Getting Pregnant Naturally

by Winifred Conkling

  BREAKFAST

  Orange juice

  Banana OR grapefruit OR orange

  Whole-grain cereal with soy milk OR one-egg omelet containing red pepper and low-fat cheese

  LUNCH

  Skim milk

  Turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with a single slice of low-fat cheese OR avocado salad

  Green leafy salad

  Yogurt

  DINNER

  Fish (twice a week), chicken (twice a week), tofu (twice a week), red meat or organ meat (once a week)—three ounce serving

  Green vegetable

  Brown rice OR new potatoes OR legumes (three times a week), yellow vegetable (four times a week)

  Citrus fruit

  SNACKS

  Citrus fruits

  Nuts: hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, soy nuts

  If you are among the one in three men or women of childbearing age who smoke cigarettes, do yourself a favor and quit. If you need another reason to kick the habit, consider the evidence supporting a link between smoking and infertility:

  Women who smoke have been found to be 3.4 times as likely as nonsmokers to take more than a year to get pregnant, according to a study of 678 women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1985.

  A 1992 study in the British medical journal The Lancet found a 31 percent difference in fertility rates between nonsmoking couples and couples in which both the man and the woman smoked.

  Another study found that the fertility of light smokers (less than one pack—twenty cigarettes—a day) was 75 percent of that of nonsmokers; the fertility rate of heavy smokers (more than a pack a day) was 57 percent of that of nonsmokers.

  Doctors have known for many years that women who smoke during pregnancy tend to have smaller fetuses and shorter gestation periods than nonsmokers.

  Women who smoke during pregnancy miscarry more often. Women who smoke and do become pregnant are almost twice as likely to suffer miscarriage as women who don’t smoke, perhaps because smoking reduces estrogen levels.

  Even a relatively modest smoking habit can cut short a woman’s reproductive life. Women who smoke a half-pack of cigarettes a day experience menopause an average of one year earlier than nonsmokers, and those who smoke one pack enter menopause two years earlier.

  In men, as few as sixteen cigarettes a day can decrease sperm count and motility, increase the number of abnormal sperm, and make it less likely that the sperm will fertilize an egg. Evidence also exists that babies born to men who smoke are more likely to have birth defects. The most vulnerable time for smokers is the three-month period before conception when the sperm is being produced.

  Smoking saps the body of fertility-enhancing vitamin C, which appears to be one reason for the reduced sperm count among male smokers. Evidence indicates that smokers require at least twice as much vitamin C as nonsmokers. In one study, men with a pack-a-day habit were given either 0 milligrams, 200 milligrams, or 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C. After one month, the men in the 1,000-milligram group had a 140 percent increase in sperm count; those in the 200-milligram group had a 112 percent increase, and the men in the 0-milligram group had no change. More to the point, all the men in the vitamin C group got their partners pregnant within two months, while none of the men in the placebo group had conceived a child. If you smoke, take up to three grams of vitamin C a day (any your body doesn’t need will be excreted in your urine).

  Be wary of secondhand smoke. Standing in a very smoky room for one hour will be as toxic to your lungs—and your fertility—as directly inhaling ten to fifteen cigarettes.

  Stop Drinking Alcohol

  Drinking alcohol—even in moderation—can affect the fertility of both women and men. In women, alcohol affects the liver’s ability to clear hormonal debris, disrupting hormone levels and interfering with egg production. While the amount of alcohol required to alter brain chemistry and hormone levels varies from woman to woman, evidence suggests that even moderate drinking can contribute to infertility. A 1994 study involving women who used alcohol moderately (one drink or less per day) found a strong correlation between drinking and ovulatory dysfunction and endometriosis. This was after adjustment for age, cigarette smoking, number of sexual partners, use of an intrauterine device, body mass index, and level of exercise.

  In men, drinking three drinks a day can cause endocrine abnormalities, low testosterone levels and sperm counts, and an increase in abnormal sperm. Extreme alcohol use (more than five drinks a day) can cause impotence, as well as a temporary inability to ejaculate if an erection does occur.

  Recent studies have found that the babies of fathers who drank as few as two drinks a day in the month prior to conception weighed 6.5 ounces less than the babies of teetotaling fathers. This link had nothing to do with whether the mother drank or smoked.

  Don’t Use Recreational Drugs

  There are plenty of good reasons not to use illegal drugs, and inhibiting fertility is just one of them.

  Marijuana carries all the risks and negative side effects of cigarette smoking—and more. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, reduces the size of the uterus and ovaries in women; it lowers hormone levels and disrupts menstruation and ovulation. (Female marijuana smokers are three times more likely than nonusers to have irregular menstrual periods.) In men, marijuana use is linked to lowered sperm counts and chromosomally damaged sperm. Smoking marijuana also decreases the male sex drive.

