Subfertility is defined as the failure to conceive after 1 year of regular, unprotected intercourse with the same partner.

Approximately 10–17% of all couples experience primary or secondary subfertility at some time during their reproductive life.

UV radiation destroys folic acid, a precursor for folate, the lack of which may result in birth defects.

Current treatments of subfertile couples are usually empiric, as the true cause of subfertility often remains unknown.

Therefore, we outline the role of nutritional and biochemical factors in reproduction and subfertility.

A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Science Direct and bibliographies of published work with both positive and negative results.

The studies showed folate has a role in spermatogenesis.

In female reproduction, folate is also important for oocyte quality and maturation, implantation, placentation, fetal growth and organ development.

Zinc has also been implicated in testicular development, sperm maturation and testosterone synthesis.

In females, zinc plays a role in sexual development, ovulation and the menstrual cycle.

Both folate and zinc have antioxidant properties which counteract reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Thiols, such as glutathione, balance the levels of ROS produced by spermatozoa and influence DNA compaction and the stability and motility of spermatozoa.

Oocyte maturation, ovulation, luteolysis and follicle atresia are also affected by ROS.

After fertilization, glutathione is important for sperm nucleus decondensation and pronucleus formation.

Folate, zinc, ROS and thiols affect apoptosis, which is important for sperm release, regulation of follicle atresia, degeneration of the corpus luteum and endometrial shedding.

Therefore, the concentrations of these nutrients may have substantial effects on reproduction.

In conclusion, nutritional and biochemical factors affect biological processes in male and female reproduction. Further research should identify pathways that may lead to improvements in care and treatment of subfertility.

Read more: The importance of folate, zinc and antioxidants in the pathogenesis and prevention of subfertility

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Ready: Why Women Are Embracing The New Later Motherhood
by Elizabeth Gregory

-- Over the past three decades, skyrocketing numbers of women have chosen to start their families in their late thirties and early forties.

In 2005, ten times as many women had their first child between the ages of 35 and 39 as in 1975, and thirteen times as many had their first between 40 and 44.

Women now have the option to define for themselves when they're ready for a family, rather than sticking to a schedule set by social convention.

As a society, however, we have yet to come to terms with the phenomenon of later motherhood, and women who decide it makes sense for them to delay pregnancy often find themselves confronted with alarmist warnings about the dangers of waiting too long.

In Ready, Elizabeth Gregory tracks the burgeoning trend of new later motherhood and demonstrates for many women today, waiting for family works best.

She provides compelling evidence of the benefits of having children later -- by birth or by adoption.

Paperback: 336 pages
Click to order/for more info: Ready

Start reading Ready on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Photo credit: Mango Pineapple Coconut Salad, by Chelsea Nesvig

They say it's actually the core of the pineapple that works best, not the pineapple itself.

It's an enzyme called Bromelain, you can also take tablets from the health food store, but I don't know if it would work as well.

Some say it needs to be fresh pineapple, because it is an enzyme.

However, some say that fresh pineapple, if eaten in excess could cause a pregnancy loss, as it can cause uterine cramping.

So if you are going to try it, it might be better to stick to the following routine:

Using Pineapple to Assist Implantation: Pineapple contains bromelain. Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks up proteins that inhibit embryo implantation. Consuming a whole pineapple (focusing on the core as it has the highest concentration of Bromelain) during a fertility cycle can be beneficial.

For IVF [in vitro fertilization] cycle: one pineapple, divided into 5 portions - consume one portion each day, over five days, beginning on the day of your embryo transfer.

IUI [intra-uterine insemination] cycle: one pineapple, divided into 5 portions - consume one portion each day, over five days, beginning on the day of your IUI.

Timed intercourse cycle: one pineapple, divided into 5 portions - consume one portion each day, over five days, beginning on the day after ovulation.

Note: Be careful not to start consuming pineapple too early in the cycle. Beginning to consume pineapple BEFORE the recommended days above can actually affect your vaginal and cervical mucus PH, making it more acidic.

