How to Prevent Another Miscarriage

Progesterone is the hormone that supports a pregnancy.  If you become pregnant but are unable to sustain the pregnancy past week ten, there is a high probability that you may be progesterone-deficient.

A woman prone to miscarry can try a low dose of natural progesterone cream from days 12 to 26 of her cycle until a pregnancy is confirmed.  If spotting occurs at week 6 or 7 of pregnancy, a higher dose is applied two or three times daily.  Use of natural bioidentical progesterone cream is often continued through a full term pregnancy.

If the problem is incompetent cervix, the treatment is to sew the cervix shut during Weeks 14 to 16 of the pregnancy.  Your doctor must remove the stitches between Weeks 36 to 38 so you can give birth.  This treatment is called Cerclage. 

Cerclage cannot avert an inevitable miscarriage, so it cannot be performed if your cervix has already dilated 4 centimeters, or if membranes have ruptured. You are also ineligible for cerclage if your cervix is irritated. Cerclage is generally well tolerated by mother and baby, but it is not a cure-all.

    If the cause of your miscarriage is an immune problem, treatments vary:

        o Rh incompatibility requires RhoGAM injections at particular times during the pregnancy and shortly after delivery

        o Antiphospholipid antibodies requires daily low dose aspirin or heparin

        o Lupus requires prednisone

        o Faulty fetal-blocking antibodies require the mother to receive injections of the father's white blood cells

Many insurance companies don't cover immune testing until there have been at least three miscarriages.  Plus, you may have to travel a long distance to get help for faulty fetal-blocking and HLA antibody problems.   Within the immune system there are different types of white blood cells.  Progesterone supplementation works to influence the way your white blood cells react to a pregnancy.  The immune responses most likely to impair your pregnancy are:

        o T and B cells that can cause placental rejection

        o Natural killer cells that release tumor necrosis factor (TNF) that damages the placenta and endometrium

        o Lymphocytes that stick in the placenta and damage it

Progesterone soothes inflammation which can scar and damage the placenta. Progesterone encourages increased placental HCG production, blocking NK cells' killing power.  Progesterone can also prevent the uterus producing irritating prostaglandins, making it contract far too early. Progesterone encourages the cervix to make an antibody-rich plug protecting the baby and placenta from germs.

Women with autoimmune disorders usually require bioidentical progesterone supplementation until the end of Week 16 of pregnancy.   Sometimes, newly pregnant autoimmune women are allergic to their own hormones, including progesterone. Your doctor can test for allergies with a skin or blood test.

See a gynecologist with CREI (Certified Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility) qualifications about repeated miscarriage. Your doctor must rule out other causes than just progesterone deficiency. For example, Turner's syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality affecting only girls, where one X chromosome is missing. Turner's syndrome is responsible for 20% of all miscarriages that occur in the first trimester, and 98% of pregnancies affected by Turner's syndrome end in miscarriage.

Women with reproductive difficulties may successfully deliver a baby through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). The cost of ART varies, depending on the complexity of the method the doctor uses.  ART is usually successful in three cycles. Be sure ask your doctor to define 'success' before you make your down payment, because some clinics define success as any conception, and others define it as taking home a baby.

If you have had a molar pregnancy, wait a year before attempting another pregnancy. Your ßhCG level must return to 0 to ensure that no moles have migrated through your body (metastasized).  In all other cases, wait at least one to three cycles before attempting another pregnancy. Allow yourself ample time to recover. Take a 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) folic acid supplement daily and eat a nutritious diet while you are waiting. Reduce caffeine intake. Avoid alcohol, smoking, contact sports, environmental hazards, and people with infectious diseases. Before you use an over-the-counter medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Increase Chances of Pregnancy - 3 Easy Tricks That Help Boost Fertility

Learning how to increase chances of pregnancy can be an extremely overwhelming ordeal because it is usually more than 1 thing that helps in women getting pregnant. Some of these different factors include holistic and traditional methods.

The fact of the matter is a large part of the problem women face mostly have to do with hormone irregularity. Factors like weight, stress, mood, body temperature, lifestyle and household and beauty products are all things that can turn a perfectly healthy woman into someone affected by infertility.

