Afterplay, not foreplay. Foreplay causes the front wall of the uterus to “crawl inside” the abdomen, giving the sperm a longer path to travel to reach the egg. When having sexual intercourse to conceive a child, afterplay is preferable to foreplay.

Simply eating less. Women who have polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance which may or may not actually cost ovarian cysts, sometimes are able to conceive after just losing 2 to 5 pounds. The process of losing weight by calorie restriction, not by exercise, lowers blood sugar levels. The ovaries don’t receive as much sugar from the bloodstream, they don’t make as much testosterone, and about 50 per cent of women who have PCOS resume having normal periods and are able to conceive.

Herbal medicine, but the right herbs for the right partner at the right time. Herbal remedies really can affect fertility, but it’s essential to use the right herb at the right time.

Dong quai, for instance, sequesters estrogen. In some women, excess estrogen makes the lining of the uterus too “rough” to receive the fertilized egg. Lowering estrogen levels makes the uterus more hospitable for the implantation of the fertilized egg–but it’s not desirable to keep lowering estrogen levels once pregnancy has been accomplished. That’s why women taking dong quai and formulas featuring dong quai only use them during the first half of their menstrual cycles.

Vitex, also known as chasteberry, can help women with PCOS conceive by lowering testosterone levels. Actually, some men can benefit from lower testosterone levels, too, but most don’t. Men should almost never take vitex. On the other hand, passionflower extracts can help preserve testosterone in men who tend to testosterone-deficient, increasing both sexual potency and sperm counts.

Endometriosis develops when the endometrial tissues that are normally found lining the uterus grow elsewhere in the body – from uterus it can expand to the pelvic area, intestines, ovaries or even the lungs. Of course the pain depends on the location of the endometrial deposits and the severity of the condition.

Women can develop endometriosis anytime in her life, but the recent studies have shown that more and more young women are developing the condition, and I would blame that on nutrition and not eating enough omega-3 fatty acids, especially oily fish.

Bellow you will find 4 most common techniques (besides the pain killers which are not recommendable on the long run) that women practice in order to deal with endometriosis pain.

First thing you should do is reconsider your diet. If your menu is packed with unhealthy, processed and fatty foods, you should change your diet because these foods cause imbalance in your system. Also, avoid eating foods full of estrogen (all meat grown on hormones – basically all non-organic meat), soy, etc. because estrogen makes woman swell. Try to include more high-fiber foods because they minimize the level of estrogen in the body. Additionally, vitamin B helps process estrogen by maintaining a healthy liver, and magnesium provides your immune system with a boost.

Next thing you could try is massage: regular massage therapies can also help in easing the pain and discomfort. Massage is good not only for endometriosis, but is generally a great pain-relieve method. Some suggest that as an alternative to a regular massage one can apply warm castor oil pack on critical areas like the lower part of the abdomen for 30 – 60 minutes a day.

Another option would be using natural progesterone, because it can reduce endometriosis symptoms because it balances the levels of estrogen in the body. Natural progesterone can come in suppository form, or if you don’t feel comfortable with that method of application you can get a cream version that you massage onto your skin. Of course, before applying this method do have a conversation with your health provider and check what his opinion on that is.

And one of my most popular methods is acupuncture. When acupuncture is applied adenosine is released which is a natural pain-relieving molecule. Acupuncture is known to alleviate endometriosis pain and discomfort, therefore if you suffer from endometriosis-related problems, you should give it a try.

1. Time intercourse for maximum fertility.

Women are not fertile throughout the entire menstrual cycle. Typically, sexual intercourse results in pregnancy only during the five-day window around ovulation. If the female partner has a menstrual cycle of at least 21 to at most 45 days, then a fertility monitoring system like ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor may be very helpful. Otherwise, a temperature monitoring method may help chart peak fertility.

2. The male partner should abstain from ejaculation during the week before the female partner ovulates.

The prostate can store semen for several days, increasing total sperm count and semen volume, helping compensate for other infertility factors. The greatest amount of ejaculate possible will increase the probability of conception. Two or three days after ovulation, “saving semen” is not necessary until female partner ovulates again.

3. The missionary position is more likely to result in conception than other styles of lovemaking.

In the missionary position, the man’s penis is slightly bent backwards. This aims ejaculation in the direction of the openings of the fallopian tubes, giving sperm a shorter path to swim to the egg.

4. Physical foreplay reduces conception rates.

During physical foreplay, the woman’s uterus rises, creating a longer path to the fallopian tubes. Verbal foreplay followed by intercourse is preferable when having sex to conceive a child.

