The Five Best U.S. Cities To Have A Baby

Here's an interesting report.  Fit Pregnancy Magazine did some in depth research to compile the top 5 cities in the United States to have a baby.  There were a lot of criteria taken into account, such as access to fertility centers, obstetricians, birthing centers and birthing options, affordability and even the weather.  Check it out here....

The five best cities to have your baby MSNBC - 1 hour ago Fit Pregnancy magazine talked to the experts, looked at the research, and measured everything from fertility services to maternity leave and daycare laws. ...

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility

Women Need To Get Healthy Before Pregnancy

Preconception care is getting a lot of attention these days.  In the past, prenatal care was deemed important to make sure women would have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.  But actually, it is preconception care that will have a dramatic impact on the baby's health.  By the time many women see a doctor regarding their pregnancy, they may already be several weeks pregnant.  By that time, many of the baby's organs are already formed.  To prevent certain birth defects, it is important that a woman become as healthy as possible before attempting to get pregnant.  This article has a nice overview on this topic...

Health Before Conception Is Also Very Important CBS4Boston, Boston - 2 hours ago "Folic acid is one of the B vitamins and it's been shown that if you take folic acid before you get pregnant, you will reduce your risk of having a baby ...

technorati tags:pregnant, preconception, fertility

Miracle Pregnancy

I love to read success stories.  Especially ones where all hope was lost and then a miracle occurs, and a woman gets pregnant and has the baby she so desperately wanted.  I think it helps those who are still struggling to read about the success of others.  Here is a story about a woman who went through 15 years trying to get pregnant, including many fertility treatments.  The story has a happy ending!!

I GOT MY BABY WHEN I GAVE UP FERTILITY TREATMENT Mirror.co.uk, UK - 8 hours ago After all, there was no medical reason why I couldn't get pregnant. Over the next eight years I tried every treatment available but the medical bills ...

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility, infertility

Getting Pregnant - Fact or Myth?

I found a great list of myths relating to fertility that I think is very worthwhile reading.  This was posted on a message board at at the parenthood.com site.  Here are a couple of the myths relating to getting pregnant.  Click on the link to read the rest.  How many did you believe were true?

Common Fertility Myths
1. Ovulation usually occurs on Day 14 of the cycle.
2. A normal menstrual cycle is 28 days.
3. A woman can get pregnant only one day per cycle.
4. A woman can spontaneously ovulate at any time in the cycle.
5. Women are fertile all the time.

:: View topic - Fertility Myth or Fact

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility

A Baby Required Careful Planning

Sometimes the decision to have a baby can be made in haste, or not planned at all, and this article gives some pointers on a variety of topics that relate to expanding your family.  Worth a look...

Baby, we're ready - Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription)

Baby, we're ready Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), MN - 4 hours ago Get a cleaning before you get pregnant and make sure your smile is in its optimal condition. 5See a financial planner: Or give yourself a financial checkup. ...

technorati tags:pregnant, conceive

One Woman's Story Of Endometriosis

Endometriosis can be a very painful disorder to live with and there doesn't seem to be enough public awareness about this condition.  It can be difficult to diagnose accurately and if left untreated, may affect a woman's ability to become pregnant.  This is one woman's story...

My heavy periods were a sign I was at risk of infertility - Daily Mail

Daily Mail

My heavy periods were a sign I was at risk of infertility Daily Mail, UK - 17 hours ago This painful condition affects up to two million women in the UK and can cause infertility. Although it is treatable, some don't discover they have the ...

technorati tags:endometriosis, pregnant, infertility

Trans Fats Linked To Infertility

It's already fairly well known that it's best to avoid food with trans fats.  They are known to be harmful to the heart and metabolism in general.  But now some new research suggests that eating a diet that contains trans fats may contribute to ovulation related infertility problems. According to the article, for every two percent increase in trans fat consumption that replaces carbohydrates, there is a 73 percent greater risk of ovulation related infertility.  More...

Consuming unhealthy fats increases infertility risk Earthtimes.org - 9 hours ago 'Avoiding trans fats is a good idea for many reasons, and one of them may be reducing infertility risk,' he said.