If you have been attempting to conceive for a year or longer, do not get upset if you have been unsuccessful. Believe me, you are definitely not alone. In fact, a rapidly growing trend in the U.S. is a thing called "unexplained infertility". Let's take a moment to think about that. Rather than try natural and holistic methods to solve infertility, conventional OB's and fertility specialists diagnose a woman with "unexplained infertility" when all drugs, injections and surgeries fail. See, conventional practitioners have to say that because they are bound by the AMA to only use approved methods to solve medical problems. This is because they can easily get sued with no defense if they use unconventional or unapproved methods, and fail or cause a side effect in the patient. So when their methods fail, they basically put the blame on you and your body by labeling you as someone with unexplained infertility.

This sounds like a hopeless case to a woman who has tried and failed to conceive. But it is also good news because it is an opportunity to really learn how to increase chances of pregnancy by using natural methods that have been used for thousands of years.

We are facing so many different lifestyle changes these days, and these changes have had a tremendous impact on fertility rates for both women and men. The chemicals in the preserved and non-organic foods we eat, the plastics we use and drink out of, and the hectic pace we live through are only a few different factors that contribute to infertility issues.

Unfortunately, some of these factors are all around us and are impossible to avoid. But the good news is that there are easy and basic tricks to getting pregnant that conventional OB's and holistic specialists recommend.

The main issue with learning how to increase chances of pregnancy is that the information to do so naturally is scattered in hundreds of books and thousands of different websites, blogs and forums.

In any case, here are just a few tricks you can use to learn how to increase chances of pregnancy:

Diet:

DO NOT run off in horror because of this word. I know it is the most dreaded four letter word in the English language. But remember, even though weight does have an impact on fertility, I am sure you can take a quick glance around any mall, store or street corner in any town in the U.S. and find many overweight women who are pregnant. Unless you are morbidly obese, losing weight is not the primary goal here, so "diet" is only referring to the types of foods you eat.

For example, things like processed sugars have a negative effect on blood sugar and insulin levels, thereby leading to hormonal imbalance. Foods high in soy and the ingredient soy lecithin, also affect hormone levels because they create estrogen mimicking hormones in the body which not only throw off hormone levels in women trying to conceive, but are a leading contributor to breast cancer and male infertility as well.

Remember, if you are buying fresh foods make sure the fruits, veggies and meats are organic, or as organic as you can get. Look for hormone free proteins and dairy. If you can't do 100% organic, just try to tip your scale more towards the organic side to start seeing differences.

And remember to check food ingredients before buying. There are many foods to increase into your diet and to avoid, unfortunately I can't get into them because of space limitations.

Lifestyle - Acupuncture, Exercise and Stress:

Acupuncture is a phenomenal way to quickly see internal results. Acupuncture can increase blood flow, reduce stress, improve sperm quality and motility in men and help women to increase the thickness in the uterine lining.

Yoga also helps to increase blood flow to reproductive organs by loosening muscles and connective tissues in essential parts of the body: the lower back, pelvic area and groin. It also helps in de-stressing, relaxing and strengthening the body as well.

Stress has been shown to be one of the main contributing factors of many health issues from heart disease to fertility. Stress creates havoc in the body, and along with diet can be the main reason why you are not getting pregnant. Many times a combination of changing one's diet and de-stressing has been enough to allow some women to overcome infertility.

In recent studies, women who took stress management programs had 160% higher success rates for getting pregnant undergoing IVF treatments. This study really emphasizes the destructive impact stress has on women's fertility.

Stress is a woman's avowed enemy and reducing it by any means is necessary. Tips on reducing stress include taking walks, exercising, aroma therapy, baths, day trips, vacations, time away from work, prayer and reading. This can be customized any way you would like.

Remember, use a combination of traditional and holistic methods to have the quickest impact. There isn't only one way to overcome infertility. The goal is to use holistic methods to focus on the root of fertility problems and then apply mild conventional means to treat the root symptoms once uncovered. By combining these two elements together women have had better success than using only 1 method alone.

