Home And Family

I had a deep, dark secret I could not share with anyone. I spent a lot of energy guarding my secret for fear of being found out. Eventually, I found a safe place to share about my abortion experience. When I look back now it seems so strange that I parked down the street from the room where we were meeting. I went around to the back door and knocked on it so I could get into the meeting. I did NOT want anyone to see me even near this meeting place. The shame that enveloped me to go get help was so much more than the shame I felt walking into the abortion clinic.

WOW! This is an incredible dis-service to women. We want to talk, We want to have permission to grieve. We are desperate to connect with other sisters who feel the same way. Mostly, though we don’t talk about our abortion decisions for fear of risking rejection, condemnation, misunderstanding or invalidation of the pain we feel. There is a natural and unavoidable grief process for choice decisions, yet there is no venue for talking about, crying or expressing any emotion about the loss.

Glamour Magazine courageously offered an article (February ’09) that will be the catalyst, I believe, for revolutionizing the way women process their choice decisions. You can read the article titled, “Abortion: The Serious Health Decision Women Aren’t Talking About Until Now.” If you have experienced an abortion and are looking for a place to talk, you might go online and read this archived article. I think it will give you much hope that things are changing for women in our culture.

Again, just know that you have permission to talk and cry about the loss you feel over your abortion. Just because it is legal doesn’t take the pain of the choice away. You can go online and type in “help after abortion” to find support groups like I did to help you reach closure over your abortion choice. You might be surprised at how many women feel the exact same way you do, yet are sitting in silence afraid to share.

Herbal medicines have been used for a long time already. It has been said that it is most beneficial for everyone who needs medicine for whatever purpose it may have for them because aside from it being accessible, it is cheaper than the chemical products available in the pharmacy.

Fertility herbs are believed to be most effective to increase fertility because of its positive effect on the hormonal system, reproductive organs and increases sex drive.

Furthermore, the herbs that increase fertility have still some added benefits for the body other than those mentioned.

Listed below are the top ten herbs to increase fertility:

1. Red Clover – a wild plant used to graze cattle and animals. Traditionally, red clover is used to treat cancer, whooping cough, respiratory problem, skin inflammations such as psoriasis and eczema. However, modern researches say that red clover nourishes the uterus and balance the hormones. Having a nourished uterus is good for the preparation of the fetus’ supposed stay in the organ. It is also high in magnesium, calcium and vitamins.

2. Ginseng – is a popular fertility remedy for the male. It may also be found in vitamin capsule, coffees and other products in the market. It is said to increase the testosterone levels, sperm count and its motility. It is also believed as a powerful aphrodisiac.

3. Astralagus – is believed to improve sperm motility and count. It also help support the immune system and organs of the body such as the kidneys, spleen blood and lungs.

4. Ladys Mantle – this herb is best for women who have difficulty during menstruation or those who are experiencing amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea because it assist in the regulation of menstruation and helps build up the uterine lining.

5. Black Cohosh – helps in the treatment of menopause and the prevention of miscarriage. Its phyto-estrogen improves hormone functioning.

6. Raspberry Leaf – this herb if taken regularly helps to ease morning sickness, sooth and prevent bleeding gums which is one of pregnant woman’s problem, it helps smooth the uterus of the pregnant woman during contraction which relieves pain, eases the delivery of the baby and its placenta and provides iron, calcium and magnesium.

7. Stinging Nettle – regulates the body hormones thus the promotion in ovulation and menstruation. This is best for women who have difficulty in finding out when is the time that they are most fertile.

8. Tribulus – used to increase testosterone and regulate the male hormones. It is also an effective libido enhancer especially for men who have erectile problem due to stress and bad habits.

9. Saw Palmetto – it is also believed to increase fertility and is good for prostate health.

10. Chaste tree berry – it stimulates the pituitary gland thus help balance the female hormones. It also produces the sex hormone such as the progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. It helps decrease prolactin which cause breast tenderness during menstruation.

Everyone who wishes to try the herbs to increase fertility should seek medical advice to know which herb is suitable for them.

Because they are used as aides to fertility, there are many questions which surround acupuncture and IVF. Primary among them are questions regarding what types of infertility can be treated by acupuncture and whether there is a point where it is no longer safe for a woman to receive acupuncture treatment after she has undergone the IVF process. Some studies have found that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for certain types of infertility. Knowing which types of fertility apply in this regard and which do not is the first step in understanding the use of this treatment for IVF.

