Ornament

The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Ornament

Getting Pregnant/Infertility

Support prenatal care and birth support for rural and under-served women!
Support the inclusion of Certified Professional Midwives in Medicaid and health care reform.

Where's the Birth Plan? by Jennifer Block - Midwifery-style care saves money and provides excellence for the new family--a great two for one proposal!  She clearly points out how the more humane style of care provided by midwives not only saves money, but also saves lives.  A new economic analysis forecasts savings of $9.1 billion per year if 10 percent of women planned to deliver out of hospital with midwives.

The Debate on Healthcare Policy Reform by Faith Gibson, a healthcare historian and policy theoretician
Learn about Health Care 2.0 and why "The problem with obstetrics is that it is all about obstetricians"

See also:

Subsections on this page:


Participate in a research study - Ann Weinstein is conducting a study on the experiences of women with persistent symptoms of stress who are also receiving infertility treatment.  The information gained from this study may help women, their partners, and health care providers increase their understanding of the importance of working together to positively impact the quality of a woman's experience as she goes through infertility treatment.  If you live in the Greater New York area (NY, NJ, CT, MA, RI, PA), are experiencing persistent symptoms of stress while undergoing reproductive endocrinology treatment for infertility, contact Ann for information (516-972-0388) or email (weinsteinann@hotmail.com).

WARNING!!!  If you have Aetna health insurance, you may want to change at the next opportunity, when your employer has their annual "open enrollment".  Aetna doesn't cover homebirth, citing a single study based in rural Australia which shows that high-risk births far away from a hospital are high risk.  They further cite the policies of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, both business competitors to homebirth providers. Their policy statement ignores a mountain of evidence that homebirth is as safe as or safer than hospital birth for normal, healthy pregnancies..  If their policymakers have any integrity, this logic will soon lead to cessation of coverage for planned VBAC's . . . there's no dearth of studies and AAP and ACOG policies proclaiming the danger of VBAC's . . . and then they'll stop coverage for any woman who declines standard ACOG/AAP recommendations regarding routine ultrasound, routine induction, routine IV's, routine use of continuous electronic fetal monitoring, routine administration of antibiotics for all GBS positive women (up to 40% of birthing women), and prompt cesareans for any woman who fails to progress in a timely fashion during labor and pushing.  They may also stop coverage for children who are not vaccinated according to the full schedule of vaccinations recommended by the AAP, even though many intelligent parents decline the newborn hepatitis B vaccine and practice selective vaccination according to their child's own needs.

If this is troubling to you, as it should be, let them know.  You can easily send e-mail to Aetna's National Media Relations Contacts and simply tell them that they should not be in the business of denying coverage for reasonable healthcare choices, such as homebirth, waterbirth and VBAC.  They will especially want to know if you are choosing another healthcare provider because of this unreasonable policy.  You might also suggest that they expand their research beyond ACOG and AAP recommendations.  They could start at:  http:

NOTE - The Atkins Diet can cause infertility in both males and females.  Sperm need fructose for motility!

Cascade HealthCare Products now has a Doppler Rental and Purchase Program

Pre-Conception Care

Avoid Progestin and other Progesterone Derivatives

Maternal Progestin Intake and Risk of Hypospadias
Suzan L. Carmichael, PhD; Gary M. Shaw, DrPH; Cecile Laurent, MS; Mary S. Croughan, PhD; Richard S. Olney, MD; Edward J. Lammer, MD; for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159:957-962.

Conclusion  This study found that pregnancy-related intake of progestins was associated with increased hypospadias risk.

I've heard that this study is flawed in that it lumps together synthetic progestins (which are molecules tweaked from testosterone and nor-testosterone) and bio-identical progesterone(which has a different chemical composition and different biological effects).  If you give a pregnant women something that displaces testosterone off its receptors, wouldn't you expect it to have an effect on an organism (the male fetus) that relies on having a normal level of testosterone to develop properly?

There's increasing evidence that the developing egg/embryo/fetus are very sensitive to environmental contaminants.

You can read more about Environmental causes of infertility and miscarriage

Recommendations to Improve Preconception Health and Health Care - United States [4/21/06]

In an ideal world, all women would undergo complete detoxing before becoming pregnant.  Hair analysis can diagnose problem areas, and homeopathic detox programs can be a gentle way of detoxing and even removing heavy metals gradually.

It would also be ideal to have a complete nutritional analysis done. SpectraCell Laboratories offers a Functional Intracellular Analysis™ (FIA™).  This is a very pricey procedure (about $1200), but it's covered by most PPO insurance plans with a $75 co-pay.

There's physical detoxing, and then there's emotional detoxing:

Enchanted Beginnings for Pre-Pregnant and Pregnant Couples - course offered by Karen Melton

"If your mom was stressed throughout her pregnancy, you may be too. It is not that we are making a conscious decision to be stressed, it is an unconscious imprint stored in our energy, our cells and our limbic brain. These imprints are stored in our body, and that’s why we don’t remember them cognitively. They are present in our daily life, but especially so when we contemplate, or enter into, parenthood. Often they are expressing themselves in relational behaviors and patterns, fears, anxieties and terror, bodily aches, pains and dis-eases, blocks and stuckness, an inability to feel at home in our body, feeling unsettled or anxious, and in many other ways."

