Stress can play a negative role on the body, thus putting a damper on fertility but did you know that it can also hinder your chances through the power of the mind/body connection?

That’s right! You can think yourself (in) fertile! It’s your choice.

Many couples become emotionally distressed when they face conception problems. These negative emotions breed more negative thought forms, which then reinforce other unpleasant feelings even leading to depression. Getting a grip on our negative mental ‘chatterbox‘ (our mental self talk) and preventing depression before it creeps in can make a huge difference for many couples and improve the odds of natural conception (even in difficult cases). Amazing new research shows that the brain does not know the difference between a vividly imagined situation and something that is (or has) actually taken place — so it’s key to take advantage of this, for the sake of your fertility!

For some people, getting into a positive frame of mind is easier said than done, so … what to do?

For starters, anything that brings about peace and relaxation! Yoga, tai chi and meditation, for example, are activities which help balance the body and relax the mind. Some people find that arts, singing, painting (water colour), photography (digital is best in order to avoid chemicals) or getting out into nature help to relax the mind and give them something to focus on other than ‘infertility’.

Easing the mind is essential, but for those pesky negative thoughts one may need another tactic, such as the Emotional Freedom Technique, creative visualization, hypnotherapy or Cognitive Restructuring Therapy.

Below are some steps that can help to redirect negative thinking:

Conscious Identification

Identify a negative thought when it sneaks up.

“I’ll never get pregnant” is a common example of one such negative thought. Once you become conscious of your mental chatter you’ll be surprised how often these thoughts appear. The more you hear them the more you believe them unquestioningly. Becoming conscious of your thoughts gives you the power to change them.  Once you’ve learned to notice the negative thought forms, identify what’s triggering them.

Redirect and replace

Simply replace a negative thought with a positive one.  For example, replace “I’ll never get pregnant” with “I’m sure I’ll be pregnant soon.”  If you allow yourself to keep thinking negative, then only negativity will come to you!

Daydream

Instead of putting all your energy into “woe is me,” try picturing yourself in the midst of a healthy pregnancy and then embracing the healthy baby of your dreams!  Visualize you and your partner cradling a beautiful infant. Imagine those first flutterings of new life. The more you get into it and the more real you make it in your mind, the more chance you have of ‘coaxing’ your body into that reality.

Break the Monotony

Many couples, who have problems conceiving, often find themselves sexually bored, which can lead to relationship problems and increase the chance of depression. If sex is allowed to become nothing more than a means of making a baby, it can quickly lose its fire!  Try to keep the loving fun!  Sex should be a private celebration of your love and passion for one another, so try to keep some spontaneity and enjoy each other!

Learn the Emotional Freedom Technique

Emotional Freedom Technique, sometime known as Tapping, is an easy to learn technique that helps to overcome negative self talk. Often we don’t even realise what we are saying to ourselves and the power our thoughts hold. If we say it enough we begin to believe it. And that’s true for both positive and negative conversations.

EFT is an aid to healing that provides insight into what really limits our physical and emotional health and wellbeing and more importantly gives us the power to change it.

EFT’s is based on ancient principles of acupuncture and the study and application of kinesiology. It is a simple tapping procedure that gently realigns the body’s energy system, without the discomfort of needles or painful prodding. EFT integrates an emotional element in the healing process, addressing unresolved emotional issues.

Negative emotional experiences disrupt the energy meridians that run through our body. EFT can quickly realign the energy channels and disconnect negative memories thus allowing healing to take place on both a conscious (mind) level and sub-conscious (body) level.

EFT is a potent tool that you can learn today to power your fertile thinking for positive outcomes.

Keep positive and think “Fertile”

For the past twenty years numerous studies have been conducted regarding the effects of stress and negative thinking on human fertility. Findings have indicated that relaxation techniques including meditation, along with positive thinking techniques dramatically increased the odds of conception.

The power of the mind is an amazing thing.  Our very lives are oftentimes the result of our own thought patterns, whether they be positive or negative ones.  When you think wholeheartedly upon something, you put energy into that thought form, which it in turn released into your environment. What we focus on expands…so think fertile!

