Lifestyle has a lot to do without being able to conceive. Couples who can’t conceive are just starting to get a grip on this important fact.
The factors that are known to increase the risk of both male and female infertility include many other lifestyle related matters such as smoking, drinking alcohol to excess, stress, poor diet, excessive athletic training and being overweight or underweight.
Now, in the same way that a couple can decide that they are willing to give up materialistic wealth in order to have a child at a younger age, they can also make lifestyle decisions to change or remove some of these factors which make it less likely that trying to have a baby will be successful.
For example, as reported by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, there is evidence that smoking damages a woman’s ovaries and the amount that she smokes will have a direct effect on the amount of damage being done. Furthermore, smoking accelerates the loss of eggs brought on by the advancing years, whilst “Smoking is strongly associated with an increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage and possibly ectopic pregnancy as well.”
Consequently, it is obvious that doing something as simple as giving up smoking would significantly increase the chances of having a baby. And of course, improving your nutrition levels, giving up alcohol and maintaining a well-balanced body weight will all help as well.
Then there is the question of sexual hygiene, because it is also true that one of the major causes of infertility are sexually transmitted infections or STI’s, and these are far more prevalent than most people realize.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is a major cause of infertility in women, and one of the biggest causes of PID is Chlamydia, which according to this site affects 1 in 10 of young British people under the age of 25.
Twenty percent of Americans have herpes are over the age of twelve. Eighty percent of people with this problem have no idea they have a STD at all.
Basically, sexually transmitted infections and diseases (many of which are not even apparent, with the carrier completely unaware that they are in fact a carrier) are one of the major causes of infertility, so monogamy and practicing safe sex is an absolute must for anyone who is serious about having a baby.
For both men and women who believe that they are infertile, making these lifestyle changes can make a huge difference to their ability to have a baby.
Whether it is giving up smoking or drinking or whether you simply need to lose or gain weight, it is a fact that changing your life can significantly influence your ability to conceive.
Consequently, for anyone who believes themselves to be infertile, making these changes should be nothing more than basic common sense.

Infertility is a problem that affects millions of couples all over the world every year as they vainly struggle to create the baby for whom they are so desperate. Infertility is also a problem that can affect both partners as it is not something that is restricted to one gender or the other either.
Indeed, it’s a total myth that infertility or the inability of a couple to have a baby is always a ‘woman’s problem’ as studies indicate that at least half of all situations where a couple have been trying for a baby and failed are in some way connected to male reproductive problems.
A further complication for couples who are trying to have a baby without success is that it is often difficult to understand why they should be failing to achieve their dreams. It is not always completely straightforward to establish that one or the other partner has a genuine infertility problem without seeking medical attention, and given that there is perhaps a degree of embarrassment attached to doing so, this does not always happen.
On the other hand, as you will discover later, the number of couples who do seek medical attention for fertility problems that then conceive almost immediately is surprising high. Being embarrassed is clearly not the only possible reaction to having to seek medical attention for infertility!
In fact, according to the US statistics, approximately one third of infertility problems are caused by female difficulties, whilst another one third can be ‘blamed’ on the man.
Nevertheless, even though men and women are about equally responsible for infertility problems, it is estimated that approximately 10% of women in the USA (just over 6 million people) do have fertility problems according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) section of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The percentages of infertility problems that can be ascribed to one partner or the other vary from one country to country too. For example, in the UK, 25% of the problems are caused by male difficulties, 50% are caused by female difficulties with 25% having no known cause. And unlike the US figures, the percentage of infertile couples who both suffered difficulties is only 10% in Sweden, so statistics do vary from country to country.
However, on a worldwide basis, it is believed that around one in every seven couples has difficulties conceiving with data from most countries indicating that irrespective of development levels and the standard of living, the ratio seems to hold fairly stable.
In approximately 20% of cases where infertility is a problem, both the male and female have reproductive system difficulties whilst in the final 10% of apparent infertility situations, there is no cause that can be found. Age increases the possibility of infertility as well, so this is another factor that needs to be taken into account.
So there goes that myth!

