|
Fertility & Nutrition
Essentials
By Maria Biasucci-Vianna
Some cases of infertility are related to nutritional
intake and can be corrected. Being fertile may be a
matter achieving and maintaining a healthy body
weight. Being overweight or obese can result in
irregular or infrequent menstrual cycles, increased
risk of miscarriage and decreased success with
fertility treatments. Being too thin can also lead to
problems with ovulation. The ovaries and body fat
cells produce estrogen which is needed to regulate
ovulation. If you are too thin, your body may not be
producing enough estrogen and if you are overweight
or obese you may be producing too much estrogen.
Therefore, by not maintaining a healthy weight, you
are throwing your reproductive cycle out of balance.
One way to assess your body weight is to determine
your body mass index. Body mass index (BMI) is
calculated by weight (in kilograms) divided by height
squared (in meters). A BMI of less than 19 indicates
that you are underweight. A BMI of 25-29.9 is
considered overweight and obesity is defined as a
BMI of 30 and above.
The balance of micronutrients in your diet and your
partner's diet can also affect fertility. Deficiencies in
vitamin B6 and E can affect fertility by affecting
hormonal balances. Vitamin B6 can be found in
protein rich foods, such as eggs, beef, and chicken,
milk products and dark green vegetables, such as,
spinach, broccoli and greens. Vitamin E can be found
in nuts, egg yolks and whole grains. Mega doses of
vitamin C can reduce fertility. The mineral zinc may
help with sperm production and motility. Zinc can be
found in oysters, milk, meat and egg yolks.
The main goal is to eat a variety of foods to help
achieve a balanced body weight as well as a
balanced vitamin and mineral intake. This goal can be
met by following the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. This
guide is a graphic representation of how we should
eat on a daily basis. The Food Guide Pyramid allows
all foods including complex carbohydrates, fruits,
vegetables, fish, poultry, eggs, beef, nuts, dairy
products, as well as fats, oils and sweets. All foods
should be consumed in moderation according to
portion sizes. You can find a copy of the pyramid on
www.eatright.org.
Maria Biasucci-Vianna, MS is a Registered Dietitian
and a Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She provides
nutritional education to those who attend the
Behavioral Management Infertility Program.
|
|
| |
Greetings!
This newsletter is designed to provide you with the
latest fertility news and research so that you can
make the most informed decisions. We carefully
select items that are of special interest for those
dealing with infertility issues and who want to know
more about Mind Body techniques. It is sincerely
hoped that this letter will be of great use to you.
|
| |
| |
| |
| Inhale Yoga |
| |
In yoga, we focus on integrating the breath with
movement and poses. The breath work is critical to
a good yoga practice. Learn to use your breath to
guide you in and out of poses. Without the
breathwork, we are merely doing gymnastics or
acrobatics. Your inhalations and exhalations should
flow through your body like an ocean wave. When
you inhale, you expand your belly, chest and
shoulders and when you exhale, you bring it all in. In
fact, in yoga, we call it ocean breathing or ujuyi
breath. Our breathing is a wonderful, restorative tool
we can use to help us during the stressful times of
infertility --not only on the yoga mat but off as
well. The bottom line is this: when practicing
yoga, focus on expanding your breathing and
integrating it with your movement. And remember,
by embracing yoga as a part of a treatment for
infertility, you are indeed increasing your chances for
not only pregnancy but also for a healthier, happier,
& more peaceful life.
Monica Morell, PhD, www.fertilityoga.
com
|
| |
Monica has an excellent yoga video... |
| |
| Mind/Body Resources |
| |
InfertilityBlues.com is quickly becoming a National
Online Resource for Mind/Body infertility
information.
|
| |
|
| |
| Acupuncture Enhances Fertility |
| |
Acupuncture is a central pillar of Traditional
Chinese Medicine (TCM), a system that has been
practiced continuously for five thousand years. The
benefits of acupuncture for infertility can be found in
early Chinese medical texts dating back to the
11AD. TCM addresses the whole human-being
(mind/body), not only the part which is considered to
be the "problem". It looks at each person as an
individual and uncovers the pattern of disharmony
which lies beneath each symptom or
disease.
Advantages of using acupuncture in conjunction with
Western treatment of infertility are:
- Minimizing undesired side effects (e.g.: nausea,
headaches, backaches, mood swings)
- Strengthening of the body's overall health to
increase the efficacy of IVF, GIFT, and other
procedures
- Reducing feelings of anxiety, depression and
stress
A recent clinical trial published in Fertility and Sterility (2002)
demonstrated an improved pregnancy outcome by
inclusion of two acupuncture treatments in the
protocol for embryo transfer. Acupuncture is thought
to beneficially engage the autonomic nervous
system, increase the blood flow within the uterus,
favorably affect smooth muscle tone and fluid
secretion and thereby enhance receptivity to
blastocyst implantation. Many have begun to use
acupuncture as a low-risk, fertility
enhancing alternative.
Heike Schulte, MA, MS, L.Ac. Board certified licensed
acupuncturist, Full Circle
Family Care, LLC
|
| |
|
| |
| Mind Body Store |
| |
After receiving many requests over the past few
years to recommend Mind Body books, relaxation
tapes, and videos, we decided to put together our
Mind Body Store.
|
| |
Visit the Mind Body Store... |
| |
|