Acupuncture is not a one-time cure for any ailment. Acupuncture and IVF generally represent a process being used in advance of a procedure. Acupuncture generally takes several treatments before it is effective. These treatments may be used before and during pregnancy. Acupuncture is usually not a treatment that is used by itself. Along with acupuncture, one is usually given herbal treatment. One should consult with their doctor before taking any recommended herbs in case there are contraindications with any other medications being used. After one has received their IVF, the types of acceptable acupuncture treatment will change, as well. It is important to work with an acupuncturist who is aware of these situations.

After a woman is pregnant, there are certain points that should not be stimulated by acupuncture. Acupuncture and IVF do not generally have contraindications at any other point, however. After the woman is carrying, the points Spleen 6, Bladder 60, Bladder 67, Large Intestine 4, Gallbladder 21 and Stomach 12 are not to be stimulated. No points on the lower abdomen should be stimulated, for obvious reasons. Any herbal treatments being used should be reassessed once the woman is with child, as well. The types of fertility problems acupuncture can treat and its lack of risk make it very attractive before IVF, however.

There are good reasons why many women consider both acupuncture and IVF. Acupuncture, combined with other medical interventions, has been shown to increase fertility. Oftentimes, the treatments continue through the first few months of pregnancy. There is some data to indicate that acupuncture may help to reduce the incidence of miscarriage. Before IVF, acupuncture is often used to treat fertility conditions including spasmed tubes which are seen to be reduced with the application of acupuncture. Acupuncture is also used to treat unexplained infertility and sometimes to treat infertility in the male partner.

Acupuncture will not treat certain types of fertility conditions. Blocked tubes, for instance, will not respond to acupuncture. Some of the treatments require both the acupuncture and the herbal component to achieve their best results. For instance, elevated Follicle Stimulating Hormone levels can be treated with acupuncture and herbal interventions. Acupuncture and IVF are both types of medical intervention that require a solid professional. In most states, one needs to have an active license to work as an acupuncturist. Be certain any practitioner used has such certification and that they have expertise in treating pregnancy and fertility issues before engaging their services.

Choosing the gender of your baby is quite a controversial topic. There are religious, ethical and practical reasons why people object to it. The most obvious objection is that it could lead to an  imbalance in the numbers of the sexes which could cause all sorts of social problems as the baby matures to an adult. With this said, many people want to choose baby gender simply to complete their family. Maybe they have two boys and want a little girl to provide a sense of balance in their own family. Whatever the reason, there are many theories and techniques that are thought to help a couple conceive a baby of a certain sex. This article breaks down the thinking behind these methods.

People that believe that you can choose baby gender think that the timing of intercourse and the position of the intercourse is important to determining the sex of the fetus. They also believe that the types of food that you eat before intercourse are also important.

Timing and the foods you eat influence the PH level in a woman’s body and the types of sperm that the male is likely to produce.

The position that the couple have intercourse in is also thought to influence which type of sperm is likely to get to the egg and fertilize it.

Many of these techniques and methods have been passed down through the ages. One technique that is thought to be successful in influencing the gender of the baby hails from China and was used by the royal families of the ancient Chinese Dynasties.

It hardly seems long after you抳e bought your 1st copy of Pregnancy & Birth Magazine (to chart the growth from strawberry to melon) before it抯 suddenly time to shop till you drop! Armed with a list the envy of any shopaholic, it抯 off to John Lewis, Mothercare or your local baby shop for the essential purchases. From muslins to bedding, from prams (Mammas & Papas or Mclaren?) to the essential 憈ake me home?car seat (Brittax or Maxi?). It抯 an exciting baby-rush purchase day and suddenly you realise your 憁elon?will soon be a baby at home!

You’ve decorated your nursery, bought the Winnie the Pooh cot bed from Mothercare and baby furniture from Ikea, now you just need the other essentials. The best advice for mums to be is to consult mums with babies already, learning from their experience!

They will be able to tell you what was their best buy and what they bought for their baby, often because it looked good, but they never use! Once you have sought advice then buy a magazine, Pregnancy and Birth and Prima Baby were my favorite.

The most exciting purchase during your pregnancy is often the pram. It抯 something you will have for at least 2 years and reflects your personality! Always think about your circumstances before buying your pram; do you live in a home with no hall, do you live in a town house, how big is the boot of your car, and will you get fed up with the trendy candy stripe?