5. Anti-inflammatory diets may increase fertility of both partners.

If the man’s sperm count is low due to obstructive azoospermia, or the women’s cervical mucus is thick and dry, or if symptoms of PMS seem to last the whole period, then increasing consumption of healthy essential fatty acids such as those found in fish oil, most nut oils, grapeseed oil, and olive oil will help reduce the production of inflammatory hormones that create swellings of various sorts that interfere with the transportation of sperm. It is also important to avoid eating sugar and foods that are high in arachidonic acid, a fatty acid found in beef, cured meats of all kinds (such as luncheon meat and hot dogs), eggs, and margarine.

These five steps will not guarantee getting pregnant fast after 40–but they will help, and maybe with these tips you will  soon be the one to finally feel those pregnancy signs. As for any other methods you use, never rely on a single medical intervention to enhance fertility for longer than six months if either partner is over 40. Time to conceive is of the essence for future pregnancy and delivery of a healthy child.

The cause of PCOS acne is elevated levels of testosterone. This masculinizing hormone is produced in the bodies of both males and females, especially during the teenage years. In addition to causing hair growth, muscle growth, and aggressive mood, it also thickens and toughens the skin.

Testosterone makes the skin grow over pores, trapping oil and bacteria inside. The immediate result is a whitehead. (A blackhead is an open pore in which the oil has darkened after exposure to the air.) The bacteria inside the pore can cause inflammation and infection resulting in a pimple.

Testosterone is a bigger factor in acne in adults than in teens. This hormone can cause the thicken and toughen at any time of life, but teenage skin is still growing fast. Adult skin is slower to respond to skincare treatment and any underlying hormonal imbalance has a really persistent effect.

Metformin helps control PCOS acne. It’s inexpensive. It’s safe for almost all women who need to take it. It does not add any female hormones to the system. It only helps bring the production of testosterone in a woman’s body back down to normal levels.

Metformin does this in two different ways. It stops the ovaries from making testosterone from a chemical called androstenedione. This helps reduce acne and hair growth.

It also makes cells all over the body-except in the ovaries-more sensitive to insulin. As you probably know, insulin is the hormone that cells use to take the glucose sugar they burn for fuel out of the bloodstream. It also helps cells store fat.

When blood sugar levels get too high, insulin resistance works the same way as an emergency shutoff at gasoline station. Cells stop responding to insulin so they won’t be overrun by sugar. The sugar stays in the bloodstream and can only be absorbed by tissues that don’t need insulin to get their glucose fuel, such as the ovaries.

When the rest of the body won’t accept sugar, the ovaries have to. Their metabolic machinery kicks into high gear and they have no choice but to produce massive amounts of hormones, including testosterone. The combination of testosterone and insulin goes to the brain and is detected by the hypothalamus, which sends out a signal that results in the production of a third hormone, luteinizing hormone. This is the hormone that keeps eggs inside the ovaries and stops ovulation.

Just getting blood sugar levels back down, one way or another, helps bring the whole endocrine system back in balance. Ideally, a combination of metformin and low-calorie, high-protein diet is ideal for lowering the testosterone levels that cause breakouts of acne. Some women see visible improvement in as little as 14 days.

There are two kinds of ovarian cysts that can be a real problem in pregnancy. One is called a cystadenoma. This type of cyst can either be filled with watery fluid, in which case it is called serous cystadenoma, or with mucus. In the latter case, it is referred to as a mucinus cystadenoma. A cystadenoma can get as large as 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, and it could become excruciatingly painful during pregnancy.

Another kind of ovarian cyst that can be problematic during pregnancy is a chocolate cyst, also known as an endometrioma. This kind of cyst is formed as the result of endometriosis, a condition in which the tissues that usually line the uterus appear in other parts of the reproductive organs – in this case the ovaries. Chocolate cysts are called that way because they are filled with a thick brown substance that looks similar to chocolate. When this cyst ruptures, that material can spill over into the uterus.

The lining of the uterus thickens and grows during the first 14 days of a woman’s period when estrogen levels are high. The endometrioma grows, too. During pregnancy, a woman’s body produces enormous amounts of estrogen to stimulate the growth of the blood vessels and soft connective tissues feeding the baby through the placenta. All this estrogen can also fuel growth of the chocolate cyst in the ovary. The best time for treating these kinds of ovarian cysts, of course, is before pregnancy, not during it. That is why regular exams at the OB-GYN’s office are so important.

But there is another, much more common condition involving ovarian cysts that also has an impact on a woman’s ability to get pregnant and finally feel those pregnancy signs. That condition is polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS. Polycystic ovary syndrome doesn’t always cause actual ovarian cysts. In some women it is just a hormonal imbalance that causes excesses of testosterone, leading to acne and excessive hair growth. Higher than normal levels of insulin can also cause disturbances in the hormones that allow ovulation, fertilization, and implantation of the fertilized egg into the lining of the uterus.

