Discover Reasons For Infertility In Connection To Body Fat

What is the desirable weight for good long term health? What is the desirable weight to maintain fertility? How do you define being overweight or obese? These questions can be answered simply with a combined measurement called the body mass index (BMI).

Desirable weight is a standard adopted by researchers who gather a very large number of body weights and heights of adult women and men. These physical measurements are then evaluated in relation to the most common risk factors at older ages, such as heart disease and cancer, and also in some studies in relation to death rates.

Being overweight is defined as weighing 15-30 percent more than the desirable weight for height; being obese is defined as weighing 30 percent more than the desirable weight for height. Desirable weights for heights typically have been listed in tables, like the one used by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

Now the desirable, overweight, and obese weights for height are evaluated in a combined form, the BMI. The BMI conventionally uses the metric system. Your body weight is in kilograms (kg) divided by your height in meters (m) squared (multiplied by itself).

Clinical guidelines define the desirable weight as a BMI of 20-25. Women and men whose BMI is 26-27 are considered moderately overweight and face moderate health risks. People with BMI over 27 are considered obese and face higher risks.

Weight remains relatively stable for young women up to age 25 to 30. Then weight begins to increase mainly from an increase in body fat. For long term health, the recommendation is to keep your weight in the normal range of BMI, 20-25, with a low-fat diet and regular exercise.

A BMI in the range of 20-25 is associated with normal fertility.

Remember that in order to maintain normal ovulation menstrual cycles and to become pregnant, you must not be too thin or too lean.

The minimum weight for a particular height for maintenance of normal ovulatory cycles , is equivalent to a BMI of 18. For example, for a height of 65 inches, the minimum weight is 108 pounds. If you want to become pregnant, it is advisable to have a BMI above 18.

Research indicates that the hormonal environment for a successful pregnancy outcome will be improved with a BMI over 19.

A BMI of 25-27 is associated with a slight reduction in fertility; over 27 with a significantly reduced fertility.

In summary, for good health and normal fertility, keep your BMI in the range of 20 to 25.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

Important Information on Dealing with Infertility Costs

Insurers and infertile couples always seem to be battling over infertility costs. Until infertile couples took on the roles of advocates, few, if any, insurers automatically paid for infertility treatment. In the last several years, however, infertile couples have been successfully lobbying state legislature to pass laws requiring insurers to cover their medical bills.

As of April 2000. Twelve states have enacted infertility insurance legislation: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Ohio, Rhode island, and Texas. Specific information about legislation for each of these twelve states can be found at the Web site of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (www.asrm.org).

If you live in any of these twelve states, you probably have a better chance of having some of the costs reimbursed than if you live elsewhere. But if you do not meet all the requirements set forth under the law (i.e. length of time you’ve been trying to have a baby, medical condition, or use of your own gametes), the law may work against you. On the other hand, insurance may in fact cover your diagnosis and treatment, even if you live in one of the other thirty-eight states.

The majority of insurance carriers cover between 50 percent and 80 percent of “conventional” infertility treatments. In terms of vitro fertilization, 41 percent of commercial health insurance carriers provide coverage. One in four do so as a standard practice, and the remainder do so on a case-by-case basis.

For lesser, low-tech procedures, most BlueCross and BlueShield plans cover much of the diagnostic testing. As long as the insurance company can justify a treatment as leading up to the diagnosis of an illness or condition, the company will reimburse you for surgeries, blood tests, diagnostic tests (like the HSG or endometrial biopsy), and ultrasound scans.

Insurance companies do not consider infertility to be the illness itself; their argument is that most procedures bypass rather than cure the problem and are “experimental” in nature.

But don’t lose hope or make assumptions. There are various ways to find out definitely what, if any, infertility tests and treatments your policy covers. There was a couple, for example that assumed that their insurance would not reimburse them for $700 of out-of-pocket expenses for Lupron during an IVF cycle. The insurer had initially turned down their claim, but the couple resubmitted it, pointing out that the FDA had recently approved Lupron for the treatment of endometriosis, a recognized contributor of infertility. The argument was convincing enough that the insurer reimbursed their $700.