Chemicals damage our health. They also have a huge impact on the Earth’s delicate ecosystems and, not surprisingly, on the sperm and egg that will eventually become an embryo. That is why it is so important to make positive changes in order to overcome fertility problems and/or simply have the healthiest possible baby.

Everything you are exposed to, or do, for at least 120 days prior to a conception attempt will have huge repercussions on your ability to conceive, but even more importantly will have a dramatic impact on the health of your prospective child.

Pesticides, herbicides and many other chemicals are not only toxic to our systems but they also imbalance fertility and hormonal levels in animals and humans. They mimic our own hormones, particularly oestrogen, and end up blocking receptors for other hormones such as testosterone. For women this is a problem because it enhances oestrogen dominance, leading to hormonal ‘disproportion’ and contributing to conditions such as endometriosis and fibroids. For men it disrupts testosterone balance and therefore healthy sperm production. Finally, it also disrupts embryonic development, particularly in relation to sexual development and reproductive function later in life. You can make a difference and safeguard your health, and the health of your prospective family, by changing your habits, namely dietary, lifestyle and even your cleaning and pest control of course!

Fertility is not an isolated ‘event’—it is intrinsically connected with emotional, whole body and even (believe it or not) spiritual health. The body and the spirit are constantly striving towards balance, good health, fertility, energy and happiness. The problem is that due to our hectic lifestyles, health compromises and poor daily choices, we often overlook the basic requirements for incredible health and optimum fertility. We only take care of ourselves when something breaks down rather than making daily choices that maintain our most precious possession to the absolute best of our ability.

My books “The Awful Truth About Cleaning Products and Fertility Revealed” and “Protecting Your Fertility: The dangers of conventional pest control and natural, safe alternatives revealed” teach you to use safe, natural, chemical-free, non-toxic ingredients and methods for pest control. Besides making a big difference to your health and fertility, what you will learn to implement will also have a very positive effect on the environment and your hip pocket, because they are (in comparison) also extremely cost effective. You will learn how to protect your surroundings for you and your family’s safety and you will also be doing the Earth a great favour!

What Is The True Meaning of Non-Toxic?

Bicarbonate soda, salt, vinegar, lemon and lime juice, soda water and other natural cleaning ingredients are often referred to as ‘non-toxic’, but what does that really mean?

Non-toxic cleaning products do not pose the risks to health and fertility normally associated with traditional toxic cleaners. Generally, as a rule of thumb, if you can eat it, you can clean with it. It does not mean you will, especially since in excessive dosages most things are dangerous.

Using non-toxic cleaners does not mean you can carelessly eat them, pour them into your eyes, squirt them all over your skin, or be careless with it. However it does mean that if an accident occurs while you are using them and some spills on you, it does not mean a trip to the doctor or hospital and your family’s health and fertility are not compromised in the long run.

Click here for my natural and non-toxic All-purpose Cleaner recipe

and remember – have fun and experiment—your health, fertility and the environment will thank you!

Ingredients:

2 cups hot water
2 teaspoons borax
1 teaspoon washing soda
½ teaspoon liquid soap or detergent

Up to 1 teaspoon essential oil such as thyme, rosemary, eucalyptus, cinnamon, birch, lavender, tea-tree, sweet orange, rose, lemon grass, or clove.

Yields: 450ml

Time to make: about 10 minutes

Shelf life: Indefinite

Storage: Spray bottle or glass jar with a tightly-fitting lid.

Method:

Combine the water, borax, washing soda and liquid soap in a spray bottle. Secure lid tightly, and mix well by shaking vigorously for about a minute, then add the essential oil you have chosen, and mix well again.

How To Use:

Spray unto the surface you want to clean and let stand about 15 minutes, and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. Waiting the additional 15 minutes before you wipe off the surface allows the qualities of the essential oil time to act.

From May 6-13 you can get my book “How to Eat Your Way to Parenthood” plus 28 other ebooks on natural fertility, healthy eating, pregnancy and birth for only $34.95.

And that’s not all – you will also receive meal plans, bonus offers and special discounts. That’s over $450 worth of value for just $34.95.

Tell me more about this offer?

Many of you dealing with fertility issues, medical difficulties, IVF and other forms of assisted reproduction may feel lost, frustrated and unmotivated. There is so much contradictory information out there from practitioners and well meaning family and friends that often you can land up feeling more confused.