Source: DearReilly.blogspot.com

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Pregnancy Miracle
by Lisa Olsen

-- A 279-page, instantly downloadable e-book presenting a 5-step, sure-fire, 100% guaranteed, clinically proven holistic and ancient Chinese system for permanently reversing your infertility and your partner's infertility disorders and getting pregnant quickly, naturally and safely within 2-4 months without drugs, dangerous surgeries, side effects, or expensive infertility treatments.

It's probably the most powerful infertility reversal system ever developed, and currently the best-selling e-book of its kind on the entire Web!

Here's what the author Lisa Olson had to say about her incredible program:
After 14 years of trial, error, and experimentation, I finally discovered the answer to infertility and developed a fool-proof system to getting pregnant the natural way - no drugs, or surgery necessary.

It took a lot of research to get to where I am today, to know exactly what works and what doesn't. Yes, after desperate trial and error, countless of useless treatments, disappointments, and agony, a simple holistic system opened the door to my new and much brighter life of motherhood.

I was also excited to see that my other infertility related symptoms had diminished. After years of waiting, I was finally free from Infertility! I have become a proud mother of two.

And now I'm finally revealing my secrets in this new 'encyclopedia' of pregnancy called, Pregnancy Miracle.

I will be your own personal coach, take you by the hand, and lead you through the lousy advice, hype and gimmicks... and directly to the sort of inner balance perfection that will end your battle with infertility forever and help you become a proud mother of your healthy children.


Click to order/for more info on this helpful program:
Pregnancy Miracle

ABSTRACT

Background Implantation of the conceptus is a key step in pregnancy, but little is known about the time of implantation or the relation between the time of implantation and the outcome of pregnancy.

Results There were 199 conceptions, for 95 percent of which (189) we had sufficient data for analysis.

Of these 189 pregnancies, 141 (75 percent) lasted at least six weeks past the last menstrual period, and the remaining 48 pregnancies (25 percent) ended in early loss.

Among the pregnancies that lasted 6 weeks or more, the first appearance of chorionic gonadotropin occurred 6 to 12 days after ovulation; 118 women (84 percent) had implantation on day 8, 9, or 10. The risk of early pregnancy loss increased with later implantation.

Among the 102 conceptuses that implanted by the ninth day, 13 percent ended in early loss.

This proportion rose to 26 percent with implantation on day 10, to 52 percent on day 11, and to 82 percent after day 11.

Conclusions In most successful human pregnancies, the conceptus implants 8 to 10 days after ovulation.

The risk of early pregnancy loss increases with later implantation.

Full Text: Time of Implantation of the Conceptus and Loss of Pregnancy

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Fertility Wisdom: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help Overcome In-fertility
-- At Wu's Healing Center in San Francisco, miracles are happening.

Women and their partners come to the clinic--often from across the country -- to fulfill a passionately held yet fragile dream: to conceive and deliver the healthy baby that mainstream doctors have told them they cannot have.

Using traditional Chinese medical techniques, sometimes integrated with Western fertility treatments, Dr. Angela Wu is helping these couples experience the miracle of birth.

At a time when one in five U.S. couples is struggling with fertility problems, this practical and uplifting volume, filled with the inspirational stories of Dr. Wu's grateful patients, will be a godsend.

Paperback: 256 pages
Click to order/for more info: Fertility Wisdom: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help Overcome In-fertility

Start reading Fertility Wisdom on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

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Bisphenol A (BPA) is getting more bad press these days -- this time on the female fertility front.

A research team headed by Julie Lamb, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco, reported that BPA may have a negative impact on female fertility.

The researchers measured BPA levels in the blood of patients undergoing their first cycle of IVF. Of 41 women, 93 percent had quantifiable levels of BPA. Women who did not become pregnant were more likely to have higher BPA levels than women with lower BPA levels.

