Pregnancy at More4kids » Infertility

What to Eat When Trying to Conceive

More4kids Inc. — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:15:04 +0000

Sometimes getting pregnant does not happen as quickly as we would like, or it is not as easy as we hoped for. Speaking from experience, nothing is more disappointing and frustrating then trying to get pregnant. For our most recent baby, it took us over a year and one miscarriage, and just when we were about to give up hope we found out that we were pregnant. I believe that it was the food choices I made those last couple of months that helped increase our chances at conception.

Believe it or not there are certain foods that increase your chances of getting pregnant. So if you are doing all of the other recommended things like positioning and timing, why not alter your diet a little.

A healthy diet is just as important, if not more important, while you are trying to get pregnant as it is once you find out that you are pregnant. The foods you chose to consume directly impact your fertility, this goes for potential mom and potential dad. So as a couple you need to make a conscious effort to watch what you are eating.

Several servings of fruits and veggies a day is important. You should also make sure that you are getting whole grains and calcium rich foods each and every day. Don’t think that if you miss today you can make up for it tomorrow. Vitamins like E, C, Folic Acid and Zinc are key nutrients for healthy sperm. For women, you need to be getting at least 400 micrograms of folic acid a day. Folic acid helps support proper neural tube growth and it also decreases the risk of strokes, heart attacks, cancer and diabetes.

Your diet should also be rich in leafy green vegetables and citrus fruits. Don’t worry about getting to much because folic acid is water soluble and the water will flush out any excess. Being water soluble also means that a lot of it can be lost when it is cooked. So try to eat fresh or frozen dark leafy greens and if you are cooking them steam them or cook them in a little bit of water.

If you are worried that you are not taking enough of these in through your food you may want to consider a nutritional supplement, at least while you are trying to conceive. When I say a supplement, I don’t mean a multivitamin. Doctors have been recommending that women who are trying to conceive start prenatal vitamins before they are pregnant. Fortunately you don’t need a prescription for them; there are a number of good over the counter vitamins. I chose to use and all natural prenatal vitamins. You can also get individual supplements such as folic acid over the counter. I want to stress though that supplements cannot replace a healthy diet. It is always better to get your nutrients from whole raw foods then pills in a jar.

Foods to avoid or severely limit include caffeine, try to keep to three cups of or less so that it doesn’t affect your fertility. And while fish is overall considered healthy, while you are trying to conceive eliminate fish that is high in mercury such as shark, swordfish, mackerel and tilefish. Processed meats, such as packaged meats should be consumed in very small amounts and raw and smoked meats should be avoided completely.

Just a quick reminder of the above recommendations:

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables
Eat complex carbohydrates – whole grains like brown rice, oats, whole meal bread
Buy organic foods where possible
Eat phytoestrogens, including beans such as lentils, chickpeas and Soya products
Eat oily foods, including fish, nuts, seeds and oils
Reduce your intake of saturated fat from dairy products, etc.
Drink enough fluids
Increase your intake of fiber
Avoid additives, preservatives and chemicals such as artificial sweeteners
Reduce your intake of caffeine
Reduce alcohol
Avoid sugar on its own and hidden in foods

Following the above dietary recommendations will not cure infertility, but if you are able to conceive it will help increase the likelihood of your conceiving.

Biography
Jennifer Shakeel is a writer and former nurse with over 12 years medical experience. As a mother of two incredible children with one on the way, I am here to share with you what I have learned about parenting and the joys and changes that take place during pregnancy. Together we can laugh and cry and rejoice in the fact that we are moms!

Six Factors that Contribute to Male Infertility

More4kids Inc. — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 01:25:17 +0000

Decades ago, male infertility may have sounded like an oxymoron. People believed that women bear and rear the children, so if there are any ‘bearing’ problems, it must be because of the woman. However, studies in today’s day and age prove otherwise. 40 per cent of infertility problems are due to women. The remaining larger proportion is due to both partners, other factors or due to male infertility.

Meeting with a reproductive endocrinologist is the best way to determine male infertility and discuss options. Most often, after a detailed medical history and examination, the first plan of action for male infertility is to get a semen analysis done. But there are some things you can do even before your first visit that will help your doctor in coming up with a treatment plan.

Smoking
You knew it was bad for your health, but now research proves that puffing cigarettes adversely affects male infertility too by lowering sperm count and motility (the percentage of active sperm).

Drugs

Marijuana, antibiotics and even some over the counter fungal treatment medications may increase chances of male infertility. Always discuss any prescription and OTC drugs with your reproductive endocrinologist.

Heat

Exercise is good for you. Excessive exercise that heats up the scrotum area can lower the quality and quantity of sperm. Research has also shown that the age-old boxer versus briefs theory also plays a role in male infertility. These studies reported that boxers increase the quality and quantity of the sperm as compared to briefs because of the heat issue. Similarly, avoid Jacuzzis and saunas which increase the body temperature.

Stress

A high level of stress has shown to affect male infertility. Ejaculating too frequently or too infrequently could cause low sperm quality. Infrequent ejaculation leads to old, low-motility sperm. There is no magic number for men trying to have children, but digressing from your regular sexual activity by increasing or decreasing it drastically can have an adverse affect on male infertility.

Poor Nutrition
Women are often recommended to maintain healthy eating habits because they are the ones who will hopefully carry the child. However, nutritional well being can combat male infertility. A diet rich in Vitamin C can help the man and general healthier eating habits can help the couple and their entire family as it is always easier to adopt and maintain healthy habits if junk food is not available at home and your partner enjoys accompanying for an early morning walk or swim.

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Symptoms of Infertility

More4kids Inc. — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 01:21:54 +0000

There is No Real Infertility Symptom
Infertility is a symptom and a disease by itself. You will not really find symptoms that will tell you that you are infertile. The fact that you do not have children is a symptom by itself; as is the affliction as I would not call it a disease. Infertility is diagnosed only after a battery of tests is made as a result of which the doctor proclaims that it is not possible for you to have children.

Tell-tale Signs?

There are people (sometimes even doctors) who say that infertility may have some tell-tale signs, though you cannot really call any of them an infertility symptom:

1. Absence of the menstrual cycle – my mother used to say sometimes, “The periods are always damned: damned when they come, and damned when they don’t”. It is true that when your periods do not come it is a possible sign of infertility; it is also a sign of menopause, cancer, fibroids and many other afflictions. Not necessarily in that order.
2. Low body temperature during the first and/or last few days of the cycle may be indicative of too low female hormones in the blood, and hence a factor for infertility.
3. Absence of cervical fluid – it has been observed that the sperm cannot do anything on their own (like men!!); hence, they need a hand of help from the cervical fluid to make it to the egg. When the cervical fluid is absent or less, the sperm movement is heavily hampered, and hence infertility could be indicated.
4. Low and persistent pelvic pain – when women complain of pain in the lower pelvic area, this could mean that there could be fibroids, tumors or acute infections which would definitely go against conceiving.

As you can see not one of the above signs is an infertility symptom, but rather a possible indicator to the cause of your infertility. Anyway, you do not need to look for an infertility symptom after all. If you do not conceive within 6-12 months with unprotected sex, then you should go for a medical check up, and consult medical help. Most of the above indicators will be cleared or confirmed during the tests.

Hence, the best thing is to immediately consult a doctor when you are in doubt and not look for an infertility symptom to decide what you should or should not do in order to conceive. Actually, timing is one of the most critical factors in conceiving. The first baby should actually be conceived before the woman is 30 years old, for best results. If you plan it for later, make sure to plan for the complications too.

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