Fertility is a lifestyle issue

Fertility is a lifestyle issue
It is not something you should worry about only when you are ready to have
children, it is critical to think about lifestyle factors well before that.
Infertility affects 6.1 million people. 40% of infertility is attributed to
the male, while 40% is attributed to the female. 12% of infertility cases are
due to weighing too much or too little.

It is critical to understand your fertility and explore healthy lifestyle
options in order to preserve and enhance your fertility.
Lifestyle factors that can have a negative long-term influence on your health
and your fertility are as follows:

Caffeine consumption
Smoking
Unprotected sex
Overuse of alcohol
Body weight
Poor nutrition
Food plays a vital role in fertility and overall health.

For example: Caffeine, a stimulant found in coffee, tea, soda and chocolate,
has negative effects on health and fertility. Caffeine can increase stress
and is known to have addictive qualities. Caffeine may cause damage to sperm
and increases the risk in females of developing endometriosis. So, instead of
reaching for that cup of coffee in the morning, try a cup of herbal tea and
a glass of calcium fortified orange juice to reduce stress, reduce caffeine
intake and optimize your health.

Healthy Eating
Healthy Eating may seem like an oxymoron but making slight changes in your
diet can make a world of difference in your health.

Start by eating more fruits and vegetables
You should have at least 6 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Not a big
fan or fruits and vegetables? Try making a smoothie as an afternoon snack
with yogurt and fruit, add in a little wheat germ. Start having an apple as
an afternoon snack or add some extra veggies into a casserole. By making minor
changes, eating healthy becomes part of a routine and soon you will start
craving a great big salad with spinach, walnuts and yams.

Change to whole grains
Stop eating white flour, white bread, white rice. Start eating foods made from
a variety of whole grains such as whole wheat, brown rice, oats and whole
grain corn. Start by eating cereal for breakfast, many breakfast cereals
contain the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals. Try switching
over gradually by eating a whole wheat bagel instead of a plain bagel, or whole
wheat sourdough instead of sourdough. Eventually, you will realize that
brown rice is full of flavor and oatmeal makes a great snack.

Folic Acid
Whole grain foods such as wheat, brown rice, oats, breakfast cereals, oranges,
spinach, beans and peas contain folic acid. Folic acid is essential for healthy
fetal development. The key to folic acid is to begin taking it when you are
thinking about getting pregnacy.

Vitamins
Begin taking a daily multivitamin- both men and women should do this. Start
incorporating more foods that are rich in antioxidants into your diet for
overall good health. Kiwi, cantaloupe, broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts,
yams, spinach help men maintain sperm motility and act as an immune booster
for men and women.

How Exercise Improved My Life
Wait...keep reading I know you have heard it all before but it has really helped
me deal with the manic pace of infertility. Now that I have started exercising,
I feel more in touch with my body and I feel more in control, of something.

Infertility as we well know is a life changing experience. Suddenly you are
thrown into the at times, overwhelming process of medical treatment, and you
are forced to look at seemingly grim statistics. Your relationship comes
under a microscope because you both get so caught up in grief that you may turn
away from one another. I understand this all too well because it happened to
me. For 3 years I refused to believe what was happening. I went through all
of the tests and IUI cycle after cycle always resulting in my period. I
tried acupuncture and "taking a break" but nothing seemed to make me feel
better. Forget exercising, I was too exhausted, too emotionally drained to
even consider it. My husband would get up and run every day, heck he ran 3
marathons during treatment. He seemed to be coping ok. But I justified this as
the fact that he wasn't the one being shot full of medication.

My attitude changed when I faced the recent devastation of a failed IVF cycle.
I was certain I was pregnant this time around. My body felt different, I was
nauseated, my breasts were huge and my cycle went incredibly well. So what
happened? I don't know and despite the great scientific achievements over the
past several years, once they transfer the embryos, it's fate.

