Related Links on ovulation prediction:

(You may like to check out these links if you have not already done so)
• Signs of Ovulation
• Basal Body Temperature
• Fertility Monitor - this employs micro-technology to help you predict ovulation, highly recommended, click on the links below:
→ • The Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor - test your urine
→ • The Ovacue - test your saliva
→ • The Ov-Watch - test your sweat

Source: http://www.getting-pregnant-tips.com/saliva-ovulation-test.html

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Human chorionic gonadotropin administration is associated with high pregnancy rates during ovarian stimulation and timed intercourse or intrauterine insemination

Background
There are different factors that influence treatment outcome after ovarian stimulation and timed-intercourse or intrauterine insemination (IUI). After patient age, it has been suggested that timing of insemination in relation to ovulation is probably the most important variable affecting the success of treatment. The objective of this study is to study the value of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration and occurrence of luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in timing insemination on the treatment outcome after follicular monitoring with timed-intercourse or intrauterine insemination, with or without ovarian stimulation.

Methods
Retrospective analysis of 2000 consecutive completed treatment cycles (637 timed-intercourse and 1363 intrauterine insemination cycles). Stimulation protocols included clomiphene alone or with FSH injection, letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor) alone or with FSH, and FSH alone. LH-surge was defined as an increase in LH level ≥200% over mean of preceding two days. When given, hCG was administered at a dose of 10,000 IU. The main outcome was clinical pregnancy rate per cycle.

Results
Higher pregnancy rates occurred in cycles in which hCG was given. Occurrence of an LH-surge was associated with a higher pregnancy rate with clomiphene treatment, but a lower pregnancy rate with FSH treatment.

Conclusions
hCG administration is associated with a favorable outcome during ovarian stimulation. Awaiting occurrence of LH-surge is associated with a better outcome with CC but not with FSH treatment.

Full study: http://www.rbej.com/content/2/1/55

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After three years of trying for a second child, Kath and Murray Chapman had almost given up hope.

Doctors had told them Mrs Chapman had a hormone problem which meant fertility treatment would be a waste of time.

But the 40- year-old mother remembered she had read somewhere that reflexology could help with infertility.

With nothing to lose, she had three months of foot massage and, at the end of her course, was delighted to hear that her hormone levels had returned to normal.

She soon became pregnant and gave birth to second son Fraser five months ago. While doctors insist there is nothing to prove the alternative therapy was responsible, she is sure it worked.

Mrs Chapman, who also has a four-year-old son called Jake, said: 'I am convinced I wouldn't have become pregnant without the reflexologist's help. I was absolutely shocked, but obviously delighted, to find I was pregnant after being told we couldn't have a second child. It's a dream come true.'

Mrs Chapman, from Deepcar, Sheffield, said she was 'devastated' to be told she would never conceive again.

'I was told that there was no point in attempting IVF treatment because it would be a waste so I would have to resign myself to the fact that we couldn't have another baby,' she added. A hormone test - which indicates if a woman is entering the menopause - showed levels were too high, suggesting her ovaries had stopped producing enough oestrogen, which controls the reproductive cycle.

To become pregnant, a woman needs a hormone rating of ten or below but Mrs Chapman's was above 25. Following reflexology, however, it dropped to below eight.

' I told the doctors about the reflexology but they dismissed it and just said it was possible that hormone levels can drop when you become more relaxed and less anxious.

'The effect of the reflexology was amazing. It seemed to relax me so much. I became pregnant quite quickly and everything went smoothly. The doctors never admitted that the reflexology had anything to do with it but I have no doubt at all.'

Mr Chapman, who runs a catering recruitment business with his wife, said: 'We're just delighted now the family is complete.' Reflexologist Sue Calvert said: 'The technique works on pressure points on the feet which correspond to different parts of the body. Massaging these areas helps to restore balance to the body.'

There is little accepted medical evidence to back up reflexologists' claims. One trial in Denmark examined 108 women with an average age of 30 who had been trying to conceive for up to seven years. Many dropped out of the trial, but 19 of the remaining 61 conceived within six months of completing the treatment.

Polly Hall, of the Association of Reflexologists, said last night: ' Doctors would say that reflexology had nothing to do with this.

