Fertility 101

When you were new to the whole TTC (trying to conceive) thing, you probably thought that it went something like this: Sex=baby, right? :) Don't we all... Well here is a spicy tid-bit.. It doesn't.. (duh!)

A woman's fertile window varies woman to woman. For one woman they are fertile myrtle and have a baby every 10 months! For another, it can take years... It doesn't necessarily mean one is "infertile" but perhaps suffers from other issues. Timing, Sperm, temp, hormones issues, even the food and drinks you eat!

As I'm not going to go into detail of how Ovulation works, (its tedious and I suggest you do the research on exactly how it goes about:) But the crash course of it, about a week out of every month you release an egg, you have a very short window (it varies like I said, but in general its about 24hours. Give or take two days) And sperm, oh yes, even they need to be timed.. Now, PLEASE don't become one of those women try to plan and pick apart every little thing.. It will only bring you stress and stress keeps you from getting pregnant. It really is amazing how every little thing has to be exact in order to get pregnant. But somehow it happens.

Some symptoms can tell you if you are suffering from any issues with fertility, (PCOS, Progesterone issues, Thyroid, Blocked Tubes, Endometriosis, etc...) Go look up each one and look up your symptoms, which can be anywhere from irregular cycles, odd hair growth, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423/DSECTION=symptoms

If you are having a hard time conceiving, there are many methods to help! (yay!) I myself have used several of them in my own planned conception process.


Simple things like lifestyle changes or convincing your partner to switch from briefs to boxers for a while can make quite a difference. Even if you’ve not had any trouble getting pregnant in the past, there’s no reason you can’t try to maximize your efforts today.

One great way to do that is with herbal and nutritional supplements. Sure, you can get all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need by eating a balanced diet made up of fresh, organic food, but there are some things that these supplements can give you that you won’t get in your daily diet.

Here are some of the best natural fertility helpers available today:

• Vitamin C. In many ways, this is a miracle vitamin. It helps to make blood vessel walls stronger, fight infections, and to speed the healing of wounds.  In addition, Vitamin C is thought to increase the amount of water in your cervical mucus, which will help cervical mucus to be more plentiful. This, in turn, will help you to be able to conceive.

• Nitric Oxide. Known as NO, this supplement can help your blood vessels to dilate. This allows blood to flow more freely to your reproductive organs. IN addition, there is some evidence to suggest that Nitric Oxide can also help to increase your cervical mucus.

• Lactobacilli. This is a kind of bacteria that’s an important part of your overall health. They help to keep the vaginal environment less acidic and more hospitable to sperm.

• Grapeseed Extract. The most nutritious part of a grape is the seed. In this case, grapeseed works especially well with Vitamin C to increase its effectiveness. This is also a wonderful antioxidant that can help your overall health.

• Evening Primrose Oil. This herb is used for the purpose of helping to make your cervical mucus more plentiful. It is an essential fatty acid, and it also has some anti-inflammatory properties.

If you’re having trouble conceiving, of course, you should talk to your doctor. In addition to these sorts of natural fertility helpers, there may be some relatively simple medical helps as well, such as the addition of a fertility medication like Clomid. (Clomid comes with its own set of concerns, please do the research before trying it) 

Acupuncture, http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/acupuncture.htm

Herbs, http://thefertilityshop.com/fertility_herbs_vitamins.htm
(I myself have used these, and love Chastetree berry:) Its wonderful!)
Also look into the book; "Taking Charge of my Fertility" http://www.tcoyf.com/

Massage, Yoga, meditation, there are countless methods, and I would love to help you if you have any questions or need guidance. I myself suffered from secondary infertility. Don't walk this path alone. It can get lonely..
http://www.epigee.org/guide/infert.html

This post can go on and on, so I am going to break it up..

Good night,
The Crunchified Mommy *yawn*