How to get Pregnant

[kittynh]

No not that way.

I went to a retirement party for a nice fertility specialist doctor dude.

He talked about how even though over the years he has had a whole plethora of drugs added to his treatment options, he found a few tried and true methods worked for a large majority of women over the years.

Some sound rather woo, so I wondered if this was just HIS bias, or really true.

First off, put on 10 pounds. He said a lot of women in recent years are too in shape. NOt enough body fat. Sure Victoria Beckham has babies (he coudln't see HOW), but for a lot of women with really tough infertility problems a few pounds more is a big help. Even women that look "normal" with just a 10 more pounds for some reason do better. (woo or not? I dont' know!)

Relax, relax, relax. This was his number ONE reccomendation. He said that if all the tests come back ok, he would tell women (and men) try some lifestyle changes. And getting rid of stress really important. He pointed out that avoiding your mother in law, or cutting back at the hours at work, or just going on vacation to a BEACH instead of that Star Trek Convention (yes, he said that), can give your body the signal that it's baby time. His theory was that in the wild, animals will often not breed or have smaller litters if there is stress. I thought it was just famine, but he said no, stress was a factor (do animals get stressed?). He said your body may not be ready for a baby if it is getting stress signals. His belief is that why adopting moms often get preggers is that they finally cut back hours at work, and stop stressing about getting preggers.

He swears those are both tried and true, and if all testing comes back normal the success rate for those able to put on a few pounds, or really make lifestyle choices that limit stress, are really high.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

I don't know what the research has to say. Any experts?

I know that women who are at the extreme of fitness (like ultra low body fat) will stop menstruating. I'd be surprised if that extreme situation has any bearing on women in a normal weight range.

Reducing stress is probably a good thing for everyone--so no harm in advising that. The animals studies on "stress" might not be using the word the same way it's meant with people. For example, an aquarium fish kept in water that's at the wrong pH are under stress.

In the bigger picture, world population is at something like 6.6 billion--so why not let infertile couples remain infertile?

 

[Tanja]

How to get pregnant?

Reminded me of this article I read today. Not about how to get pregnant, but about how it might be a good idea to do a bit of research before you claim to your employers that you are pregnant.

 

[Kaylee]

I don't know what the research has to say. Any experts?

I know that women who are at the extreme of fitness (like ultra low body fat) will stop menstruating. I'd be surprised if that extreme situation has any bearing on women in a normal weight range.

Heh, I'm not an expert but sometimes I fantasize that I am.

There's probably a better way to express it -- but I think that for most biological matters our bodies are analogue, not binary. That is, there's a continuum of possible responses -- not merely a yes or no possibility -- so I don't find the fetility doctor's statements surprising

In the bigger picture, world population is at something like 6.6 billion--so why not let infertile couples remain infertile?

Hmm, this probably is better addressed in politics -- but I don't see how this could be done unless a lot of restrictive laws were passed. Generally, most people make decisions based on what they want for themselves and their families, and lots of businesses make good money helping them get what they want. To get most people to put their individual interests aside in favor of a larger group's generally requires laws, union ties, strong cultural or religious influence, or large financial incentives in the form of tax breaks, etc.

 

[Ben Tilly]

No not that way.

Awww...but that way is so much more fun! ;-)

I went to a retirement party for a nice fertility specialist doctor dude.

He talked about how even though over the years he has had a whole plethora of drugs added to his treatment options, he found a few tried and true methods worked for a large majority of women over the years.

Some sound rather woo, so I wondered if this was just HIS bias, or really true.

I hope that his list included, "Make dad wear loose pants." Based on current research, having dad keep the cellphone away from private parts might be a good thing as well. (The connection with both items is that they increase temperature in your testicles. Temperature matters. Sensitive spots are exposed because they need to be below body temperature...)

First off, put on 10 pounds. He said a lot of women in recent years are too in shape. NOt enough body fat. Sure Victoria Beckham has babies (he coudln't see HOW), but for a lot of women with really tough infertility problems a few pounds more is a big help. Even women that look "normal" with just a 10 more pounds for some reason do better. (woo or not? I dont' know!)

This I've never heard. It seems strange to me. I won't say it is impossible though. There are plenty of mechanisms that I can postulate for the effect. For instance this might tie with the other one - women who find it easy to add the 10 pounds were previously putting themselves under stress keeping those 10 pounds off. So this advice is really a variation of "relax".

