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Most people already know that consuming ample amounts of vitamin D has lasting benefits, including bone health. But it turns out it could also increase your chances getting pregnant.

The European Journal of Endocrinology published a study which was aimed to consolidate the results of other studies regarding vitamin D and fertility. Looking at several years of research by other institutions and scientists led them to draw positive links between the two, along with other fertility-boosting vitamins. This body of research is rather remarkable and may give couples looking to boost their chances to conceive naturally reason to read on. { read more }

About Liz Alfano

I write "Dirty Words," the blog about things you should know, but might not. I'm the mother of two elementary school-aged boys and wife of one adult aged man. When not writing, I can be found reading or staring into space wishing I was either reading or writing. Sometimes I'm seen vacuuming...but not often. www.mydirtywords.com

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Nobody wants to be in a fertility patient’s shoes. But talk to enough women and men who’ve been through it and you’ll hear plenty of stories that sound like they actually benefited from going through infertility to wherever they are today. Is it just a matter of selective hindsight? Making the best lemonade from what life throws your way? Evidence of the tremendous relief they feel from not being in their own past shoes? Are they just crazy? { read more }

About Tracy Morris

I wear a lot of hats while spinning plates and true stories. In between taking care of myself and my family, I write about fertility and other health care topics. Most of my online time lately is spent at two very different places: FertilityTies.com and TrailerParkKarma.com. Perspective is everything -- my pre-teen reminds me daily.

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Reproductive acupuncture serves as an alternative to the some of the more medically invasive fertility treatments offered to couples struggling with infertility. Weekly or bi-weekly acupuncture treatments can help reduce stress and regulate hormones—two important issues that impact fertility dramatically. However, along with acupuncture treatments, many practitioners also recommend a regiment of Chinese herbs. These herbs are often carefully selected and compounded based on your unique medical history and issues. But are they safe and do they help combat infertility? { read more }

About Monet Moutrie

Monet Moutrie is a writer and baker, who lives in Austin, Texas with her three cats and husband. Between government work, graduate school and her own blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores, nothing sounds better to Monet than an evening of yoga, a cup of Earl Grey tea and a novel. Knock on her front door and you'll find her pulling out a loaf of bread from the oven while brainstorming ideas for her own work of fiction.

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Across the country, more and more women dealing with fertility issues are turning to alternative medicine. Reproductive acupuncture has been a popular choice for many couples as Chinese medicine has risen in prominence throughout the United States. It can offer couples the ability to address hormone imbalances naturally as well as examine lifestyle choices that could be negatively affecting their ability to conceive. The holistic approach of acupuncturists and practitioners of Chinese medicine can be a welcome relief to men and women who feel discouraged by infertility issues.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture has been used for centuries to treat emotional and physical ailments ranging from depression to seizures.Traditional Chinese Medicine points to over 2,000 acupuncture points connected by pathways that move vital energy (known as qi) throughout the entire body. When these pathways become blocked and vital energy is imbalanced, illness or symptoms arise in the body.  Acupuncture uses hair-thin needles to stimulate points that can help return the body to a healthy-energy balance. { read more }

About Monet Moutrie

Monet Moutrie is a writer and baker, who lives in Austin, Texas with her three cats and husband. Between government work, graduate school and her own blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores, nothing sounds better to Monet than an evening of yoga, a cup of Earl Grey tea and a novel. Knock on her front door and you'll find her pulling out a loaf of bread from the oven while brainstorming ideas for her own work of fiction.

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In her recent piece on Slate, Sarah Elizabeth Richards (author of an upcoming book about fertility preservation) complains that there’s too much hype about the stress-fertility link. She lists reasons for her stance that any evidence out there connecting a woman’s stress relief to getting pregnant is inconclusive.

She’s right, of course, that there are no studies that can matter-of-factly state that, yes, indeed, stress causes infertility. Richards is also correct in pointing to a rather hyped-up approach by the media in their reporting on the thin threads that are found by research.

But that’s the thing about most research, not just studies about how stress can impact getting pregnant, but studies about cognitive behavioral connections in general: each conclusion is simply a piece of the puzzle. It’s how these conclusions about the mind-body connection are presented that matters.

{ read more }

About Tracy Morris

I wear a lot of hats while spinning plates and true stories. In between taking care of myself and my family, I write about fertility and other health care topics. Most of my online time lately is spent at two very different places: FertilityTies.com and TrailerParkKarma.com. Perspective is everything -- my pre-teen reminds me daily.

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Photo Credit: J. Star

When a couple decides they’re ready to expand their family, they also hope for a quick and easy conception. Some women get pregnant quickly, but for others, it can be more of a challenge to conceive. To make the conception process easier, there are several lifestyle changes a couple can make.