Treating PCOS almost never involves the surgical removal of cysts. In fact, the most common and most often effective recommendation simply involves losing weight – although for many PCOS patients, this is easier said than done. Up to 90 percent of women who have PCOS can get their symptoms under control just by diet resulting in losing 2 to 5 percent of their body weight. The slight change in body mass results in just enough change in hormonal balance that ovulation, conception, and pregnancy can occur, more often than not leading to the delivery of a healthy baby.

Metformin is a medication that helps cells become more sensitive to insulin. As you probably know, insulin is not an ovarian hormone. It is the hormone that almost every cell in the body needs to receive glucose sugar from the bloodstream.

While it’s hard to say which comes first, insulin insensitivity or PCOS, there is no doubt that PCOS and especially weight gain in PCOS is a condition in which cells all over the body put up biological barriers to the action of insulin. That’s because insulin carries glucose into the cell. The cell then burns the glucose for energy, and the free radicals released by the mitochondrial “fire” can damage the cell. Cells resist insulin to prevent free radical damage.

But the pancreas keeps making more and more insulin to get blood sugar levels down, and cells all over the body become more and more resistant-except in the ovaries.

The ovaries can’t resist insulin. Sugar pores into their tissues and all that energy is put to an unusual use: Excess sugar stimulates the ovaries to make testosterone.

Metformin makes cells all over the body except in the ovaries more sensitive to insulin. All the other tissues start doing their fair share of receiving blood sugar, and the ovaries don’t make as much testosterone. When a woman’s body makes less testosterone, there is less hair growth, less acne, and fewer mood swings. And through a complicated series of steps, there is also greater opportunity for ovulation.

There is very little downside to using metformin. It’s not a ”natural treatment for PCOS,” but it has very few side effects except in a small number of women who have severe type 2 diabetes with dehydration as a complication. These women can’t use metformin.

For many women with PCOS, however, metformin amplifies the benefits of calorie-reduction and diet. It gets sugar out of the bloodstream, and stops a vicious cycle of high blood sugar, insulin resistance, testosterone production, failure to ovulate, and even higher blood sugars. Not every woman who has PCOS will resume normal periods with ovulation after taking the drug, but metformin is the very simplest and safest, not to mention least expensive, medication for polycystic ovarian disease.

Although there are many hormonal imbalances in PCOS, one of the most important, and most treatable, is insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that moves sugar, specifically glucose, out of the bloodstream and into cells. Insulin resistance is a defense mechanism that keeps cells all over the body from being flooded with sugar from the bloodstream.

When blood sugar levels get high, cells become insulin resistant. This keeps them from being flooded with glucose that they would then have to burn. The process of combining glucose with oxygen produces free radicals, and if cells did not become insulin resistant, they could be damaged by the free radicals.

The ovaries are a special kind of tissue that nature makes sure always gets glucose. The ovaries do not develop insulin resistance. They soak up more and more sugar and make more and more hormones. Ordinarily the ovaries make just a little testosterone. But when the rest of the body is insulin resistant, they make a lot. All the extra testosterone is a major factor in PCOS. But it’s the insulin that causes the weight gain.

That’s because insulin doesn’t just transport sugar. It also transports fat. Insulin resistance stops insulin from storing sugar, but insulin continues to store fat just fine. Sugar levels get higher and higher, the body tries to compensate by making more and more insulin, but it just stores more and more fat. If you want to lose the fat, stop eating sugar.

The easiest way for women with PCOS to lose weight is to fight insulin resistance. That can be done with medication, especially metformin, also sold under the trade name Glucophage. Insulin resistance also decreases when blood sugar levels decrease. That means cutting out calories, but especially the calories from sugar.

One of the amazing things about PCOS is that sometimes women can get back into hormonal balance just by losing weight, and not a whole lot of weight. Losing even 5 pounds (2.5 kg) can nudge blood sugar levels just enough to stop the overproduction of testosterone that leads to many other hormonal imbalances.

Most women make sustainable progress toward controlling PCOS by losing just half a pound of fat a week. That’s the calorie equivalent of a dessert a day, or one large sugar-sweetened soft drink, or a bag of chips. This small change can be exactly what is needed not only to lose weight but also to bring the other symptoms of PCOS under control.

The metabolic imbalances that cause PCOS are not limited to the ovaries. PCOS is a disease that actually starts in the brain.

Inside the brain, the hypothalamus, a “master control” gland, senses changes in estrogen levels that tell it that the lining of the uterus has regenerated. This generally happens during the first 14 days after a woman’s period. When it gets the message that an egg would have a place to be implanted if it were fertilized by a sperm cell, it sends out pulses of a hormone called gonadotrophin releasing hormone, or GnRH.

GnRH does not travel very far to do its work. This hormone activates the pituitary gland to make follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH creates a follicle to carry the egg out of the uterus. This string-like shaft is dissolved by LH so the egg can leave the ovary through the Fallopian tubes. Both FSH and LH have many other actions in a woman’s body, but this is their primary role in fertility.