  Cocaine causes birth defects and can trigger miscarriage by stimulating the nervous system, increasing blood pressure and heart rate, and constricting blood vessels. In men, cocaine can raise the core body temperature and damage sperm; it can also cause hormonal imbalances that affect sperm production.

  Hallucinatory drugs, amphetamines, barbiturates, and narcotics all interfere with hormone levels in both men and women, interfering with ovulation in women and sperm production in men.

  Avoid the Use of Unnecessary Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs

  A number of common prescription and nonprescription drugs can inhibit fertility. Stop taking any medications that aren’t absolutely necessary. If you’re not sure of the possible impact of a drug you’re taking, consult your pharmacist or doctor.

  A number of drugs can interfere with fertility, including certain antibiotics, anti-seizure drugs, anti-depressive drugs, anti-hypertensive drugs, cortisone and corticosteriods, and anti-ulcer drugs. Women who are trying to get pregnant should avoid antihistamines and decongestants since they may reduce the flow of fertile mucus. Women should also choose aspirin or acetaminophen instead of Ibuprofen, a drug that may disrupt ovulation and implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus.

  If you are taking any prescription medicines, discuss your fertility issues with your doctor. Some of these drugs may inhibit fertility—and some may be dangerous to your baby once you do conceive. As an overall rule of thumb, avoid all medications when you’re trying to become pregnant, unless your doctor recommends otherwise.

  CALL FOR HELP

  For more information on overcoming an addiction, consider contacting one of the following organizations:

  Alcoholics Anonymous

  (212) 870-3400, or check Yellow Pages for local listing

  American Lung Association

  (800) 586-4872

  Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

  (800) 843-4971

  Cocaine Anonymous

  (800) COCAINE; (213) 559-5833

  Narcotics Anonymous

  (800) 662-4357; (818)780-3951

  National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

  (301) 468-2600

  National Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

  (800) 662-4357; (301) 443-4373

  Say No to Steroids

  Both men and women use anabolic steroids—and both men and women have their fertility damaged by the use of these dangerous drugs. Anabolic steroids are sometimes used by athletes for bodybu
ilding and stamina, but they often trigger changes in the pituitary gland that throw the body’s hormone balance dangerously out of whack.

  Women should never use bodybuilding steroids under any circumstances. In women, they often cause irreversible hormonal imbalances and reproductive problems. Men shouldn’t use them, either. They can cause heart problems, depression, rage, and psychosis, in addition to shrunken testicles and sterility. In most cases, men can regain their fertility when they stop using the drugs; a man should abstain from steroid use for at least three months before trying to get his partner pregnant to give his body a chance to cleanse itself of potentially damaged sperm.

  Use Your Computer Safely

  First researchers thought computers caused fertility problems, then they decided they didn’t, and now they once again suspect that computers contribute to a number of reproductive problems, including infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects.

  A recent study of almost sixteen hundred women conducted by the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Group in northern California found that women who worked at a computer video display terminal for more than twenty hours per week had twice as many miscarriages in the first trimester of pregnancy as women who did not use computers. In addition, women who used a computer for just five hours a day were 40 percent more likely than nonusers to have babies born with a congenital birth defect. Another study conducted in Manchester, England, found that women who use computers were more likely to experience menstrual irregularities and a failure to ovulate, compared to women who did not use computers.

  Men also need to take steps to reduce their exposure to radiation from computers, since radiation has been linked to lowered sperm count, chromosomal damage to the sperm, and testicle damage.

  YOU DON’T HAVE TO THROW AWAY YOUR PC

  While radiation exposure from computers can impair your fertility, there are steps you can take to protect your reproductive system:

  Most of the radiation escapes from the transformer at the back of your computer monitor, so avoid standing near the rear of your machine. (Most of the radiation falls off within ten feet of the monitor; you’re safe if your monitor faces a wall.)

  Keep the monitor at hand’s length (as long as you don’t experience eye strain) to minimize your radiation exposure.

  If you work in an office with more than one computer, be sure you do not stand or sit near the side or back of anyone else’s computer.

  If you have a choice, use a portable or laptop computer; these computers emit lower levels of radiation.

  Choose a monochrome monitor, if possible. These machines may be less fun to work with, but they emit one-quarter to one-third the radiation that color monitors do.

  Consider buying either a special radiation-free monitor or an accessory to cut radiation exposure. These monitors may cost about $100 more; ask your computer dealer for details.

