A woman’s body goes though many changes during a pregnancy. While this is a very exciting time, there are issues, including acid reflux, that can make it difficult to enjoy all aspects of it. There is an old wive’s tale that says a pregnant woman with acid reflux will have a baby with a full head of hair. However, the truth of it is that acid reflux is the result of changes in the body due to additional hormones.

These hormones can result in a woman producing more acid in her stomach. Since it isn’t uncommon for pregnant women to eat more than before, they will continue to produce even more of it. The combination of this can result in some of the acid moving up into the esophagus. Up to 80% of all pregnant women have to deal with acid reflux each day of their pregnancy. This can make it tough for them to focus on their daily routine or to get enough sleep at night.

As the pregnancy progresses there is more pressure on the stomach area. This too can result in more acid moving into the esophagus. That is why most women find that they suffer from acid reflux during the last few months of their pregnancy. Since what the woman consumes affects her baby, there are limits on what should be in her diet. Most types of prescription medications for acid reflux won’t be a good plan.

It is possible to take antacids to treat mild cases of acid reflux during pregnancy. Extensive research has shown that they don’t harm the baby. Expectant women do need to be careful though as antacids contain large quantities of sodium. This can result in fluids being retained which leads to swelling in the legs and ankles.

Every woman wants her baby to be as healthy as possible and that is understandable. That is why natural ways to alleviate acid reflux during the pregnancy are important. While consuming plenty of fresh fruits seems a good idea, it can lead to an increase in risk of acid reflux. Avoid those that contain large amounts of acid. They include oranges, lemons, and grapefruit.

Do your best to eat six small meals each day so that you aren’t hungry. Your body will be able to digest these smaller meals easier than large ones. Drink large amounts of water during the day too so that you stay hydrated. Liquids definitely help the body to be able to digest foods easier. Avoid eating in the last hours before you go to bed at night, or you may end up suffering throughout the night with acid reflux.

Raise your head and shoulders when you rest as well. This will help to keep the acid from going into the esophagus at night, or when you rest during the day. There are special pillows for this, or you can just stack two of them. You can also have someone elevate the head of your bed with boards or bricks for you. Adding several inches will definitely make a significant difference.

Try to lie on your left side as this will help to get the acid reduced in your stomach. When you lie on your right side or your back it is going to increase. It may not always be comfortable during a pregnancy to lie on your left side, but do your very best to get into that routine. It will certainly help you to avoid suffering.

Observing such guidelines will help you offset acid reflux during pregnancy. This is a great time for a mom to be so keep those negative aspects of it away. Getting enough rest is important as well because soon you will have a baby up all night. If you continue to suffer from acid reflux on a regular basis during your pregnancy, make sure you share this information with your health professional.

Couples who are dealing with the problem of infertility can often think that they are very alone in their concerns.  Most believe that pregnancy is easy, and may look around at the other couples with their bouncing bundles of joy as proof positive of this fact.  They may also have many friends and family members who announce one day that they are planning on starting a family, and who are seemingly pregnant immediately after.

But believe it or not, infertility is much more common than you might think.  It’s estimated that about 1 in every 10 couples that are attempting to have a baby, have some type of problem with infertility.  Imagine ten other couples that you know who have children, and you can make a safe bet that at least one of them faced some difficulty when it came to conceiving.  And when you think about this on a national scale, 1 in 10 couples means 5 to 6 million couples in the U.S. every year have some difficulty getting pregnant.

But what exactly defines the concept of infertility?  Simply put, this is when a couple is having regular (twice per week on average) unprotected sex and are still not pregnant after a year of trying.

This may be surprising news to some couples, who often assume that a month or so of trying is all that’s needed to signal a problem with infertility.  Not so, say doctors.  Because of the many details that need to align perfectly for a woman to conceive, it can actually take that many times trying before there is any need for concern.

Obviously it’s true that there are some who have a much more difficult time with conception than others; and of course there are many factors that will contribute to this problem.  Some couples seem to be much more fertile than others, and this may very well be the case.  Some men simply have a higher sperm count than average, and of course the more sperm he had, the greater his chance of having one reach a woman’s egg to fertilize it.  Additionally, some women have problems with ovulation and do not release a healthy, viable egg every month, so there may need to be a few months worth of attempts in order for her to conceive.

But while infertility is something that is more common than you might think, it is also a very personal issue.  You should never make the mistake of comparing your abilities to conceive to anyone else’s, even those in your own family.  Again, you may know of a couple who seem to be able to get pregnant just by talking about it, while you and your partner have been trying for weeks and months, but this isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.  Everyone’s body is different, everyone’s reproductive abilities are different as well.  If you are really concerned about whether or not you will need medical intervention or another way of helping you with your supposed infertility, then be sure to speak to your doctor, as only he or she will be able to know for sure.

Fertility Treatment

Infertility is a lot more common than most people think.  Believe it or not, about 1 in 10 couples experiences problems with conception at some point in their attempts.  This may be with their first child, or they may actually have problems conceiving after they’ve already had a child.  Usually the issues they are facing can be pinpointed by a medical doctor, but sometimes not.  This is called unexplained infertility, when their doctors are at a loss to find a reason for why they are having problems conceiving.

When does it become unexplained infertility?

It would be shortsighted to assume that with your first few months of trying to having a baby that you’re infertile, or that the first time your doctor scratched his or her head in confusion that this means you have unexplained infertility.  Medically speaking, a couple are not considered truly infertile until after a year of regular (twice a week on average) unprotected sex has not resulted in a pregnancy.  A year may seem like a long time to someone who wants a baby, but considering all the many details that need to work in harmony for conception, it’s really no wonder that doctors give them this long.

Additionally, there are many common causes for infertility that your doctor will want to check first, such as a woman’s inability to ovulate at all or to ovulate a healthy egg, and a man’s low sperm count.  These are probably the first two things that your doctor will check, but if these tests are negative or inconclusive, it doesn’t mean that you have unexplained infertility.

When you get the diagnosis of unexplained infertility.

For some couples, however, they have been through every test that is available and everything has come back in their favor, and yet, still no pregnancy.  The man may have healthy, active sperm, and the woman may be ovulating a healthy egg regularly, but again, conception is just not happening for them.  This is when the doctors begin to use the phrase unexplained infertility.

For these couples, there is still no reason to abandon hope.  Medical intervention may be necessary, but is usually successful.  If the woman has a healthy uterus that can support a fetus, the doctor may recommend in vitro fertilization, where an egg is extracted from her and fertilized with the man’s sperm in a lab, and then planted in her uterus to grow.  By manipulating the man’s sperm and the woman’s egg in such a way, there is nothing left to chance.  In most cases, this procedure is safe and successful, albeit expensive.

And of course there are other options available for any couple going through unexplained infertility, so again, there is no need to give up hope.  Talk openly and honestly to your doctor about your concerns, and listen carefully to your options.  The decision of course is yours to make, but in the end, you may be able to join other happy couples in welcoming home your new baby after all.

Fertility Treatment