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility, infertility

Test Your Biological Clock At Home

This article discusses a new test you can buy that will evaluate three hormones in a woman's blood to determine the level of her fertility.  It basically asesses her ovarian reserve, which is the number of eggs she has left to conceive a child.  More and more women put off having children (especially to pursue careers) and don't really know if that delay will cause a struggle to get pregnant later on.  There are many factors, both genetic and lifestyle, that can affect a woman's ability to conceive.  This test can be another helpful way to help women determine when it is appropriate for them to try to get pregnant.  More...

A woman's fertility declines at different rates for a variety of reasons. It can be affected by genetics, which determines the rate at which the eggs a woman is born with are used up, and the age of the onset of puberty, meaning eggs could start to be used up earlier. Lifestyle factors such as body weight and alcohol consumption can also have an effect, making eggs deteriorate more quickly.

The body-clock baby | News | This is London

technorati tags:fertility, infertility, biological, clock, pregnant

Emotional Health Key In Fertility Treatment

I just read this article by a woman who became pregnant after 3 years of infertility treatment.  She raises a very important point that is often overlooked when treating couples who are pursuing fertility treatment.  The psychological trauma of not being able to conceive is often overlooked when treating a couple trying to have a baby.  Yet, not being able to conceive is a deeply distressing emotional issue and this particular woman raises the idea that counselors should be heavily involved in treating couples who pursue infertility treatment. I agree wholeheartedly with her.   More...

Fertility treatment must factor in emotional needs The Australian, Australia - 3 hours ago Rather, the reason most patients seek fertility treatment is to satisfy an emotional need – usually to nurture another human being or perpetuate the family ...

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility, infertility, ivf

Green Fish Can Help Prevent Infertility?

This article caught my attention.  It's been widely publicized that infertility is on the rise around the world and that male sperm counts have been dropping dramatically over the past 50 years.  One theory is that estrogen, which can be found in water, soil or even food can contribute to male infertility.  So a team of researchers in China have genetically modified a fish so that when it swims in lakes and rivers polluted with estrogen, it turns green.  Environmental officials can then treat the water to remove the problem.  More details....

Widely found in water, soil and even food, environmental estrogen poses a great threat to the reproductive abilities of humans and animals, researchers said, noting even a tiny level of estrogen can leave men infertile.

Fudan scientists turn fish into estrogen alerts -- Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China News

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility, infertility, estrogen

Fertility Monitor Can Better Your Chances Of Conception

The number one most important issue to help you conceive is to pinpoint ovulation.  If you don't have the timing of your fertile window right, nothing else really matters.  There are several ways to monitor ovulation and using ovulation predictor kits is one way.  Some new research suggests that the Clearblue Fertility Monitor can improve your chances of getting pregnant.  More...

New Study Finds Clearblue(R) Easy Fertility Monitor to ... Yahoo! News (press release) - 10 hours ago But new research proves that one at-home fertility predictor in particular can significantly improve the odds of a quicker conception. ...

technorati tags:pregnant, fertility, infertility

Can A "Womb" Be Donated? Should It?

Advances in reproductive technology continue to amaze me.  Women who have difficulty getting pregnant continue to have more and more options available to them if they decide to let science intervene.  One new area of development is the harvesting and transplanting of a woman's womb.  There are many uterine problems that contribute to infertility, and this option, while still a long way away, might be the answer for some women in the future to have the baby they dream of.


Womb transplants may one day be a reality (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Current organ donor networks appear able to supply human wombs, or uteruses, for transplantation as a possible approach to treating infertility, researchers report in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

technorati tags:pregnant, infertility, fertility

Help For PCOS Sufferers

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a hormonal imbalance that can have some very unpleasant side effects, oot the least of which is difficulty getting pregnant.  More than 1 in 6 women are effected.  An eating program has been developed which is helping women to lose the weight that PCOS suffererers often gain, and this in turn helps improve fertility.  More info....