One of more parts of this process go wrong in PCOS. But fixing one or more parts of this process may restore fertility.

Sometimes women with PCOS get pregnant just after losing weight. Losing just 5 to 10 pounds (2.5 to 5.5 kilos) may cause enough change in hormonal balance that permits ovulation. If sexual intercourse is timely properly, then a baby may be conceived.

Sometimes women need various hormonal therapies to help GnRH, FSH, LH, or all three do their job. And sometimes the egg has to be surgically released from the ovarian by a minimal-incision surgical operation commonly called ovarian drilling. And if none of these procedures works, the next intervention is in vitro fertilization.

PCOS is a major impediment to fertility, but most women with PCOS eventually get pregnant. Progress, however, takes months or years. It is always best to try simple measures such as diet and exercise first.

-    Meat, eggs and dairy products: either go organic or leave them out. Absolutely every animal product that you buy in a store (except if you are buying organic) is filled with hormones. Meat, eggs and dairy products are nutritious, but the problem is today’s commercial meat and dairy farmers give the animals abnormal amounts of hormones in order to grow bigger and grow faster, produce more milk, more eggs etc. Some of these hormones mimic female hormone estrogen and disrupt your reproductive system.  In my opinion going vegan is not the solution, because there are pesticides on the food you buy, but going organic (and/or organic vegan) would be the right answer.

-    Raw or undercooked eggs, meats, or fish or unpasteurized cheeses, because eating raw or undercooked food could put you at risk for salmonella, listeria, or other food-borne bacteria.

-    Swordfish, tilefish, shark, or king mackerel are all fish known to be high in mercury.  Mercury can accumulate and linger in your body long after you consume it, which can be harmful to you and can damage your baby’s developing nervous system. If you love fish, avoid the big and oily fish and stick to smaller varieties like flounder, haddock, trout, salmon, and shrimp.

-    Soy is not a miracle food, and this is especially not true if soy is labeled and non-organic, which would mean it is GMO. But this is not the only reason you should avoid soy if you are trying to conceive. Soy contains phytoestrogens that are naturally derived estrogens, so they mimic the estrogen in your body.
For example, countries where consumption of soy is higher than average (for example Japan, China) do not have problems with decreased fertility, which is a proof soy does not have negative effect if consumed in ‘normal’ amounts. Some studies have found that large quantities of soy protein can inhibit fertility, but ff you like munching on a few edamame now and then, that’s OK. But if you are experiencing infertility problems, it should help droping the soy milk, tofu, and tempeh from your diet.

-    Fresh produce is unfortunately also on the list. The main reasons are commercial farms that use too much chemicals and pesticides. Either go organic, or avoid especially the following:   apricots, apples, celery, cucumbers, green beans, grapes, strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe (Mexican)

-    Alcohol and babies don’t mix, and alcohol does inhibit both male and female s ability to conceive.

-    Caffeine: take it easy with coffee and caffeined products

Few years ago, carbs became a huge deal, they were considered unhealthy, especially diets high in carbs, and we were bombarded with low carb diets. The fact is – not all carbohydrates are unhealthy: white pastas and breads are definitely on a no-no list, but there are carbohydrates that must be a part of your daily diet. You should definitely eat oats and barley: I recommend eating a bowl of healthy cereals for your breakfast – combine them with your favorite fruit and you will have a delicious healthy carb meal. If you add some nuts, your breakfast will be on the top 3 healthiest list.

Yes, nuts are important: a person should eat a hand full of nuts on daily basis. Do you? Nuts, Brazilian nuts, walnuts, almonds – they are all on the list that contains healthy carbs. Eat them.

As already said, embrace whole grains. Include in your diet wheat, oat, barley – hulled and dehulled (not pearl), maize, brown rice, rye, triticale, sprouted grains, chick pea. And definitely avoid white rice, white flour, white bread, hominy, and non-wholeweat pasta varieties.

Ok, stop, stop … what about explaining what have carbs to do with fertility? I am sorry.. I was a bit too fast …

Specific carbohydrates have a negative effect on fertility. These are the carbs that are found in white flour, potatoes and sugared sodas for example. These carbs are easily digested and more than any other nutrient, determine a person’s blood sugar and insulin levels: if consumed they raise the sugar levels in your blood. If sugar levels in your blood are too high, the imbalance of hormones occurs and reproduction and normal ovulation are endangered. For example, women diagnosed with PCOS are often considered pre-diabetic because of insulin imbalance and are advised to lower consumption of ‘white’ unhealthy carbs.

As a scientific proof, the Nurses’ Health Study showed that women who ate carbohydrates that are easily digested and low in fibers had a higher glycemic load, and they were 92% more likely to experience ovulatory infertility!

This of course does not mean you should avoid carbohydrates! Carohydrates are an important part of your diet, but choose ones that are slow to digest and rich in fiber, and you will actually improve your fertility.