'We don't make any claims to cure any conditions but we have anecdotal evidence that reflexology can help with infertility problems and bring the body back into balance.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/womenfamily.html?in_article_id=172952&in_page_id=1799

Wall Street Journal columnist Johanna Bennett on Saturday examined unplanned pregnancies among older women in the U.S. and related health risks. According to Bennett, it is "not clear" how many women older than age 44 become pregnant because there is "little data" collected nationwide on pregnancy, abortion, miscarriages or contraceptive use among the group. CDC found that from 2000 to 2005, the number of live births among women ages 45 to 54 increased by 45% to 6,536, representing less than 1% of all live births in the U.S.

A survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2001 -- the most recent data available -- found that about 40% of pregnancies among women ages 40 and older are unintended, and 56% of those pregnancies end in abortion. The survey also found that 7% of women between the ages of 40 and 44 had recently had sex without birth control but did not want to become pregnant.

Johns Hopkins Medicine found that women at age 45 have a 1% chance of conceiving using their own eggs, Bennett writes, adding, "Given such odds, it's no wonder many sexually active women over age 40 don't practice birth control." In addition, women with health problems have fewer choices in terms of contraception, according to Bennett. She notes that becoming pregnant and having an infant "later in life also comes with some increased health risks" for both the woman and infant. Bennett adds that compared to younger women, older women are more likely to have a miscarriage, experience problems during delivery, develop gestational diabetes and give birth to infants with genetic birth defects.

Vanessa Cullins, vice president of medical affairs for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said, "It's very common that women don't realize they still need to worry about birth control even after they hit their 40's and move into their 50's." She added, "Until they complete menopause, which means going 12 months without menstruating, women should consider themselves to still be fertile" (Bennett, Wall Street Journal, 5/3).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org . You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106486.php

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility
by Sally Lewis and Nim Barnes

-- Practical advice and a holistic approach to help you conceive, including simple dietary and lifestyle changes and do it yourself complementary therapies.

In this accessible and informative guide, Sally Lewis explains how age, sexual infections, diet, excess weight, stress, and anxiety affect fertility.

Teaching how to discover the best time for conception; understand the link between body, mind, and fertility; and manage stress and relax to prevent anxiety, this is the ultimate guide to increasing the likelihood of conception at any age.

Paperback: 128 pages
Click to order/for more info: 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility - US | CDN | UK

Start reading 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

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Photo by lockstockb
OVER the past 20 years, fertility problems have increased dramatically. At least, 25 per cent of couples planning a baby will have trouble conceiving, and more and more couples are turning to fertility treatments to help them have family.

Nutrition is not just a complimentary therapy, it is something we do to our body on daily basis. So, it makes sense that if we intend to produce a child, we ensure that we give that child the best possible start in life by eating the best quality foods we can afford. It takes about three months for a sperm to develop and three months for an egg to ripen, so we should ensure that we start this healthy diet and lifestyle before we plan to conceive.

Though it goes without saying that a healthy diet is crucial to a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby, many people are unaware of the fact that diet can help to correct hormone imbalances that may affect one's ability to conceive. From medical point of view, infertility is believed to be caused by the following factors and in these proportions: ovulatory failure (20 per cent), tubal damage (15 per cent), endometriosis (five per cent), problems (26 per cent), and unexplained (30 per cent).

If the mathematics does not add up, it is because many couples experience more than one problem when trying to conceive. For example, one may suffer from endometriosis, but the partner may also have a low sperm count. Interestingly, the most common cause of infertility is "unexplained," which means that following thorough investigations, doctors can find no specific or identifiable medical problem at the root.

But this is where a natural approach can come into play. If a couple fails to become pregnant, there is obviously something causing the problem. It is no good labeling infertility "unexplained." The answer is to look deeper - at lifestyle sectors, nutritional deficiencies and even emotional elements (Marilyn Glenville 2008).

Zinc is probably the most important fertility nutrient. It is responsible for hundreds of enzyme systems, many of which affect sexual performance and fertility. After fertilisation has occurred, the embryo cells need to divide and grow and zinc is absolutely vital for this process. Zinc deficiency can increase the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies.

Zinc is the most widely studied nutrient in terms of fertility for both men and women. It is an essential component of genetic material and a zinc deficiency can cause chromosome changes in either the man or the woman, leading to reduce fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage. Zinc is necessary for the body to "attract and hold" (utilize sufficiently) the reproductive hormones - estrogen and progesterone.

Zinc is found in high concentrations in the sperm. It is needed to make the outer layer and tail of the sperm and is, therefore, essential for the health of the man's sperm and subsequently, the baby. Interestingly, several studies have also shown that reducing zinc in a man's diet will also reduce his sperm count. Diets low in zinc can reduce sperm counts, while excessive alcohol intake can reduce zinc levels even further. Zinc is found in food such as meat, wholegrain cereals, seafood, eggs and pulses.