The information contained in this bundle of books and recordings can help you to take control of your journey by changing your outlook and your approach to your food and lifestyle choices.

When you are trying for a baby is important to prepare your body and that’s why I believe the 120 days prior to a conception attempt are the most important. It is during these days that you lay the foundations for your beautiful baby to be. These books can help with information, easy recipes and even meal planners to take all the stress out of prepping and cooking.

What’s included?

Well first off there are

•  9 eBooks about fertility and health
  

•   6 pregnancy and birth eBooks  

•  12 real food and recipe eBooks and 2 eBooks that speak to the heart

At only $34.95 that makes each book $1.20 each.

Plus there is bonus material, audio recordings and 7 week long meal plans to help you get started on a whole foods diet. There are also giveaways worth over $1000 and a range of discount vouchers.

I know that many of you may be hesitant to purchase a lot of these products on their own that’s why buying a bundle like this gives you a lot of resources at one time and saves you $$$!

As you know I’m very passionate about how changing your diet and lifestyle and making naturally focused choices can change your fertility profile and I believe these resources can make the journey to your own little bundle of joy a little easier.

Click here to purchase your bundle now and remember this limited time offer is only available from 6 May 2013 until 13 May 2013.

Endometriosis is a painful chronic disease where tissue, called the endometrium, is found outside the uterus – usually in the abdomen on the ovaries, fallopian tubes and ligaments that support the uterus; the area between the vagina and rectum; the outer surface of the uterus; and the lining of the pelvic cavity.

The vagina, bladder, bowel, vulva and cervix are among other places this endometrial growth can be found.

Like a woman’s menstrual cycle, this out-of-place tissue builds up, breaks down and sheds each month. Whereas menstrual blood runs from the uterus and out of the body via the vagina; the blood and tissue which comes from endometrial growths doesn’t have a way of leaving the body. And this is what causes many of the problems and symptomology associated with endometriosis including pain, infertility and bowel issues.

How common is it?

While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many women suffer from endometriosis, the consensus is that approximately five to 10 per cent of women have it. And amongst women who experience difficulty conceiving 40 per cent also have endometriosis.

In the USA, the Endometriosis Association estimates the condition affects some 6.3 million women in the US and one million in Canada.

In the United Kingdom around two million women are estimated to have the condition. And in Australia it is believed to affect one in ten females of reproductive age.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms can be varied and a true diagnosis can only be done via laparoscopic surgery.Things to look out for are pain before and after periods, pain during sex, pain when urinating or around bowel movements at times and other gastro issues like diarrhoea, constipation and nausea.

Women with endometriosis also often have trouble conceiving, suffer from fatigue as well as allergies and yeast infections.

With these outcomes, it’s little wonder that affected women tend to feel depressed and isolated and might lack energy.

Effect on fertility

It’s difficult to gauge just how much endometriosis effects fertility as there are varying degrees of symptoms, growth and different outcomes depending on where it is in the body.

 According to the Endometriosis Care Centre of Australia, endometriosis is associated in 30 per cent of women who are infertile.

Endometriosis can negatively affect proper fallopian tubal function thus impairing the ability of the sperm and egg to meet and the egg to be fertilised. However, this is not the only way endometriosis can negatively impact fertility. The primary way in which this condition leads to infertility is through the increased oxidation and inflammation created in the abdominal cavity. This excessive ‘toxicity’ harms the quality of maturing eggs and developing embryos as well as decreasing its implantation capacity. This in turn, may lead to decrease conception rates, a higher risk of miscarriage and lowered live birth rates.

There may also be an immunological factor involved in endometriosis. It is suggested endometriosis may also be an autoimmune condition. It is now widely accepted that the immune system plays an important role in endometriosis-associated infertility.

What causes it?

It’s not known what, exactly, causes endometriosis, but risk factors may include early onset of menstruation, allergies, obesity or exposure to toxins, environmental chemicals.

Research by the Endometriosis Association shows a link between dioxin (TCCD) exposure and the development of endometriosis. Dioxin is a toxic chemical by product of pesticide manufacturing, bleached pulp and paper products, and medical and municipal waste incineration. The EA discovered a colony of rhesus monkeys that had developed endometriosis after exposure to dioxin. Some 79 per cent of the monkeys exposed to dioxin developed endometriosis, and, in addition, the more dioxin exposure, the more severe the endometriosis.

