Richard Sharpe is a fertility researcher at the Queen’s Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh, and he is the one responsible for conducting this type of research. He conducted a review of previous studies that were observing different factors that could influence the development of testicles while men were still in the womb and the connection with the sperm production later in life.

Richard Sharpe claims that there is a growing evidence that prenatal exposure of males can have a major influence on the ability and capacity to produce sperm later in life, and he claims that the prenatal state is logically closely connected to the lifestyle of their mothers.

He claims that smoking during pregnancy is one of the biggest reasons for male fertility problems and sperm production later in life, and there are several large studies available that can back up these claims: in numbers studies claim that heavy smoking during pregnancy reduces sperm count by up to 40%.

There are several other prenatal lifestyle factors that contribute to male infertility or reduced sperm production, and one of them that have the most negative impact are obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Both obesity and sedentary lifestyle, accompanied by smoking, are not bad for the baby only, but are very damaging for the mother too. Pregnancy is truly the time when woman should take care of her body as much as possible and when she should quit all nasty habits such as smoking and alcohol or drug intake. She should pay special attention to healthy eating and moderate exercise. Prior pregnancy, when she is in a state of trying to conceive consciously she should also prepare her body in a way to normalize her body weight.

Pregnancy test facts:

- You can do pregnancy testing at home. Pregnancy tests are 99% accurate.
- Pregnancy tests test the presence of chemical called ‘human chorionic gonadotrophin also known as hCG. This chemical appears in the urine once an egg has been fertilized by sperm.
- hCG is a sure sign of pregnancy, but it can still be present after miscarriage or abortion for up to 8 weeks, or after giving birth for up to 4 weeks.
- Fertility drugs can cause false pregnancy (hCG is shown).
- The more sensitive the test, the earlier pregnancy can be detected.
- Alcohol, painkillers, antibiotics and oral contraceptives are not affected by pregnancy tests.
- When you are testing for pregnancy, always follow manufacturer’s instructions. They are easy and simple to follow.

Fertility and trying to conceive facts:

- Woman is most likely to get pregnant (she is most fertile) during ovulation.
- Ovulation usually occurs in the middle of menstrual cycle.
- An egg can be fertilized approximatally 12 hours to one day after the ovulaiton.
- Sperm can survive in a woman for up to 5 days.
- Generally speaking woman can conceive if sexual intercourse takes place max 5 days priod ovulaiton and 1 day after ovualtion.
- Only few percents of couples conceive in first month of trying to conceive.
- On average it takes more than 6 months for a couple to conceive. 15% of couples concieve after 6 months.
- If woman is older than 35 it may take longer to conceive.
- If a couple cannot conceive for one year, they should visit fertility specialist.
- If a couple cannot conceive for six months and woman is older than 35, they should visit fertility specialist.
- Conception may take longer in women who smoke.

Facts about early pregnancy signs:

- Missing period or shorter, lighter bleeding may occur early during pregnancy.
- Morning sickness.
- Feeling emotional or moody.
- Breast changes, such as fullness and tenderness, are often the first signs of pregnancy. It is also possible that the nipples enlarge.

There are several studies available that support these claims. For example, a research at Columbia University School of Public Health found that fit women in healthy, low-risk pregnancies, who performed exercise at least one hour daily, three times a week, improved their pregnancy outcome and increased the birth weight of their baby by about 5%.
Several studies also proved that women who exercise before and during pregnancy have decreased the risk of delivering prematurely by as much as 50%.

It is general knowledge that exercise releases hormones of happiness and that people who exercise regularly also cope with stressful situations better. The same is true for pregnant women since the period of pregnancy is puts great stress on woman’s body. Usually women who regularly exercise also have less excess weight gain, and experience less constipation then women who do not exercise during pregnancy. Women who work out during pregnancy also do better emotionally and physically than those who don’t.

Following are several guidelines that should be followed during pregnancy if woman workouts. These recommendations were set out by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

It is better to exercise regularly, for example at least three times per week than to perform vigorous activity every now and then.