At some point you may decide that “enough is enough”. The money crisis may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Spending your last penny or borrowing money you may never be able to repay may just be more than you can handle. If you are unable to continue treatment because the infertility costs are beyond your means, you are not giving up-you are merely being realistic.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

What Is Infertility For Couples?

Infertility in couples is where one or more are not able to produce results to get pregnant. Infertility also includes a womans inability to make it through the third trimester in a pregnancy. You can get pregnant and there is help for couples who are dealing with infertility. Women with regular periods and ovulate before and after their periods are considered to be fertile where women with irregular periods and do not ovulate before and after each of their periods is considered to be infertile. Infertility in couples is defined as the inability to get pregnant after a year of intercourse without using birth control.

Couples that have never been able to get pregnant are considered to have primary infertility and couples that have experienced a successful pregnancy but are no longer able to become pregnant is considered to have secondary infertility. Throughout the world one out of every seven couples have problems with infertility. As women get older the chance of becoming pregnant will decrease. The number of Americans that experience infertility is close to six million. The percentage of women having infertility problems in a couple is about fifty percent. The percentage of men that have infertility problems in a couple is about forty percent. Some of the most common problems with infertility are age, problems ovulating, blockage, uterian problems, tubal ligation, and TB.

Most couples will seek medical help if they have been unable to conceive after a long period of time. An infertility specialist will be consulted and he will run tests on both parties in the couple and determine the causes or reasons behind the infertility. Both people in the couple will be asked questions about sexual activity and how they believe intercourse is done. At this point if the specialist is unable to determine what is causing the problem he will order more tests to be done. He will test the woman’s temp, how she ovulates, take x-rays of the tubes and the uterus, and he will perform and laparoscopy. He will test the man’s semen count and analyze the sperm.

85-90% of all infertility cases are treated using the conventional methods which include drug therapy and surgery. Other complicated surgeries such as IVF are done for the remaining couples. It is said that among all the couples that visit a doctor for treatment, 20% of them conceive without any medical help. This might be due to stress and anxiety that a couple experiences regarding the inability to conceive before consulting a doctor. Fifty percent of statistics on infertile couples conceive within two years of the treatment. It is reported that several factors can increase the chances of infertility, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, environmental hazards, medications and surgeries, treatment for cancer, health conditions and problems such as mumps, hormone imbalances and kidney problems.

The treatments for infertility are different for both sexes in a couple. Medications are available today and you should only use the medications after you have consulted a specialist first. The most commonly used treatment is the fertility kit.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. Find out how to reverse Female and Male Infertility naturally while improving the quality of your life! For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

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Mind-Body Infertility Solutions

Through your mind and body you can further add to your fertility solutions by embarking on a series of acupressure treatments that you can perform on yourself in your own home. Self-applied acupressure utilizes the same concept and principles as acupuncture. Its goal is to unblock the body’s energy meridians. The difference is that you use your hands rather than needles to stimulate specific points on your body. You will be focusing on those that are tied to your reproductive health. What is good for your fertility is also good for your general health and well-being.

There are four points that you or someone else can massage. Press these points twice a day, in sequence, morning and night. It doesn’t take that long-just about eight minutes a day. You’ll be boosting your fertility even if you can’t go to an acupuncturist.

The first point is on the sole of your foot. With your sole facing you, apply pressure with your thumbs (next to each other) right below the ball of your foot. Press hard because the soles of the feet are quite thick. Press…then release. Do this pattern for one minute on each foot.

The second point is slightly above the ankle bone. This powerful point stimulates your female energy and strengthens your reproductive organs. Lay fingers horizontally across your ankle area. At the edge of your forefinger, you should feel another bone, located behind your shinbone. Press the tissue area on either side of this bone with your fingers and thumb in the same press and release pattern already described. Switch legs and repeat.

