Women tend to spend half their lives trying NOT to get pregnant and then when they decide they are ready, they find out it's not always that easy to conceive. In efforts to prevent pregnancy, women today use oral contraceptives, hormonal patches, condoms, and numerous other birth control methods.
When it comes to hormonal contraceptives, your best bet is to complete your current cycle and then attempt to get pregnant, says Frank A. Chervenak, MD, professor and chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.
"After the cycle, attempts can be made to start getting pregnant although it may be advisable to wait for the first normal menstrual period after you stop taking your pills," he says. But this precaution is not essential. Some women conceive within a week or two after stopping birth control pills.
"I advise women to complete the cycle so they don't have irregular bleeding," he says. In general, the middle of the month is when ovulation and potentially conception are most likely to take place, so the optimal fertile window is a couple of weeks after stopping contraception.
An important point to consider, however, is that "if there has been a previous pregnancy or miscarriage, wait about three months to give the body a chance to recover," he says. "This is where a waiting period makes sense."
As far as other types of contraception, the intrauterine device (IUD) must be removed before a woman starts attempting to conceive, he says. Couples can just stop using condoms when they are ready to conceive, he adds.
Friday, October 3, 2008
MOTHER NATURE
other Nature's Fertility Helpers
Centuries-old folklore is steep in natural fertility boosters. But it wasn't until recently that science entered Mother Nature's garden. In fact, in just the past two years alone a number of credible studies have emerged showing that certain nutrients and plants can offer a fertility boost to both men and women.
In research published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, a group of German doctors show that some natural remedies may work for men. The authors show that sperm quality and function improved with the intake of complementary food supplementation using either a combination of zinc and folic acid, the antioxidant Astacarox, or an energy-providing combination containing (actyl)-carnitine (Proxeed). The latter two also boosted the success of intrauterine insemination and spontaneous pregnancy rates.
Moreover, in the journal Fertility and Sterility doctors reported that men with fertility problems who took a daily dose of 66 milligrams of zinc and 5 milligrams of folic acid for nearly six months saw a 74% increase in their sperm counts.
Even more recently, studies published in the journal Fertility and Sterility revealed that both L-carnitine and L-acetyl carnitine improved sperm in a number of areas key to fertilization.
"We don't know yet how all this treatment translates into pregnancy rates, but it's clear that sperm is being impacted in a positive and important way," says Pisarska.
And when it comes to female fertility, Mother Nature did not forget she is a woman. In a small study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine doctors found the nutrient formula in a supplement known as Fertility Blend increased conception rates. It's key ingredients: folic acid, vitamins E, B-6, and B-12, iron, magnesium, zinc, the amino acid L-arginine, selenium, the herb chasteberry (also know known as vitex), and green tea.
Indeed, research on infertile women aged 24 to 46 found that those who took the supplement twice a day for three months experienced a measurable increase in both midcycle basal body temperature and progesterone levels -- both of which are used to assess ovulation. The comparison group saw no rise.
Within five months, one-third of the women taking the supplement conceived, compared with none of the women who were not given the supplement.
Similarly, a German study found pregnancy rates hit as high as 82% among the women using a vitex supplement, compared with just 45% in the control group.
Sleep and Pesticides -- New Fertility Robbers
While a number of factors can help boost fertility, there are some that can diminish your chances of conception. Among one of the most important is exposure to pesticides.
"Many can act on estrogen receptors; they may not be estrogens, but they do in the body what estrogen does, and since estrogen is the hormone involved in fertility, the whole issue gives rise for concern," says Lucciardi.
In study published in the journal Biology of Reproduction doctors found exposure to the manmade chemical methoxychlor (a member of the DDT family) reduced testosterone levels, which may, in turn, reduce male fertility. In a new study just released by Yale University, researchers found this same pesticide -- which is used to kill flies, mosquitoes, and other insects -- can also impair the function of a woman's reproductive system.
Indeed, the impact of pesticides overall is of such concern that Pisarska says the American Society of Reproductive Medicine has formed a task force to examine the global impact of these chemicals on male and female fertility.
The good news here: Taking steps to avoid exposure -- particularly in your home and yard -- may help improve your fertility profile overall.
Although the impact is not quite as direct, another factor that could impact fertility: Getting more sleep! The link here, say experts, is the hormone leptin, known for being an appetite and weight-regulation hormone. Researchers have found that it plays a critical role in female fertility. Leptin levels falls when we are sleep-deprived. Perhaps not coincidentally, researchers have now found that in some infertile women, leptin levels are low.