Preparation before pregnancy affects birth outcomes.

Ask Every Woman: Focusing on Preconception Care

EU study suggests PCBs may damage human sperm [10/12/05]  LONDON (Reuters) - Toxic man-made industrial chemicals in the environment can damage sperm but do not seem to dramatically effect male fertility, scientists said on Thursday.  [Ed.: This means that damaged sperm can still fertilize an egg, with unpredictable consequences.]

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon offers recommendations about pre-conception nutrition.

General health and especially health in pregnancy will benefit from the intake of probiotics.  It is now believed that many cases of cerebral palsy are caused by exposure to infectious agents during pregnancy, even without causing any symptoms in the mother.  Probiotics can also reduce Group B Strep colonization.

I recommend that my clients take a daily probiotic supplement.  Some of the better ones are from New Chapter's Line.  My default recommendation is their Probiotic Immune Support™ formula or their All Flora® formula.  If your local health food store doesn't carry this, you might be able to special order it there, or you could order it online.

Probiotic May Reduce Sick Days From Work  CME
Short-term illness is usually  caused by respiratory or gastrointestinal diseases.  Prophylactic use of the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri can reduce short term illnesses by 55%.

Before Your Pregnancy - Expert Advice on Nutrition and Exercise for the 30-90 days BEFORE conception (by a Registered Dietitian & Exercise Physiologist, 1998) - book and video

Preconception Care: Life Preparation and Pre-Life Risk Reduction of Disease By Douglas Husbands, DC, CCN, ABAAHP
How can couples plan ahead for having a healthy baby? What about mommy rebounding quickly from the rigors of carrying a developing baby for 9 months...and the changes involved in giving birth and caring for a newborn? What about special tips for a fortyish woman preparing for conception? In all of these cases the basics of preconception nutrition, toxin reduction and structural balance are essential components for prevention of health problems. Additionally, advanced functional diagnostic tests can identify underlying biochemical or genetically linked problems which could lead to birth defects if the appropriate measures are not addressed preconceptually.

Fitting Into Your Genes, 1- How nutritional and lifestyle factors can influence genetic disease predisposition.
Fitting Into Your Genes, 2- The second part of how nutrition influences genetics.
Fitting Into Your Genes, 3- The final portion of the article with some basic, though very surprising, NO-COST ways towards improving your health.

The take home point to focus on from that article is that the process of oxidative stress, the underlying cause of DNA damage, is an easily measurable and modifiable risk factor...Easily modified through proper diet, proper nutritional supplementation, lifestyle modification (appropriate exercise, stress reduction, etc.).  The statistics on DS are simply an average of the result of the processes which preclude to the probability and may change slightly over time, but that should not be the focus. The focus should not be on the "fear" that if one is older and having a child that one should be discouraged or worried about getting pregnant.  The point of the article is to actually encourage being aware of the processes involved in preclusion to DS and being proactive in a simple, non-invasive, painless (using urine testing) advanced objective test which measures oxidative damage, and if found, to take measures to correct that so there is a greatly decreased chance of DS!

 FYI: The changes to decrease the levels of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxygunosine, a biomarker of DNA oxidative damage, can occur in as little as a month or two with proper dietary, supplementation and lifestyle modifications!!

Breast is Best, but it Could Be Better: What is in Breast Milk That Should Not Be? [Medscape registration is free]  This article provides many helpful tips about avoiding toxic chemicals that could be passed to your baby during pregnancy or postpartum through breastmilk.

There are many environmental contaminants that aren't a problem for a health adult, but which can cause birth defects or lifelong vulnerabilities in a developing baby.  The section on Medications and Teratogens has subsections on:

  • General
  • X-Rays
  • Infectious Disease
  • Medications
  • Depression and Anti-depressant Medications
  • Pollution and Chemical Teratogens
  • Caffeine
  • Drinking Water
  • Water Bottles and other Plastic Food Containers
  • Personal Care Products
  • Food Teratogens
  • Eating Fish and Seafood in Pregnancy
  • Mercury
  • Tobacco, Second-Hand Smoke and Pregnancy Risk
  • Alcohol/Substance Abuse

    • I must applaud all of the women who try to find caregivers before they become pregnant.  They are more likely to find someone who "clicks" with them, than when those pregnancy hormones are flying, and for me, makes me want everything either "calm and okay" or "nothings okay, the world is coming to an end."

    Foresight, the Association for the Promotion of Pre-conceptual Care.  Foresight is a charitable organisation based in Surrey in England, run mainly by volunteers. It was first established in 1978 and since then has worked tirelessly to promote the importance of good health and nutritional status in both parents before conceiving a baby.

    Foresight Preparation for Pregnancy Programme - a summary of the Foresight philosophy.

    Having a Health Baby - The March of Dimes wants all parents to know the joy of having a healthy baby.

