The “Common Causes of Infertility - Read Now! - Infertility Treatment” plus 4 more

Common Causes of Infertility - Read Now! - Infertility Treatment
Morning Sickness Relief - Ginger to the Rescue
Is Your Hospital Baby Friendly?
How to Conceive a Boy - 6 Best Methods From a Medical Professional
Pregnancy Nausea - When You Should Expect It

Common Causes of Infertility - Read Now! - Infertility Treatment

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 09:55 AM PST

A Look at Common Factors That Cause Infertility Infertility Treatment

There are a number of factors that can cause infertility in both women and men. Some of the most common risk factors for women include age, ovulation disorder, having a history of STD's, exposure to certain toxins, abnormal hormone levels, and lifestyle factors. Many people don't realize that bad lifestyle choices and habits can cause infertility, but they really can. Some of them are easy to overcome and others are not.

Lifestyle habits that can cause infertility include:

• Smoking, taking drugs, and alcohol consumption.
• Stress, as it can cause irregular periods. In a man's case, it can reduce the sperm count.
• Unhealthy diets, such as anorexia and binging/purging (bulimia).
• Excessive exercising and physical activity.
• Certain sexual habits, such as using lubricants.

For the most part, these can be overcome. However, for some individuals, the damage can already be done and irreversible. This is particularly true for individuals over 35 who have physical damage to their reproductive systems. In such cases, medical treatment or even surgery may be needed in order to help a couple to conceive; that is, if the reproductive system can still be repaired.

Untreated STD's and pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID's) can also cause infertility. The most common PID's are gonorrhea and chlamydia. According to studies, 21% of women with a PID are infertile. This is because such diseases can cause damage and scarring to the reproductive tract, which blocks the fallopian tubes. Women infected with a PID experience no symptoms, which is why they often go untreated.
STD's can cause infertility in both men and women.

Men who are infected with a sexually transmitted disease often develop epididymitis, which can cause inflammation in the vessels that transfer semen through the male reproductive system. Obviously, this can cause a blockage that results in male infertility. Men who are untreated can also transfer the STD to their girlfriends or wives, causing them to have reproductive problems also.

Some women have ovulation disorders. This means that their eggs either don't properly develop or they do so irregularly. This condition is referred to as anovulation. Women who never develop or release eggs have a condition known as anovulatory. Usually, medication can help treat such conditions, although it's not guaranteed to always help.

Sometimes a woman might only experience a menstrual period every now and then due to a condition called amenorrhea. There are different levels of this condition which can be caused by a number of different underlying reasons. There are many possible explanations for amenorrhea, although they can be hard to identify. Fortunately, once doctors identify the underlying problems, treatment is easily available.

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Morning Sickness Relief - Ginger to the Rescue

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 09:51 AM PST

What's beige in color, knotted, and an underground stem (rhizome for you science-minded readers)? Don't know the answer? Well, here's a hint... Look at the title of the article. That's right, for morning sickness relief we are going to talk about ginger.

The description I gave in the first sentence doesn't do this root justice. For those of you who haven't seen it before, it is extremely ugly. I've heard people describe it as having the general shape of a human being. These people definitely need their eyes checked. Its twisted form, at best, resembles "The Simpsons" Mr. Burns' crooked spine, but that's as close to a human as it looks.

A lot of people call this an "herb", but, like I said in the previous paragraph, it's actually a root. No matter what you want to call it, herb (for simplicity, I'll be referring to it as an herb for the rest of the article because that's what most people call it) or root, it is a powerful tool when you are looking for relief to your pregnancy nausea and vomiting.

Ancient cultures have been using this herb to settle upset stomachs for many millennia, so this isn't some new discovery. It may seem new for some expectant mothers, but maybe not... you may have taken it before and not even realized it.

Do you remember when you were a kid and your mom gave you ginger ale to settle your upset stomach? Well, this is the same principle. I'll bet you didn't even think about the ginger in it when she gave it to you. I'll bet she didn't even think of the ginger when she gave it to you. The explanation I always got was that "the bubbles will settle your stomach." What I always wondered, that was until I learned about ginger, was why she never gave me something like Dr. Pepper if it was the bubbles that settled my stomach.

