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Did you know that eating foods you like means that they actually get digested better? That’s right. Your body makes more digestive juices when you eat, or even smell food that you like. That’s why cooking is helpful to your digestion. Your body knows exactly what foods are coming and is ready for them. But, if you’re in a great-smelling restaurant that works too… or if your spouse is a great cook and the whole kitchen smells like garlic, and tomatoes… well, you get the idea.

The first step in many infertility treatments for women is a drug that stimulates ovulation. This means it stimulates the ovary to release an egg, which gets captured by the fallopian tube and deposited into the uterus. This is a fascinating process—the egg is floating around in the pelvic cavity and the fallopian tubes have little fingers and they literally grab the egg and swallow it, where it passes through the Fallopian tubes to the uterus. There it waits patiently to choose its sperm. A healthy woman should have healthy, ovulatory, menses. This means that about every 28 days the period should come, without PMS or cramping of course, and that at the middle of the cycle (around day 15), the ovary should release an egg. A woman can cycle without releasing an egg. This is called an anovulatory cycle and is not normal. What can we do about this? The drug given (called Clomid) can force a woman’s body to ovulate. However, it does nothing to address the cause of why a woman is not ovulating.

Ok, so you’ve made sure that all reproductive parts are present and accounted for. And, the tubing is patent (open)—this means that the sperm are able to get from the testes out of the body and into the woman, and in the woman, that the fallopian tubes can successfully transport an egg from the ovary to the uterus for fertilization. Just because all the cheap Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 equipment is there doesn’t mean that it is always working correctly. In women, we have to make sure that ovulation is taking place. Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary. In the middle of the menstrual cycle (around day 15), women may notice a milky-white discharge. This means that ovulation has taken place. What if this doesn’t happen? Read part 3 for more!

Inability to conceive is a problem for an increasing number of couples worldwide. Not only is it heartbreaking, but it can take a toll on finances as well.
Approximately 1/3 of infertility has a cause that can be found in the woman, about 1/3 has a cause that can be found in the man, and the cause for the remaining third is unknown or a combination of the two partners.

First, we can rule out basic factors that decrease fertility. Not only can smoking tobacco and marijuana decrease fertility, but certain common medications can have the same unintended side effects. These include some common antibiotics, anti-gout medications, chemotherapeutic agents, and medicines for stomach ulcers. Once medications and smoking have been ruled out, the next thing your doctor will do is make sure that all the plumbing is present and connected. For women, this may include a scan of the uterus and fallopian tubes to make sure they are open.

Ok, it’s not about food but…

Get quality sleep. You know what bedtime is best for you. What is it? Plan to keep it. Watch your caffeine intake as well: there is no law stating that all your morning caffeine has to be out of your system by bedtime. Even early morning caffeine can cause sleep disturbances in some people. If your sleep is impaired in any way, try removing caffeine for a week and see if you wake more refreshed.