FertilAid Fertility Supplements

Are you and your partner getting enough of the vitamins and minerals that your reproductive system needs to function and stay healthy?  If you're trying to get pregnant, have you started taking a prenatal vitamin to ensure the healthy development of your future baby?

I'm guessing the answer for most of us is no to at least one of those questions. That's why I'm going to talk about FertilAid for Men and Women. 

FertilAid for Women is part fertility enhancing nutrient blend and part complete prenatal multivitamin. It also includes Vitex Agnus-Castus (aka Chasteberry), which has been clinically proven to help balance hormones - particularly useful if you have an irregular cycle. 

FertilAid for Women provides a range of antioxidants (Vitamins A, C, and E for example), to support healthy cell structure and tissue maintenance. 


Folic acid is essential for fetal development of the brain, spine, and skull.  Deficiency of folic acid during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm delivery, infant low birth weight, and fetal growth retardation.


Iron helps your body produce healthy eggs during ovulation.

FertilAid for Men is geared towards raising sperm count and quality. It is packed full of ingredients proven to increase the number of sperm, their motility and speed, and their morphology - and more, healthy sperm means a better chance of fertilization!

Antioxidants are especially essential to the production of healthy sperm, and FertilAid for Men is packed full of them. They both support healthy cell formation and protect the cell from aging and harmful environments. 

L-Carnitine is an amino acid that is critical to sperm maturation and growth.

Zinc has been shown to positively affect sperm formation and motility, as well as boost testosterone metabolism. 

Both versions of FertilAid have some really amazing reviews and success stories. You can read a few and buy FertilAid for Women and FertilAid for Men online from www.FairhavenHealth.com, and they'll give you free shipping on your order.

If you're looking to try both, order a Value Pack and save some money!  Looks like its on sale right now too!

Good luck, and stay healthy!

Its National Infertility Awareness Week!

Are you suffering from infertility? You're not alone, in just the United States, 7.3 million people are affected by infertility.  It can be an emotional journey - made even harder by a lack of support from ones' friends and doctors. National Infertility Awareness Week is an event that hopes to educate people about infertility and help those suffering from it get connected!

RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association has put together a website for National Infertility Awareness Week, and it just might help you get involved! Check out their Events Page and see if its not too late to catch something going on near you!  Its a great chance to connect with other TTC couples and maybe learn a few things you didn't know about your own fertility journey. 

RESOLVE's website, http://resolve.org/ is another great resource.  From there you can search for infertility support groups in your state, find a variety of medical professionals and services, and learn much more about infertility, its causes, and what you can do if you've been diagnosed with it. 

If you don't know much about infertility, I recommend you start learning by reading their Infertility FAQ.  

Good luck! And remember, never feel like you're the only one!

IVF: Two Embryos No Better Than One?

It is a common practice during in Vitro Fertilization to transfer multiple fertilized eggs at a time, in the hopes that if multiples are transfered, there is more of a chance that one will implant and lead to pregnancy.

However, with multiple embryo transfers, bearing multiple children becomes possible.  Why is that bad?  Multiple pregnancies (like bearing twins, triplets, or the horrific octuplets) carry extra risks for the mother and the babies. Multiple birth children are more likely to suffer chronic disabilities, more likely to be stillborn.  Mothers of twins are more likely to have complications, or die in childbirth. And whats more, transferring 2 embryos barely increases the odds of successful IVF at all!

Studies have found that for women 35 years and younger, chances of successful pregnancy are not too different in single embryo transfer procedures vs double.  In one study, 43% of women who transfered 2 embryos had successful pregnancies, and 39% of women who transfered one embryo had successful pregnancies. That's only a 4% difference! However, in the 2 embryo group, 33% of the births were twins, compared to 0.8% in the one embryo group.  Is that four percent increase worth the increased risk to mother and child?  I would say no!

And yet, IVF patients and doctors continue to insist on multiple embryo transfers, usually because they are just unaware of the risks or think that 2 embryos are twice as good as one.  If you are considering IVF, be sure that both you and your doctor are informed about single embryo transfer methods and success rates!