Women should exercise only when they feel healthy and when weather conditions support the activity. Exercise should never be performed when woman is feeling ill or when the weather is hot and humid.

It is always recommendable to perform exercise on softer surfaces such as wooden floor or tightly carpeted surface as bouncy motions should be avoided.

Extreme stretching exercises should be avoided during pregnancy because of the relaxation of connective tissue.

It is better to avoid vigorous exercise, or should be preceded by a 5-minute warm-up, such as slow walking, while after ending vigorous workout a period of gradually declining activity that includes gentle stretching should be performed.
Heart rate should never be higher than 150 beats per minute, for this reason it is better to measure woman’s heart beat during periods of peak activity.

Woman should especially careful when rising from the floor in order to avoid dizziness in cases of low blood pressure.
Being pregnant or not, it is essential to be hydrated. Most recommendable liquid is water.

If woman wasn’t exercising before pregnancy, and if she decides to workout during pregnancy, she should begin with very low intensity physical activity.

If any kind of unusual symptoms appear, woman should stop physical activity and consult her doctor.

Recommended exercises during pregnancy are swimming, but be sure to avoid scuba diving or water skiing. Walking is one of the best exercises you can perform. Comparing to jogging is easier for your knees, besides if you weren’t jogging prior pregnancy, it is better to avoid jogging, and stick to walking only. However, if you do decide you shall continue jogging, make sure you’re well hydrated and avoid over-heating.

If you would like to involve in biking, you should definitely decide for stationary bike, because there is lower chance of falling. But be careful, later in pregnancy and as your stomach grows, your center of gravity is shifting so you are at an increased risk of falling.

Machines like stair climbing machines pose a risk of falling, but the side rails provide balance support.

Prenatal yoga is one of the best exercises you can perform during pregnancy. It is known to relieve stress and pressure on woman’s body. It is important not to overstretch during pregnancy.

Aerobic classes are recommendable if woman was already participating in aerobic class prior pregnancy. It would be best to take prenatal classes that are specially designed for pregnant women.

If woman involves in dancing classes it is best to avoid spinning, jumping and leaping.

However, there are activities that pose a great danger during pregnancy mostly because there is an increased chance if falling. These activities include skiing, water skiing, horseback riding, skating, scuba diving…

-    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

Detoxification diets are not only advisable before IVF but also between the cycles. Detoxification diet includes elimination of coffee, alcohol, medications, smoking and avoiding smoky atmospheres.

Studies show both smoking and alcohol consumption result in lower pregnancy rates and they not only represent hazard to woman’s health, but also expose woman to a greater risk of miscarriage. Coffee and caffeine products have been shown to affect fertility, and as little as one cup in the morning reduces woman’s chances of conceiving for as much as 50%. Fertility specialist also suggest to avoid chocolate, sugary foods, salty snacks, processed foods, tea, cola and all fizzy drinks.

Some clinics suggest when preparing for IVF, woman should reduce salt and potassium from her diet. This is because diet high in salt and potassium prevents hyperstimulation.

Woman should consume a well balanced diet, high in healthy proteins, wholegrains, veggies and fruits, and she should drink at least 8 glasses of water. She should also include prenatal supplements or consume diet that will enable her following vitamins and minerals:

• Folic acid to help prevent fetus defects
• Vitamin C and E: they help enrich the fluid which surrounds and nourishes woman’s eggs and to help her repair quickly after the egg retrieval, enabling readiness to receive the incoming embryos.
• Mineral zinc is essential mineral for hormone production,
• Magnesium and vitamin A are vital for egg production.
• Selenium and magnesium are both important because they improve fertilization rates
• Iron and Co-enzyme Q10 are important because they both enrich the womb lining.
• Healthy essential fatty acids are vitally important because they help balancing hormones and support ovarian health, and are found in fish, olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts …

Most women who have endometriosis, in fact, do not have symptoms. But those who have, the symptoms are severe menstrual cramps, pelvic pain that usually occurs during or just before menstruation and lessens after menstruation, backache, painful bowel movements, fatigue, frequent and painful urination, bloating, constipation, menstrual diarrhea, pain with exercise. Women can experience painful intercourse, and even pelvic examination by a doctor can be painful.