US Woman Helps Pioneer to Develop Healthy-Eating Route to Improved ... PR Web (press release),?WA?- 3 hours ago The symptoms can be unpleasant, causing disruption of the menstrual cycle so that fertility is adversely affected. Severe weight gain, bodily and facial ...

technorati tags:PCOS, fertility, pregnant, infertility

Frozen Embryos For Sale

The idea of using a sperm bank if a woman doesn't have a partner and wants to get pregnant is generally an accepted practice.  However, there is some controversy over the the idea of an "embryo bank" where you can choose an embryo based on various attributes you might consider favorable.  The controversy stems from the idea that choosing an embryo is too much like "ordering" a child with specific traits.  For more info....

Firm Lets Clients Pick Among Fertilized Eggs Washington Post, DC - 2 hours ago But the embryo brokerage, which calls itself "the world's first human embryo bank," raises alarm among some fertility experts and bioethicists, ...

technorati tags:pregnant, infertility

An Alternative Approach To Conceive

There is an increasing interest in alternative therapy to help women who are having trouble getting pregnant to conceive.  Since many couples aren't interested or able to financially afford expensive infertility treatments, there has been a focus on "natural" fertility options, many of which include variou methods to promote relaxation.  More....

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/news_to_use/16320785.htm

technorati tags:pregnant, infertility, fertility

Stressed Out?

The idea that stress can cause problems getting pregnant is often a hotly debated topic.  When couples are having trouble conceiving, they are often told by well intentioned friends and family that they just need to relax.  However, much of the scientific evidence suggests that stress does not cause infertility.  In reality, stress can contribute to difficulties in getting pregnant, but the reason is because of how it can affect ovulation.  For details, read this informative article...

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/preconception/gettingpregnant/1336350.html

technorati tags:pregnant, infertility, stress

A Plan For Infertility Treatment

This article, written by a fertility specialist, addresses the idea of having a fertility plan in mind for couples seeking infertility treatment.  He addresses the issue that most couples consider fertility treatment to be "hit or miss" and he recommends that a positive approach and a determination to succeed are important components for success.  Read more....

Avoiding hit-or-miss fertility treatment Vanguard, Nigeria - 13 hours ago No doubt one question agitating the minds of almost every couple seeking treatment for one problem of infertility or the other So today I’ll be talking about ...

Having Babies Over 45

With recent advances in technology, women are getting pregnant and having babies later and later.  Many are using advanced reproductive technologies, while others are getting pregnant the natural way.  While many older women use donor eggs, many are still conceiving with their own eggs in their early and mid forties.  While this is great news for women who have put off having children to further their careers, it should not be assumed that it is easy to get pregnant once you have entered your forties.  The odds of miscarriage and birth defects increases tremendously.  For more on this topic....

The number of British women giving birth aged over 45 has doubled within a decade, official figures show. The rise is more than found in any other age group over the same period.

'Baby rates doubles in women over 45 in a decade' | the Daily Mail

technorati tags:fertility, pregnant, infertility

New IVF--Improved Pregnancy Rate?

Anyone who's considered or undergone IVF to conceive a baby, knows it is a tremendous undertaking, both mentally, physically and financially.  One big part of the expense and potential for nasty side effects is the drugs needed to stimulate the ovaries to produce many mature eggs.  There is now a new procedure called IVM (InVitro Maturation), which is having tremendous success without the need for expensive stimulation drugs.  More...

It involves removing immature eggs from a woman's ovaries and maturing them in laboratories before fertilising them with a man's sperm, rather than using hormone drugs to stimulate the release of mature eggs.

Telegraph | News | New IVF 'is a stunning success'

technorati tags:IVF, pregnant, infertility

Seven Fertility Myths

Here's a neat article that lists seven myths about getting pregnant.  See how many you have heard, and if any of them are keeping you from getting pregnant.  Listed here is the first one.  Go to the article if you want to read the rest...

Myth Number One: You should have sex on day 14 of your cycle if you want to get pregnant. You have probably heard that most women ovulate on day 14 of their cycle. This is simply not true. It is based on the calendar method of predicting ovulation. If you have a perfect 28 day cycle, where your luteal phase (the second half of your cycle) is exactly 14 days long, you would likely ovulate around day 14. Most women, however, do not have perfect cycles and even the women who do have regular cycles, usually do not ovulate at exactly the same time each month.

Seven Fertility Myths That Could be Keeping you From Getting Pregnant

technorati tags:fertility, pregnant