New Gel May Help Sperm Swim

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I have heard of and written about "sperm friendly" lubricants before, however, there is a new gel on the horizon which may actually help more sperm swim through the cervical canal. This is a totally noninvasive treatment which may give just the boost a couple needs to get pregnant. Read more:

timesofindia.com

From the article:

Fertility treatments basically involve helping sperm to reach the egg," said Jackson Kirkman-Brown, senior lecturer in reproductive biology at the University of Birmingham and director of the Centre for Human Reproductive Science, Birmingham.

"The majority of these involve doing something quite invasive to the woman, often even though she may be perfectly healthy. If you can give the man's sperm a little more va-va-voom, you could help fertility in a far less invasive way and it would be far cheaper," he said.

"We now have some compounds, that are in the early stages of testing, which can make more sperm swim through cervical mucus, which means you would get more sperm into the uterus. This should increase natural fertility," added Kirkman-Brown, according to the Telegraph.

Return to Nature, The Best Medicine

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With many cases of infertility being attributed to environmental chemicals and toxins, I find it interesting how many of us turn to more drugs and chemicals to solve the problem. This article talks about some of the toxins we are exposed to, how they can cause infertility and some things you can do about it. Read more:


Nutritional and Environmental Approaches to Infertility
by Jaqueline Johnson
(www.positivehealth.com)

From the article:

A letter from Dr Neil Ward (Director of Research, Chemistry, University of Surrey) to the Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine in 1995, on behalf of Foresight (the pre-conceptual care society), stated:

"Out of the 367 couples, 217 with a history of reproductive problems, 89% of women had become pregnant. 327 children had been born since enrolment, with no multiple pregnancies. All babies were born healthy and well developed at between 36-41 weeks. None were transferred to special care baby units...."

The work carried out by Foresight has done much to make all of us realize that a simple return to the remedies and solutions offered by nature itself goes a long way to putting right what ails us, sparing many people the agony of childlessness, or a tragic outcome to pregnancy.

Reproductive, and pregnancy-related problems in humans, are not experienced in isolation. For many years now, scientists have been reporting not only that increasing numbers of animal species have become extinct, but that reproductive failure amongst species, ranging from fish to birds, whales to otters to crocodiles, is causing grave concern. Birth defects, sexual abnormality, unusual diseases and serious burns to the skin of water creatures have been causing concern for decades.[1],[2]

Nature is about synergistic survival. We humans are part of nature as surely as if we were bound to the earth by roots. We are part of the tapestry that has woven everything together.

With multiple factors affecting our ability to reproduce, disturbingly we do not have to look very far to appreciate the very insidious perpetrator that threatens the survival, of all species on the planet.

However, the chilling discoveries within the animal kingdom have a human correlation – in falling male sperm. Research shows that the culprits are chemicals from our industrialized world that block or mimic the hormone oestrogen![1],[2]

Surprise Pregnancy at 43, Then Another 2 Years Later

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Wow, what an interesting story. This Christian site did an article on a book called "Surprise Child" about a woman who has a surprise pregnancy at the age of 43, then another one two years later. Although the article talks about how she struggled to get through it, it should be encouraging to those of you who think getting pregnant over 40 is impossible. Read more:

www.crosswalk.com

From the article:


That last example was the story of Leslie Leyland Fields, a then-43-year-old college professor who found out she was pregnant with her fifth child—and then two years later with her sixth. The news of her fifth and sixth pregnancies did not come easily to Fields or her husband, who thought they were done with diapers and midnight feedings. She writes honestly about her struggle to find joy in these pregnancies in a book called Surprise Child...

...Fields found that her church friends could not understand why she was upset, yet her work colleagues could not understand why she would choose to have two more children. Feeling alone and isolated, Fields says she knew that "God is the maker of life" and that she had "to find a way to receive with open hands these children He had made." And she did just that, realizing in the process that her surprise children were no surprise to God and that He would supply her family with everything they needed, including the strength and joy to love two more children.

EFT, Tapping and Fertility

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I remember, years ago when I was trying to conceive, I heard about EFT and tapping. It's an interesting concept and I do recall trying it...who knows, it may have helped! This article explains how it can help fertility and the second link gives some specific instructions:

tappingqanda.com

From the article"

Fertility Issues

There are few things more heart breaking than working with clients who want to grow their families, but are having a hard time doing it. Even with infertility medicine there are still many couples that have trouble conceiving. In this article UK based Sejual Shah talks about some on the non-medical reasons that can make conceiving difficult as well as advice on how to approach some of these with tapping (EvEFT/EFT).