Giving your kids a massage is more than just a way of expressing affection. Rubbing your child’s skin and manipulating his or her muscles has many benefits.
With massage, you can include all of the following positives:
Massage is deeply relaxing for the recipient;
• It is a holistic form of treatment that treats every part of the being, including the physical body, the mind and the soul;
• It relieves tension, stress and anxiety, as well as encouraging relaxed muscles;
• It increases your awareness of and respect for your own body, which in itself has significant health benefits;
• It helps to improve blood flow and assists your body in its efforts to detoxify itself
• It helps promote speedier repair of damaged tissues and of course alleviates the pain that these damaged parts can cause;
• It aids digestion and strengthens your immune system;
• It imparts a general sense of heightened well being and above all else, there is very little that I know of that makes you or your child feel better than a good massage!
As you have just read, there are many physical benefits that you can enjoy as a result of a good massage but there are some additional, less obvious benefits that are specifically appropriate to those in a relationship too.
The fact is, massage can play a vital role in pulling two partners ever closer together primarily because massage (from the point of view of the partner providing the massage) is all about giving love and approval.
Massage is a superbly effective method of non-verbal communication that allows each person to get to know, understand and appreciate their partner far more intimately on a physical level, way beyond anything that they might ever know about one another without massage. I have found it useful for when my teenage daughter has decided to be all non-verbal and difficult. Sometimes the literal pat on the shoulder means so much to her I can see the tears in her eyes.
Therapists often report that people get more in a confessional mode when they are being massaged. This to me means that my child is more inclined to tell me the truth about what is going on her life because she is all relaxed and loosened up.
Furthermore, you do not have to be a world class massage practitioner for you and your child to gain huge benefits from the use of massage in your relationship either. Almost by definition, if you practice massage with your kid on a daily basis, you will become the best massage therapist they have ever had without ever really trying simply because you know better than anyone else ever could do.

The holiday season is coming up and since my folks live across the ocean it looks like we are all going to be dealing with some jet lag. However over the years I have practiced a few tips which have helped prevent it from getting too bad.
Before you get on the plane …
Make sure that you and your kids drink drink plenty of water whilst flying – at least 8 – 12 fluid ounces every hour, preferably mineral water.
Avoid coffee and alcohol on the plane, as both are diuretics and they can therefore cause you a dehydration problem.
If you are due to arrive at your destination in the morning, try to sleep on the plane. Use a mask, earplugs and an inflatable neck support if these things help to induce a sleepy condition or increase your comfort so that it is more likely that you can sleep.
If on the other hand you are due to arrive in the evening, try to stay awake on the plane. Keep yourself busy by watching the in-flight movies, listening to music or doing something reasonably active like puzzle solving. Give the kids coloring books or let them play with a Sony PSP.
Avoid taking sleeping tablets if you have kids with you. They need looking after!
After you arrive…
•If at all possible, try not to go to bed until the nighttime after you have arrived. Do this and it really does minimize your jetlag problems, probably the single most effective step for doing so.
In the arrival airport, use the stairs and walk about as much as possible to get your body moving and back to normality as quickly as possible.
Your body has a natural electromagnetic system which will have been thrown out of synch by flying. Try to swim in the ocean (for the salt water), take a warm Epsom salts bath or walk barefoot on the ground in an effort to return your system to its normal state.
Get outside and go for a walk, especially if you can do so in the sunshine. Both the sunshine and the exercise help to reinvigorate you, meaning that you will feel less tired or jaded.
Take a nice long relaxing shower or bath as a way of rehydrating your body, and keep drinking plenty of water. In the first few hours after arriving, it will probably help if you can avoid coffee, tea and alcohol for exactly the same reasons as highlighted previously.
These tips are both for adults and kids and can go a long way towards preventing the terrible fatigue of jet lag.