Reducing estrogen levels in women and progesterone levels in men, prolactin can have a serious effect on both male and female fertility, causing a loss of ovulation in the female and a poor production of sperm in males.

When it comes to dealing with nay fertility problem, it is important to take as much control over your treatment as possible.

Some simple ways that you can help to alleviate elevated prolactin levels include:

1. Add lots of B vitamins and zinc to your daily diet.

2. Avoid alcohol (no amount is safe).

3. Begin a stress relieving regiment including exercise, massage, hypnosis,
meditation, yoga, etc.

4. Take a Chasteberry Vitex supplement to lower prolactin levels.

5. Take qi moving herbs.

6. Avoid excessive exercise (but moderate exercise is good).

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Can I get pregnant if I have high prolactin levels? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

Most women can get pregnant within the first 12 months of contraceptive discontinuation but a study found that women who used a combined estrogen and progestin birth control pills for more than three years were were more fertile than women who used them for a shorter period of time.

Once you stop birth control pills your period should return within a few months.

There is an obvious delay in returning to normal ovulation and menstruation as your body takes time to start producing these hormones again.Most women can become pregnant within 6 months of trying.

However, bear in mind that there are known risks in taking the pill for a very long period of time, in the form of blood clots, especially after the age of 35.

Unlike birth control pills, getting pregnant after a Depo-Provera shot can take much longer and up to a couple of years.

The IUD method as well as contraceptive ring users can usually conceive within a year after stopping use.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post How soon can you get pregnant after birth control? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

Some of these changes can trigger symptoms you may find similar to other conditions such as fever or even the flu.

The first trimester is probably the worst in terms of symptoms. You may experience extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting on a daily basis, headaches as well as tender breasts.

Symptoms actually tend to be the worst at around 9 or 10 weeks in which the levels of hCG are at their highest.

This is the hormone that is normally checked to see how well your pregnancy is progressing.

You’ll be surprised to know that pregnancy will weaken your immune system. This is to make sure that the body won’t reject the fetus.

As a result, you can become more susceptible. These immune system changes can increase your risk of catching the flu as well as other infections.

Another thing to remember is that the more toxins and accumulated waste you have in your body the worst these pregnancy symptoms will become.

That is why it is so important to prepare your body beforehand so that when you do get pregnant that first trimester won’t become a nightmare for you.

This isn’t a guarantee because we are all different but many women don’t experience any uncomfortable symptom during the first trimester because they do the following:

• 1. They focus on eating clean. No junk food.
• 2. Their food portion is small especially at night.
• 3. They do daily meditation.
• 4. They implement breathing exercises.
• 5. They get enough quality sleep (on an empty stomach to further prevent morning sickness).

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Can getting pregnant cause a fever or make you sick? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

It is true that a hormonal imbalance regardless of the actual cause can decrease your chances of getting pregnant naturally. I always recommend first treating the imbalance and only then trying to conceive. So how would you treat PCOS?

PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is a common disorder among infertile women. It can cause the ovaries to fail to release an egg for fertilization or for release to happen at the wrong time in the cycle but it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to get pregnant.

You can, however, increase your fertility even if you have PCOS by adopting a healthy lifestyle, most importantly, diet and regular exercise(and losing excess weight can always help as well).

One of the best ways to do that is by controlling blood sugar level and maintaining a low insulin level. This will also decrease your body’s inflammation level.

Diet and exercise can take care of all of these factors.

You must focus first not just on eliminating junk food which is obvious but on lowering the total amount of carbs in your diet, especially the empty carbs in the form of processed food and sugar.

You don’t have to follow a Keto diet but a low carb version of the famous Mediterranean diet.

This means fruits, vegetables, legumes in moderate amounts, nuts, seeds and some fish(preferably salmon not tuna).

Combine the above diet with a regular workout even for just 20-30 minutes each day and you will be able to lose excess weight and lower blood level of both insulin and sugar thus managing your PCOS naturally and increasing your ability to conceive.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Can you get pregnant naturally with pcos? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

In most cases, the medical procedure itself should not affect fertility in any way. Having said that, like with any other procedure or surgery, there are always potential risks.

There are basically two types of abortion procedures: Dilation and Curettage (D&C) abortion and there are a number of ways in which they can affect your fertility:

1. Bacterial infections leading to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which in itself causes infertility or the inability to carry a pregnancy full term.

2. Punctures in the uterus or damage to the uterine lining. Again, this can cause infertility.

3. Very heavy bleeding which may require transfusion.

4. A scar tissue that forms in the uterus or cervix also known as Asherman syndrome.

In most cases, your doctor will advise you to wait at least 2-3 weeks before having sex after an abortion. You want that area to fully heal first.

Complications from abortion such as infection, heavy bleeding or PID may require a longer waiting period before trying to conceive again.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Can having an abortion affect your fertility? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

Endometriosis is caused when pieces of the inner lining of the uterus begin to grow outside the uterus. Endometriosis usually affects the Fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, and sometimes even the pelvic cavity found in the abdomen.

About one third of all fertility problems stem from endometriosis, which can cut a woman’s chance of getting pregnant by 40%.

Endometriosis may be affecting your ability to get pregnant by: blocking your Fallopian tubes, destroying the fimbraie found in the Fallopian tubes that help guide the released egg through the tube, causing cysts that may interfere with the egg’s release every month or by creating an immune response in the pelvis that interferes with fertilization.