Several studies have shown a genetic predisposition to developing endometriosis and that it may run in families and suggests a genetic link too.

Endometriosis is a painful disease that impacts on many aspects of women’s health. There are however, many self-care strategies that can be implemented to improve one’s health outcomes. If you think you may have endometriosis getting a diagnosis may be important. However, it is not enough. Ensuring your diet, lifestyle and environmental factors are in line with peak health will be paramount for your long term wellbeing and optimum fertility—this is where one of our expert naturopaths can definitely be of assistance.

References:

http://www.endometriosis.org

Endometriosis Association (USA), www.endometriosisassn.org

www.babycentre.co.uk

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-women-policy

Endometriosis Care Centre of Australia, www.ecca.com.au

Endometriosis and Dioxins report, www.endometriosisassn.org/pdfs/Endo-and-Dioxins.pdf

The key to optimum fertility is to be as healthy as possible prior to a conception attempt. This will not only improve your chances of a natural or assisted conception, but it will significantly improve your chances of having the healthiest possible baby. In addition research shows that couples who, together, undergo a comprehensive natural fertility program prior a conception attempt are at least 47.1% more likely to conceive through IVF and have approximately 78% chance of naturally overcoming infertility.

As far as sperm are concerned–heat, toxic environmental exposure and oxidation are enemies that are best avoided. The key is to be as diligent as possible with leading a healthy lifestyle, whilst implementing effective natural strategies. Here are some tips you can start implementing now:

1. Zinc = Healthy Sperm

The male fertility mineral—it’s necessary for so many aspects of fertility (male and female) including healthy egg production, healthy testes for good sperm count, motility and normal shape. Zinc is involved in the correct and healthy replication of egg, sperm and embryonic DNA and RNA (your genetic make-up), which help to create healthy baby blueprints, it assists in preventing the development of pre-eclampsia (a dangerous condition involving high blood pressure and protein in the urine) during pregnancy and is essential for cell division  (replication in a growing baby). Zinc is also necessary for the sexual development of a baby and required for the development of baby’s immune system.

2. Fishy Business

Every cell in the body is comprised of approximately 50% fat and 50% protein. Fish oils are rich in omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for healthy male reproduction. Sperm health depends upon high essential fatty acid content to provide the cell membrane with the fluidity essential at fertilisation. However, these fatty acids are easily damaged making sperm particularly vulnerable to attack by free radicals (molecules responsible for damaging healthy cells)  and lifestyle factors promoting oxidative stress such as smoking, drinking alcohol, environmental chemicals and more. Without the proper level of antioxidants required to protect the body against free radicals, essential fatty acids can be a double edged sword, associated with reduced fertility. The solution: For optimum sperm health and fertility supplement with a combination of high levels of antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids daily.

3. Be Cool

As best as you can try to avoid overheating the testicles -boxer shorts ARE better than briefs AND stop crossing those legs! Research shows that squashing the testes for long periods can harm nerves and temporarily impede blood flow. This can cause tingling and numbness in the entire reproductive region and lead not only to infertility but also eventually to erectile dysfunction. If your job involves sitting for long periods, be sure to get up and walk around to cool things down a little and avoid using heated car seats all together. You will definitely also need to avoid baths, spas and saunas.

4. Plastic is not Fantastic

When it comes to fertility, plastics have a negative impact on sperm quality. Plastics can cause hormonal imbalances, exerting an oestrogenic effect upon reproductive organs. This reduces the body’s production of testosterone, which in turn can decrease sperm count and may even lead to other abnormalities. The key here is to avoid plastics as much as you can particularly in the form of plastic containers, water bottles, plastic food wraps and the like. Use glass wherever possible.

5. Watch Where You Put That Thing!

The last place you should put your mobile phone is in your pocket! Sperm cells are very sensitive to radiation of any kind and your sperm parameters will negatively suffer from the exposure. In order to optimise your fertility, it is best if you and your partner can avoid and protect yourselves as much as possible from all types of ionising and non-ionising radiation. Ensuring you don’t have any electric equipment in the bedroom is already a great positive start, because the hours you spend sleeping are potentially the only time in your day you are not constantly being radiated.