In addition, a team headed up by Lusine Aghajanova, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, has concluded that even short-term exposure of uterine cells to BPA can interfere with the way that they develop and prepare for a possible pregnancy (for example, creating a suitable cellular environment to allow the embryo to implant successfully).

Read more

Photo Credit: Pregnancy.org
All Rights Reserved

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Murphy Lives Here
by Dr. Merryl J. Polak

-- Initially apprehensive about becoming a mother, Emma mapped out her life plans steered by fulfillment of a happy marriage and career.

She thought she might one day feel ready and willing to add the role of mother to her life's responsibilities, but she had not quite figured out when that would occur.

When Emma's biological clock smacked her upside the head and she suddenly craved motherhood over every other aspect of life, she was stunned to discover that she could not get pregnant.

After a year of ovulation test kits and timed baby making under her belt, it was inevitable that other avenues needed exploration.

After pursuing every option, including adoption, Emma learned that becoming a parent was not as simple a process as she had always envisioned.

Paperback: 226 pages
Click to order/for more info: Murphy Lives Here

Start reading Murphy Lives Here on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

There are five categories of immune problems that can cause miscarriages, infertility, implantation failures and chemical pregnancies. Forty-five percent of women with infertility and implantation failure or IV-ET failures are Category 5 patients.

This means that they have elevated CD 56+ cells that produce tumor necrosis factor (a chemotherapy molecule) that either damages the embryo, the trophoblast (placental cell) or the lining of the uterus (decidua) shortly after the start of pregnancy.

There are often symptoms in women who have antibodies to serotonin and neurotransmitters that I have learned about.

- Fibromyalgia: achiness in the small joints and muscles usually in the morning.
- Increasing depression that has no apparent reason.
- Waking early in the morning project oriented and unable to get back to sleep. I meet many of you online at this time. You retreat to your computers and find solace there.
- Sweating at night especially over the chest and the breastbone.
- Increasing PMS symptoms.
- Increasing "bitchiness" for no apparent reasons.
- Panic attacks including a feeling of not being able to handle the work load that before was easy for you.
- Bad uterine lining of less than 8 mm when tested on day 13 or 14.
- Poor stimulation even with mega doses of Fertinex, Pergonal, Gonal F or other drugs.
- Hormone levels that crash in the middle of the cycle.

Full article: harmonywomenshealth.com

Photo credit: pkavitha1
Some rights reserved

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The PCOS Diet Plan: A Natural Approach to Health for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
by Hillary Wright

-- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and if left unchecked, is linked to serious health issues like infertility, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and endometrial cancer.

In this groundbreaking book, registered dietitian Hillary Wright explains this increasingly diagnosed disorder and introduces the holistic symptom-management program she developed by working with hundreds of patients.

With Wright's proven diet and lifestyle-based program, you can influence your reproductive hormones and take charge of your health.

Featuring a carbohydrate distribution approach at its core, The PCOS Diet Plan also zeroes in on exactly what exercise, supplements, and self-care choices you can make to feel better every day.

Paperback: 256 pages
Click to order/for more info: The PCOS Diet Plan

Start reading The PCOS Diet Plan on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

Heavy smoking may lower the chances of embryo implantation in the uterus, according to a new study.

While it’s long been known that smoking impairs the ovaries, new research is suggesting that it may also have an impact on the uterine receptiveness.

The study is published online by the journal Human Reproduction.

Lead researcher Dr Sergio Soares said: "The fact that we see this result in a situation in which the oocytes (eggs) were donated by other women demonstrates that cigarette smoking negatively affects the receptiveness of the uterus independently of its effect on ovarian function."

For the study, light smokers were defined as those who smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes a day, with heavy smokers exceeding that level.

Another reason to quit, as if you didn’t have enough.

Source

Stock Photo credit: CELALTEBER
All rights reserved

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Fertile Female: How the Power of Longing for a Child Can Save Your Life and Change the World
by Julia Indichova

-- Written by an author whose expertise grew from an extensive counseling practice as well as personal experience.