Try to ‘think practical’- not always easy at 6+months pregnant. Once you have chosen your 3 in 1/travel system/front facing pram the rest of the list seems less daunting! Mothercare and John Lewis are just two of the stores that have advisers if you like the personal touch.

You will need everything from muslin squares to nipple cream. Don’t forget to decide how to announce the birth of your baby too! When finished go sit somewhere for a well deserved fruit smoothie, don’t worry not long till it will be champagne!

Once a couple has decided that they already want to have a baby, it is on the female’s part to get pregnant as soon as possible. But it doesn’t take a woman alone to get pregnant. Primarily, she would need a help from her partner to work on the baby making process through having an intercourse. Successful nightly activities that lead to the mother’s pregnancy depend on knowing how to do it right.

Included in the ways to get pregnant faster are the do’s and don’ts of the behavior that the couple need to have when they are doing the activity. The position is always the primary key to finally get the female pregnant and the most advisable among these positions is the commonly used one where the man is on top of the woman. This is more popularly known as the missionary position. On the other hand, placing the woman on top will have a lesser probability of conceiving. The gravity will make the sperms leak out and thus preventing them from reaching the egg cell.

There are many ways to get pregnant faster if they seriously want it. The best thing to do after knowing the right position is that right after having sex, the woman must not get up at once. Try relaxing a bit for a few minutes or hours to secure the sperms longer inside the vagina. This technique, together with the right position, would deliver a baby right onto the mother’s womb sooner and quicker than just trying to have one without proper knowledge.

Many couples want to learn how to conceive a boy and today there are many natural methods that can increase those chances. While there are medical procedures such as artificial insemination, they tend to be extremely costly. Natural gender selection methods combined can be just as effective and best of all, cost nothing to implement. Here are 5 tips to naturally increase your chances of conceiving a baby boy.

1. The woman must know her menstrual cycle – This will enable the couple to accurately determine when ovulation will occur. The best way of determining this is by keeping track of the cycle for a few months and to use ovulation testing strips.

2. Time intercourse on the day of ovulation – This is extremely important as making love on the day of ovulation creates a reproductive environment that’s favorable to conceiving a boy. Ovulation prediction kits can be used and are fairly accurate.

3. Encourage deeper penetration intercourse – The sexual position matters a great deal as placing the sperm as close to the cervix as possible is best. Rear entry positions are generally the most effective in depositing the sperm far away from the entrance.

4. The woman should orgasm – Making the woman orgasm helps create an environment that is more alkaline which is ideal for the male sperm. This will also enable the sperm carrying the male gene to reach and fertilize the egg quickly.

5. Monitor vaginal pH levels – Acidic environments are extremely hostile to the male sperm where they do not stand a chance. Increase alkaline levels by consuming foods high in potassium and sodium. In addition, be sure to use testing strips to monitor the pH levels.

These are just some of the natural methods that couples can utilize to increase their chances of conceiving a boy. Be sure to use these tips in combination with each other for maximum effect.

While pregnant, a woman will always want to remain healthy in order to keep her unborn baby in good health as well. She might exercise; eat foods that are not at risk for carrying harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites; stay away from kitty litter; and medicines like Accutane. However, in her quest to eat healthily, she might turn towards fish as a good, lean source of protein. But what about mercury poisoning?

Mercury is an element sometimes called quicksilver that is the only metal that remains in a liquid state at the standard conditions for pressure and temperature. Therefore, it is a very useful substance, and something you probably have come into contact with regularly. Non-digital thermometers utilize mercury to take a person’s temperature.

Because it is now known to cause health issues, most things no longer contain mercury unless absolutely necessary. Although mercury was once used to treat things like syphilis and diaper rash, as well as used in teeth fillings, most companies are phasing out the use of mercury. However, some Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Tibetan traditional medicines still use mercury as an ingredient.

For normal, healthy people, exposure to mercury can cause problems with the nervous system, lungs, kidneys, vision, and hearing. As harmful as mercury can be for adults, it is even more harmful to children, and especially fetuses. If a pregnant mother suffers from mercury poisoning while pregnant, her baby may die. If it lives, signs of mercury poisoning include nervous system problems, mental retardation, developmental and learning disabilities, as well as hearing impairment.