Learning is how to increase chances of pregnancy is not easy, and you try to find someone to help you along the way. By doing so your journey to increase chances of pregnancy can be a lot less confusing and daunting.

11 Key Facts About Osteoporosis And Osteopenia You Need To Know

Osteoporosis is dubbed the 'silent killer' because it shows no outward symptoms until a bone breaks and that is the start of a debilitating and life-threatening condition. No one can tell you have it by looking at you or 'seeing' symptoms or even with an x-ray, so if you believe you are at risk then a bone scan will give you the answer. Normally affecting menopausal women, it is now clear that men too are being diagnosed with the disease.

These are some of the key facts that we all need to know about this serious health condition:

1 What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones are weak and are more likely to fracture if you have a fall.

2 What is Osteopenia?
Osteopenia is the term used to describe the state of your bones if they are not as strong as they should be but you do not yet have full blown osteoporosis.

3 Why are my bones not as strong as they should be?
There are many reasons for this from hereditary factors to lifestyle issues like anorexia and excessive dieting and even extreme exercise.

4 Can anything be done about either of these problems?
Yes. Both osteoporosis and osteopenia can be treated and your bone strength can be improved. Slowing the breakdown of old bone and building up new strong bone does this.

5 How do I do this?
There are three important things that you have to consider if you want to improve your bones. These are:-
a) Taking supplements to ensure that your bones have the nutrients they need to make strong new bone.
b) Having regular weight-bearing exercise.
c) Checking that your hormone balance is favourable for the building up of new bone

6 What supplements do I need?
It is a common misconception that bones only need calcium and vitamin D, but this is not the case. Bones need many nutrients including:

a) Protein (balanced with fat and carbohydrate) and non-acidic vitamin C to build up the framework on which the solid bone is deposited.
b) Calcium is needed but it must be combined with an equal amount of magnesium and this is usually about 800 mgs of each per day. if magnesium is not present in the right quantity then the bones cannot utilise the calcium properly and it may be deposited in joints and arteries.
c) Boron, zinc and silica are also needed in small amounts as are vitamins D and K and Omega 3 fatty acids

7 What constitutes weight-bearing exercise?
This can of be anything that you enjoy and will regularly keep up with. It might be exercise in a gym or tennis, dancing, skipping, walking briskly with a weighted back pack and yoga or tai chi. Almost any exercise is beneficial if it keeps you supple as this means you are less likely to fall and have an accident.

8 What hormone balance is needed for my bones?
A great deal is talked about oestrogen and healthy bones but all oestrogen can do is slow bone breakdown, it cannot help build up new strong bone. If oestrogen is taken to slow bone breakdown (such as in HRT) the problem is that the bone only stays there while you take the oestrogen. If you stop taking it then you lose all the retained bone. A further problem is that even if you keep taking oestrogen over time, this retained bone becomes old and brittle.

9 What hormone do I need to build bone?
The hormone that helps to build up new strong bone is progesterone. The natural bioidentical form, not the synthetic or chemical progestogens found in the contraceptive pill and HRT.

10 What kind of progesterone do I need?
John Lee MD, the pioneer of natural progesterone usage, recommended a trans-dermal cream which combined with the suggested supplements and some exercise will build up new strong bone. There are now many creams available but look for one that has his original formula and will give you a full list of ingredients so you can check the progesterone level it contains is right for you.

11 What about drugs for osteoporosis?
Your Doctor may well prescribe drugs like Fosamax and others that slow bone breakdown and these can be useful if you have severe osteoporosis. However, the problem is the same as with oestrogen as they only have an effect while you take them and this is reversed when you stop. Also the retained bone becomes old and brittle with a 'lace-like' appearance and is then vulnerable to breaking.

Summary:
The most important thing to remember if you are found to have either osteopenia or osteoporosis is that there is no need to panic. You can do something about it: new strong bone can be built up and your bones can be improved. John Lee saw great improvements in his patients with supplemental bioidentical natural progesterone - no matter what their age or state of their bones.

It is not just a case of preventing the condition from worsening but knowing that new bone continues to be built throughout your lifetime, provided you give it the best conditions to do so.