Another nutrient that has a role in male fertility is selenium. Selenium is an antioxidant that helps to protect the body from highly reactive chemical fragments called "free radicals." For this reason, selenium can prevent chromosome breakage, which is known to be a cause of birth defects and miscarriages. Good level of selenium is also essential to maximise sperm formation. Blood selenium levels have been found to be lower in men with low sperm counts. Brazil nuts contain lots of this important mineral, alongside meat, seafood, mushrooms and cereals.

Folic acid can prevent spina bifida in your baby, and it is essential that you get plenty both before and during pregnancy. And that is not all: folic acid is undoubtedly important, but it is just part of the very important B-complex family of vitamins that are necessary to produce the genetic materials DNA and RNA. Together with vitamin B12, folic acid works to ensure that a baby's genetic codes are intact.

It is not enough to take folic acid alone when one is trying to become pregnant, all of the B vitamins are essential during the pre-conceptual period. Research has shown that giving B6 to women who have trouble conceiving increases fertility and vitamin BI2 has been found to improve low sperm count. Rich dietary sources include fortified breakfast cereals, bread, green leafy vegetables (such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach and green beans), oranges, dried beans, peas and lentils.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to increase fertility when given to both men and women. Vitamin C is also another antioxidant, and studies show that Vitamin C enhances sperm quality, protecting sperm and the DNA within it from damage. Some research has indicated that certain types of DNA damage in the sperm could make it difficult to conceive in the first place.

Drinking any alcohol at all can reduce your fertility by half, and the more you drink, the less likely you are to conceive. There is plenty of evidence to show that caffeine, particularly in the form of coffee, decreases fertility. Drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day can halve your chances of conceiving.

Smoking has definitely been linked with infertility in women. It can even bring on an early menopause, which is a particularly important consideration for older women who may be trying to beat the clock. Smoking can decrease sperm count in men, making the sperm more sluggish, and can increase the number of abnormal sperm. With men, the effects on fertility are increased with the number of cigarettes.

It is crucial for women to obtain an optimum level of body fat (at least 18 per cent). If the level drops below this, it can lead to hormone imbalances, which may result in a failure to ovulate. At the other extreme, obesity can lower a woman's chances of conception.

In general, meat, shellfish, milk, cheese, bread, wheat germ, citrus fruit, dark green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, nuts, avocados, oily fish, seeds and olive oil are good sources of zinc, Vitamin C, E and good fats and it is encouraged that it be consumed.

Abegunde is of the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan.
Source: http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/natural_health/article03//indexn3_html?pdate=070208&ptitle=Nutrition%20as%20complimentary%20therapy%20for%20infertility&cpdate=080208

Photo by Mrinkk
Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11.

For many it will be an uplifting day, but for some, it triggers dread, sorrow or bittersweet emotions.

I know because I've heard many of your stories. You lost your mother. You lost your wife, the mother to your children. Your mom has an addiction. Your mom has Alzheimer's. Your mom has cancer. You lost your child. Your child has health or learning problems. Your child is rebelling. You are battling for custody. Your child is in jail. You're waiting to adopt. You want children, but can't get pregnant.

Like many of you, I'm a daughter and step-daughter to long-distance moms. I've experienced barren, broken and blessed times in my motherhood journey. My experience through infertility, adoption, the death of an infant son, miscarriages, birthing babies in my 40's, and enduring menopause while parenting strong-willed sons who haven't always made the right choices, has enlarged my perspective. My barren and broken times have stripped away some of my finger-pointing and apathy, to see people everywhere in need of compassion, which is a blessing. I've enlarged my Mother's Day remembrance list to include a multitude of people.

Ironically, the first person on my Mother's Day list this year is a man. An only child who lost his mom, this will be his first Mother's Day without her. A "thinking of you" card and chocolate (that was his mom's favorite) are on my list. Another friend lost her young son so I'll leave a surprise on his grave for her. My out-of-state friend Carol will spend Mother's Day on a prison yard where her only son is serving a life sentence. I think I'll send a card or book to him to give to her. Another friend wonders if her son will be sober, I'll invite her to go to a support meeting with me. For the worker at my son's school. who is expecting a baby with a fatal birth defect, I'll leave an anonymous note and teddy bear to fill her empty arms.