The third point is on the lower part of your thigh. This point has to do with blood flow. Place the palm of your hand on your thigh so that your middle finger is at the edge of your knee. Where your thumb hits on the side of your kneecap is the point you are looking for. When your circulation is better, your health is better-and your fertility boosted.

This last point is located between your thumb and your index finger. Open your hand wide, do you see the V? Find the center of that V. Press gently. Press for a minute on each side. This point is good for the immune system and for good health in general.

As part of your mind-body solution, be sure to incorporate imagining. It’s a stress release and can help to slow you down in your hectic daily routine.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. Find out how to reverse Female and Male Infertility naturally while improving the quality of your life! For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

Reduce Stress Related to Infertility

Stress is a funny thing. You feel stressed because you can’t get pregnant, yet that same stress decreases your fertility. Research findings prove this to be true. Women everyday are exhausted by the pressure of trying to juggle their work and home life while doing whatever it takes to get pregnant. What’s the solution? Eliminate stress? Just be happy?

Easier said than done- but not impossible, if you are willing to change your way of thinking. Make your work enjoyable, after all you’re going to be there anyway. Try to overcome the boredom or whatever makes you feel stressed while you are there. Challenge yourself to have fun and laugh at life.

As there is an art in anything you do in life, try implementing this process at your work place. Figure out a better way. Keep challenging yourself in tasks you perform at work to keep it interesting and different.

People might start to think you’re crazy for working so hard, but really you know you’re not crazy or working too hard, just trying to keep yourself challenged.

The point is you make your life the way you chose. It’s all in the way you look at things. Make you sure you let yourself see more than just one side of the coin. There could be a blessing in disguise on the other side of the coin.

The truth is you can never really control the outcome of anything. Don’t jump in and force things. Changing the way you think can change everything-maybe not all at once but a little at a time. Sometimes that is all you need. Be a solution and not a problem.

With all the stresses in life, something has to give. Stress will affect you. You can choose to be happy, enjoy life, and challenge yourself. When you stop challenging yourself, challenges will soon find you. Wouldn’t you rather have the power to choose?

Women struggling with infertility stress that no one else can relate to unless they have gone through it themselves. Know this: Life is precious; every moment is a treasure. At the end of the day, you cannot lose your spirit, your mental perspective. Your soul comes first.

Stress thrives on chaos and uncertainty. That is why it is so important to have a plan when dealing with your fertility issues. You need to understand the whole fertility field so that you can make choices. You must anchor and ground your spirit before you take one more step on the path. You must ensure your intimacy with your partner if you are in a relationship. You must gain perspective and try to put your mind at ease. One of the best ways to do this is through the practice of meditation.

In a broad sense, meditation is the training of our mind and our spirit. People tend to think meditation is just sitting still. But it can take many forms, and it can be for a wide variety of purposes. There is standing meditation, where you squat slightly. There is walking meditation. There are meditations practiced in solitude and meditations practiced in groups, with drumming and dancing. The possibilities are endless. But the number one goal is always the same: learning how to let go of control and any mental distractions and worries you might have.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

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How Endometriosis and Fertility Relate

Many women with endometriosis fail to ovulate, although no one knows if this is a direct result of the disease or if it is coincidental. One thought is that if an ovarian follicle that has been stimulated by luteinizing hormone fails to rupture and expel the ovum, the ovum cannot be fertilized. This is called luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome.

Even if the ovum is fertilized, problems can occur. For instance, when the smooth muscle of the uterus and fallopian tubes becomes irritated, the contractile waves diminish, thus making it difficult for the ovum, fertilized or not, to move along its path to the uterus. Also, excessive contractions of the uterus may prevent implantation of the fertilized ovum.

Other barriers to fertility in endometriosis include:

Irritation and inflammation produced by retrograde menstruation, or by the endometriomata themselves, can cause an immune reaction and formation of an excessive number of macrophages (scavenger cells), which destroy foreign invaders such as sperm.