    10 Ways to Address Your Root Causes of Infertility -- Naturally from Dr. Mercola.

    Essential Oils for Preconception

    This is a complicated issue, but, in general, most preventative medicine should be obtained before even trying to get pregnant. We call this "preconceptual counseling" and I encourage each of my younger patients to come in for a preconceptual appointment 4 months or so before beginning to try to conceive. If they are on insulin, it is critical to "tune up" the blood sugar before conception. Patients considering pregnancy should be on a vitamin with 0.4mg of folic acid about 3 months before pregnancy. (The spinal cord is developed by 1 month after conception, so by the time a lot of women realize they are pregnant it is perhaps too late to prevent spina bifida and anencephaly). Finally, this consultation is a chance to discuss problems with previous pregnancies, family history, and general health. If not previously done, I obtain a hematocrit to check for anemia, a rubella titer to check for immunity to rubella, and any other blood work that is necessary (usually none). Prenatal vitamins are prescribed, and the best timing for intercourse is discussed, if necessary.

    As to the original question, I like to see patients before 6-8 weeks. You cannot really do anything to prevent a miscarriage, and this time frame is almost never clinically important. In fact, the overwhelming majority of patients who have previous medical problems (i.e. diabetes) already know they need to be seen ASAP.

    The Chemical Scorecard - Just type in your zip code and find out what chemicals are being released into your neighborhood environment by manufacturing plants, which of these chemicals are potentially the most harmful, and what companies are responsible.

    Michel Odent, M.D., Director of the Primal Health Research Center, London, has initiated an experimental program to help preconceptual women to protect their future offspring from environmental hazards. He reminds us that we are carrying in our bodies three to five hundred synthetic industrial chemicals that would not have been there fifty years ago, and that most of them collect and accumulate over the years in the fatty tissues. Pollutants are passed on to the next generation as they cross the placenta and disrupt the endocrine system during the critical period of construction in utero.

    Dr. Odent has devised a regimen focused on replacing(to the extent possible) the stored fat that holds the pollutants with new and better fats. The group program involves an intensive week of dietary changes, brief periods of fasting, discussions, steam baths, swimming or walking, and ends with personal recommendations designed for each participant to continue on their own.

    [The Primal Health Research Center doesn't seem to have an online presence yet.  Please e-mail me if you find anything more about this, either online or offline.  Thanks!]

    Warning about Dopplers

    See also:  How Doppler Devices Work and Alternatives to Doppler Ultrasound Devices

    Concerns about Frequent Ultrasound, even hand-held Doppler devices

    Women struggling with infertility issues may be tempted to purchase or rent a hand-held Doppler device so that they can listen to their baby's heart beating in those fragile early months; they do this because they believe their risk of miscarriage is high, and they feel on the verge of madness not knowing whether or not they are still pregnant.

    Unfortunately, hand-held Doppler devices may themselves cause miscarriage.  We have no studies proving their safety.  We do have studies showing that frequent ultrasound exposure causes Intrauterine Growth Retardation in later months, so we know it does affect the baby.  In addition, the ultrasound generated by the hand-held Dopplers is continuous, whereas the ultrasound generated by visualizing ultrasound machines is intermittent.  We have absolutely no evidence regarding the safety of the continuous ultrasound generated by hand-held Dopplers.

    Midwives who routinely use Dopplers are already familiar with the way that babies will move away from the ultrasound; we don't really know why, but we see it happening all the time.

    I know that the uncertainty can be maddening, but the use of ultrasound of any kind is not helpful to the baby and could actually be causing harm, possibly enough to cause a miscarriage, which would be unspeakably tragic.  There are other good ways to connect with your baby that are beneficial rather than harmful, such as guided visualizations or meditations.  Or you could try one of the non-ultrasound audio devices intended specifically for listening to the baby's heart: Tiny Tickers.

    And, certainly, once you're feeling the baby move, using the Doppler to hear the heartbeat is of no additional value and is likely to be causing harm.

    Sometimes it's not easy doing the best thing for your baby.

    Read the FDA's response to a petition to have Doppler fetoscopes changed to an over-the-counter status, rather than a controlled medical device.  "OTC purchase and use of Doppler fetoscopes by a lay user raises new issues of safety and effectiveness.  . . . These products introduce acoustic energy into the body.  The potential for adverse effects from long-term exposure to the fetus in early pregnancy are unknown.  For example, there are some studies that suggest exposure to diagnostic ultrasound during pregnancy can have an effect on human development.  (Keiler et al., Early Human Development 50:233-245 (1998); Keiler et al., Epidemiology 12:618-623 (2001).) You may also be aware of ultrasound bone healing devices that operate at frequencies and output levels similar to those of ultrasound Doppler monitors.  These devices have been shown to produce biological effects in humans when used for only 20 minutes daily. (Duarte, L.R., Arch. Orthop. and Trauma Surg., 101:153-159 (1983).)  The agency has concluded that unsupervised exposure to ultrasound may pose a risk to the health of the mother or a developing fetus. . . . FDA has seen no evidence that there are benefits that would outweigh these possible risks associated with OTC availability of fetal ultrasound devices.  The materials you have provided do not establish that OTC purchase and use of these products would result in any medical benefit to the fetus or the mother.  FDA cannot rely upon the absence of  specific adverse events as a basis to determine that repeated, prolonged, and unsupervised ultrasound is safe.  . . . While I agree that women want to hear their unborn babies, I do not believe that consumers would purchase devices enabling them to achieve that purpose if the device might potentially cause harm to the fetus through uncontrolled and unlimited use."

