Six Steps to Increased Fertility: An Integrated Medical and Mind/Body Program to Promote Conception - Softcover

Harvard Medical School, M.D. Robert L.

 
9780684855233: Six Steps to Increased Fertility: An Integrated Medical and Mind/Body Program to Promote Conception
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0684855232 ISBN 13: 9780684855233
Verlag: Atria, 2001

Inhaltsangabe

YES, YOU PROBABLY CAN GET PREGNANT
...and the really good news is that most of you can conceive naturally, without expensive high-tech intervention. The six-step mind/body fertility enhancement program from Harvard Medical School could give you the answer.

  • How can I relax when I'm worried sick about getting pregnant?
  • Can antidepressants affect my fertility?
  • Is there some medicine I can take to increase my sperm production?
  • Does being a vegetarian increase or decrease my chances of conception?

Start to help yourself by learning the newest information on how simple lifestyle changes affect fertility.

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Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Robert L. Barbieri, M.D., is the chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the Kate Macy Ladd Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School.

Alice D. Domar, Ph.D., is the director of the Mind/Body Medical Institute for Women's Health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where she is also a senior scientist. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the coauthor of Healing Mind, Healthy Woman and Self-Nurture: Learning to Care for Yourself as Effectively as You Care for Everyone Else.

Kevin R. Loughlin, M.D., is a professor of surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

STEP 1

Begin Making Healthy Lifestyle Changes Today

If you are thinking about getting pregnant, you can do many simple, effective things right now to improve your chances of conception, because lifestyle can have profound effects on the reproductive functions of women and men. This means that increasing your fertility potential is something that you both can do without outside help: you can adopt healthy ways of eating, you can eliminate habits that may diminish fertility, and you can make sure your weight is within the range that's conducive to starting a pregnancy.

Think of this as a wellness program: Like an athlete, you'll be training for optimal performance. Not only can you enhance your prospects for a pregnancy, but as healthy parents you will be better prepared for the physical work of raising a child. Here are some simple strategies to pursue right now.

Keep Your Exercise Moderate

Women and Exercise

Getting enough exercise is an important part of helping your body to function well. But some women do so much exercise that it can be counterproductive, especially as far as fertility is concerned. A Harvard study by Dr. Rose E. Frisch examined the health of over 5300 women who had been athletes in college and found that strenuous or elite-level exercise appeared to impair fertility, which was often demonstrated by a lack of menstruation and ovulation. The most obvious indication that you are exercising too much if you want to become pregnant is having light or irregular periods or none at all. Professional or dedicated women athletes who want to have a baby need to cut back to much less strenuous levels of exercise or stop their workout programs altogether.

For the woman who already is experiencing infertility, Dr. Alice Domar and her colleagues at the Harvard Mind/Body Program for Infertility recommend that although giving up all exercise can be difficult for a woman who is concerned about weight gain or is used to exercising vigorously, she stop all exercise for three months to make sure exercise isn't a factor. Even when menstruation and ovulation appear normal, exercise can cause a decrease in progesterone levels that might prevent an embryo from implanting. Dr. Domar has seen a number of pregnancies result when women stopped exercising. Stretching routines, yoga, and relaxed strolls (under two miles) are good tension reducers and can be useful substitutes for vigorous exercise. A yoga program should be supervised by someone familiar with the effects of infertility treatments on the body.

Drs. Kevin Loughlin and Robert Barbieri, however, feel that a simple reduction in the number of miles women (and men) run or bicycle or in the hours they spend working out is sufficient to overcome most exercise-related fertility problems. Since exercise can affect body fat and a person's body mass index (BMI), its effect on fertility is difficult to sort out.