One of the first ways you can settle that nauseated feeling in your stomach right now is to drink some ginger ale. Just make sure to find a brand that is made from the real thing. My personal preference (during pregnancy and for any other upset stomach issues) is Canada Dry. For whatever reason, the other types just didn't seem to help as much.

"The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" has published studies validating the positive effects of ginger. What does this mean for pregnant women? It means that ginger as an option for morning sickness relief is gaining ground in the medical community.

I recommend you give ginger a try. Of course, ginger ale is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways you can ingest ginger for relief from your pregnancy nausea and vomiting. There are supplements, foods, drinks, and candies that contain ginger that are worth your time to investigate.

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Is Your Hospital Baby Friendly?

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 09:40 AM PST

Are you planning to breast feed your newborn infant? If so, there is a designation given to hospitals that you may want to be aware of: Baby Friendly.

In 1991 The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was launched. This initiative is an international program sponsored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization to encourage maternity care centers and hospitals to become fully supportive of breastfeeding. The BFHI gives special recognition i.e. a Baby Friendly Designation to facilities that provide a certain level of breast feeding support and meet certain criterion. Baby-Friendly USA oversees the United State's BFHI.

The ten steps to receive the Baby Friendly Designation are:

1. Maintain a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
6. Give infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
7. Practice rooming in-- allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
8. Encourage unrestricted breastfeeding.
9. Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic

There are some facilities that may advertise a certificate of intent. It is important to distinguish between a facility that has received the full Baby Friendly designation versus one that has simply received a Certificate of Intent. According to BFHI: "Certificates of Intent are given out on an honor system... Receiving the Certificate of Intent is not equivalent to receiving the Baby-Friendly designation, but rather recognizes those US hospitals and birthing centers that are working toward applying the Ten Steps."

As of December 2009, there were 86 Facilities in the United States with the Baby Friendly designation. Most people already know that there are many benefits to breast feeding. Research also shows that there are many benefits received from using Baby Friendly Hospitals. To learn more about the benefits, and to see if the hospital where you plan to birth has been given the Baby Friendly Designation visit the BFHI official website: http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org.

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How to Conceive a Boy - 6 Best Methods From a Medical Professional

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 08:54 AM PST

This article will reveal to you the medical professions most accepted system of how to influence the gender of your baby prior to conception, and specifically how to conceive a boy.

Conception occurs about 2 weeks before your period is due, therefore most women are 3 weeks pregnant before they start to suspect that they might be pregnant. This is significant because the fetus is most sensitive to harm in the period from 2-8 weeks after conception. This is when the main organs like heart, lungs and kidneys begin to form and also your baby's facial features. Many things that you eat, drink, smoke or are exposed to can affect your baby at this stage.

It is recommended that you see your doctor when you are just thinking about getting pregnant, which is most likely the stage you find yourself in now. You can discuss with your doctor your diet, bowel habits, lifestyle, weight control or anything that concerns you, a blood sample may also be collected to determine your antibody levels to Rubella, Hepatitis B and Syphilis, these tests are just routine antenatal tests that your doctor will need.

Another advantage of seeing your doctor prior to conception is that a physical examination may reveal unknown health conditions that might have a significant effect on your ability to fall pregnant or successfully carry a baby to full-term.

There is a widely accepted system that if followed will increase your chances of conceiving a boy from 50% to 75%, the best thing is that this system is FREE! it's really up to your determination and perseverance, don't be fooled, there is no 100% guaranteed FREE method, but this is the best.

The method is based on the fact that men produce 2 types of sperm, the X(female) and Y(male). The male(Y) sperm are smaller and more fragile, but swim faster than the female(X) sperm which are bigger, tougher but slower swimmers.

The system (Shettles) is based on providing an environment which is suited to the type of sperm that matches your preference to get to the egg first. The race is on, have fun!

There are 6 simple procedures to follow to increase your chance of conceiving a boy:

1. Timing - This is the most crucial step in this system. The closer to ovulation that you have intercourse the better your chances of having a boy. This is because ovulation provides the most optimal time for conceiving and the male sperm are faster swimmers. Therefore have no sex from the last day of your period until ovulation occurs.

