antioxidant properties - but again, this is a topic of some debate..

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Source: http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/healthy_living/lifestyle/alcohol/alcohol3.html

Fun Ideas to deal with Stress

How to Deal With Stress - 10 Fun Ideas For You

By Brenda Hoddinott

1. Take care of your body. Eat something healthy, maybe a fruit that is high in antioxidants. Have you ever noticed when you are cranky and you eat something you seem to feel better? Well the same thought applies here. What you take in if it is high in vitamins the vitamins will help your mood, and possibly help you to deal with stress.

2. Give yourself a minute. Take a break, walk away from the situation. By taking your leave, and giving yourself time you can reassess how you actually feel about what is going on. You may be reacting rashly under the pressure. Take a moment to really think about what is the right course of action.

3. Laugh. You have many choices here. You can laugh at how ridiculous or ironic the situation actually is, or how your face looked when you felt stressed. Now many people have phones with Internet on it, down load the joke of the day, some comics you might like, or your favorite comedian. Just find something humorous.

4. Learn some time management techniques. Managing time is one of the biggest instigators of stress in peoples personal lives. Get a planner, do not over-scheduled, learn to say no, do not over commit yourself. Do not procrastinate. Be organized. What do you want to accomplish today? Make your goals and stick to them. Your goal is less stress, let that be the little voice in the back of your mind that motivates you.

5. Think positive. You can do it. Positive thinking is very powerful, and it can change the way you feel about yourself or a situation. Say something positive. Positive self talk is very helpful in this regard. Many cynics bag on positive self talk but really if someone pays you a compliment about what you look like or something you have accomplished do you feel good? Of course! This is really no different. You are just taking charge of your own ability to make yourself feel good, and your stress go away.

6. Listen to your favorite music. And turn it up! Let it move your stressed out mind to another place. Focus on the rhythm, or the peace it is bringing you. It is all about you and the music, NOT the stress you felt.

7. Take a deep breath. As you exhale push all the negative thoughts out of your mind. You can even do a breathing exercise. Breathing exercises are growing in popularity because they are so convenient and effective. These exercises can even be done in two minutes, at your desk, sitting up. Pretty good huh?

8. Say no to being a worry wart. Say no to the negative thought process. Worry fills you with undue anxiety. If you can't change the situation right now it's time to focus on something more productive. Less worry, more living your life.

9. Read a good book, newspaper, favorite website, whatever. Taking 5 to 10 minutes for yourself. It could be the best thing for you in that particular situation. You may feel refresh you so you can return to the situation in a new frame of mind.

10. Shift your view of what is stressful. Refocus your mind. You could look at those stressors as a challenge that you could grow from. Once you overcome one of these challenges (or stressors) you will feel accomplished. Bask in that feeling, you have accomplished something for yourself.

For more information about Infertility and solutions, please visit motherababy.com

Get Stress Under Control

How to Balance Work Life and Home Life and Get Stress Under Control

The pull of "should" and" ought to" often plague people who are trying to balance needs and desires. Sometimes it feels like you have to choose between things that seem to oppose each other. Maybe you think that you can embrace success, and be a high achiever OR have a fulfilling emotional life with relationships that make you happy?

When you spend the majority of your day on work-related activities it can feel as though you are neglecting other important areas of your life, often stress and unhappiness result. Giving attention to all the important aspects of your life can be a balancing act but it's worth it because it reduces stress and makes the journey worthwhile.

How do you balance things that seem opposed so that you can have your cake and eat it? You'll be pleased to know that compromise and sacrifice are not the only way forward.

One secret to a balanced life is to achieve balance between your inner and outer world. Within your inner world, you create your destiny through imagination, reflection, and connecting with the deepest parts of yourself. Your outer world is where you play out the world you have created and make things happen. If you deny either aspect of your life you are incomplete.

You can find happiness pursuing the external goals in your life, yet if you only do this, eventually you will feel unhappy and dissatisfied. Nourishing and growing your inner self makes the journey worthwhile, this is the true balancing act of your life.

We invite you to notice when you are out of balance. Sometimes, all that's needed is a small adjustment, yet you may need to be brave enough to shut out the demands of your external world for a while and connect with yourself in true peace and quiet.

3 keys to help you balance work life and home life and get stress under control

1. Slow Down Don't let things pass you in a blur. Take time to stop and enjoy the things and people around you. Schedule more time between meetings; create bigger margins,

2. Share the Load You are not the only one who is capable of doing something well. What could you realistically delegate to create more time and space?

3. Set Priorities. It's easy to convince yourself that you are powerless to change your situation but we suggest you ask yourself, "What is it costing me to allow things to stay as they are?" Now ask yourself, "What is a different way to see this?"

What actions will you take to balance your life?

Create a compelling outcome that will enable you to balance your work life and home life and get stress under control. Make sure your outcome is clear to you. Write it down, draw a picture, meditate on it - whatever works for you is just fine.

For more information about Infertility and solutions, please visit motherababy.com

Stress may be causing infertility in women

Stress can make women infertile, research has revealed.
By JULIE WHELDON, Daily Mail

Scientists found that those with high levels of a stress hormone stop ovulating and are therefore unable to conceive.

Women with hectic jobs are those most at risk, and are often most in denial about the stress in their lives, say researchers.They also found that simple 'talking therapies' can reverse the effect of stress and boost a woman's chances of becoming pregnant.

Researchers studied 16 women in their twenties and thirties who were normal weight but had not had a period for six months.

They found they had high levels of the hormone cortisol which is linked to stress. Eight of the women were given cognitive behavioral therapy and the rest no treatment. The therapy was designed to give women a better sense of perspective and improved self-worth to help cut stress levels. But Professor Berga said it did not involve telling women to 'pull themselves together'.

'This population actually looks very well pulled together,' she said. 'They don't report stress. They say everything is just fine. It may be the fact that the people who say everything is fine are the most stressed.

'They have unrealistic attitudes about themselves and others and think they can get more done in the day than is realistic, and their sense of worth depends on achievement.'

'We know that lifestyle factors can influence the menstrual cycle'

Twenty weeks later the researchers found 80 per cent of those given therapy had started ovulating again compared with 25 per cent in the other group. Two months later two of the women became pregnant.

Professor Berga said that although the study involved women whose monthly cycle had stopped, the findings may apply to other women who have fertility problems which are harder to discover because they still menstruate.

It is quite possible there are many individuals who could benefit from stress reduction in terms of infertility therapies,' she said.

About 20 % of women who are infertile have problems with ovulation. Many of those are related to weight, but a number do have problems with ovulatory function.

'We know that lifestyle factors can influence the menstrual cycle, and cognitive behavioural therapy is one approach that could be helpful.'

Laughter can be the key to success in IVF treatment, it was claimed yesterday.

The doctors behind the approach said it showed humour can cut stress levels and boost the chances of success.

For more information about Infertility and solutions, please visit motherababy.com

Infertility; Is it a Woman's Problem?

It is a saga that infertility is considered always a "woman's problem." No it’s not the case. About one-third of couples facing infertility are due to problems with the man (male factors), and one-third are due to problems with the woman (female factors). The rest of the cases are due to a combination of both the male and female factors and other unknown causes.

What are the causes of Infertility in Men?

In men, the problems are mainly with the making of sperm or with getting the sperm to reach the egg. These problems with sperm may be present by birth or it could develop later in life due to lifestyle changes, illness or injuries. Few men produce no sperm or produce very few sperm. As per research lifestyle can influence the number and quality of a man's sperm dramatically. Alcohol and drugs can provisionally reduce the sperm quality. Other environmental toxin, that includes pesticides and lead, can also cause infertility in men.

What Causes Infertility in Women?

Problems with ovulation account for most infertility in women. Without ovulation, eggs are not available to be fertilized. Signs of problems with ovulation include irregular menstrual periods or no periods. Simple lifestyle factors – including stress, diet or athletic training – can affect a woman's hormonal balance. Much less often, a hormonal imbalance from a serious medical problem such as a pituitary gland tumor can cause ovulation problems.

Aging is also an important factor in female infertility. The ability of a woman's ovaries to produce eggs declines with age, especially after age 35. About one-third of couples where the woman is over 35 will have problems with fertility. By the time she reaches menopause, when her monthly periods stop for good, a woman can no longer produce eggs or become pregnant.

Other problems can also lead to infertility in women. If the fallopian tubes are blocked at one or both ends, the egg can't travel through the tubes into the uterus and thus pregnancy can't be achieved. Blocked tubes may result from pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.

PREGNANCY RATES FOR AVERAGE COUPLES

It often takes a number of perfectly timed cycles before pregnancy is achieved. The chances of getting pregnant each cycle varies a bit with age. If you are 20-25, your chance per cycle are about 25%. From there they begin to fall off. At 25-30 your chances are about 20%. At 30-35 they are about 15%. After 35 they may be about 10% per ovulatory cycle, and the chances continue the downward trend.

This means that the average woman under 30 will get pregnant within 6 cycles. Women in their early 30s get pregnant on average by the end of 9 cycles. Mid-30s would be a year. At any age you are considered infertile if you have been having regular unprotected intercourse for a year without conception; however, women over 35 should seek treatment after 6 months

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