Bioidentical Hormones For Men

Bioidentical hormone therapy programs aren't only for women. Like women, men also experience a decline in hormone levels, as they grow older. The decline, however, is gradual. The result of which, is andropause or more commonly known as the "male menopause."

Andropause is usually identified with symptoms such as muscle loss, weight gain, fatigue, sleep problems, Gynecomastia, hot flashes, night sweats, lower sex drive, irritability, depression, hair loss, erectile dysfunctions, urinary problems and memory loss. It can make daily life feel like an uphill battle, as everything can easily be disrupted by the discomforts these symptoms produce.

Bioidentical hormones are a natural alternative treatment for men who are suffering from andropause. Unlike synthetic hormones manufactured by pharmaceuticals, bioidentical hormones come from yams and soy that replicate each molecular structure of the hormones naturally produced by the body. They can also be prescribed to younger men who are suffering from hormonal imbalance due to very low testosterone levels.

Bioidentical Testosterones Vs. Synthetic Testosterones

Synthetic anabolic steroids come in the form of patches, creams, pellets, and tablets. They are chemically different from the testosterone made by the body and do not accomplish the same effect as natural testosterone. These drugs are aimed primarily at the muscular and skeletal system and have been abused many times by athletes and body builders. Although, some doctors still insist on prescribing these medications, patients should be made aware that synthetic testosterones are known to produce countless side effects that can cause serious injury to the heart and the prostate. Some synthetic testosterone drugs that should be avoided are methyltestosterone, danazol, oxandrolone, testosterone propionate, cyclopentanepropionate, and enanthate.

Bioidentical testosterones, on the other hand, are very effective and safe to use. Research shows that aside from building muscles mass, optimizing bioidentical hormones in men decreases the risk of heart disease, including angina, and helps reverse heart disease when present by lowering cholesterol levels. It also improves insulin sensitivity as well as blood sugar control in diabetics, thus decreasing a major cause of heart disease and diabetes called "metabolic syndrome." Bioidentical hormones can also decrease depression and improve libido and sexual functions.

For many years, scientists have been studying bioidentical hormones and how to make these hormones identical to those produced by the male body. Apparently, however, these hormones cannot be patented. Consequently, instead of producing bioidentical hormones, drug companies prefer to manufacture synthetic testosterone analogues, which cannot be duplicated by their competitors in the industry. Regardless if synthetic testosterones are known to be harmful to the body, drug companies are still producing them because they are more feasible to sell.

Both synthetic testosterone and natural testosterone require a prescription. A physician should prescribe testosterone only after a man's blood tests have verified that he has a testosterone deficiency.

Alternative patients can prescribe testosterone creams. Natural testosterone creams do not require a prescription. It is strongly recommended, however, that whether or not a medication requires a doctor's prescription, it should always be used in conjunction with medical supervision.

Natural Progesterone Drops For Rapid Assimilation

Progesterone therapy has been in use for over five decades to treat a wide array of different ailments. These are ailments that are related to hormonal problems. It is important to note that during the use of progesterone for hormone therapy, no unfavorable effects were reported. It has been found that the continual use of natural progesterone drops has favorable results for the user. Once administered the progesterone is transported in the blood, mainly in the membrane of the red blood cell. Tests that are used to determine the level of progesterone in the blood are used to determine the level of plasma.

This could either show the presence of progesterone or not. If one is looking to carry out reliable tests on the level of progesterone, one could carry out saliva tests. It is however important to note that, determining the levels of progesterone is quite difficult. This is because the level can significantly change, since a woman's ovaries secrete the hormone in spurts. However, if one is looking to correctly determine the level of the hormone in the blood, it is highly advisable for one to take the test at least five to ten days prior to their period. Once a user has successfully determined the level of the hormone in the blood, they can be able to administer the natural progesterone drops correctly. It is vitally important to note that it is not important to check the level of one's progesterone.

By simply making use of these progesterone drops and experiencing first hand benefits of the therapy, one is able to determine the benefits of the use from a personal standpoint. This would inadvertently help one be able to effectively deal with hormonal based problems that they may be experiencing at any one time. This thus presents the user with one of the best ways to deal with these problems. This course of action also presents one with a relatively safe way to deal with problem. It is however important to note that depending on the mode of administration the level absorption also varies.