6. Toxins Kill

Not only can toxins have a negative impact on general health, they literally kill or damage sperm to a level which renders them unable to effect a healthy conception, causing infertility and/or being a contributing factor in recurrent miscarriages. A lot of chemicals in our environment are hormonal disruptors and have a part to play. The key is to avoid chemicals in every form as much as possible – from cleaning products and pest control to paints, building materials, heavy metals and more. Do your homework before using any new product or chemical ‘solution’ presented to you. Also, ensure to use every possible and available protection from chemicals and other toxic hazards in the workplace.

7. Clean Up Your Diet & Lifestyle

Cut out the junk food, cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and base your meals on fresh, unprocessed, vital foods–everyday! The healthier your diet and lifestyle, the most optimum your fertility. It’s that simple. Of course these are not the only factors in naturally boosting fertility; however they are vital pillars of optimum fertility to ensure you do everything possible to take home the healthy baby of your dreams.

Making positive changes to optimise your health will also have a remarkably positive impact on your fertility–and the benefits don’t stop there! In ensuring you are doing your best you are also making a decision about your legacy in the form of your offspring. Start making consistently better choices today–your prospective child’s life depends on them.

ANZAC Day gives us an opportunity to honour the Australian tradition of mateship. Had it not been for those who fought as ANZACs, the freedoms and opportunities we possess today may not exist.

ANZAC Day helps us to remember and celebrate the power of community. There is so much that can be achieved by working together and thinking of others.

However public holidays and special occasions often play havoc with our best laid nutrition plans. Here is my healthy and fertility friendly Anzac Day Biscuit Recipe.This simple recipe means you too can celebrate and indulge on ANZAC Day with a yummy, healthy biccie and a cup of organic tea.

Gabriela Rosa’s Healthy Anzac Biscuits

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ready to eat in: 1 hour

Best served:Cool

Servings: 20

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats 
• ½ cup desiccated coconut 
• ½ cup flaked or chopped almonds
• 2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 tablespoon water

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150C 
• Into the food processor add oats, coconut, almonds, oil, maple syrup and vanilla
• Combine for about 30 seconds
• Add the water and process again
• Roll 20 small cookies and place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper
• Using a spoon flatten and remember to leave space around each cookie
• Bake for 20 -30 minutes until golden brown

Many prospective parents are unaware that by 8 weeks gestation a baby’s little fingerprints, tiny organs and entire health blueprint are already created. As a result your child’s health potential becomes the lowest common denominator of you and your partner’s health and predispositions at the point of conception.

The opportunity for making significant improvements to your fertility and your child’s health in their future exists in the 120 days of preconception preparation before a pregnancy is even in sight. The time to optimise your child’s future, giving him or her the best possible start in life is not during your pregnancy—it is during your preconception preparation, involving both prospective parents.

Sadly too many parents-to-be also do not realise that several of the health concerns hindering our children’s development in today’s society namely allergies, asthma, diabetes and autism as well as learning and behavioural difficulties arise out of imbalances in basic metabolic processes.  These imbalances often occur due to nutritional deficiencies and exposure to everyday chemicals and environmental hazards—all of which in many cases could be resolved with a comprehensive holistic health approach fully involving both partners and a simple nutritional supplementation regime prior to conception and during pregnancy for mum and baby.

As a society we seem to have lost sight of what it is to be truly healthy. Surrounded by modern conveniences that frequently present serious health concerns, which we are often too happy to quickly ignore, we forget some simple facts: We now live longer, busier, more chemically challenged and ‘stressed out’ lives than our predecessors. In Western societies today, despite our exceptionally wide access to “food”, our bodies are faced with nutritional starvation and constant chemical and other environmental assault having to “make do” with excessive radiation, toxin and pollutant exposures, greatly reduced crop diversity, nutritionally depleted soils, dangerous pesticides and other chemicals, genetically modified produce and essential nutrient depletion in our food sources.

