I’m Having Trouble Conceiving
Q.I’m having trouble conceiving. What can my husband and I do before resorting to expensive treatments?
“Healthy bodies allow you to have a baby, and healthy bodies produce healthy babies,” says Jill Blakeway, a licensed acupuncturist and fertility specialist based in New York City. “It’s really not rocket science.”
Moms-to-be should exercise in moderation to reduce stress and achieve a comfortable body weight. Eat a lot of organic fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. “We can be pretty sure that the collective burden of all the toxins and chemicals we take in on a regular basis stresses our reproductive cycle,” Blakeway explains.
Holistic solutions can be an excellent, affordable option. And remember, getting pregnant is a team effort. Women and men alike can give fertility a strong head start by minding the following:
Avoid alcohol
Avoid coffee
Eat healthy, unprocessed foods
Reduce stress
Don’t smoke
Don’t use marijuana or other drugs
Take multivitamins
Have sex!
Many factors will come into play—age, body weight, medical history—but there are several avenues of treatment to pursue. Not all are expensive, and you might even get some assistance from your insurance carrier.
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Jill Blakeway, Licensed Acupuncturist
Dr. Marc Goldstein
Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Urology
Surgeon in Chief, Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery
New York Weill Cornell Medical Center
Rich Maloof lives in Brooklyn, New York. He specializes in health topics, music and children’s literature. He has written for CNN, Yahoo!, Billboard and the “For Dummies” book series