There are many fertility tips out there. However teeth flossing is usually not one of them!

Surprisingly, untreated oral diseases can contribute to infertility and poor pregnancy outcomes. Sadly a woman in the US recently gave birth to a stillborn baby who died as a result of the mother’s gingivitis. A gum bleeding condition caused by bacteria which is easily preventable and treatable.

Speaking of infections…

Any infection in the body can damage the baby at any stage of the pregnancy. Women’s immune system’s are slightly suppressed during pregnancy to prevent the immune system from attacking the embryo – which strictly speaking is a foreign body.

Natural Fertility? Natural What?

Recently I was contacted by a TV station in the US. They’re doing a show on infertility treatments and found my website. The show producer rang me to have a chat about natural fertility as he hadn’t heard of it and wanted to know exactly what it was.

As a naturopath with many friends who are also naturopaths it hadn’t occurred to me that some people may not understand what the term natural fertility really means.

So, what is Natural Fertility and what’s it got to do with your pregnancy?

Infertility affects more couples than ever. 1 out of 6 couples today experience difficulty falling pregnant. What was once seen as a woman’s problem is now known to affect men equally. But what are the causes of infertility and what can be done to address them naturally?

But isn’t there IVF to fall back on?

When we take a closer look at IVF it is far less safe and less effective than we are often led to believe. As well as being invasive and prohibitively expensive for many, IVF treatments carry a substantial health risk to both the mother and baby.

Many couples see pregnancy as a good reason to get healthy. However for most the process only begins when the doctor has confirmed the pregnancy. This article looks at preparing your body for pregnancy and why getting healthy only once you are pregnant is not such a good idea.

Is this you?

‘I’ll quit smoking once I’m pregnant’

‘I’ll stop drinking alcohol once I’m pregnant’

‘I’ll stop eating junk food once I’m pregnant’

‘When I’m pregnant I’ll eat whatever I like’

‘I’ll cut down coffee or stop drinking it altogether once I’m pregnant’

Getting scientific in the name of procreation can take out all the fun out of making babies. Nature intended love making to be fun and pleasurable.

Orgasms are amazing immune boosters and stress busters and are great for boosting fertility. They do wonders for the pelvic region, infusing the area with fresh oxygen and nutrients.

During orgasm your feel good hormones – endorphins are released. Studies have shown that endorphins can increase pain tolerance by 70%. These feel good hormones can alleviate fear, anxiety, headaches, period cramps and promote a feeling of deep relaxation and wellbeing.

Zinc and fertility, go together like bees and honey. Zinc is the most important mineral and antioxidant in pregnancy and preconception. It is required for foetal growth and development of muscles and bones. It reduces the risk of stretch marks, perineal tears, cracked nipples and it is necessary for immune function and brain formation.

82% of pregnant women world wide are deficient in zinc

A study found that 82% of pregnant women world wide are deficient in zinc. Low zinc levels in pregnancy have been linked to labour complications, low birth weight and premature delivery.

Zinc and Fertility in men

Fertility experts agree on the link between em radiation and fertility and recommend in the four months preceding conception, to avoid even low levels of radiation. Once pregnant, women are advised to continue avoiding all forms of radiation.

Why and what does this mean?

The planet, lightning storms and even our body produce electro magnetic radiation. A bit of EM radiation is required for good health and reproduction.

However, strong electro magnetic radiation can damage living tissue and cell structure. Radiation is drawn to the cells with the highest growth and division such as sperm and ova and the growing fetus.

There are many natural ways to increase fertility. In this article we’ll look at one crucial ingredient to optimal fertility – essential fatty acids. Imagine building a house without some of the essential materials. Well it simply wouldn’t work, it would be leaky, drafty, insufficiently insulated, and would probably collapse during the first storm.

Our cells are no different to a house. They all have a blueprint (DNA) and are meant to be constructed according to the plan. However when the body makes a request for a particular nutrient to complete the cell construction, it gets a message that the reserves are empty or being held only for the key organs, needed to keep you alive.

It’s quite amazing how we love to prepare and get ready for a big trip, a sporting event we maybe participating in, moving house, moving jobs etc…Yet when it comes to preparing our body for pregnancy all our planning abilities and skills seem to fly out of the window.

For the majority of my patients and friends the path to pregnancy begins something like this:

“I’ll come off the pill the next month and we’ll just go for it until we get pregnant”. We’ll that’s all well and good but it would be advisable to wait for at least 4 -6 months after coming off the pill before you jump into baby making. Why?