  Minimize Air Travel

  If you don’t have to fly, stay on the ground. Several studies have found that female flight attendants have higher rates of irregular ovulation, infertility, and miscarriage, compared to their grounded counterparts. In men, high levels of atmospheric radiation may cause decreased sperm count, increased sperm abnormalities, and an increase in immature sperm. Avoid as much air travel as possible, especially in the three to five months before you plan to try to get pregnant.

  Avoid Environmental Hazards

  When trying to get pregnant, you should do everything possible to avoid exposure to as many environmental toxins as you can. Men should be particularly wary of coming in contact with antimony, arsenic, boron, cadmium, lithium, manganese, and mercury because these metals have been found to kill or deform sperm, cause impotence, cause premature or delayed ejaculation, and decrease the ability to have an orgasm. In women, these metals can cause hormonal and menstrual irregularities, problems with embryo implantation, and miscarriage. In particular, cadmium has been implicated in difficulty with implantation, contributing to the fertility problems among women who smoke. (There are some 30 micrograms of cadmium in a single pack of cigarettes.)

  Other common hazardous chemicals you should watch out for include dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), industrial solvents, formaldehyde, nitrous oxide, herbicides, insecticides, and other pesticides. A 1994 study in the British medical journal The Lancet reported that organic farmers had healthier sperm than those farmers who used pesticides and chemical fertilizers. If you’re a weekend gardener, avoid using pesticides.

  Most fertility problems associated with environmental toxins can be reversed if job changes are made. For more information on occupational and environmental toxins that can cause infertility (as well as other health problems), contact the following organizations:

  9 to 5

  National Association of Working Women

  (216) 566-9308

  Environmental Protection Agency

  Safe Drinking Water Hotline

  (800) 426-4791

  National Network to Prevent Birth Defects

  (202) 543-5450

  National Pesticides Telecommunications Network

  (800) 858-7378

  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

  (800) 356-4674

  Avoid X-rays and Ionizing Radiation

  Prospective parents should take steps to minimize their exposure to X-rays and other types of ionizing radiation. X-ray technicians, dental assistants, doctors, workers in nuclear plants and food irradiation facilities, as well as others in radiation-related jobs should shield their genital areas with a lead apron when appropriate. And, of course, everyone should avoid unnecessary X-rays.

  Minimize Your Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)

  They’re everywhere: from the alarm clock that wakes you in the morning to the electric blanket you wrap up in at night. All those electric appliances that make our lives easier also bombard us with electromagnetic energy or non-ionizing radiation.

  WHO IS AT RISK?

  While people in almost any profession can be exposed to dangerous substances, people at great risk include people regularly exposed to:

  Automotive exhaust

  Battery production

  Ceramics, glass, or porcelain production

  Dyeing

  Electroplating

  Fingernail care products

  Fireproofing materials

  Gases used for anesthesia

  Hair care products

  Herbicides

  Insecticides

  Jewelry making

  Leather tanning

  Municipal incinerators

  Nitrous oxide (dentists and hygienists)

  Pesticides

  Photography

  Smelting

  Textile manufacturing

  Welding

  Wood finishing

  X-rays and nuclear devices use ionizing radiation, a type of energy powerful enough to knock electrons off their cellular orbits (which is what can cause genetic mutations and cancer). Non-ionizing radiation, on the other hand, is much weaker, though evidence suggests that it, too, can cause a range of health problems, including infertility.

  The effects on the body of exposure to EMFs is very complex, in part because the subject involves a number of variables (including the frequency, wavelength, intensity, and duration of exposure; a person’s size, shape, and position relative to the radiation source; and the part of the body that is being exposed, to name a few). Still, more than a thousand studies worldwide have looked at EMFs, and many have found adverse reproductive effects in both humans and animals.

  Some studies date back to the 1940s when researchers found reduced sperm counts in radar operators aboard navy ships. Several more recent studies have found increases in miscarriages in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) operators. Other studies have found as much as a 50 percent increase in miscarriages among women who slept under electric blankets and in electrically heated water beds, compared with women who slept on a conventional mattress and boxspring.

/>   When you are trying to get pregnant, it makes sense to practice what scientists call “prudent avoidance”—in other words, keep your exposure to a minimum. If you’re addicted to your electric blanket, turn it on to heat up the bed before your climb in, then unplug it before snoozing (a current runs through the wires whether it’s on or off). Distance yourself from your computer screen, printers, copy machines, fax machines, and other office equipment. (As with computers, most of the radiation comes from the back of the machine.) Likewise, try to keep all electric appliances (such as microwaves, stoves, refrigerators, alarm clocks, televisions) at least an arm’s length away. The EMFs fall off rapidly with distance, so just a few feet can make all the difference.

  FERTILITY CHECKLIST

  HERS

  Lose weight gradually, or gain weight if necessary.

  Exercise in moderation.

  Avoid caffeine.