These tips will not only improve your chances of conceiving quickly, but they’ll help you deliver a healthy baby. The healthier your body is, the easier it is to get pregnant. But remember, there are also many healthy women who struggle with infertility, so if you are still struggling to conceive after implementing these tips, don’t lose heart. Keep trying and seek out help from professionals. { read more }

About Monet Moutrie

Monet Moutrie is a writer and baker, who lives in Austin, Texas with her three cats and husband. Between government work, graduate school and her own blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores, nothing sounds better to Monet than an evening of yoga, a cup of Earl Grey tea and a novel. Knock on her front door and you'll find her pulling out a loaf of bread from the oven while brainstorming ideas for her own work of fiction.

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We are what we eat, so the saying goes.  It is no surprise, then, that diet and lifestyle changes affect our fertility at many levels. The effects can add up profoundly; women with ovulatory infertility who follow a combination of five or more lifestyle factors, including changing specific aspects of their diets, can reduce their risk of infertility by more than 80%.

Keep your body healthy for better fertility

In the “ecology” of reproduction, if your own body is not thriving, you are not likely to sustain a healthy pregnancy and children.

Supplements can readjust a poorly balanced diet that may not support fertility.  Vegetarians may need iron and vitamin B-12.  Diets low in fresh fruits and vegetables may contain inadequate antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, E, omega-3, omega-6 and linolenic fatty acids. { read more }

About

Dr. Kathy D obtained her PhD in Physiology and did biomedical research for over a decade, specializing in reproductive endocrinology. She is a devoted "earth girl" - non-meat eater, passionate recycler, persistent home remodeler/do-it-yourselfer, always with a focus on environmentally friendly options.

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Photo: Andres Rueda, Flickr

If you’ve been experiencing difficulties conceiving, it may be due to incorrect charting of your ovulation. Knowing your most fertile days is an inexact science, but being as precise as possible can increase your chances of getting pregnant. One important aspect of charting ovulation is getting an accurate reading of your basal body temperature, or the lowest temperature your body achieves during rest. Correct readings of your basal body temperature (BBT) can help you accurately chart your biphasic cycles (the periods before and after your cycle) so you can seek help regulating your cycle if either phase is too long or short.

Follow these simple steps to ensure you’re getting as accurate of a BBT reading as possible.

1. Buy a basal body temperature thermometer.

Many aren’t aware that basal body thermometers are different from standard thermometers, and buying the correct thermometer can make a big difference. You can purchase a basal body thermometer online, or at most of the big-box retailers. { read more }

About Jeff Jacobson

Socrates understood himself to be the smartest man in Athens because he knew at least enough to know he knew nothing. That's me. I'm an inconsistently successful father, stepfather, husband, and writer. But at least I know it.

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Conceiving a baby happens “all the time.” One egg and one sperm meet up and nine months later, a baby comes out.  This simple scenario fails for many couples, however.

Infertility may occur in the man, the woman, or both.  Roughly one third of men in infertile couples have insufficient healthy sperm (male infertility).  A quick and relatively inexpensive evaluation of the male side of infertility may be your best solution.

First, can the man have an erection and ejaculate? Problems here may originate in psychological factors (stress, depression) or metabolic conditions such as diabetes. Counseling, medications or devices to assist with erections may provide solutions. { read more }

About

Dr. Kathy D obtained her PhD in Physiology and did biomedical research for over a decade, specializing in reproductive endocrinology. She is a devoted "earth girl" - non-meat eater, passionate recycler, persistent home remodeler/do-it-yourselfer, always with a focus on environmentally friendly options.

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Photo: www.familypolicy.net

The joy of seeing “positive” on an at-home pregnancy detection test strip generally is followed by an eager visit to your gynecologist and confirmation that, yes, you are pregnant. This miracle of conception goes exactly right in most women.  However, about 2% of women who become pregnant experience a misstep in this process with an ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized egg implants “out of position,” or not in the uterus.

How could this happen?

Each ovary is nestled in a fringe-like basket opening of the fallopian tube.  At ovulation, the egg bursts from the ovary and moves into the tube.  Conception of the egg and the sperm occurs within 24 hours, before the egg reaches the uterus. Within 10 days, the fertilized egg, finally having arrived in the uterus, implants and begins the 9-month miracle of transformation to a baby. { read more }

About

Dr. Kathy D obtained her PhD in Physiology and did biomedical research for over a decade, specializing in reproductive endocrinology. She is a devoted "earth girl" - non-meat eater, passionate recycler, persistent home remodeler/do-it-yourselfer, always with a focus on environmentally friendly options.

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