2. The pH of the vaginal tract is also important, a more alkaline (pH>7) environment is generally favorable to fertility and therefore favors the quicker, but more fragile male sperm. Ten minutes before intercourse use a vaginal douche made from 5g baking soda in 500mg of water.

3. The vaginal tract is more acidic closer to the entrance (need to avoid this area), therefore intercourse with deeper penetration and ejaculation will favour you to conceive a boy, also, the man should withdraw immediately after ejaculation.

4. It is better for women to have an orgasm, ideally just before ejaculation. This is because orgasms in women produce a hormone which makes the vaginal tract more alkaline and therefore more favourable for boys.

5. A high sperm count favours conceiving boys, have sex twice daily from the day of ovulation until 4 days afterward. To increase sperm count abstain from intercourse for up to 3 to 4 days before ovulation. Also, men shouldn't wear tight underpants but rather wear boxers.

6. The final step is totally optional and less scientific than the other 5 steps. To conceive a boy, drink a cup of coffee just prior to intercourse.

Further conception and pregnancy information, including how to conceive a girl, can be found in the digital Ebook - "Pregnancy From A to Z"- A Complete Pregnancy Guide, with practical and professional medical advice for living through, and preparing for pregnancy and childbirth.

This Complete Pregnancy Guide is written by a Medical Doctor, Dr. Irina Webster, a specialist in women's and children's health, she is also a wife and mother. This guide will provide you with all of the pregnancy information you will need, pictures and details on pregnancy stages, your body and baby changes for each trimester, stages of labour, childbirth options including anesthetics used for pain relief.

There is also what to avoid and which medications to use during pregnancy, 20 tips to cope with morning sickness, homeopathic/herbal remedies.

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Pregnancy Nausea - When You Should Expect It

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 08:43 AM PST

It is not easy to define the impact of pregnancy nausea and when you might expect to experience it. Morning sickness can strike pregnant women at anytime although some will not feel even the slightest bit sick throughout their whole nine months. Every woman will have a slightly different experience so it is hard to be too specific about what you might be in for and when it might happen to you. Hopefully the information provided in this article, while containing a few generalizations, will at least give you a guide as to when to expect pregnancy nausea.

You could begin to experience symptoms of morning sickness during your first month of pregnancy although it is much more likely to occur around week 6. At this stage, your hormone levels will be fluctuating and your body will be struggling to adapt to the various physical changes taking place. This is obviously a vital stage in the development of your baby as it begins to grown inside you. You want to be avoiding anything that might involve usage of chemicals so this includes staying away from any drugs or alcohol. You might even want to limit exposure to chemicals that could come from beauty treatments like manicures or perms.

There are numerous theories and explanations as to what actually causes or starts pregnancy nausea. One of the most common relates to sickness starting as a result of increased production of progesterone. This hormone relaxes the uterus for eventual delivery of the baby but it is also important as it prevents onset of early labor. The theory is that it can also relax muscles that surround the stomach and this leads to nausea.

Week by week your baby will continue to develop and you can expect that the queasy feelings will also continue for a while. It will probably peak between about weeks 12 to 14. The nausea should begin to subside around this time although it could continue for several more weeks for a small percentage of women. Your hormones should begin to settle after your first trimester as your uterus shifts upwards to allow room for your growing baby. This should mean that there will be a little more room for your stomach and bladder until the baby begins to take up all the available space.

Although the nausea from pregnancy is commonly known as morning sickness, it can actually happen at any time of the day. Certainly you can expect that symptoms are more likely in the morning, and you could even feel sick before getting out of bed, but be aware that your nauseous feelings won't necessarily disappear every afternoon. It really can strike at any time of the day, particularly if there is a specific trigger that sets it off. This could be something as simple as a strong smell, a spicy meal, fluctuating hormones, or simply just tiredness.

There is no exact day or time that you can expect morning sickness to arrive. You might even be lucky, like an estimated 15-20% of expectant mothers, and never have the condition at all. Every pregnancy is unique and there is only so much planning or preparation that you can do. Hopefully you at least know a little bit more now about pregnancy nausea and when to expect it.

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