Herbal, Vitamin and Mineral Resources Updated!

Our partnership with vitacost.com has ended, but I have partnered with two other herbal/vitamin/mineral suppliers and have updated all three of the Herbal, Vitamin, Mineral
Resources pages. We are now partnered with both Puritan's Pride and Vitamin World.

Here are some special offers from our two newest affiliates:
At Puritan's Pride Shipping is Only $3.95 on Any Size Order!
Get Free Shipping on orders of $75 or more at Vitamin World! Shop Now

Keep your supplies fresh, and make sure you have everything you need on hand. If you are running low on your favorite supplement or herbal preparation, be sure to check out Puritan's Pride and Vitamin World.

To find out which products we recommend, visit our Herbal, Vitamin and Mineral Resources pages today.

Coffee linked to miscarriage risk

From our most recent Newsletter:

---

I have heard for a long time that coffee consumption can increase the risk of miscarriage as well be a contributing factor to infertility. For the first time I have located a study that states just that. If you missed the Parade insert usually found in your local Sunday newspaper, here is the basic information that was reported:

"Drinking more than one cup of coffee a day, especially during the first three months of pregnancy, doubles the risk of miscarriage, according to a study by Kaiser Permanente."
Here is a quote from the report in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, published online 28 January 2008. "...we demonstrated an elevated risk of miscarriage associated with caffeine consumption during pregnancy and a dose-response relationship with most of the risk associated with caffeine consumption at 200 mg or greater per day. This observed effect was independent of many potential confounders including pregnancy related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and aversion to caffeine consumption. Even among women who never changed caffeine consumption pattern during pregnancy, there was an almost 80% increased risk of miscarriage associated with caffeine consumption of 200 mg/day or greater,..."

A single 7oz cup of coffee can contain between 100mg and 200mg of caffeine. And it's not just that morning cup of coffee that should be a concern. Caffeine is in tea, sodas, and chocolate too. Going cold turkey may not work for everyone, but going caffeine free as much as possible could reduce your risk of caffeine related miscarriage.

---

Are you signed up to receive our TTC Dreams Newsletter? You can do it right on this site, just scroll down enter your email address and choose to receive the newsletter and special announcements too.

New Year's TTCing Resolutions

Happy 2008! The new year has finally arrived and with it time to make New Year Resolutions. Here are a few resolution suggestions for all of us that are ttcing.

1. Resolve to have more fun! TTCing can be an all encompassing journey, so much so that we can forget to enjoy life and have fun with our partners. Make a resolution you can keep this year - to have fun with your partner every day!
2. Resolve to see an OB/GYN or RE! Yes, it may be time to see your doctor or to switch doctors especially if you have been trying for a year or longer. Now may be the best time to call and make an appointment so you can start your new year with a solid plan of action and possibly a new treatment plan.
3. Resolve to "baby dance" at least 3 times a week, every week! It may sound odd to "baby dance" when you are not fertile, but the more often you do it the better your chances are of conceiving. It is always possible to miss the window if you ovulate earlier or later than usual, so "baby dance" often.
4. Resolve to be healthier! This doesn't mean that you should resolve to lose weight, or suddenly start working out every day. It just means that you should resolve to make small changes every week that will make you healthier. This could be as small as eating strawberries instead of cookies/potato chips for a snack, or parking a little further away from the store than you usually do, or when grocery shopping, actually walking up and down each aisle even if you don't need anything in it. Small changes can make a big difference.
5. Resolve to learn more! No, you don't have to go back to school, but you should be as informed as you can be about fertility and infertility. Go to your library or local book store (or shop online) and find books about charting your fertility signs, the latest medical breakthroughs in infertility treatment, or books about herbs and other alternative treatments. The more you know the better off you will be when talking to your doctor about what you want to do next in your ttcing journey.

Best wishes to all of you in 2008! May all of our baby dreams come true.

A Few Questions and Answers

On the website, TTC Dreams, I have a page of F.A.Q. or Frequently Asked Questions. Many of these questions are asked so often I know the answer "word for word". I thought it might be helpful to post some of these here for everyone else to view.

Q. - Why does my partner need to have a sperm analysis done and what is it?
A. - If you and your partner have not been successful in conceiving after a year (or less depending on age), then one of the first tests that your doctor will order will be a sperm analysis. This is one of the less expensive tests as well as one of the less invasive. When a sperm analysis is scheduled, your partner will need to refrain from ejaculating for three days. This will help the doctor in determining what your partner's average sperm count is. The count is for all of the living sperm that are present in the sample. The motility, or ability of the sperm to swim, is the other part of the analysis. If the sperm are basically motionless or moving very little then the motility is poor. By having this test performed it assists the doctors in deciding on whether or not more tests of the female are needed or if the fertility problem lies, most likely, with the man.

Q. - When using an OPK, can you show a surge for more then 1 test day? Do your levels stay high through O?
A. - It is possible to show a surge for two test days, depending on when you test and how often. If you test both in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening, you could show a surge in the evening and again in the morning. Before your body can release an egg, it has to be told to do so. An OPK measures the lutenizing hormone. This hormone will begin to be released about 4 to 6 hours before it will show on a test. Once you get a strong positive result, you should O in 24 to 48 hours. The level will not remain high through O because what happens is just a burst of this hormone. If you continued testing with an OPK until you confirmed O by temping, you would notice your test line getting lighter and lighter, until you could not see it.

Q. - I am not O'ing, now what?
A. - First call your doctor and set up an appointment to have a preconception visit and blood work done. Take your charts with you to show to your doctor that you are not ovulating. Also have questions ready to ask your Doctor about what he/she plans on doing for you. If you need help coming up with questions, check out How To Choose A Doctor on this site. Chances are your doctor will prescribe Clomid. If you would rather try herbs to regulate your cycle, you still need to see your doctor to make sure that it is not your thyroid or some other medical reason for your lack of O. If it is just that your hormones are out of balance, see Herb Vitamin, and Mineral Information for more information on what herbs will help you regulate your hormones.