Read more here
or
Read the results of the research here

Pregnancy and Fertility Calendar

If you're trying to conceive, you've probably already heard about the "fertile window" - those 4-5 days around ovulation during which conception is possible.  

Whether you are just starting out on your TTC journey or you've been trying for a while now, you should not overlook the importance of knowing when you ovulate. On the one hand, if you and your partner don't have sex during that window, the sperm will have no egg to fertilize.  On the other, making love every day you're not menstruating can be exhausting and lead to vaginal dryness.  Studies show that pregnancy is most likely to occur when couples have sex every day of the fertile window - and to do that, it helps to know when you ovulate by using a fertility calendar!

While there are many different ways to track ovulation, from the pee-on-a-stick method to fancy saliva hormone monitors, one of the cheapest, easiest, reusable methods is using a fertility calculator or fertility calendar.  There are free online versions, like the one offered on Ovulation-Calculator.com, but personally, I prefer having a physical chart to look at. One with fantastic reviews is the Pregnancy and Ovulation Wheel from FairhavenHealth.com.

Unlike other paper fertility calendars, this Pregnancy and Ovulation Wheel can be adjusted for irregular cycles and it doubles as a pregnancy calendar.  It tells you your peak fertile day, when to expect implantation and missed periods, and when to start taking pregnancy tests. After becoming pregnant, you can use it to remind yourself of important dates to see the doctor, and it gives you an idea of fetal weight and stage. Plus, it's cheap and can be reused the next time you or a friend is trying to get pregnant. This is one of the best fertility calendars I've seen to date! 

Good luck, and have fun!

PS If you've used this or any other fertility calendar, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Dogs and Babies - How to Set the Stage for a Positive Relationship

Dogs and babies, the darlings of any household!  But what can you do to make sure that Fido never hurts the baby? Even the most loving pet can turn into a jealous monster if it thinks its competing for your attention with a new baby. Well I just read up on CNN a couple ways to help dogs and babies get along, and knowing how to prepare your dog for a new baby is the first step to protecting the child, and keeping the dog!  Here is a quick summary:

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, approximately 800,000 people are treated for dog bites every year, most of them children.

Conflict between dogs and babies or children is a common problem that only leads to unhappy endings:

The Humane Society of the United States says hundreds of pets end up at the pound every year because parents are faced with a dilemma: Get rid of an angry, jealous animal or the new baby. It's obvious who wins.

So, if you want to avoid a situation of conflict between your dogs and babies, take some precautions, and take them early!  Dogs are most comfortable with routine.  Beginning around two months before the baby arrives, make gradual changes to the dog's routine.  If the mother-to-be is the primary caregiver (walker, feeder, etc) for the dog, begin letting someone else take on that role.

Dogs and babies shouldn't get too close in situations you cannot control, so train the dog to stay off the furniture before the baby arrives. Punishing the dog for getting too close to the baby can create a negative association for the dog. On this note, take care of any negative behaviors, such as nipping, jumping, or barking, before they become a threat to the baby. Always train your pet safely and humanely, or you could make the problems worse.

Once the baby is born, introduce the dog to the baby's scent by bringing home a blanket that the baby has slept on.  Introduce baby sounds, toys, etc to the dog to let it become acclimated to the changes.

As baby and pet grow together, teach your child to respect an animal. Don't let the baby pull its tail or rush at it.

A relationship of mutual respect will keep the dog from lashing out at the child.  Don't let your baby walk all over the pet, so to speak, so that it never feels the need to retaliate, or even play rough, with the child.  With a little work, gradual changes, and good training, dogs and babies can get along, but never leave them unsupervised together!

For more info on introducing cats and dogs to babies, check out this article on the Humane Society's website.

Getting Pregnant - Tips on Cervical Mucus

I'm sure you've heard of cervical mucus - its the gooey stuff that a woman produces around the peak of her fertility cycle. It is through this medium that the little sperm will (hopefully) swim through to reach its happy little goal.  When you're ovulating (at the most fertile time of your cycle), your cervical mucus should have the consistency of raw egg whites. But what if your cervical mucus never gets that gooey? Well, here are some tips for ladies trying to get pregnant that don't have optimal cervical mucus.

