Category: TTC

Don’t let your doctor talk you into IUI (intrauterine insemination) or IVF (in vitro fertilization) too soon. These aren’t the only hope for conceiving.

Getting pregnant is one of those things in life that’s difficult to balance. Most of us don’t want to have a baby until suddenly we do, and then we’re anxious to get pregnant as fast as possible. For couples who wait until later in life (after age 35 and over) to expand their families, the process can seem even slower and more stressful. Each month of trying to conceive can feel like a lifetime.

Most couples will seek a doctor’s help after failing to conceive for a period of time. However, a lot of these couples are not properly informed on all of the natural ways/options to achieve pregnancy. They are instead quickly pushed toward conventional and costly fertility treatments like IVF or IUI without being educated on all their options.

At the end of the day, we should all choose what’s right for us, but there’s a lot to learn about fertility treatments and natural alternatives that can make the conception process safe, beautiful, less stressful and less stressful.

There are many cons to conventional fertility treatments that couples must be aware of: 

1. Cost. 

Most fertility treatments are extremely expensive. The average cost of an IVF cycle in Kenya is around Kshs.400,000/-.

2. Success rate. 

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies reports that, as of 2011, the best chance that an IVF cycle will result in a live birth is 40 percent, and it can be as low as ten percent.

3. Stress. 

Fertility treatments have been shown to be very taxing both on a woman’s body and on the couple. Some patients have rated the stress of undergoing IVF as more stressful than or almost as stressful as any other major life event, such as the death of a family member or separation or divorce.”

4. Side effects. 

Most fertility treatments come with side effects, including mood swings, hot flashes, headaches, dizziness, nausea and fatigue.

5. Moral considerations.  

Many couples don’t take the time to discuss how many embryos to transfer, what to do with the extra eggs and/or embryos, or what to do if they need a donor egg or donor sperm.

So what are the Natural Alternatives to Conventional Fertility Treatments?

Before going down the expensive and difficult road of fertility treatments, there are a number of natural ways to boost fertility that couples can explore.

Natural alternatives are significantly less expensive. They’re also safe, easy, and incredibly effective.

1. Track ovulation. 

Lack of fertility awareness is a major factor in some couples’ inability to conceive. By learning to track fertility signs, couples can accurately predict when ovulation is going to occur and time intercourse appropriately. There are a number of fertility tracking tools available online.

2. Improve overall health.

There are often general health issues that can prevent pregnancy that many couples aren’t aware of. Improving each partner’s overall health by maintaining a healthy weight, improving nutrition, and getting moderate exercise will enhance fertility.

3. Supplement. 

Many natural products such as herbs, minerals, and vitamins have been scientifically proven to help promote sperm health in men and hormonal balance in women.

4. De-stress. 

Stress is a fertility killer. Couples who have trouble getting pregnant should reevaluate all the activities and relationships in their lives that might be triggering stress. Exercise, meditation, and acupuncture are all effective ways to unwind.

When we’re ready to start our families but can’t seem to get pregnant, continuing the old-fashioned way can seem hopeless. It’s easy to get impatient, and it’s natural to turn to a doctor for help. But no couple should let a physician pressure them into fertility treatments or conventional medicine. We always have options, and there’s no right or wrong way to make a baby.

Even as you seek help from your doctor, be your own advocate, do your own research. Make an informed decision.

 

As you might already know, in order for conception to take place, sperm must be waiting in the Fallopian tube at the moment that ovulation occurs so it can fertilize the egg within 12-24 hours of the egg being released from the ovary.

Because sperm can only live for up to 7 days in the female body, and only a small number of sperm will even survive the long journey to the egg, you and your partner need to have sex at the right time to maximize the chance that you will conceive.

This means you need to know when you will ovulate, which is more difficult to determine than you might think. One reason for this is that due to normal fluctuations in your body, you won’t always ovulate on the same cycle day from one cycle to the next. Fortunately, there are other reliable ways to measure what’s going on in your body and predict when your most fertile days in each cycle will fall. The most important thing is to find a method for pinpointing your fertile window that works well for you!

Some of the ways to predicting your fertile window include:

1. Using a period tracking APP. This is good enough especially for those with regular periods. There are also many free options of these apps.
2. Ovulation Predictor Kits(OPKs) are a popular method for predicting ovulation. OPKs detect the presence of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. Approximately 12-36 hours before ovulation occurs, the amount of LH in your body “surges”. By testing with OPKs, you can identify this LH surge, which allows you to know that ovulation is just around the corner and that you are in your fertile window. These can be used alongside your period tracking app to be extra sure of when you are ovulating.
3. Electronic fertility monitors, like the OvaCue Wireless Fertility Monitor, can give you the most advanced notice of ovulation, up to 7 days. They use the Electrolyte Method to track changes in the electrolytes in your saliva and cervical mucus that correspond to the fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone throughout your cycle. These devices even work well for women with irregular cycles as they work by watching for trends in the readings rather than looking for set reading levels. The main con for these is price with most of them starting at about 250USD or Ksh.30,000/-.