Fish are sources of mercury as well as their beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. A pregnant woman can also take in mercury by breathing air that has remnants of burned waste, coal, and certain other industrial processes that involve mercury. The breakdown of dental fillings, thermometers, and some light bulbs may expose a soon-to-be mother to mercury.

Staying away from polluted areas and broken mercury-containing implements can help a pregnant woman from subjecting herself and her baby to mercury poisoning. Additionally, there are some fish that have lower levels of mercury so that a soon-to-be-mom can still gain nutrients from fish without putting herself or her baby at risk. Low-mercury fish include salmon, catfish, and flounder. Dangerous, high-mercury fish are species such as grouper, orange roughy, and swordfish.

Of course, it is impossible to predict and prevent everything that can go wrong during a pregnancy. However, if you feel that your doctor did not fully inform you of the risks of mercury, resulting in a birth defect to your new baby, this may count as medical malpractice. For more information on mercury poisoning in fetuses as well as other birth injury topics, check out the website of the Philadelphia birth injury specialist law firm Lowenthal & Abrams, PC.

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to term. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. In this article, we will discuss what is female infertility Radioimmunoassays (RIAs) ?

I. Definition
Radioimmunoassay (RIAs) is a very sensitive medical technique used to measure concentrations of antigens such as quantitating the binding, or the inhibition of binding, of a radio-labeled substance to an antibody which help your doctor to determine that the infertility is not or caused by hormone imbalance during menstrual cycle.

II. Procedure
By mixing a known quantity of an antigen and antibody with the sample of serum from a patient containing an unknown quantity, it helps to measure the interaction of testosterone, LH, FSH, prolactin hormones.

III. Diagnosis
After the uterine lining is shed and the previous menstrual cycle end. The surge of estrogen indicate the new menstrual cycle is begun. The levels of estrogen stimulate hypothalamus to secret gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), it helps the pituitary gland to secret Follicle stimulated hormone (FSH) for production of eggs from the ovaries. When the eggs is mature, the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) causes mature egg being extruded from the ovaries a few days before ovulation and allows the cervix to produce the sperm friendly mucus, then the levels of progesterone surge to soften the lining of uterus for implantation of the embryo if fertilized, otherwise the uterine lining is shed and prepare the next menstrual cycle. Anything gone wrong in hormone secretion during this process will influence the quantitating the binding or the inhibition of binding that can be detected by a radio-labeled substance to an antibody.

IV. Risk
No risk is known.

There are many – some very serious issues involved with teenage pregnancy these days. There are numerous health risks to both the mother and the unborn baby, and there are some very important factors we need to consider. Even with the numinous and in some cases quite serious health risks, there are still almost one million teenage girls becoming pregnant each and every year here in the United States alone.

Listed below are some of the many risks and complications that can occur as a result of teenage pregnancy.

Low Birth Weight – Teenagers are less likely to gain the extra weight they need during their pregnancy, leading to a low birth weight. Low birth weight, in turn, is associated with many and varied childhood disorders, and also has a high rate of infant mortality. Infants who are born with a low birth weight often have organs that aren’t developed fully, which can result in something as serious as bleeding in the brain. If you are a pregnant teenager, it is very important that you make sure you gain adequate weight to avoid such health risks.

Premature Babies – Teenage mothers are far more likely to give birth to premature babies, which pose serious and sometimes fatal risks for the baby. Most commonly, premature babies are at a much higher risk than full term babies to develop bleeding in the brain, serious retinal problems, intestinal problems, and even sudden infant death syndrome, which is the unexpected and unexplainable death of a baby in their sleep. Even if none of these happen, a premature baby is much more prone to face a lifetime of many health problems – seizures, developmental delays, and even cerebral palsy.

Smoking and Pregnancy- However sad, teenage mothers are more likely to smoke than mother’s over the age of twenty five. Smoking dramatically increases the risk of a low birth weight in babies, which is discussed above. Also, smoking while pregnant highly increases a lot more pregnancy complications, premature birth, and giving birth to a stillborn baby to name but a few.

The information on this page is not intended to be a criticism towards teenage pregnancy; rather it is geared towards highlighting the risks involved. We strongly recommend that if you or your child is a teenager and pregnant, that you should always go to your prenatal care visits. And no matter what else you to, at the very least be sure to take your vitamins and eat a healthy diet – always keep a record and maintain a good pregnant weight, but don’t do it by eating junk. Remember A healthy, balanced diet goes a long way not only for you but also for your developing baby.