    See also:  Prenatal Screening for Birth Defects/Ultrasound

    General Information

    Do You Want to Have a Baby? by Sarah Abernathy & Linda Page - Experience the journey of fertility, conception, pregnancy and birth, naturally!

    Sensitivity of Over-the-Counter Pregnancy Tests: Comparison of Utility and Marketing Messages [11/28/2005] - Medscape registration is free

    OK, this is just plain amazing!!!  PTeq - USB Pregnancy Test

    PeeOnAStick.com is a comprehensive collection of home pregnancy test and ovulation predictor test information and images!

    Discounted Sources for Pregnancy Tests

    The cheapest way to buy pregnancy tests is to buy them in bulk - maybe you have some local friends who are also trying to get pregnancy?  Sometimes it can be hard to share pregnancy tests from a single bottle since the legend for interpreting the results is printed on the bottle.  [However, some manufacturers will send you an extra legend if you call their 800 number.]  Pregnancy tests may have a short expiration date - possibly even 6 months, so you may want to ask about this when you order.

    Wow!  These pregnancy tests from birthjunkie.com are just $1 each!

    Gentle Moon - great prices on ovulation and pregnancy tests

    Early Pregnancy Tests.com - early-detection pregnancy tests and ovulation predictor kits

    Affordable Pregnancy Tests - Early-detection pregnancy tests and ovulation predictors.  Same-day shipping on FDA-approved tests as low as $0.65.

    Baby Hopes

    Gail Buffington at Futuremoms, 13938a Cedar road, PMB #308-GB, University Heights, OH 44118 sells ovulation predictor kits (five to a kit) at just $6.50 and individual pregnancy tests for just $2.50.  These prices INCLUDE shipping and handling. I have never found a better deal. Add one dollar to international orders, however. She accepts checks money orders or buy with credit card on-line.

    From Moore Medical Corp.: Accustat HCG Pregnancy Test Strips (50/$72.95, item #53871) and Pregnancy Test Kit Contrast HCG Urine/Serum (30/$67.99, item #53188)  Moore prices include shipping?

    You can get smaller lots from Cascade, the midwifery supply house, but they charge an extra $7 shipping: AccuStat hCG Urine Pregnancy Test (15/$30, item #4795)

    Please e-mail me if you want to share your source for discounted pregnancy tests.

    A Timeline of Pregnancy Testing - a fun historical view.

    NEW RECOMMENDATION - Pregnancy thyroxine dosage advice - Study findings show that levothyroxine requirements in hypothyroid women increase as early as the fifth week of gestation, before the initial obstetric examination.  Erik Alexander (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and co-workers report that 17 out of 19 women with hypothyroidism required levothyroxine dose increases during pregnancy. This need arose at a median of 8 weeks' gestation, climbing to a 47 percent increased need at week 16, and then plateaued for the rest of the gestation. Noting that changes in the dosage of levothyroxine take 5 weeks to reach equilibrium, the team recommends that "women with hypothyroidism be instructed to increase their usual levothyroxine intake by two additional doses each week immediately on confirmation of pregnancy."

    The Whole Person Fertility Program is the first mind-body program based on the latest scientific research that teaches women and couples groundbreaking methods of conscious fertility that can work with or without the assistance of a physician.

    A New Fertility Factor (from Newsweek) - Stress is just one of many obstacles to pregnancy, but it's one you can control

    Infertility and Chiropractic

    The Infertility Program - Their Mind/Body store has lots of great resources.

    Association of Perinatal Naturopathic Doctors (APND)

    The Whole Person Fertility Program is the first mind-body program based on the latest scientific research that teaches women and couples groundbreaking methods of conscious fertility that can work with or without the assistance of a physician.

    Applying Chinese Medicine - Fertility: Conscious Conception -  The benefits of using Chinese traditional medicine treatments — acupuncture, Qi Gong, herbs and nutritional therapy — to remedy infertility have been known for thousands of years.

    Acupuncture for fertility: Doctors say, 'Why not?' - LATimes, 7/4/05

    You can search herbsgalore.com for articles about the use of herbs to support fertility.

    Ovulation Calendar - a handy software program that calculates your time of ovulation and generates your personal fertility calendar.

    Ovulation-Calculator.com -  a preconception and fertility portal

    Focus on Fertility from BabyTalk

    Infertility by © David L. Hoffmann B.Sc. (Hons), M.N.I.M.H.

    Flower Remedies (aka Flower Essences) for Getting Pregnant

    Infants Born as a Result of ICSI at Increased Risk of Malformations [Medscape registration is free]

    Hospital to Test Reflexology as Infertility Treatment

    Am-I-Pregnant.com - a nice all-around site about getting pregnant.

    Dietary supplement may offer easier solution to infertility - (10/20/03) - A dietary supplement, "

    GreenTree

    Common herbal supplements may be associated with fertility problems

    A new report suggests that high doses of several popular over-the-counter herbal supplements could impair fertility.  Researchers at Loma  Linda University School of Medicine in California studied the effects of  high doses of St. John's Wort, echinacea, gingko, and palmetto on the  ability of sperm to penetrate hamster eggs in a laboratory setting to  collect data.  They  found that high doses of St. John's Wort prevented  sperm from penetrating eggs, while echinacea and gingko impaired such  penetration; palmetto did not appear to affect penetration.  Authors  further note that sperm exposed to St. John's Wort  for more than a week  appeared to be damaged and say that further study is being planned to  evaluate the actual effects of the herbs on fertility when taken by  humans.   The report is in the journal Fertility and Sterility (February  22, 1999).

