Did you know?

One of every five couples experience fertility problems
The average cost of one in-vitro fertilization cycle runs about $15,000
The number of infertile women in the United States aged 20-25 tripled in the last 30 years
Throughout the world, sperm counts have reduced by 50% in the last 50 years
One woman in five experiences a miscarriage
One couple in six cannot conceive naturally
Women can produce antibodies against the male sperm?
One birth in five is taken through cesarean section (this rate has quadrupled in the last 30 years)
Diseases linked to the fathers genes include leukemia, asthma and mental development

Preconception healthcare involves making sure that there is an adequate supply of everything that is essential to the health of your egg and sperm and the baby's development. This is accomplished by eliminating everything which has been shown to be harmful to that process. It's as simple as that.

Your goals, prior to conception are to:

Use Condoms: The presence of immune-mediated antibodies in the female block the passage of the sperm. They are also responsible for miscarriages. So, when you are in the detox and pre-conception phases, it is important to use condoms as a barrier contraceptive to isolate the sperm. This way, the body won't be exposed to them to cause an allergic reaction and the body can heal and regroup.

Minimize or Manage Stress: Where does stress reside in your body? It is different for everyone, but wherever it resides, it is affecting those body parts and the hormones they produce. For instance, if you hold stress in your gut, then the gut responds accordingly. Did you know that the gut produces more neurotransmitters than the brain? Stress affects fertility by increasing a hormone called cortisol.

Learn two natural methods that can greatly increase your chances of conception. These are the Mucous Method and the Temperature Method. The Mucous Method teaches you how to identify fertile and infertile mucous in the reproductive tract. Only fertile mucous accepts, nourishes and transports sperm. Taking the temperature of the body the same time each day will identify hormonal cycles and diseases that may affect fertility. Both are necessary for maximum conception success rates.

Minimize coffee consumption: We are a society of caffeine addicts. Coffee and caffeine are extremely toxic alkaloids. Coffee is a powerful contraceptive agent. Caffeine damages the DNA. Decaffeinated coffee is worse, as dry-cleaning chemicals are used to remove the caffeine from the beans.

Protect, educate and detoxify your body from all common toxins. Unexplained infertility largely results from environmental and dietary toxicity. Common causes of infertility include: heavy metal toxicity, chemicals from various sources, over-the-counter pain killers, "social" drugs such as alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, household chemicals, occupational exposure to chemicals, radiation damage, agricultural exposure to herbicides/ pesticides/ fungicides and fertilizers, hormones and estrogens in milk, dairy and meat products, sugar-induced hypothyroidism and insulin resistance, the use of raw soy products (soy milk and soy ice cream), petrochemical exposure, chlorine or fluorine exposure (showers, hot tubs, drinking water), certain sports (swimming, golf, cycling), plastics exposure (especially with heated plastic), microwave ovens, allergies, stress, emotions, gut flora imbalances, autoimmune diseases, hormone imbalances, food-borne organisms (Listeria and Toxoplasma), and more.

Normalize your weight if necessary. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is greatly influenced by excess weight. Obesity increases the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and premature birth. In men, obesity increases heat in the testicles which need to be two degrees cooler than the core body temperature for the sperm to survive. Also, increased estrogen (from the extra fat stores) decreases testosterone production.

Stop using lubricants and products that are toxic to sperm: Pre-seed is the best lubricant to use for intercourse when trying to conceive, as it is sperm-friendly. KY Jelly kills sperm.

Test negative for all genitourinary infections. Genitourinary infections have been shown to be responsible for infertility, miscarriage and fetal growth problems. These include: Streptococcus B, Enterococcus, Herpes Type I and II, Anaerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus millerii, E. coli, Klebsiella, Garnerella, Ureaplasma, Mycoplasma and Candida. Chlamydia infections tend to scar the fallopian tubes and are one of the most common organisms leading to female infertility.

Commit to and accomplish an adequate exercise program. Exercise increases circulation and brings essential nutrients and blood to the ovaries, testes and uterus.

Increase your alkaline reserves by eating lots of fresh, raw fruits/vegetables. Eat lots of raw fruits and raw vegetables. I would recommend 2-3 cups of each daily for the first month for the detoxification period, then 75% of that amount after that.

Add Wheat Germ Oil, wheat germ, or Wheat Germ Pearles to the diets of both the prospective mother and father. Wheat germ has lots of zinc and selenium in it and works on the body to dilate both the fallopian tubes and the seminiferous tubules. This makes the transport of both egg and sperm easier. It also helps to increase sperm counts, motility, healthy morphology and the number of effective, fertile sperm. Three capsules, teaspoon oil, or two tablespoons wheat germ is the usual dose.

Eat two tablespoons of raw, hulled Pumpkin Seeds each day. Pumpkin seeds bind up harmful byproducts of testosterone breakdown in the male and act as a building block for a balanced hormone system in the female. If a little is good, a LOT is NOT better, so stick to only two tablespoons max. Most other disease processes need only one tablespoon per day.

The goal to conquering infertility is to identify those factors that are causing infertility in both the male and the female. By doing so, we can work on individual issues and minimize environmental factors that influence infertility.

There are over 100 herbs, supplements, and homeopathics used in the support of infertility issues. These should be evaluated and protocols tailor-made for each couple. I hope this article gets you moving in a healthy direction so that you can accomplish your baby goals.

These topics along with avoidance tips and the mucous and basal body temperature methods are discussed in more depth at: http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/Specific%20Diseases/Infertility.htm