LILLIAN'S STORY

In her job as a supervising chef at a well-known restaurant, Lillian was on her feet for eight to ten hours a day, with little opportunity to relax. "Our food had to be amazing, day after day, because we had a reputation to maintain. Something often goes wrong. It was exciting but demanding." In addition, Lillian ran for recreation and to keep fit. At five feet eight inches, she liked to keep her weight at 120 pounds. When she started attending the Mind/Body Program for Infertility, she had been trying to get pregnant for two years and the cause of her infertility couldn't be explained. She was thirty-three years old.

When she learned about the possible connection between too much exercise and infertility, Lillian slowed down. She gave up running and walked more slowly at work. As part of her effort to take life more easily, she also practiced the relaxation routines and meditation exercises taught in the program. "Overall, I became much calmer. For a month I gave up trying to get pregnant. I relaxed about everything, I didn't worry about when to have intercourse -- and I got pregnant in six weeks. It was entirely unplanned." She now has a less demanding job and takes care of her baby.

Men and Exercise

Men can work out more than women without adversely affecting their fertility, but many research studies have found that high levels of exercise and endurance training can lead to a decrease in testosterone levels, negatively affecting libido and sperm health. Furthermore, men who are extremely lean can also experience marked drops in their testosterone levels, and may lose their interest in sex and their ability to have erections. Long-distance runners and scullers trying to keep to a lighter weight are examples of men who may experience infertility because of a combination of high-level exercise and lean bodies with little fat. These effects can be reversed with a modest weight gain.

We also should mention that over fifty miles a week of bicycling on a hard, narrow seat may lead to impotence. Studies have shown that sitting for long periods on such a seat can flatten the artery that controls blood flow to the penis. This type of bicycle seat may also cause nerve damage. Impotence specialists recommend switching from a solid seat to a type that has an oval opening built into the saddle. Various seats are available at bike stores.

Eat Well

An important influence on fertility is attaining a level of good nourishment that permits your body to function as it should. Bad eating habits can reduce the reserves of nutrients necessary for reproductive hormone systems to work properly. Inadequate nutrition also may weaken your immune system to the point where any sickness might diminish your fertility. This isn't just a woman's issue; men who don't get enough of certain vitamins and minerals may have low sperm counts and low testosterone levels.

It's important to eat regular, adequate meals -- at least three a day -- and to choose foods that are rich in nutrients and low in fat. And we recommend that you have one or two nourishing snacks every day as well. Good snacks help you avoid the temptation to reach for empty-calorie foods high in fat and sugar.

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

This is the time to heed nutritionists' advice about stepping up the number and variety of fruits and vegetables you eat every day -- currently the recommendation is five to eight servings per day. That may sound like a lot, but one serving can be as little as a couple tablespoons of raisins or a handful of fresh peas or grapes.

If you're not an enthusiastic vegetable/fruit eater and want to make each serving count the most, every week eat at least several dark green and orange/yellow vegetables such as Swiss chard, kale, sweet potatoes, and carrots, as well as red, orange, and yellow fruits. Deep-colored foods tend to have more nutrients. For instance, pink grapefruit has more nutritional value than white grapefruit, and watery-but-red watermelon is surprisingly nutritious.

GOOD HEALTH TIP

To make salads more nourishing, use lettuces such as romaine, Boston, or greenleaf (iceberg lettuce is not rich in vitamins) and include fresh spinach. Real time-savers are the lettuce mixes sold by most supermarkets. Because they contain a variety of greens, both flavor and vitamin content are better. For a change of pace that's quick, toss a leafy salad with a minimum of low-calorie dressing, and add several slices of ripe pear or mango to each serving. This looks elegant and tastes delicious.

A word about salad dressings: If you can wean your family from their favorite bottled dressings, it's cheaper and usually lower in fat and calories to mix a jar of your own. Do as Europeans do and toss the entire salad with just 1 or 2 tablespoons (or less) of dressing to barely coat the leaves so that the...

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Verlag
Atria
Erscheinungsdatum
2001
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0684855232
ISBN 13 
9780684855233
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
256
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV
info@simonandschuster.nl

Herculesplein 96
Utrecht
3584 AA
Niederlande

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