Posted: 20 Dec 2009 05:43 AM PST

Infertility is a health concern faced by an increasing number of couples, whether newly weds or great couples who keep on trying for years now to bear children. Inasmuch as it is noble of them not to lose hope, it's the wisest decision to speak to a physician and infertility specialist to look for the right redress.

A most obvious sign of infertility in women, partly since they are considered the bearers of should we say the receptacle of the sperm which is responsible for ovulation, is not having regular menstruation. An adult woman who has irregularities in her menstrual cycle is a great candidate for having infertility. That can be traced to too many causes. It might be that there are deformed reproductive organs involved. Having irregular menstrual cycle is a sign for having PCOS or what is called polycystic ovarian syndrome. It's a health condition where the woman's hormone levels are erratic.

Men also are not an exemption. The most obvious sign of infertility they have is having undescended testicles. That is a common condition among babies in their first few months. The testicles will then move down to the scrotum. If this won't happen, the doctor should treat them. For adult men who have undescended testicles, they have no other reprieve but to remove the testicles as they are already useless.

A woman who is so thin that she has no healthy fats in the body has a great chance of not being able to get pregnant. Lack of the right nutrients is one of the common reasons for having infertility that are controllable in nature. Too little body fat is common among women who are athletic or those who suffer from eating disorders. This happens as soon as menstruation stops since it saves energy.

There are some signs of infertility that are also reasons for having it, but there are those that are not obvious and would require men and women to see the doctor. An example of this are deformed reproductive organs such as those mentioned above or worse it can be because of the central nervous system deficiencies like spinal cord issues or the pituitary gland issues.

However, here is the real score. When you have been trying to conceive and have been extremely active sexually for 6 months straight and still have no signs of being successful, it's the right time you look for medical help. After all, it's not a trial and error game.

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An Empowered Pregnancy - Pregnancy Journals Can Help Create One

Posted: 20 Dec 2009 04:31 AM PST

Pregnancy can be a time of great wonderment and excitement. Some days fly by and you wonder how you will get it all done. Other days can't come to an end fast enough. Regardless of the way any particular day feels, each day brings with it a new thought, a new feeling, and new experiences. Are you keeping track of them?

Between prenatal appointments, on any given day, questions may arise. They come without warning and some days they come often and with fire. When you arrive at your next appointment you want to be ready to get your questions answered. Are you are you writing them down?

Over 4 million women give birth each year. Before giving birth, they each go into labor with some sort of plan; an idea, a concept, or a vision, of how they want their labor and birth to be. Do you have a vision for your pregnancy and birth? Have you made it plain?

I have spoken to many women about the feelings they have when their pregnancy has come to an end and they realize many of their experiences may fade into faint memories. They may have a few pictures, however, the depth of the emotions, and the small yet important details of the experiences, are often lost.

Many women have burning questions, yet they arrive to their next prenatal appointment only to realize they don't remember. Or they lack the confidence to ask the pertinent questions.

Many women have ideas about how they want their pregnancy and birth to go, yet they never make it plain and as the days pass by, and labor ensues, they often find themselves in a rapid whirlwind of activity with little resemblance of their original idea.

This is where pen and paper can come in handy. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to purchase a pregnancy journal; nothing fancy, a small note book that can easily fit in your purse or pocket. Take the advice of Pam England, author of Birthing From Within when she says: "Beware: Stay away from pretty journals! They might inhibit you form being spontaneous, messy, wild, and free." Regardless of the journal you decide to use, keep it with you at all times and be prepared to write. There are many benefits to writing down your ideas, your visions, your questions, and your experiences.

Don't be afraid to stop for a moment of reflection when a movement from the baby brings up a certain emotion. Don't hesitate to keep track of your feelings of joy as well as feeling of despair or fear. Write them all down as you do so, you will be able to work through them, ultimately moving to a place of faith and confidence.

Use your journal when you have a question or concern. Writing the question down and using your journal during your next prenatal appointment will give you more confidence to ask a question during what may seem to be a rushed appointment.

Write out the vision you have for your pregnancy and birth experience. How do you see yourself birthing your baby? Where will you birth? Who will be there? Paint a picture with words and make it plain. Draw an actual picture if you would like and make it real. As you read, as you grow, as you learn, your vision may change. Change it in your journal too.

Use your journal to embrace the different feelings, the different questions, the different visions that you have. In addition to that, reserve some time to write with careless abandonment. Write FREELY!! Don't worry about punctuation or grammar. Allow your free writing to guide you to places of faith, fear, excitement, and frustration. Through writing, you can move to a place of trust, in your body, in your pregnancy, in your baby, and in your birth. If you begin to keep track of your experiences and write them down you will be able to use the power of the pen and paper to successfully help you create the Empowered Pregnancy you deserve.

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Labor - 30% Physical, 70% Emotional

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 04:04 PM PST

In 2001, a woman in her early twenties gave birth to a healthy, term, baby boy while in a coma. She had a vaginal birth. Physicians induced her labor with medications.

Think about this.

In spite of being in a coma, this mother's body was still able to labor. Yes, with the help of medications. But her physiology, her uterus, was able to "mechanically" function as t should, to deliver her baby. The innate "blueprint", the "map" of labor was able to perform without the mother being conscious or emotionally involved.

Labor is 30% physical and 70% emotional.

Since the 16th and 17th century French and English physicians have been trying to figure out how a woman's body works. They constructed female models out of crude materials such as leather and straw stuffing to demonstrate the "mechanics" of birth to physician hopefuls. There were no doctors in America at this time in history. Midwives delivered babies. If there were any doctors in America, they were trained and came from England. They brought with them the "new science" of looking at the female body as a machine.

Labor is 30% physical and 70% emotional.

In the 21st century we have come so far with medical innovations and technology. Yet we still approach labor and birth as a science to dissect to understand it. When in reality it's as normal as eating American Apple Pie. We don't need to understand it. We just need to let it happen.

Here are some facts and tips to embrace towards birth:

• Birth is normal and part of life
• Birth takes time and patience and should not be rushed
• A woman's body knows how to birth with or without conscious effort or emotional involvement
• It's not an illness and should not be treated as one

Tips for women and expectant mothers:

• Celebrate your abilities, the potential to birth and give birth
• Celebrate your abilities as a woman to have the talent to "build" a baby within you
• What are your fears about birth? Are they real or imagined?
• Celebrate your individuality and how incredible you are
• You know how to birth - it's part of you, just like your body knows how to breathe, it knows how to birth

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