    This is information I would consider and pass on to clients as appropriate, but it does seem that the scientific community obsesses about the possible negative effects of herbs in a way that doesn't seem to come up with standard pharmaceuticals.  Who's funding these studies?

    I ordered the book, Taking charge of your Fertility.  It's Wonderful.  I should have bought it three months ago.  The best thing about
    it is that it has MANY examples of basal charts and explains how to interpret them.  Far better than anything else I've found, even on the
    fertility sites on the web that have other good info.

    If your insurance covers it, the best thing is to go directly to a Reproductive Endocrinologist.  Some insurance companies make you go to an OB for a couple of years before they'll pay for a referral to an RE.  Unfortunately, although OBs may happily prescribe Clomid, they may not tell you that it could mess up your cervical mucus.  Getting pregnant has many of the same possibilities for a "cascade of interventions" as giving birth does.

    The Infertility Diet - Get Pregnant and Prevent Miscarriage by Fern Reiss

    Hypnosis May Help You Get Pregnant - some hypnotherapists specialize in prenatal or infertility issues.

    Psychological Counseling for Infertile Women Increases Pregnancy Rates - from Medscape [registration is free]

    This is a shameless plug for the services of a friend of mine: Dan Craft, PhD, SeizeTruth.com, Professional Life Coaching to help you move your life toward what you want it to be.  His services are available by phone if that's easier for you during your pregnancy.  I have known Dan for about 20 years, and I have seen him make tremendous changes in moving his life towards what he wants it to be; I know he can help you, too.  I have a fair amount of experience with guided visualization, affirmations and coaching, and I was very impressed with his Vicarious Coaching CD, which can be mailed for just $4.95 (after follow-through rebate).

    La Belle Dame - Fertility Jewelry

    Study: Genes may hold key to late motherhood - 6/22/05 - Reuters -- Why can some 45-year-olds easily have a baby while much younger women have difficulty becoming pregnant?  The answer, say Israeli researchers, could lie in their genes.  Having a naturally conceived child past the age of 45 is rare. But Dr Neri Laufer of the Haddassah University Hospital in Jerusalem has discovered that some of those older mothers seem to have a distinct genetic profile.

    Womyn's Wisdom - An Online Womyn's Community envisioned by Maka Laughingwolf and including Fertility Awareness Classes

    Pregnancy - A Ritual of Creation from Diane Stein's book Casting the Circle - A Women's Book of Ritual.

    Having a Magickal Child

    Low Tech Ways to Help You Conceive FAQ

    Clear Passage Therapies, Inc. - We treat women whose infertility is either "unexplained" or due to mechanical factors, such as adhesions, blocked fallopian tubes and some uterine conditions that cause miscarriage.

    INCIID - InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination

    ONNA is a mailing list for people who want to have a baby, and who are finding it to be more difficult than they first expected

    Hannah's Prayer - Christian Support for Fertility Challenges, Including Infertility or the Death of a Baby at Any Time From Conception Through Early Infancy - This site contains lists of value to people of all faiths. 

    High-Tech Fertility Treatments

    I keep hearing more and more about the great advances that have been made recently in treating recurring pregnancy loss.  Apparently there's been a lot of exciting research and great success in treating issues of immunology and pregnancy, especially for women experiencing very early (4-5 week) pregnancy loss.

    Reproductive Medicine Program - Dr. Alan Beer is the director and founder of the Reproductive Medicine Program.

    Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago

    Fertility Treatment Does Not Increase Risk of Neural Tube Defects [Medscape registration is free]

    However, Embrel has been implicated in late pregnancy problems, and routine administration of anti-coagulants (heparin, lovenox) to a pregnant woman during pregnancy may also affect the baby.

    How Long Should You Wait After a Pregnancy Loss before Trying Again?

    CDC recommendations for 400 micrograms  (0.4 mg) for all women of child-bearing age to prevent neural tube defects.

    "The LENS" or "The Lipstick" or other Saliva Ferning Pattern monitors


    Fertile Focus Ovulation Microscope

    Maybe Baby Pocket Microscope for Women - lipstick-style fertility tester

    OvuLens  - Ovulation Indicator

    The OvuLook™ Ovulation Tester comes with a slide of different ferning phases for comparison.  They also have a cool demo.

    Purchase the lipstick fertility microscope (with instructions and calendar) - send $48 check to:
    Alison Osborn  PO Box 453, Grass Valley, Ca 95945

    Woman's Window™ with lots of examples of ferning patterns
    Around the Moon
    P.O. Box 3325
    Applegate, OR 97530
    Send $30 plus $4.00 s&h
    with a great picture of how ferning appears in Woman's Window™

    www.birthwithlove.com - distributes The Lens for $35 + $?? for shipping.

    Low-Tech Assisted Reproduction
    These are some basic procedures the non-fertility specialist can perform which have resulted in successful pregnancies in a good number of cases.

