Getting Pregnant Naturally_ Healthy Choi - Winifred Conkling [0]
PREGNANT
naturally
Healthy Choices to
Boost Your Chances
of Conceiving without
Fertility Drugs
WINIFRED CONKLING
For Hannah and Ella
Contents
Introduction
By llene Stargot, Founder and Executive Director, National Infertility Network Exchange (NINE)
1 Infertile or Subfertile? An Overview
2 Sex and Sexuality:
The Birds and the Bees for Grown-ups
3 Nutrition and Nutrition Supplements:
Eat, Drink—and Get Pregnant
4 Herbs: Mother Nature’s Medicines for Maternity
5 Homeopathy: Baby Doses for Big Results
6 Acupressure: Hands-on Healing
7 Mind-Body Connection:
Fertile Ideas to Boost Your Fertility
8 Lifestyle: Keys to Conception
Resources
Organizations of Interest
Recommended Reading
Index
About the Author
Note to the Reader
Copyright
About the Publisher
Introduction
I don’t like the word “infertility;” it leaves no room for hope, even though many couples who have trouble conceiving go on to have children. I have known women with ovulation disorders and damaged tubes who became pregnant; I have known men with one-sided varicoceles and low sperm counts who have impregnated their wives. Instead of using the word “infertile,” I prefer to use the term “impaired fertility.” I have worked with hundreds of couples with impaired fertility, and I know that there are many things couples can do to enhance their chances of conceiving a child.
Human reproduction is an inexact science; most people shift back and forth between periods of fertility and infertility as their bodies pass through various hormonal stages and respond to physical and emotional stresses. Our hormones—and our fertility—change in response to age, diet, and nutrition, and exercise and lifestyle, among other factors. Some of these factors we can control, others we cannot.
When it comes to getting pregnant, it’s up to you to make the most of each month. It’s up to you to eat right, to rest, and to make healthy choices in your life. It’s up to you to listen to your body; nobody knows your body better than you do. You must learn to recognize when something feels “off” so that you can follow up with a doctor.
If you are a man, it’s up to you to protect your sperm. Most men don’t realize that it takes almost three months to produce sperm, so that what you do today will affect your sperm months later. If you are a woman, it’s up to you to learn how to chart your fertility so that you can’ better time intercourse to coincide with ovulation. A simple temperature chart can also help you detect common fertility problems, such as a luteal phase defect. In many cases, no single thing you do or don’t do determines your fertility. It is the cumulative effect of a number of little things that can either enhance or impair your fertility. This is why you should do what you can to get pregnant naturally before you rush off to consult a reproductive endocrinologist.
The advice offered in this book can help you increase your chances of conceiving a child. If you remain childless after a year, you may need to work with a fertility specialist. Of course, you may do everything right and still end up without a biological child.
I spent nine years trying to get pregnant, and I tried everything you can imagine. That’s why I never ask anyone I meet, “How many children do you have?” I remember what a difficult question that was to answer when my husband and I were trying desperately to conceive.
I am now the mother of two adopted children. Once I accepted that my body was not going to reproduce and that my husband and I were not going to build a family the way that we had hoped, dreamed, and planned, I realized that adoption offered another option. While adoption was my second choice, it was not second-best. I have been blessed with two wonderful children. I am a mother. My husband and I have built our family. I have everything but a pregnancy story. Best of luck to those of you entering this journey.
ILENE STARGOT
Founder and Executive Director
National Infertility Network Exchange