We ask more of our bodies today than our ancestors ever dreamt possible, yet we still fail to honour and acknowledge one of the simplest laws of nature: Every action has a reaction and as a society, the heavy burden and dire consequences of our previous choices are being left to our future generations to clean up, if they can. Unfortunately, we still have not yet fully integrated the complete understanding that our current state of health and fertility arises from the combination of our daily choices (also known as our habits), which in turn action our genetics to express itself in specific ways.

Much less have we developed full consciousness regarding the future state of health and fertility of our offspring and future generations based on our own actions? It is paramount that we begin taking individual ownership and full responsibility over these simple, yet profound truths in our daily lives because only in doing so and understanding the complete inter-relatedness and connectivity of all these facts can we take a new step into a bright future of optimism and true happiness.

This new journey begins with you: Professional, teacher, carer, parent-to-be. Only by educating ourselves and using solid discernment can we truly create a new movement of hope, underpinned by incredible health and optimum fertility for ourselves and our future generations.

Gabriela Rosa will be speaking at the MINDD International Forum on Children 2009. If you have children or hope to have children in the future this is an amazing conference to attend. For more information visit http://mindd.org/s/archives.php/173-Forum-2009-new.html.

Here’s a little revision, and some great tips, to help you digest and assimilate your food more completely and make better building blocks for healthy sex cells, which eventually could create a perfectly well- formed, balanced and healthy little person.

• Avoid distractions while eating e.g. watching TV or reading magazines and newspapers — you will tend to eat more than you actually need;
• Avoid drinking with your meals because it dilutes stomach acid and digestive enzymes;
• Chew your food really well;
• Eat every 3 hours;
• Never skip breakfast;
• Avoid soy, gluten and dairy;
• Avoid processed, packaged and dead foods;
• Avoid fried foods;
• Finish eating at least three hours before going to sleep;
• Avoid microwaves.

The Absolute ‘Non-Negotiables’ About Food

• Base your meals on organic, fresh, unprocessed vegetables and proteins — nutrient rich foods;
• Eat only fresh, organic fruits that are in season, but do not have more than 2-3 pieces daily;
• Ensure your foods are fresh and as close to their natural state as possible. Do not eat anything that comes out of cans, boxes, wrappers, packages etc. In other words, avoid most branded products. This will eliminate much of the worry about how healthy pre-packaged things really are, whether they contain harmful additives, and so on…
• Avoid genetically modified foods (GMOs) completely! Most processed foods and an increasing number of non-organic foods have some genetic modifications. The negative and damaging impact of these man-made changes not only affects human health and fertility, but also the environment, due to the destruction of fragile ecosystems, soil pollution and more. Organic and biodynamic produce is best on both counts!
• If you must buy any packaged foods, avoid all preservatives, additives, colourings, flavourings and artificial sweeteners (even in lollies and chewing gum, which you are better off not eating anyway). In essence, any long, unrecognisable names or numbers on food labels. These chemicals are extremely damaging to health and fertility and can also cause foetal abnormalities;
• Cook your vegetables lightly to preserve their nutrients; vitamins are very sensitive to heat. In addition, only use the following cooking methods: —steaming, grilling, roasting, baking, stir-frying (with a little coconut oil only), shredding, eating raw, or casseroling;
• Do not fry or boil your foods, as this damages all nutrients and can dramatically reduce your fertility;
• Avoid heating all vegetable oils as they become damaged, carcinogenic and negative to fertility. Olive, flaxseed and walnut oils have the best fatty acid profiles, but should only be used in salads. When vegetable oils are heated, they are converted into damaging trans fats. Research shows that each 2% increase in the consumption of trans fats decreases fertility by 73%! So think many times before you let any fried foods enter your body (even if only very, very, very occasionally);
• For heating or cooking purposes, coconut oil or ghee is the best fat to use. They both contain a healthy type of saturated fat, which does not become damaged and carcinogenic in cooking. Scientific research demonstrates many health benefits from these fats, including fertility improvement;
• Ensure any meat you prepare for eating is well cooked and NEVER eat raw fish (or raw meat) as the infections they can carry can mean big problems for your fertility;
• All your meat (especially chicken) and eggs MUST be organic. Many of the growth promoters used in rearing ‘non-organic’ animals are oestrogenic. In addition, pesticides and herbicides in their environment and even the water they drink can also be highly oestrogenic. These compounds contribute to major endocrine disruption, leading to hormonal imbalances, including sperm defects, and oestrogen dominance conditions in women, including endometriosis and fibroids. This is potentially a very big problem for your fertility and the development of the reproductive system and sexual organs of your prospective child;
• Eating fish can be a double-edged sword. The essential fatty acids found in fish are very important to fertility but the mercury and other chemical substances such as PCBs (from industry by-products), which potentially enters the body with each mouthful, has a devastating effect on fertility. The solution involves two steps:
• Avoid large fish such as tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, flake, shark and others listed here as well as all crustaceans, oysters and other seafood (due to high levels of pollution): www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm?subnav=healthalerts;
• Rely on good-quality fish oil supplementation to obtain the amounts of essential fatty acids your body needs (choose a high DHA:EPA ratio, very important for hormonal production and brain development);
• If eating fish you are best to choose small, deep-ocean fish (but definitely not coastal). Some good options include: wild salmon, trout, sardines, herring, John Dory, halibut, monkfish, and red snapper;
• Avoid all other foods to which you suspect you are allergic.