    Chinese Conception Chart - Time for a little fun.  This chart predicts the sex of the baby based on the mother's age and the month of conception.

    Early Pregnancy - Including HCG levels and ultrasound findings

    Do-It-Yourself artificial insemination

    I've done this and teach my patients to do it. It's really very easy, if there is no infertility issue. I suggest using a TB syringe, because it's the right size for most frozen sperm, 1cc. If they are using fresh, you have to go with something larger, as you'll have between 5 and 15 cc of semen, hence the "turkey baster" jokes. It works, but so does a larger syringe. Use the needle to draw up the sample, then remove it. Put the syringe into the vagina as far as possible, and slowly inject. I have the woman put her hips on a couple of pillows first, for gravity help. But there will be liquid which runs out. Only the sperm itself goes into the cervix, so the freezing medium or semen will come out again. When you've paid good money for it, it can feel like dripping dollars, though. The sperm follow the mucus, so there is no reason to visualize the cervix, they'll get there. The only change to that is if you know a woman has a very anteverted cervix. Then it might make sense for her to roll onto her stomach for a while before she gets up.

    It would depend on where she is getting her semen from.  If it is from a known donor and she is getting it fresh, she can use a regular syringe with a longish catheter that can be inserted into the back of the vagina.

    If the specimen is from a sperm bank, then the quantity is usually very small and doing the same thing is usually not as effective since there is not much of a pool of semen there for the cervix to sit in.  In that case, visuallizing the cervix and placing the specimen into the cervix (just slightly) would be recommended.

    There are also cervical cap type things that the specimen can be placed in and then place the cap over the cervix.

    Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) are sometimes implicated in fertility issues.

    Australian Researchers Fertilize Eggs Without Sperm [July, 2001]

    Fertility Awareness / Natural Family Planning (NFP)

    Fertility UK - 'Fertility' is an educational service, offering instruction / counseling in Fertility Awareness and Natural Family Planning (NFP) for women / couples.  Lots of great information.

    Fertility Friend is a FREE comprehensive, interactive online charting tool and service for couples who are trying to conceive.

    Family of the Americas Foundation (FAF) - The most advanced NATURAL Method of Family Planning for Achieving or Postponing Pregnancy (98%-99% effective in postponing pregnancy.)

    THE BILLINGS OVULATION METHOD

    Couple to Couple League

    A Simple Start to Fertility Assessment

    My first step to assess fertility is to refer the couple to a good NFP class so that they can learn their own body signals.  After about 6 weeks of charting, I can often identify some simple problems that are easily addressed.  For example, if there is limited mucous,  guafenesin (Mucinex is the sustained release form, Robitussin is the liquid) 1200 mg daily can make a real difference.  Pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) also enhances cervical mucous.  PreSeed (sp?) is a vaginal lubricant that has no spermicidal qualities (even KY plain and Astroglide are somewhat spermicidal due to pH, antiseptic agents, etc) and may also assist in cases of limited mucous.  Low dose amoxicillin can also enhance cervical mucous but I tend to avoid this as I don't like casually throwing abx around.

    Luteal phase insufficiency can be identified from an NFP chart - the interval from presumed day of ovulation to the 1st day of the next menstrual period should be greater than 10 days and should be internally consistent for the woman.  The herbal therapy for this is chasteberry (either throughout the cycle or in the luteal phase only)- the medical therapy is bio-identical progesterone starting post ovulation (given pre-ovulation it suppresses or delays ovulation.  The original research birth control pill that Dr. John Rock used was progesterone 400 mg po daily).

    There are lots of other simple interventions that can be tried for fertility issues.  I think that for many women a 6 months trial of this is a worthwhile endeavor given the high costs and low returns of the profit driven infertility industry.

    An interesting book is Marilyn Shannon's "Fertility Cycles and Nutrition"

    I have some points of disagreement with her, but she has managed to put together a lot of good info in the same place.

    High-Tech Conception and Low-Tech Birth

    I've had a couple of miscarriages and am pursuing high-tech conception assistance.  In addition to the heartache of the miscarriage and difficulty getting pregnant, I'm now looking at the loss of my dream to have a really great waterbirth at home.  How do you all cope with this?

    Once the pregnancy is well established you can either have your care transferred to a midwife or be under joint care.  I had/have a luteal phase defect and after 3 m/c's I was on progesterone suppositories as well as baby aspirin.  Once past my danger period, I transferred my care from a fertility doctor to a midwife at 14 weeks, and had the best homebirth I could imagine.

    Dr. Alan Beer, director and founder of the Reproductive Medicine Program is alleged to be very supportive of midwives and homebirth.

    You know, after I read Bonding by Klaus, I figured a hospital birth was the last thing I needed after my high-tech conception and pregnancy.  I kept thinking about The Tentative Pregnancy and all the times I'd been anxious and my anxiety must have gotten through to my baby.  (They say that a mother's emotions are conveyed to her baby through hormones within 15 seconds.  Gosh.  My poor little one must have been pretty scared during the amnio because I was terrified!)  So I figured I could make up for all this with a really gentle birth.  So I started looking into waterbirth.