The pain intensity can change from month to month, and vary greatly among women. Some women experience progressive worsening of symptoms, while other women resolve pain without any treatment.

During pregnancy, ovulation stops, and many women with endometriosis feel much better while they are pregnant. Hormonal changes include high levels of progesterone, the presence of HCG (human chorionic gonadatropin) and prolactin, among others. Because of hormonal changes that pregnancy brings, endometriosis implants generally become less active, and may get smaller and less tender. This however does not mean disease went away during pregnancy. After pregnancy and nursing is over, and sometimes even before, the symptoms of endometriosis return, sometimes even stronger than before.

This brings us to conclusion that pregnancy is not a cure for endometriosis, also drugs do not make endometriosis disappear, but they can offer temporary relief from symptoms. There are oral contraceptives available that have a regulated low-dose combination of estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation. This is very important sice ovulation is difficult for many women with endometriosis.

Progesterone is also applied as it can prevent ovulation and reduce circulating estrogen levels. There are side effects to this method, such as irregular bleeding, bloating, weight gain, and more. There are also treatments in form of drugs available that virtually stop all ovarian activity, that is hormone production and ovulation – these drugs are called GNRH analogs (Synarel, Lupron, Zoladex and Danocrine). Surgical option is also a solution to endometriosis.

There are questions arising whether and how does endometriosis affects a woman’s chances of healthy conceiving. Most studies prove there is a connection: they show that a woman with endometriosis is less likely to conceive than a woman without endometriosis. Statistics show that out of 100 women, 80 of them will not have problems getting pregnant, but 20 of them will do.

Researches also prove that women with endometriosis conceive at a lower rate than women without. It is also important to bring out that miscarriages are also common among women with endometriosis.

Folic acid

Folic acid sometimes also called folate belongs to a group of B vitamins. Folic acid is essential in preventing birth defects, but it has also been shown that folic acid improves fertility in men and women. Recommended daily amount is 400mcg, and folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale and spinach. Folic acid is present in oranges as well as enriched grains.
It is very important to consume folic acid in early pregnancy since it reduces the risk of a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord, which is a very  serious neural tube defect by up to 70%.

Group B vitamins: B6 and B12

Folic acid is B9, but B6 and B12 are along with folate also very important. Vitamin B6 and fertility in women go hand in hand. B6 vitamin is found in foods like cereal, eggs, legumes, liver, meat, whole grains and yeast. There are several additional benefits of B6 vitamin such as relieving depression, PMS, and most of all B6 helps with fertility is to treat a luteal phase defect.

Some of the traditional societies believe that B12 supplements can allow a woman to conceive. Since  B12 plays a key role in the development of new tissue, it may help women who may not ovulate or whose egg may not develop, or woman who have experienced several miscarriages. B12 vitamin is also proven to help men with low sperm count.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is essential antioxidant when trying to conceive. This is especially the case in men who smoke, since the chemicals found in smoke cause sperm clumping and abnormally shaped sperm. Vitamin C improves the men’s sperm count, motility and viability.

Vitamin C itself is safe, but it’s prudent not to take mega-doses when you’re pregnant. If you’re taking prenatal vitamins, you’ll be getting vitamin C in that supplement. My recommendation is to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables: orange juice, kiwi, red pepper, or strawberries etc.

Zinc

Zinc is one of the most important minerals in men for maintaining and improving the production of testosterone since it affects motility and sperm count, while in women zinc improves the ability of body to use estrogen and progesterone more efficiently. Rich sources of zinc are found in meat and seafood, while vegans should consume more whole grains and wheat germ.

There is a danger present with zinc: if you take it too much, it can be toxic and may behave as counterproductive in your efforts to aid conception. On the other hand body absorption of zinc is usually quite low, but well balanced diet is usually enough to maintain zinc levels. Therefore, overdose is less possible, but if you are planning to take zinc supplement, you should consult your health provider first.