There Really Is No Magic to Getting Pregnant

I'd really like to be able to give my patients an easy how-to for getting around their fertility issues. And people who are desperate to finally get pregnant and become parents are easy prey to reputed quick fixes. Fortunately, long gone are the old days of the tonic seller with ridiculous promises. But today's marketing techniques, finely-tuned with psychological research data, can be pretty convincing even to educated fertility consumers.

Take the idea of fertility supplements.

Granted, research studies linking nutrition and fertility have boomed in the last few years. What you eat is indeed a key factor in how you feel and how your body functions, even when it comes to fertility. Every qualified dietitian will tell you that the best source of health-promoting nutrients is food. Supplements are considered a back-up plan, and in some cases, their effectiveness is unproven.

In a Los Angeles Times article, Chris Woolston, aka The Healthy Skeptic, discusses two popular supplements: FertilAid for Men and FertilityBlend for Men. Both are promoted as providing nutritional enhancement for male fertility, specifically, sperm motility and count.

It's a good article that balances the claims of the supplements' makers with commentary by male fertility specialists. The important take-away message that eager-to-be-dads need to hear: supplements can be good for your health, but they aren't miracle cures.

And by the way -- the very same can be said for women, supplements, and fertility.

Could Your Fertility Problems Be Related to Diet?

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, so it's a good time to put the word out about how this rather invisible disease might impact a woman's fertility.

The Celiac Disease Foundation has a list of symptoms that could be considered if you're wondering.

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness offers excellent primer info on the possible connections between the disease and infertility.

Generally, my fertility-focused advice to people diagnosed with celiac disease would include the recommended dietary changes plus any additional fertility treatments, depending on other factors like the woman's age.

When Fertility Really Is About Your Diet

No woman wants to be told she needs to lose weight, least of all my patients who have struggled (sometimes for years) with trying to get pregnant. Whether we decide their fertility treatment will include fertility medications, IVF, IUI, or some other assisted reproductive technology, the best starting point is a healthy body -- and for many, that means coming to a more optimal weight.

This article in the Belfast Telegraph describes a rather novel approach to meeting the challenge of weight versus fertility, specifically as it relates to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common causes of female infertility.

Are there similar programs in the United States?