    By the time I got done reading about the differences with waterbirth and the great safety statistics of homebirth, I couldn't imagine exposing my baby to the dangers of an institutional atmosphere.  Not to mention the infections!  Can you imagine going through six months of heparin shots and then an IVF only to have a healthy baby die from a hospital-acquired infection!?!  It's not going to happen to my baby.

    I know just what you mean.  I have friends who ask me how I can expose my "premium pregnancy" to the risks of homebirth.  All I have to do is start quoting the statistics about infection (4 times higher in hospital for healthy term babies in matched populations), and my friends start to understand why I'm planning to have my baby exposed only to *my* family's germs.

    Did you read the March, '99, report about the antibiotic-resistant infections in septic neonates?  Something like 43% of babies with severe infections had an antibiotic-resistant infection.  That's horrible!

    Emotional Inhibitions to Pregnancy

    A Mind/Body Approach to Help Women Cope with Infertility and Enhance Fertility

    Are you currently experiencing any of the following problems? Trouble sleeping (difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up in the wee hours); increased or decreased appetite; neck or shoulder pain; headaches, stomach aches or pains; anxiety; tearfulness; frustration; anger; isolation; or confusion. While not unusual, these symptoms may be creating less than optimal conditions for conception.

    I'm a survivor of child sexual abuse, which has left me with some serious emotional challenges, and I have been in therapy for quite a long time.
    I am now in the healing process and am dealing with the traumas.

    I've been trying to get pregnant for a few years now; I've been to a number of doctors and been examined a number of times; everyone tells me there's nothing wrong physically, so my therapist and I began working on the psychological blocks to pregnancy.  During the times of my abuse, I was psychologically programmed not to become pregnant.  Since working with this issue for the last few months, my cycle has seemed more normal.

    I was wondering if anyone has personal experience of this or any information from clients with similar experience.

    Congratulations! on having the strength to come so far in your healing.

    I definitely think one can mentally prevent pregnancy through one's thoughts.  Some books that deal specifically with mental, emotional and spiritual "openness" to being pregnant are, Mental Birth Control by Mildred Jackson (which also talks about meditations for getting pregnant) and Conscious Conception by Jeannine Parvati Baker.

    There are other good books with specific exercises for dealing with abuse issues and pregnancy, but they don't focus so much on how to get pregnant.

    Sex Selection/Gender Determination

    Stork Select's baby gender selection on method is the safe, natural, and affordable way to choose the gender of your baby before you conceive.

    How To Choose the Sex of Your Baby - by Mohammed El-Hennawy, MD

    It happens that baby girls are easier to birth - they're more robust during labor, and they tend to come a little earlier, which avoids those inductions for postdates for first babies, which tend to come later than second babies.  All other things being equal, it's nice if a first baby happens to be a girl!

    FREE eBook "Choose The Sex Of Your Baby Scientifically and Naturally" is now available for download at GenderLabs.com - software for gender preselection and fertility management is also downloadable complimentarily.

    I have references from a fertility awareness book, which is loaned out to a now-pregnant friend of mine, that tell of favorable environment for either X (female) or Y (male) sperm survival.

    For a girl, the X sperm are slower, heartier, sperm with more resistance to acidic environments. Hopefully, the woman is charting her cycles with BBT/mucous observations, as to be aware of the time of ovulation. Intercourse should occur 3 or 4 days prior to ovulation with no intercourse again until well after ovulation. The vaginal environment should be more acidic. A vinegar and water douche could be used prior to intercourse. These conditions would favor a female child.

    For a boy, the Y sperm are fast, but less-resistant to acidic environments. Intercourse should occur as close to, but not a few days before, ovulation. This gives the Y sperm a chance to be the first one to get to the egg, and by the time the X sperm arrive, it is too late. A sodium bicarbonate and water douche could be used to favor an alkaline environment for the Y sperm, as well.

    The odds are supposedly increased to 85% that you will get your girl/boy.

    THE METHOD:

    This method is based on the scientific fact that, when a semen sample is placed in a test tube, the sperm that make the boys swim to the top faster, but die off sooner, and the girl sperm swim slower, but remain viable longer.

    The woman must know her cycle quite accurately, to be as precise as possible about ovulation date. I always knew exactly, and could feel myself ovulate.

    Method 1: Girl-

    Because the sperm that make a girl stay around longer, you want to make love one and a half to 2 days BEFORE ovulation is expected and then ABSTAIN for the next 5 days. This enables the girl-producers to be around when the egg comes rolling down to meet them, because the boys have all died off by then.

    Method 2: Boy-

    Because the boys swim straight and fast, make love as close to ovulation as possible, so that the sperm that get to the egg first will be boys.

    I don't think position has anything to do with it personally, but some try to say it further enhances chances.

    General Fertility

    A free application to track and predict menstrual cycles.

    There's increasing evidence that the developing egg/embryo/fetus are very sensitive to environmental contaminants.

    Dawn Software - Fertility and Pregnancy Software - A commercial site with a free trial offer

    Natural Family Planning and Feminism - an interesting article with some more helpful links

    Thyroid Disease, Pregnancy and Fertility

    The Thyroid Guide to Pregnancy, Fertility and Breastfeeding Success, by Mary Shomon

    The Garden of Fertility by Katie Singer(Avery/Penguin 2004) explains how to identify when you are fertile and infertile, breastfeeding and ovulation, common products that can be hazardous to reproductive health, natural remedies for strengthening gynecological health including nutrition and nightlighting techniques, and provides stories about healing childbearing losses.