Moreover, a study conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center showed that giving leptin injections twice a day to female athletes who had stopped menstruation (and hence ovulating) for three months not only raised levels of this hormone but also helped ovulation kick in.
Can you do the same thing by simply getting more sleep? Experts say they aren't sure yet.
But Licciardi tells WebMD that "if you are chronically sleep deprived you are likely to have some irregular cycles -- and that in turn means your ovulation is being affected, which can certainly reduce your chance for conception."
Centuries-old folklore is steep in natural fertility boosters. But it wasn't until recently that science entered Mother Nature's garden. In fact, in just the past two years alone a number of credible studies have emerged showing that certain nutrients and plants can offer a fertility boost to both men and women.
In research published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, a group of German doctors show that some natural remedies may work for men. The authors show that sperm quality and function improved with the intake of complementary food supplementation using either a combination of zinc and folic acid, the antioxidant Astacarox, or an energy-providing combination containing (actyl)-carnitine (Proxeed). The latter two also boosted the success of intrauterine insemination and spontaneous pregnancy rates.
Moreover, in the journal Fertility and Sterility doctors reported that men with fertility problems who took a daily dose of 66 milligrams of zinc and 5 milligrams of folic acid for nearly six months saw a 74% increase in their sperm counts.
Even more recently, studies published in the journal Fertility and Sterility revealed that both L-carnitine and L-acetyl carnitine improved sperm in a number of areas key to fertilization.
"We don't know yet how all this treatment translates into pregnancy rates, but it's clear that sperm is being impacted in a positive and important way," says Pisarska.
And when it comes to female fertility, Mother Nature did not forget she is a woman. In a small study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine doctors found the nutrient formula in a supplement known as Fertility Blend increased conception rates. It's key ingredients: folic acid, vitamins E, B-6, and B-12, iron, magnesium, zinc, the amino acid L-arginine, selenium, the herb chasteberry (also know known as vitex), and green tea.
Indeed, research on infertile women aged 24 to 46 found that those who took the supplement twice a day for three months experienced a measurable increase in both midcycle basal body temperature and progesterone levels -- both of which are used to assess ovulation. The comparison group saw no rise.
Within five months, one-third of the women taking the supplement conceived, compared with none of the women who were not given the supplement.
Similarly, a German study found pregnancy rates hit as high as 82% among the women using a vitex supplement, compared with just 45% in the control group.
Sleep and Pesticides -- New Fertility Robbers
While a number of factors can help boost fertility, there are some that can diminish your chances of conception. Among one of the most important is exposure to pesticides.
"Many can act on estrogen receptors; they may not be estrogens, but they do in the body what estrogen does, and since estrogen is the hormone involved in fertility, the whole issue gives rise for concern," says Lucciardi.
In study published in the journal Biology of Reproduction doctors found exposure to the manmade chemical methoxychlor (a member of the DDT family) reduced testosterone levels, which may, in turn, reduce male fertility. In a new study just released by Yale University, researchers found this same pesticide -- which is used to kill flies, mosquitoes, and other insects -- can also impair the function of a woman's reproductive system.
Indeed, the impact of pesticides overall is of such concern that Pisarska says the American Society of Reproductive Medicine has formed a task force to examine the global impact of these chemicals on male and female fertility.
The good news here: Taking steps to avoid exposure -- particularly in your home and yard -- may help improve your fertility profile overall.
Although the impact is not quite as direct, another factor that could impact fertility: Getting more sleep! The link here, say experts, is the hormone leptin, known for being an appetite and weight-regulation hormone. Researchers have found that it plays a critical role in female fertility. Leptin levels falls when we are sleep-deprived. Perhaps not coincidentally, researchers have now found that in some infertile women, leptin levels are low.
Moreover, a study conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center showed that giving leptin injections twice a day to female athletes who had stopped menstruation (and hence ovulating) for three months not only raised levels of this hormone but also helped ovulation kick in.
Can you do the same thing by simply getting more sleep? Experts say they aren't sure yet.
But Licciardi tells WebMD that "if you are chronically sleep deprived you are likely to have some irregular cycles -- and that in turn means your ovulation is being affected, which can certainly reduce your chance for conception."
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