Various autoimmune responses (a condition in which one is “allergic” to oneself) arise as a result of misplaced endometrium. Auto antibodies prevent implantation or cause the uterus to reject the zygote (fertilized ovum). Endometriosis is now beginning to be regarded as an autoimmune disease, like lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Increased or overactive prostaglandins can decrease sperm motility. Moreover, ectopic (misplaced) endometrium secretes prostaglandins that affect a number of reproductive mechanisms.

Anatomic distortions and obstructions of the fallopian tubes, as well as anovulation, luteal phase defects, and hormonal abnormalities can inhibit fertility.

And-if you are avoiding having sexual intercourse because it is painful, you’re not likely to become pregnant.

Although there is no proof of it, scientists believe that certain lifestyle factors may predispose a woman to infertility resulting from endometriosis; use of intrauterine devices, especially the Dalkon Shield; cigarette smoking; obesity; and possibly cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol use.

If you decide to make an all-out effort to become pregnant, you and your doctor will have to assess how difficult it will be; that is, what are your chances as compared with general statistics? Of course, physicians cannot guarantee that you will get pregnant if you do this or that treatment. But what can happen is that you can improve your odds with certain treatments.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online

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Everything You Need To Know About Endometriosis And Infertility

Depending on which reference source one reads, women with endometriosis have a fertility rate of 50 to 65 percent, whereas the general population of women has a fertility rate of 88 percent. Among women with endometriosis, it is believed that 30 to 50 percent are infertile, although the true incidence of infertility is unknown, For that matter, no one knows the true incidence of infertility in the general population.

The paradox of infertility in endometriosis is that most of the standard medical treatments for the disease are contraceptive. Endometriosis is essentially an estrogen-dependent disease; the drugs used to treat it deplete the body of estrogen and therefore shrink the endometriomata. But pregnancy also is estrogen dependent. So it’s unlikely that you will become pregnant while you are receiving treatment, and when you go off the drugs in an effort to have a baby, your endometriosis will probably get worse again.

To add to the irony, drugs that increase the chance of conception also tend to exacerbate endometriosis. They have other serious side effects as well, so if you feel as though you are between a rock and a hard place, you are.

What’s more, if endometriosis does indeed cause infertility, then eradication of the disease should render a woman fertile. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. Treatment of mild to moderate disease does not necessarily improve the rate of fertility over doing nothing. You may become pregnant after treatment but according to statistics, the general incidence does not increase. Women who undergo various treatments for endometriosis, and who also are being evaluated for fertility, have variable outcomes in the success of the treatment on fertility. This suggests that endometriosis affects individual women’s ability to become pregnant in different ways.

If the disease is caused by an anatomical abnormality, surgery to correct it may or may not be effective-depending on the skill of your surgeon and whether you develop serious adhesions. If you have the predisposition to endometriosis since you were in your mother’s uterus, chances are the longer you wait, the less likely you are to get pregnant.

If you decide to have surgery (the less invasive the procedure, the greater the chance of preserving whatever fertility you have), timing becomes even trickier. Most physicians believe that there is a postoperative “window of opportunity” that lasts about six to nine months. This is when you luck is at its peak. After about nine months of menstrual periods after surgery, if there are still some endometriomata left in your abdomen, the buildup of scar tissue, cysts, and adhesions will once again impair fertility.

One extremely frustrating thing about endometriosis and infertility is that the disease appears to increase the chance of natural abortion (miscarriage). So there are women who can become pregnant but cannot carry to term. Surgery and medication may help correct this problem, but so far no scientific data exists.

Karol Cardinson is a Health specialist with over 20 years in Diet and Nutritions Research as well as a former Infertility sufferer and can help you with getting pregnant sooner and naturally. Find out how to reverse Female and Male Infertility naturally while improving the quality of your life! For more information go to Infertility Solutions Online