I cannot tell you the grief I experienced, but many of you know just what I am
talking about. So finally, after 5 years of not exercising out of fear, stress
, emotional discord, I decided to exercise out of anger and frustration. I was
upset and I needed to let go. I needed to be angry and mad, and I wanted to
punch something. So I decided to try kickboxing. It was great. I focused on
the shoulder of the women in front of me, and unbeknownst to her, she was the
recipient of my aggression. For 1 hour I was so focused on punching and
kicking that I forgot that I lost my babies. I forgot that those 2 little
embryos were no longer inside. I felt the adrenaline rushing through my body
and I felt physically spent. The exhaustion enabled me to sleep, for the
first time in years I slept. The most remarkable difference was when my husband
turned to me and said, "you look refreshed, I haven't seen that look on you
for a long time."

So now, for an hour each day I forget. And for the next IVF, I feel more
prepared.

Relaxation and Stress Management For Infertile Women

Listening to comments from some friends, relatives and even medical personnel,
you might conclude that all you need to do to conceive is "Just relax," "Don'
t try so hard," "Go on vacation" or the all-time favorite, "Just adopt." But
for the vast majority of couples struggling with infertility, this is not
sound advice.

While stress does not cause infertility, infertility most definitely causes
stress. Infertile women report higher levels of stress and anxiety than
fertile women, and there is some indication that infertile women are more
likely to become depressed. This is not surprising since the far-reaching
effects of infertility can interfere with work, family, money and sex. Finding
ways to reduce stress, tension and anxiety can make you feel better.

There are numerous methods for decreasing stress, including learning relaxation
techniques and stress management strategies, taking a good look at your eating
and exercise habits, and remembering how to be good to yourself. Before trying
any of these techniques, however, check with your doctor to be sure they are
appropriate for you and will not interfere with your treatment.

Relaxation Response Traning
The relaxation response is a state of deep rest. This is the direct opposite
of the fight-or-flight response, the physical response to danger. When one is
frightened or threatened, the body releases adrenalin, causing blood pressure
, heart rate and breathing rates to increase. These changes allow one either
to fight harder against the danger or run faster away from it. However, our
bodies and minds cannot discriminate between physical danger and psychological
stress; thus, we also experience the fight-or-flight response when we are
stressed.

When you elicit the relaxation response, your heart rate, blood pressure and
breathing rates decrease. You feel more relaxed and less anxious. Individuals
who elicit the relaxation response on a regular basis report that they not
only feel more relaxed and less anxious during the actual relaxation, but also
feel calmer throughout the day. Those who elicit the relaxation response during
medical procedures report less anxiety, pain and medication use.

You can elicit the relaxation response through a wide variety of relaxation
techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, meditation
and imagery.

Progressive muscle relaxation involves progressively tightening and then relaxing
Deep breathing involves breathing slowly from your belly, like sighing deeply.

Meditation requires focusing on a word or phrase as you breathe. And imagery can
mean a variety of things, ranging from imagining a pleasant safe spot to
focusing on your body.

There are several books that provide instructions, including The Relaxation
Response and Beyond the Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson, MD. You can
also call your local academic medical center to find out about qualified
professionals in your area who are familiar with relaxation response training
. In addition, most bookstores carry numerous relaxation response tapes. Be
careful since some are better than others. Again, check first with your doctor
before you start any of these techniques.

You Say Potato, I say Yam?
If you are going through infertility, you probably have heard dozens of tales
about what food to eat, what is good for you and what isn't. If you are like
me, you have probably tried it all. While much of what is said in the infertility
community is speculation, there are some foods that have great nutritional
value and can actually improve your overall health. These foods are not going
to get your pregnant, but they will optimize your body's well being. Yams
just happen to be one of those "high quality" foods. Yams, not sweet potatoes,
yams. The two are often confused and for our purposes they will remain that
way. The fact is, in the United States, what we refer to as yams are really
another version of the sweet potato. This version with its darker skin and
orange, sweeter flesh is the nutritional powerhouse that is beneficial for
all people. The true Yam, while delicious in it's own right, is rarely found
in the U.S. Both sweet potatoes and Yams are low in calories, have no fat and
are rich in beta-carotene, as well as potassium. If a banana is the perfect
food, a Yam is even better. Early on in my infertility experience, I told a
dear friend of the benefits of Yams. In her burning desire to do something,
anything to help, she showed up at my house with a case of yams and a recipe
for yam and Black Bean Burritos. You might be thinking, how could I possibly
eat a Yam? Well, to get you started, here are some delicious recipes.