[Sejual Shah is a Hertfordshire, UK base practitioner. She works in person, by phone, and webcam with clients on over 4 continents. She loves seeing the joy her work brings to her clients. She can be contacted @ healthyinmind.com]

Wanting to conceive a baby is a natural part of our growth and development as humans. However, many find starting their families difficult. Using controlled practices such as timing intercourse to ovulation can lead to a lot of stress for both parents and conceiving even the first baby becomes a nightmare instead of the anticipated joy.

Pregnancies attempted late in life are perceived in the medical field as difficult since a woman’s fertility declines heavily after her mid-30s. What many Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) practitioners, myself included, are finding is that these and other problems can be neutralised with tapping to enable a healthy conception leading all the way to realising that cherished birth of innocent joy.

The support I give is of help to both people in the relationship. Men’s stress levels and worries about conceiving are equally important as the problems a woman experiences as both parents need to be healthy to create a baby.

Common Problems with Fertility
The most common problems I encounter in my practice and have success in helping with EFT are:

Unresolved grief about earlier miscarriages, stillbirths and traumatic loss of loved ones
High stress levels
Residual post-natal depression
Previous problematic births
Couple problems – relationship and communication issues.

This article will deal with the first two.

Unresolved Grief
Conceiving a child is an act of joy. When we are harbouring a deep-seated grief it is too far removed for the joy and happiness to come in. It is like the two sets of emotions are incompatible and as the grief has been there longer it stops the new possibilities from coming in.

This grief comes in so many shapes and forms. “Heather” was 44 and was still waiting to conceive her first child. She felt the pressure of not being able to, conceive. She had tried natural approaches and IVF, but nothing was working. When we talked about her personal history it quickly became evident that she’d never finished grieving over the loss of her beloved mother ten years before. She still had her mother’s ashes in a cupboard in the bedroom.

For more on EFT and some instructions on using it visit this link:

marionbilich.com

Age Is Not A Contraceptive!

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I know most of you reading this blog would be elated to become pregnant. But I've written before about how there are quite a few women who become pregnant unexpectedly over the age of 40 because they think they're too old or going through menopause. Here is a video and article that discusses unplanned pregnancies over 40 (it could happen to you!)

news.bbc.co.uk

From the article:

Emily James of Marie Stopes International said: "Many older women facing an unplanned pregnancy are completely shocked to find themselves in this position - many assume that their irregular periods are due to menopause, and are surprised to learn that they are in fact pregnant.

Leptin Helps Regulate Hormones In Women With Low Body Fat

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All you diet and exercise fanatics out there may not be doing your fertility any favors. Although these are things that we typically think as good, too much of a good thing may sabotage your efforts to get pregnant. Losing too much body fat can affect your levels of "leptin" which starts a chain hormonal reaction. This article explains more:

www.sciencedaily.com

From the article:

Now, a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers the first definitive proof that a lack of leptin contributes to hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) and that treatment with a synthetic form of the hormone can restore fertility and reduce the risk of bone fractures in this group of patients. The findings are reported on-line this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"This condition accounts for over 30 percent of all cases of amenorrhea in women of reproductive age, and is an important problem for which we didn't have a good solution," explains senior author Christos Mantzoros, MD, Dsc, Director of the Human Nutrition Unit at BIDMC and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

"Our findings now prove beyond any doubt that leptin is the missing link in women with significantly diminished body fat, and that this, in turn, results in numerous hormonal abnormalities." Without leptin, he explains, menstrual periods cease, the body becomes chronically energy-deprived and women experience bone loss and an increased risk of bone fractures.

Pediatricians and Schools Partnering in Media Education for Children

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This year the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have made “Children and the Media” one of its new strategic priorities. Our journal has published a host of studies on the effects of media — both good and bad — on children, which has helped the AAP as it turns attention to this topic. In addition to educating families about the media in our offices, we can advocate for homes and local schools to take a hard look at whether their media curriculum is being directed to better educate children and teens about the adverse — as well as beneficial — effects of media in shaping who they are and what they do with their lives. To help us think more about how pediatricians might partner with our school educators, Dr. Victor Strasburger, a national expert on the influence of media on children and teens, shares his thoughts in a commentary (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3213) this week. He challenges all of us to do more in regard to raising media awareness in our patients and families, and to join up with the schools in our community. If you haven’t thought about your role in raising media awareness in your community, this commentary will channel new energy into your efforts to do so. Read it instead of watching television, texting, or playing your favorite electronic game, and your patients will benefit as a result.