    Here's another site with lots of great information about fertility

    In addition to investigating for the possibility of PCOS along the same line is Insulin Resistance.  I think it is an out-growth of the PCOS studies.  I work with an ARNP in the office that does many of  the workups for the docs infertility patients.

    She always checks fasting glucose levels and fasting insulin levels among other labs.  If the ratio is <4.5 she is considered insulin resistant and diet adjustments are discussed.  Basically reduce carbs to 20gms a meal <60 gms a day and increase protein levels.  Usually within 3-4 weeks the insulin levels are normal and within 3-4 months many of the "infertility" patients are pregnant and they have not seen the doc yet.  Not because there are no appts but because the docs have seen the results of her work and education with these women.

    ADVANCE for NP had several articles about Syndrome X , PCOS and Insulin Resistance in Aug 2000.  They are on line at http: and you can subscribe for the hard copy of the journal without charge.

    My Battle with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) - about one cause of infertility

    Trans Fats May Increase Infertility Risk - Women who want to get pregnant may want to stay away from fast food French fries because the more trans fats she eats, the more likely she is to be infertile.

    Trans fats are found in fried foods, packaged snacks, commercial baked goods, and other sources. They increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. They interfere with the activity of a cell receptor involved in inflammation, glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. For every 2 percent increase in the amount of calories a woman gets from trans fats instead of carbohydrates, her risk of infertility increases by 73 percent. To cut trans fats out of the diet, avoid all foods that list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in their ingredients.

    Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan 2006

    NaProTECHNOLOGY® - "The Contemporary Approach to Women's Health Care from the Catholic Church. This new educational technology allows a woman to monitor in an easy and objective way a variety of different biological markers (bio-markers) that reflect the occurrence of various hormonal events during the course of the menstrual cycle.  In a sense, it allows a woman to unravel the "mysteries of the menstrual cycle."

    The CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System can  be used consciously to achieve a pregnancy.

    Conception occurs right after ovulation, as the egg enters the fallopian tubes. With good timing, sperm will be waiting there to fertilize it. The egg only lives a day or so, but sperm can live several days in the fertile type mucus. So achieving pregnancy is a matter of timing coitus just before ovulation.

    If the woman has very short mucus patches (assuming she knows what to look for), this could adversely affect her fertility. Dry-up drugs like antihistamines, or not drinking enough water, can reduce the amount of mucus. Improved nutrition and guaifenesin (e.g., Robitussin cough syrup) can sometimes help to generate more.

    Finding exact ovulation time is impossible without a laparoscope, but you've got a few days of sperm life to work with. Possible signs of ovulation are:

    Secondary signs can be useful, too, but they come after cycles of experience and knowing when to look. One is "mittelschmerz," German for "pain in the middle"; you may prefer just "ovulation pain," which presumes its origin. Medical opinion differs on its cause and timing, but you can assume ovulation is very near it.

    To avoid sperm depletion, coitus should not be on consecutive days, nor for a week before the probable time of the beginning of the mucus patch.

    Once the BBT goes up, ovulation is probably over. If the BBT is up at the post-ovulation level 3 weeks later, there is a 99% probability of pregnancy (no test needed). Many expensive pregnancy tests, sonograms, and inducements are done because people don't know when they got pregnant. Show the chart to the doctor instead. Note: home pregnancy tests are not as accurate as the BBT elevation.

    FERTILITY FACTORS - Fertility varies widely, and about 10% of couples have fertility problems. Talking with NFP teachers (or reading books) may reveal a better picture of what your fertility is, and what your prospects for improving it are. It depends on a lot of factors, and self-awareness of your cycles is the first step.

    Your charts, properly interpreted, show what your cycles are like. Look for anovulatory cycles, length of mucus patches, breakthrough bleeding, delayed ovulation, or symptoms of approaching menopause.

    A gradual decrease in fertility occurs with age, but until menopause there's still a chance. An MD told a friend of Jim and Mary that over 40, women don't ovulate, but they have 60 charts that show otherwise.

    The hormone contraceptives (Pill, Norplant) can have unwanted permanence, and previous IUD use can cause repeated miscarriages. Another good reason not to use them.

    Your health and nutrition is important. Drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine use affect fertility. Stress and excitement can result in anovulatory cycles. Improving your diet and/or taking certain vitamin and mineral supplements can improve fertility; for example, the father must have sufficient vitamin C in his diet or the sperm can't swim. For the woman, too much exercise or not enough body fat (min. 20%) can reduce fertility. Marilyn Shannon's book, "Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition" (FC&N), is the best on the subject and has specific recommendations and dosages to treat different problems like infertility, PMS or painful cycles.

    If you have low fertility due to low sperm production, irregular cycles, or low mucus there may be additional (and cheap) things you can do to correct these problems. See "The Art of NFP."

    Herbal Support for Fertility

    One of my friends uses the following herbal regimen in the months when she is preparing for pregnancy:

    Dong Quai is for hormonal balance basically.

    During the pre-ovulatory phase of the cycle, take a mixture of: