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:

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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.

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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.