The Fertile Female offers a hope-filled view of reproductive difficulties, with a deeper understanding of the often-confusing messages of mind-body and alternative medicine.

With an engaging mix of passion and humor the book initiates a public debate on the politics of infertility and its effect on our health care system.

Includes practice exercises and a section on dietary recommendations, complete with recipes.

Hardcover: 249 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Fertile Female

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Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) May 28, 2009 -- Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) announced today the results of a recently conducted survey that showed the use of laser acupuncture performed both before and after embryo transfer during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, improves a women's chances of implantation by up to 15%.

Photo by bies
Vaginal Progesterone is Equally Effective in Achieving Pregnancy Outcomes as Injectable Progesterone in Donor Egg Cycles

A retrospective analysis conducted at a large infertility center evaluated pregnancy outcomes for 225 donor egg recipients

A retrospective analysis of anonymous oocyte (egg) donation cycles, comparing the pregnancy outcomes between vaginally-administered progesterone versus intramuscular (IM) progesterone injections, demonstrates that vaginally-administered progesterone and IM progesterone achieve equal pregnancy outcomes, according to data presented by Brian Berger, MD, Boston IVF, at the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society annual meeting in Rancho Mirage, CA. The retrospective study was supported by a grant from Columbia Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRX).

“We found no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between patients treated with vaginal progesterone versus progesterone administered intramuscularly,” said Dr. Berger. “Further, vaginal progesterone has the added advantage of avoiding painful intramuscular injections.”

In 225 egg donor cycles, 105 patients received vaginally-administered progesterone (CRINONE® 8% (a bioadhesive progesterone gel)) and 120 received IM progesterone. The implantation rate was 43.8% for vaginal progesterone versus 37.1% for IM progesterone (p=0.175). Recipients treated with vaginal progesterone achieved a 58.1% pregnancy rate and a 51.4% delivery rate, versus a 53.3% pregnancy rate (p=0.503) and a 48.3% delivery rate (p=0.689) for patients receiving IM progesterone. The pregnancy loss rate was 10.5% for patients using vaginal progesterone and 10.8% for IM progesterone users (p=1.00).

“This study clearly demonstrates that vaginal progesterone gel achieves the same pregnancy outcomes as progesterone administered via an intramuscular injection. This is important confirmation that CRINONE® 8% offers patients an efficacious and more convenient option for providing progesterone support in infertility treatment,” Berger added.

Boston IVF is one of America’s most successful fertility centers, providing patients with unparalleled medical care and the best experience with the expertise of premier doctors and professional staff, who are affiliated with Harvard Medical School. It is world renowned for its highly successful and innovative infertility treatments, highest quality service, state-of-the-art methods, ongoing scientific research, and on-site complementary healthcare at its Domar Center.

About Progesterone and Luteal Phase Support

Progesterone is the pregnancy hormone that creates a healthy environment in a woman’s uterus where a fertilized egg can implant and grow into a healthy baby. Most women undergoing infertility treatment need additional progesterone to help prepare the uterus for implantation and development of a fertilized egg.

Before ovulation, progesterone levels in a woman’s body remain relatively low, but rise after ovulation during the latter part of a woman’s menstrual cycle which is called the luteal phase. The luteal phase begins with the production of progesterone and ends with either pregnancy or menstruation, when the uterus sheds its lining. During pregnancy, progesterone helps to maintain the lining of the uterus, providing necessary nutrients to support and nurture a fertilized egg.

Source: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080414005254&newsLang=en


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Photo by www.cbsnews.com
(CBS) "Is it possible that I'm pregnant?" can be one of the most nerve-wracking questions for a woman to deal with. But with so many pregnancy tests on the market today, how can you tell which is relaiable?

Consumer Reports senior editor Nancy Metcalf talks about the best pregnancy tests available. Get the recommendations on Tuesday’s The Early Show.

