Planning for Pregnancy, Fertility Facts and Alternative Methods

When it comes to reproduction, fertility is the number one focus for many. Some people aren't able to conceive naturally. Studies have shown that one in seven women will have problems with infertility. This can be caused by numerous factors such as an underlying health condition, a poor diet, an unhealthy lifestyle, stress, depression, anxiety or even the smallest encounter with a toxin like fluoride {which is found in most toothpaste as well as drinking water}, or BPA{ a toxin found in plastic bottles and the inner liners of cans used in the packaging of canned goods}.

Luckily, most of these factors can be eliminated or improved upon, which can boost a person’s fertility dramatically.

Ways to boost fertility

One sure-fire way to boost fertility is to have your doctor run tests on you to ensure that you are in fact fertile; if not, there are times when supplements can be taken to boost fertility. Other ways to increase fertility include stress reduction therapy {either through massage, or by eliminating the situation causing stress}, eating organic foods, avoiding toxins that can hinder the performance of your reproductive system, anxiety and depression therapy and even listening to some relaxing music for an hour or two each day.

Another common problem that can cause infertility is weight. If you weigh too little, your body won’t have enough nutrition for your hormones to function properly, if you weigh too much, your body will be under constant stress and your ovulation will be off track. Most doctors say that a BMI of 20-22 is ideal for optimal fertility.

Alternative Ways to Conceive

IVF, or in-vitro fertilization is growing in popularity. This process is one where the doctor/surgeon plants the sperm directly into the egg, and then implant it into the woman’s uterus. This only happens after she is given medicine, for about ten days, to induce the release of her egg/eggs. Once the eggs and the sperm have been united { for lack of a better word} the embryo is cultured in the IVF clinic for two to six days before it is implanted inside the woman.

For women who are unable to sustain life in the womb, there are programs to connect her to a surrogate. Surrogates are women who are healthy enough to carry a child to full term who offer the use of their womb in order for another couple to have a baby. The surrogacy procedure can use either the sperm and eggs of the intended parents, a donated egg that has been fertilized by the intended father’s sperm, or donated eggs and sperm. All of the previously mentioned options involve a host that is able to carry the embryo until birth.

Adoption

If a couple cannot find a surrogate, and are unable to conceive on their own, another alternative to having a child is adoption. Sometimes, women get pregnant and do not feel like they are ready to have a baby and care for it properly. Often times, these women will go to an abortion clinic and have the pregnancy terminated.

However, there are a growing number of women in these situations that do not believe in taking a human life just because they are not ready for the responsibility, so they will carry the child to term and give it up for adoption once the baby is born.

There are two kinds of adoption: open and closed.

Open adoption is much more lenient in the sense that both the biological parent(s) and the adoptive parents have a choice to let the birth parent(s) remain in the child’s life and make crucial decisions if needed.

A closed adoption is much different, in that the biological parents have no rights to visitation, they do not get updated on the well-being of the child, and they have no authority over any decisions made after the adoption has been finalized.

The ability to create and nurture new life is a huge blessing to anybody who is given the opportunity. However, it is also a huge responsibility and it is a lifetime commitment. Patience, strength, perseverance, and a whole lot of unconditional love are crucial traits to possess for a person to be a successful parent. These are not things that people are always born with, they come with practicing them every single day of your life. It is a hard journey, raising another life, but in the end, it is so worth it.