I have plenty of people on my list who are blessed or have blessed me. A pregnant friend, a first-time mom and grandmom, a single woman who has made an impact on my life, an empty-nest mom, a mother-like friend, a teacher, a mentor, an acquaintance, a foster care mom and a woman waiting for her adoptive child and, of course, my husband, who plays Mr. Mom when I am away speaking.

I encourage you to enlarge your Mother's Day perspective this year. Who are the barren or broken people you know? Who are the women (or men) who have encouraged you in your motherhood? And if you don't know any, open your eyes, look around in our community ... trust me, they are everywhere. Remember them in a practical, personal or anonymous way. And if you are a barren or broken mom reading this, I pray you know you are not alone and others do care. Be open to seek and receive compassionate support.

May we enlarge our perspective, remember others this Mother's Day and become known as a compassionate community. Happy Mothers Day!

Kathe Wunnenberg lives in Ahwatukee Foothills with her family. She is founder of Hopelifters, www.hopelifters.com , and the author of Grieving The Loss of a Loved One, Grieving The Child I Never Knew, and Longing for a Child. Meet her on Friday, May 9 at Amazing Grace Bookstore in Tempe, where she will be the guest speaker. Contact her at kathe@hopelifters.com .

Source: http://www.ahwatukee.com/entertainment/mother_3119___article.html/mom_day.html




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Genetics & IVF Institute Offers Tips for Coping with the Holiday

Photo by woodsy
After suffering the heartbreak of years of infertility, scores of US couples claim their dreams came true due to a newly developed therapy. Over one hundred babies have been born or are expected by women diagnosed infertile after receiving a new physical therapy treatment, similar to a deep massage.

The new treatment uses no drugs or surgery, according to its developers, physical therapist Belinda Wurn, and massage therapist Larry Wurn. It was first used in Florida as an adjunct to medical treatments. Developed to treat infertility and pain, the patent protected Wurn Technique is becoming available at clinics throughout the US.

Cathleen, a Florida nurse, was given a five percent chance of ever becoming pregnant. She underwent four IVF attempts without success, then had a natural pregnancy and childbirth after receiving the new therapy. "It is exactly what my body needed. I was amazed to become pregnant naturally, a few months after the therapy!"
Manhattan resident Julie said, "Both of my fallopian tubes were blocked with adhesions before therapy. Two months after therapy, I became pregnant at 42 years of age for the first time in my life!" Julie and Cathleen both delivered healthy baby girls.

Published medical studies "Medscape General Medicine" (6/04) examine the technique's effectiveness. 71% of infertile women in one small study conceived naturally after treatment; a larger controlled study showed that women who received the therapy before in vitro fertilization (IVF) had a 67% pregnancy rate with IVF - much higher than the control group.

"Some successes in the natural therapy study were remarkable," said Richard King, MD, gynecologist and Medical Director of Florida Medical and Research Institute. "We had natural pregnancies and births in women diagnosed with adhesions, endometriosis, hormonal problems, and blocked fallopian tubes." Women in both studies averaged 5 years of infertility before the treatment.

The therapy has an unusual side effect in some women: increased orgasms. In a third study published in "Medscape General Medicine," (12/04) the therapy was shown to significantly increase desire, arousal and orgasm, and decrease sexual intercourse pain in study participants.

The 20-hour therapy program can be completed in five days at Clear Passage clinics in Florida, Iowa, California or New York. See http://www.clearpassage.com/ . Free phone consultations are available at 1-866-BABYHERE (866-222-9437).

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/32110.php

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
45 and Pregnant: How I Conceived and Delivered Naturally
by Liz Angeles

-- 45 and PREGNANT is a 3-part journey that begins with a 44-year-old single woman with no prospects, that leads quickly to a middle-aged pregnancy.

Her fears and worries about childbirth with her historically low pain threshold were later transformed by her decision to have a home water birth with no drugs and her success story that involved no complications.

Beginning with a serendipitous love story that led to the sudden pregnancy and concluding with the family events that transpired beyond the delivery, Liz Angeles provides a plethora of information for anyone considering a natural birth.

Her comical memoir spanning a 5-year period includes many healthy pregnancy tips and natural parenting options.

Her revealing details and personal choices promise to educate, entertain and inspire.

Paperback: 222 pages
Click to order/for more info: 45 and Pregnant - US | CDN | UK

Start reading 45 and Pregnant on your Kindle in under a minute!

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Regarding the human egg: How old is too old?

Perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Remember the psychological argument about nature vs. nurture? Let’s rephrase the topic altogether. How can we help women in their mature reproductive years produce healthy children? I propose that the answer is found in the nature vs. nurture discussion. Nurturing the follicle in the 120 days before ovulation will produce a healthy egg, free of transmutation, free of the need for medical intervention.

Scientists have told us that in about 45 years all the eggs that we’re born with will have deteriorated. Yet, the latest evidence is challenging our previous doctrine. Now, they pronounce, mammalian ovaries may have specialized stem cells that make new eggs throughout the female’s life. And this could, they say, lead to powerful new treatments for infertility. Women who heretofore have been told that their eggs are “too old” to become babies, are renewed with hope, just as they were when cytoplasmic transfer was a promising solution a few years ago.

Yet, as scientists and politicians snatched that possibility away from us, we were left once again with the hopeless pronouncement that old eggs have a dismal possibility of propagating. Letting a youthful woman donate her fresh, perfect eggs to replace our shriveled, dieing ones has been the only answer for women with “poor quality” eggs. Poor quality eggs mean the ones that won’t act in response to Western medicine’s attempt to force a pregnancy in a reproductive system that seems resistance to artificial hormonal stimulation. They call us “poor responders”, “clomid failures”, or “IVF failures”.

I have been treating poor responders, older women with high FSH, those with premature ovarian failure, poor quality eggs, and yes, even those dismal “IVF failures” for years. Yet because of their successful response, I no longer believe the dogma that our eggs deteriorate, that they go bad, or that we are failures. I believe Western reproductive medicine sometimes fails us.

Why? Because when I have been able to embrace a woman whose only desire in life is to become a mother, using the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine, within a few months of gentle ovarian balancing therapy, her body responds. Her ovaries seem to wake up in reply, somehow liberating “healthy” eggs.

In an effort to understand what this process really was, I had to shift my own paradigm. After completing my medical school academics, I too was told I was infertile. Barren was the word that came to mind, and panic set in. I could tell that this terror was worsening my already bleak diagnosis. But, fortunately, I held a kernel of disbelief within that wouldn’t accept my doctor’s pronouncement.

By this time I had enough medical knowledge to realize that since the endocrine system worked via feedback, that taking external hormones may force ovulation, but wouldn’t resolve the underlying disorder. After all, if my ovaries weren’t producing the right hormones, how could they be producing healthy eggs?! That’s what I had to find out on my own. And somehow I knew deep inside that the answer was natural and healthy, if I could just find it.

Let me explain what I have come to know about the amazing female reproductive system. First of all, it is perfectly created. The biology of the ovary itself is remarkably intelligent and interactive with the rest of the body. It is, after all, the source of all human life on this planet. Our body knows how to protect it, too. If a little boy gets mumps or a high fever, he may become permanently sterile. Not so a little girl. Her ovaries, although deep within her body, are protected from their surroundings before the process of meiosis is initiated.

This may make her ovaries temporarily unresponsive, but as her eggs are protected, so are they innately fruitful and responsive when the conditions are right. We have just been viewing them through scientific lenses which have no vision for what our role can be, not through the lenses of our deep, internal sense of knowing we have more potential than we are ever given credit.

“If we remain obsessed with seeds and eggs, we are married to the fertile reproductive valley of the Mysterious Mother, but not to her immeasurable heart and all-knowing mind.” - Hua Hu Ching

Read more

By Randine Lewis MSOM, L.Ac., Ph.D.

Photo by Egg in a bowl,by stylesr1

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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
It Starts with the Egg:
How the Science of Egg Quality Can Help You Get Pregnant Naturally, Prevent Miscarriage, and Improve Your Odds in IVF
by Rebecca Fett

-- Whether you are trying to conceive naturally or through IVF, the quality of your eggs will have a powerful impact on how long it takes you to get pregnant and whether you face an increased risk of miscarriage.

Poor egg quality is emerging as the single most important cause of age-related infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and failed IVF cycles. It is also a major contributor to infertility in PCOS.

Based on a comprehensive investigation of a vast array of scientific research, It Starts with the Egg reveals a groundbreaking new approach for improving egg quality and fertility.

With a concrete strategy including minimizing exposure to toxins such as BPA and phthalates, choosing the right vitamins and supplements to safeguard developing eggs, and harnessing nutritional advice shown to boost IVF success rates, this book offers practical solutions to will help you get pregnant faster and deliver a healthy baby.

Paperback: 304 pages
Click to order/for more info: It Starts with the Egg

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