Thus, choosing a mode that best suits the user's needs is highly advisable. Additionally, selecting a mode of administration that best guarantees long-term use is also prudent. One should therefore research fully on the different modes of administration effectively to ensure that they receive the most out of the natural progesterone drops. On top of this, researching on the sources that distribute the product puts the user at the most appropriate standpoint effectively ensuring the user has various sources to select from. This ensures that one keeps costs at a minimum while maintaining the ease of use and increasing one's direct benefits from the product.

Brain Stimulation To Longevity And A Prosperous Life

The power of brain is enormous and if it is programmed in the right way, it is capable of achieving a lot more than what we do today. Mental programming is highly essential to bring about longevity to the human brain and life, as a whole. To understand mental programming, it must be known that the mind exists in two states, conscious and subconscious.

The former state is when we are aware of our actions and do them voluntarily. Whereas in the subconscious state, we are not aware of our actions but nevertheless, do them. This can happen even in hypnotic state of mind. These actions are responsible for the overall character of a person and the way of his or her life. To live a healthy life, it becomes necessary to program them well and increase the longevity of the brain.

The brain can be stimulated positively and scientists proved that there are areas or spots in the brain that when actually stimulated or utilized properly, can bring in great results. There are tools or techniques that are able to pick up pulsations from the brain and data points from the nerve cells of the mind.

Researches who analyzed the brain of Albert Einstein found that his brain was different from others in the sense it had more interconnections between his neurons. The longevity of the brain is not based on the number of neurons but the diversity of interconnections between the neurons. Interestingly, the interconnections are not inherited, but are created by the individual. When these interconnections are not utilized, they shrink and die and if they are constantly engaged in mental workouts, they tend to expand and become stronger.

This helps to expand the mind power into entirely new dimensions of thought and experience. The entire concept of brains stimulation to longevity stems from using technology that supports the theory of mental programming and get into the subconscious mind and makes efforts to alter things in life such as addictions, phobias and character flaws.

Such mental programming exists in many different kinds like subliminal suggestion, affirmation speech, meditation, yoga, and aromatherapy and so on. But the latest trend that is fast catching up is the brain wave entrainment. This technique helps to synchronize the brain waves in tune with the electric impulses that are sent through audio signals from an external source.

Since the brain waves are of many types like alpha, beta, theta and gamma states, the brain wave technology can be used to create various changes in the thoughts and thus, enhance the life style of a person, more positively. Effectively, the longevity of the brain can be enhanced through brainwave technology. The brain is the most crucial part of the human body and is a very useful tool which when used in the proper way, can produce miraculous results. More and more people are awakening to this fact and this is really a change for the better and a better life.

4 Reasons Why Older Women Should Run

Do you think that sports are only for younger people? Have you ever felt that you are too old to start running as a form of exercise? Think again.

As you get older, you need to run more than ever. Why? One word. Menopause.

Even before menopause, from your forties onwards, your hormones fluctuate as your body prepares to shut down its baby making factory. Female hormone production drops. Drastically.

Estrogen, a female hormone, protects your body against heart disease and oesteoporosis. On top of that, the fall in your female hormones cause your body to store more fat around your waist.

Then there are the other symptoms of perimenopause like insomnia and mood swings.

Guess what. Running helps with these problems.

#1 Heart disease
Running strengthens your heart. Not only does your heart get a great workout as it pumps harder to circulate your blood, your cholesterol levels go down. You will have a healthier heart as a result of running.

#2 Osteoporosis
Running increases bone density. Your bone is living matter, with your bone cells replacing themselves with time. Just remember to take calcium supplements or eat food that is rich in calcium while you are at it. Running is a weight bearing exercise that strengthens your bones and helps negate the osteoporosis effect of perimenopause and menopause.

#3 Insomnia
Running lets you sleep deeper at night

#4 Weight gain
Whether the fat is gathering around your hips or your belly as is the case as you get older, running will certainly help. It is the most effective weight control exercise around and is something anyone can do.

So what are you waiting for? Get your running gear and start running.