Harvard University published a study in November 2007, with close to 18,000 participants, which showed that a ‘fertility diet + lifestyle’ improved fertility by 69%! So, following these recommendations may well be all you need to make your dream of a healthy baby come true. Be diligent and stick to it as if your life depended on it. Your optimum fertility does!

Excerpted from Eat Your Way To Parenthood: The Diet Secrets of Highly Fertile Couples Revealed (GoKo Publishing 2008) by Gabriela Rosa. Available from www.NaturalFertilityBreakthrough.com.

The point is to reduce exposure, not to avoid it completely — because that is impossible in today’s world. However, it is essential to understand 3 major trademarks of all chemicals in our lives and environment:

1. Chemicals are hormone (or endocrine) disruptors — this means they directly and indirectly negatively affect your health and fertility in a MAJOR way. So by reducing exposure to a great number of the things you don’t really need in your life and that can be replaced by more natural and less toxic alternatives you will maximize your fertility and the chances of having the healthiest possible baby.
2. Chemicals are persistent and linger in the environment (in some cases) forever because they simply do not break down, therefore chemical contamination become our legacy for future generations as well;
3. Chemicals are bio-accumulative, just like heavy metals they build up in our bodies and the bodies of animals, being passed down along generations causing disease.

Chemicals in Your Home Environment

In order to be able to make a difference to your chemical exposure, you need to learn about what exactly you are looking to protect yourself against. Once you know what you are looking to exclude from your immediate environment in order to protect yourself and your family, reducing chemicals in the home can be made simpler by avoiding and replacing certain things. The World Wide Fund for Nature (United Kingdom) or WWF, has produced a brilliant information brochure on how to reduce chemical exposure in the home — including what you should avoid, what you should buy and what you need to change in order to protect your health and fertility. For more information go to www.wwf.org.uk and simply browse the different areas of the home for further details.

This may surprise you, however, studies have found that levels of several chemicals around the home are on average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors, it can often be as high as 10 times however, during and for several hours and sometimes even months following certain activities, such as paint stripping, indoor levels may be 1,000 times higher than outdoors. Hence the important of making good choices in what kinds of products you choose for your home and certainly avoiding renovations, painting the house, lacquering or varnishing furniture and so on throughout your preconception preparation and during your pregnancy. Newly painted wall can outgas for up to 6months after coating!

The main chemical culprits in the home are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: cosmetics, nail polish, nail polish removers, perfumes, fragrances, paints, lacquers varnishes, paint strippers and other solvents, degreasers, cleaning supplies, dry-cleaned clothing, disinfectants, antibacterial soaps, air fresheners, aerosol sprays, moth repellents, canned foods, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, wood preservatives, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, photographic solutions, hobby products and more. Fuels and automotive products are also made up of organic chemicals. And all of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.

As far as VOCs present in your cosmetics or personal hygiene items, they can be extremely damaging because the skin is capable of absorbing so much of what is placed on it. Be very awere of chemical names you don’t understand on product labels, and buy chemical free personal hygiene items and if you are unsure check the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database at www.cosmeticdatabase.com for more information about the ingredients of the products you are using. This is the best way to protect your health and that of your prospective family as well.