1) Take a supplement.  There is a vitamin/herbal supplement called FertileCM specifically designed to improve the quality of cervical mucus. (The web site is also another great resource to read more about healthy cervical mucus properties.)

2) Going for raw egg white consistency in your cervical mucus? Why not just use raw egg whites? The blog Fertility-Over-40 posted an article called Using Egg Whites to Get Pregnant.  It's all about warming up a good old fashion chicken egg to room temperature, cracking it open, separating the yolk from the whites ...And then you put the whites exactly where you think you put them... It sounds a little weird to me, but if it works -  it works!  It seems like there are a lot of success stories using egg whites, and a few infection stories.

Proceed with caution, I suppose.

3) Try a sperm friendly lubricant.  Beware, most lubes do not have the right consistency to conduct sperm, even if they're not labeled as "spermicidal".  As far as I know, the only sperm friendly lubricant on the market is Pre~Seed which comes in one use pouches and reusable tubes. If you buy from www.Early-pregnancy-tests.com they'll give you free shipping and send you a could pregnancy tests with your purchase!

So that's today's tips on getting pregnant! Best of luck!

Fertility Supplement Giveaway

A fellow blogger is giving away some awesome products!

Green Colored Glasses - All Natural Fertility Supplements Review & Giveaway From Fairhaven Health

Fairhaven Health makes some really fantastic pregnancy and fertility supplements - if you already use them, pick up a month's supply for free, and if you've been dying to try them, now's the time! It looks like GreenColoredGlasses is giving away a one month supply of FertileCM and Fertilaid for Women.  FertileCM is a natural supplement designed to increase the quality of a woman's cervical mucus and promote the endometrial secretions that help build the uterine lining for pregnancy. Fertilaid is a blend of fertility enhancing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support overall reporductive wellness.  You can read more about Fertilaid on their website (http://fertilaid.com/) and more about FertileCM on their website (http://fertilecm.com/)

I definitely recomend entering that contest! I mean, who can say no to free stuff!?

Good luck!

Reducing IVF Cost

We all know that IVF can cost a huge sum of money - the drugs that go along with one cycle can cost up to $2000.  Well the other day I read a helpful little article called How to Save Money on Fertility Drugs from Conceive magazine that might help you to keep a bit of cash in your pocket. This article is full of money saving tips and phone numbers to call, I definitely recommend reading it through.  In the mean time, I'll summarize it here.  The main tips for reducing IVF cost are as follows:

Double-Check Your Insurance Coverage to See if it Covers Fertility Drugs - Not all companies are forthcoming about how much they actually cover.  Be sure to read the fine print of your plan, and call for clarification.

Shop At Specialty Fertility Pharmacies - Compare prices of big drugstores to smaller fertility pharmacies.  You might find that pharmacies specializing in IVF cost much less than the mega drug store down the street.

Take Advantage Of Drug Company Discounts on Fertility Drugs - Some pharmaceutical companies might offer discounts on their own drugs, if your insurance does not cover costs at all.  Be sure to do your research with the company that makes the drug.

Look Into Philanthropy Programs that Subsidize Fertility Drugs - Companies like The InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination and Serono offer aid for couples from many different walks of life. Ask your doctor about local programs that might be able to help you, too.

Take Part In A Fertility Drug Clinical Trial - (I, at first, raised an eyebrow at this suggestion, but its actually a lot more sensible than it sounds.) One way to reduce the drugs for IVF cost to free, is to free is to take part in a clinical study.  Few brand new drugs are on the market, so what is mainly being tested is the nuances of administration, or possible a drug that is already on the market in Europe. Taking part in a study brings your IVF drug costs to zero, with generally no risk.

Finding Fertility Drug Bargains Safely -  Don't go snapping up the cheapest drugs you can find on the internet...This tip is more about how to say safe while still saving money.

If any of those options sound unfamiliar to you, go ahead and read that article! You just might save yourself a couple hundred bucks!