For those with irregular cycles, it would be best to first regulate their cycle so that they can be better able to track their fertile window. Fertilaid for women is a supplement that is designed just for this.

Have you been tracking your ovulation? Which method have you been using? What challenge have you faced?

So you’ve been trying to conceive for some time….now what?

First of all, relax, don’t panic!

You’re doing great. The fact is that it sometimes it just takes time. If you’ve been trying for more than a few months and are feeling a little impatient, know that it’s common to take a year or more to conceive and that sometimes it just takes time. Usually there’s no need to seek help just yet. Still there are some things you can do to get the most out of your efforts and improve your chances of getting pregnant.

Find YOUR fertile window

As you may already know, in order for conception to take place, sperm must be waiting in the Fallopian tube at the moment that ovulation occurs so it can fertilize the egg within 12-24 hours of the egg being released from the ovary. Because sperm can only live for up to 7 days in the female body, and only a small number of sperm will even survive the long journey to the egg, you and your partner need to have sex at the right time to maximize the chance that you will conceive. This means you need to know when you will ovulate, which is more difficult to determine than you might think. One reason for this is that due to normal fluctuations in your body, you won’t always ovulate on the same cycle day from one cycle to the next.

This will even be harder for those with irregular cycles. Fortunately, there are reliable ways to measure what’s going on in your body and predict when your most fertile days in each cycle will fall. The most important thing is to find a method for pinpointing your fertile window that works well for you! Aside from using a basic period calculator, you can also use Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs). These are a popular method for predicting ovulation. OPKs detect the presence of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. Approximately 12-36 hours before ovulation occurs, the amount of LH in your body “surges”. By testing with OPKs, you can identify this LH surge, which allows you to know that ovulation is just around the corner and that you are in your fertile window.

Create a sperm-friendly environment

Many major lube brands harm sperm motility (ability to swim) and viability (ability to survive).  When you are trying to get pregnant, it is important to understand that all lubricants are NOT created equal, and you need to be careful when selecting the best lube to use when trying to conceive.

Most everyday lubricants have a low pH and very high salt concentrations, creating a harmful environment for sperm. Another way to help sperm survive is to support your body’s production of fertile-quality cervical mucus. Each cycle during your fertile window, your cervical mucus changes consistency to be very slippery and pH matched to semen. To help increase production of this natural lube, drink LOTS of water. Water is a key ingredient in the creation of this body fluid.

Regulate your cycle and support egg health

An irregular period is defined as a menstrual cycle that is consistently shorter than 21 days or consistently longer than 36 days. Your cycle can also be considered irregular if the length varies significantly from cycle to cycle, for example sometimes lasting 28 days, then 40 days, then 32 days. What does this have to do with fertility? Irregular cycles make it more difficult to predict your fertile window and ovulation, however, you may be able to improve your cycle regularity. For women with chronic irregularity, the cause is likely that there is an underlying hormonal imbalance. The herb commonly known as Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus), included in the dietary supplement FertilAid for Women, is frequently used to help women restore hormonal balance and cycle regularity. FertilAid for Women also contains a comprehensive prenatal vitamin, which helps to ensure that trying-to-conceive women take in all of the nutrients (think iron and folate) they need to sustain a healthy pregnancy.

Egg health is another factor you should consider, especially if you are over the age of 35. Each woman has a limited supply of eggs and you want to make the most of yours. Natural products like the dietary supplement OvaBoost protect your eggs from toxins and stress through a specialized formulation of antioxidants and vitamins, supporting egg quality and healthy ovulation.

Trying to conceive is a team sport

If things are taking a while, both partners have an opportunity to up their game. While you are keeping your cycles on track, your partner can help move things along, too. A non-invasive and first step is testing his sperm health through a semen analysis to determine what his actual sperm count is and whether or not his sperm motility and morphology are normal. The good news is that a growing body of scientific research indicates that supplementing with antioxidant nutrients, like those found in Fertilaid for Men, Countboost and Motilityboost can improve overall sperm health.

Acknowledge that life is stressful

If you’re reading this, you may be stressed out about how long it’s taking to conceive. According to many fertility experts, chronic stress can be a fertility-buster, as it causes the body to be in “fight or flight” mode constantly, which suppresses reproductive hormones. While it’s probably not realistic to think you’ll be able to eliminate stress all together, now is the time to lean in to your most effective stress-reducing tactics and self-care favorites. Take a careful look at the relationships and other activities in your life that might be impacting your stress levels and consider what options you have for changing those dynamics. It could make all the difference!

Source:

Fairhaven health