Method:
All home pregnancy test kits use monoclonal antibodies to detect a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is produced by the developing placenta beginning on the day on which the embryo implants in the uterine wall. Concentrations of this pregnancy hormone vary widely from woman to woman, but the more sensitive tests can measure lower levels of hCG.

All 18 brands tested by "Consumer Reports" (CR) employ similar technology - most use sticks with absorbent wicks that are held directly in the urine stream, and most allow women to collect urine in a cup and then dip the stick. Regardless of collection method, reading the results is the same for every kit: if a line appears in the window after a specified number of minutes, the test is positive.

Working with an independent laboratory that specializes in hCG studies, CR spiked hCG-free urine with varying concentrations of the hormone "to mimic the range found in normal early pregnancies."

They tested each product at increasing levels of hCG concentration until a positive result was attained.

"We conducted the tests as instructed on each product's package insert," CR says. "Technicians read the results after the specified minimum wait - anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes, depending on the product - and then again at the maximum time allowed (10 minutes in all the products we tested)." Kits were rated on efficacy, ease of use, and ease of result readings.

Performance:
One kit, the First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test, emerged as the most reliable and sensitive test. "It detected hCG at concentrations as low as 6.5 mIU/ml (thousandths of an International Unit per milliliter) - that's almost sensitive enough to detect any pregnancy soon after implantation," CR wrote. "Most other kits were far less sensitive - the five least sensitive tests couldn't detect hCG below concentrations of about 100 MIU/ml at their specified reading times. However, when we waited a full 10 minutes before reading the results, seven of the test kits performed much better than they did at the manufacturer's suggested waiting time."

Although all the kits were "easy to use," First Response and two other tests (Answer Quick & Simple and ClearBlue Easy) produced result lines that were more intense than others at lower concentrations of hCG, making them easiest to read.

In the end, First Response's Early Result Pregnancy test ($18.09/2 tests) came out on top, with an "Excellent" rating (winning an "excellent" score in hCG sensitivity, "good" in ease of reading, and "excellent" in 10-minute hCG sensitivity, with an overall recommendation of "best combination of sensitivity and reliability). Confirm's Pregnancy Test ($11.19/2 tests) scored lowest, with a final score of "Poor" ("fair," hCG sensitivity; "poor," ease of reading; and "fair," 10-minute hCG sensitivity, with some samples failing to work properly).

Ratings

First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test
($18.09 for two)
Consumer Reports Rating: Excellent

Confirm Pregnancy Test
($11.19 for two)
Consumer Reports Rating: Poor

Recommendations:
Although CR calls the First Response test "a superior choice," it warns, "Women need to use home pregnancy test kits with a clear understanding of their limitations."

It explains that testing for hCG is not the same in all women. In 10 percent of pregnant women, the embryo does not implant until after the first day of a missed period (and again, hCG is not produced until the embryo implants in the uterine wall).

"Until implantation, it doesn't matter how sensitive the test is," CR says, "You can't detect the pregnancy before it's producing the stuff that you're measuring, which is hCG."

Even pregnancies that have implanted may produce too little hCG for many at-home tests to detect, especially only a day or two after a missed period and when read after the manufacturer suggested waiting period specified in test packaging.

"Some kits improve in detection when read after a wait of 10 minutes, but waiting longer than that may produce a negative result that looks faintly, misleadingly positive," CR reports.

Moreover, about one-third to one-quarter of pregnancies implant for a short time, then fail. "That leads to a transient rise in hCG, which can extend for as long as two days after the day of the missed menstrual period."

Consumer Reports advises, "If you're comfortable waiting, a sensitive test taken a week after your period is overdue will almost certainly give you accurate results. If you elect to take the test as early as the day after you've missed your period, remember that a negative result isn't 100 percent certain. And a positive result may mean either a viable pregnancy or a pregnancy destined to end shortly after it began. With either of those results, you should plan on testing again a week later, just to be sure."

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/27/earlyshow/health/main538075.shtml


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