The good news is that nearly 70% of all women suffering with mild endometriosis do conceive on their own without help – it just takes longer (as much as three years).

The rest need some help including surgical IVF or other treatments.

Some of the most common endometriosis treatments include: surgery to remove the endo through laparoscopy, medications to stop ovulation for a period of time to give the endometrial time to heal IUI (intrauterine insemination) or IVF.

Of course, you can always try some dietary changes, which happen to respond well to endometriosis.

One positive dietary change is to try adding plenty of good fats to your diet like flax seed oil and walnut oil, and getting rid of bad fats like saturated fats, butter and lard.

The Chinese categorize endometriosis as Static Blood (or blood stasis with heat or damp heat), that isn’t flowing as it should.

As the blood remains fixed it creates endometrial cells which the immune system believes should be eradicated. This creates a toxic environment for an implanting egg.

Treatment is usually threefold, beginning with a macrobiotic-type diet which is free of dairy, wheat and most animals products to help calm the immune system and its response to the endometrial cells; supplemental therapy to help mute immune responses; and prescribing an herbal formula to clear the internal blood heat and calm the uterus. Acupuncture may also be used.

The herbal treatments for treating endometriosis often have surprising results, with pregnancy occurring naturally within months.

Of course, it is imperative that the imbalance causing the body’s energy system and organs to go haywire must be addressed.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Is there a cure for endometriosis? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

Without just the right amount of specific hormones released at certain times of the month, a woman doesn’t stand a chance of either conceiving a baby, let alone carrying one to full term.

Here is a quick overview of the hormones and their optimal level needed to achieve and maintain a pregnancy:

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)– they test it on DAY 3 of your cycle. Anything under 6 is considered excellent, 6-9 is good, 9-10 fair, 10-13 diminished ovarian reserve, 13+ means very hard to stimulate which may cause infertility

Estradiol(E2)– they test it on DAY 3 of your cycle. Normal value range is between 25-75 pg/ml. A higher level of E2 may indicate the presence of a functional cyst or diminished ovarian reserve.

Luteinizing Hormone(LH)-they test it on DAY 3 of your cycle. A high level of LH (above 7 mIU/ml) may indicate PCOS.

Prolactin– they test it on DAY 3 of your cycle. Increased prolactin levels(above 24 ng/ml) can interfere with proper ovulation…

Progesterone(P4)– they test it on DAY 3 of your cycle. An elevated Progesterone level (above 1.5 ng/ml)may inhibit pregnancy.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)– low blood AMH level may indicate low amount of available eggs (less than 5 pmol/l if you’re over 40 years old).

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Insist that your doctor tests these hormones first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

But can you do anything to prevent a miscarriage or is it all up to chance?

1. If you’ve just has a miscarriage then you want to wait at least 1-2 months before ttc again. Allow your body to recover from the traumatic event. Rest and recuperate mentally and emotionally before the next try.

2. If the cause was a weak uterus then you will need to focus on strengthening it. Herbs such as Red raspberry Leaf and Artemisia can help build a stronger uterine lining.

3. Make sure you supplement with at least 400 mcg of folic acid every day as it lowers the risk of an early miscarriage. Also take a good multivitamin for women that includes iron, Vitamin D, and zinc. You don’t want to be deficient in any of these important nutrients.

4. You have to manage you stress so stay away from stressful situations and environments. Relieve stress by doing daily meditation even for just 10-15 minutes.

5. And finally, eat a healthy balanced diet including lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds. No junk food.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post Can you prevent a miscarriage? first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

Vaginal infections, sexually transmitted diseases, obesity, breastfeeding, and stopping birth control pills can all change the nature of your cervical mucus.

Obviously, pregnancy is more likely to happen if you have sex on a day when fertile cervical mucus was present.

Directly prior to ovulation, your cervical mucus should be abundant. The stretchiness of the mucus indicates that ovulation is likely imminent.

Fertile mucus will be thin, slippery (like lubricant), stretchy and translucent like a raw egg white. Typically, fertile-quality cervical fluids will appear a few days prior to and during ovulation.

You have to make sure that your cervical mucus is optimal for pregnancy. So in order to improve the quality of your cervical mucus, stay hydrated throughout the cycle, drink carrot and green juices on a daily basis, stop drinking coffee and take Primrose oil as well as B6 vitamin supplements.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post How To Achieve The Most Fertile Cervical Mucus first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.

It can have such an amazing effect on your fertility in so many ways. You would be surprised to know that labs use its extract in certain medications that women take to treat menstruation or menopausal issues.

Vitex can fix irregular cycles. The length of the luteal phase can be increased by taking Agnus Castus. A short luteal phase is associated with decreased fertility.

Vitex can also help women who suffer from severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It can relieve breast tenderness, depression, mood swings and irritability.

Furthermore, taking Vitex for at least 2 months can maintain normal ovarian function, trigger the production of progesterone and help women with lack of ovulation or infertility.

I would recommend taking at least 750mg of Vitex every day from menstruation till ovulation but some women take it during the entire cycle non-stop for at least 2-3 months as it takes time for it to build in the system.

Need guidance on how to improve your fertility? Check out my Pregnancy Miracle program

The post You Must Try This Herb If Your Cycle is Irregular first appeared on Lisa Olson's Fertility Blog.