Relax, relax, relax. This was his number ONE reccomendation. He said that if all the tests come back ok, he would tell women (and men) try some lifestyle changes. And getting rid of stress really important. He pointed out that avoiding your mother in law, or cutting back at the hours at work, or just going on vacation to a BEACH instead of that Star Trek Convention (yes, he said that), can give your body the signal that it's baby time. His theory was that in the wild, animals will often not breed or have smaller litters if there is stress. I thought it was just famine, but he said no, stress was a factor (do animals get stressed?). He said your body may not be ready for a baby if it is getting stress signals. His belief is that why adopting moms often get preggers is that they finally cut back hours at work, and stop stressing about getting preggers.

This one I can easily believe. I can cite several factors. First of all when you relax it is easier to have a good sex life. Which means more and better orgasms, so more opportunity to get pregnant. Secondly, stressed out women tend to drier vaginas. Not only does that make sex less fun, but sperm travel through that mucus. A third one that I remember, but can't confirm through Google at the moment, is that stressed out women have a change in their vaginal ph, which makes it harder for sperm to survive. (These changes have other effects as well. For instance IIRC there was a study done of men born in Germany before and during WW II, and it was found that women under stress were more likely to have homosexual sons.)

He swears those are both tried and true, and if all testing comes back normal the success rate for those able to put on a few pounds, or really make lifestyle choices that limit stress, are really high.

I'd like to see independent confirmation. But still the second one sounds very reasonable to me. I'd expect it to make a difference, and it is nice to see confirmation of that. The first one is more surprising but is not implausible.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[Darat]

Just been trying to find it but I thought there was evidence that reproduction rates increase when the animal is under stress?

 

[Katana]

The first issue to address with any infertile woman is not to tell her to put on weight. Let's get that straight unless she is obviously underweight, which the majority of American patients are not. For a woman in the normal weight range, this will not improve her fertility. Obesity is a big risk factor for infertility for a variety of reasons, so weight loss is recommended for these patients.

Having said all of that, the first question to ask is: Are you having unprotected sex? And, if so, how often?

It's incredible how many couples come in complaining of having tried to get pregnant for over a year and then reveal that they both travel for business, are only in the same place maybe one or two days each week, and may or may not take advantage of those opportunities.

no sex = no baby

Depending on the response to that question, a great many others follow.

Extreme stress can certainly affect the menstrual cycle and fertility. Day-to-day stress, however, is ubiquitous. Quantifying it is hard as is assessing its impact on fertility. There are so many anecdotal accounts of couples giving up on infertility treatments, going on a trip, and the woman comes back pregnant. However, there are certainly many other couples who don't experience this phenomenon. It's wonderful when that happens, but it is difficult to study. The literature on the subject is, as a result, weak.

 

[Goshawk]

Just been trying to find it but I thought there was evidence that reproduction rates increase when the animal is under stress?

It depends on the species.

Dairy cows have problems ovulating if they are under stress, whether heat stress, being herded by overly aggressive cattle dogs, being roped and/or chased, being overcrowded, etc.

Swine are also affected by heat stress.

Rabbits ditto.

If cichlids are stressed by being too crowded, or by having aggressive tankmates, they will not breed.

 

[Kaylee]

Having said all of that, the first question to ask is: Are you having unprotected sex? And, if so, how often?

It's incredible how many couples come in complaining of having tried to get pregnant for over a year and then reveal that they both travel for business, are only in the same place maybe one or two days each week, and may or may not take advantage of those opportunities.

no sex = no baby

Perhaps Darwin's theory of natural selection should be allowed unfettered interference in these cases ...

 

[JJM]

His belief is that why adopting moms often get preggers is that they finally cut back hours at work, and stop stressing about getting preggers. ...

It is not clear that they do: E. J. Lamb "Does Adoption Affect Subsequent Fertility?" J of Ob and Gyn 1979 (134) pp. 138-144.

I got this from "How We know What Isn't So" by Thomas Gilovich (Free Press, 1991). It relates to "confirmation bias." When we see something that accords with our ideas- we note it. When something conflicts, we discount it.

 

[Ducky]

How to get pregnant?


Just get drunk. Works for lots of teenage girls.

 

[articulett]

It is not clear that they do: E. J. Lamb "Does Adoption Affect Subsequent Fertility?" J of Ob and Gyn 1979 (134) pp. 138-144.

I got this from "How We know What Isn't So" by Thomas Gilovich (Free Press, 1991). It relates to "confirmation bias." When we see something that accords with our ideas- we note it. When something conflicts, we discount it.

It's not so much that we discount it--more often I think it just fails to register. We "count the hits" mentally. It's what makes people like Sylvia Browne seem prescient.

But some seeming "old wives tales" are true. Gaining weight can increase one's chances of conception--however obesity decreases the chance. And for men, keeping the testes cool (no tighty whiteys nor saunas) improves fertility (they hang outside the body for a reason...notice that when they get too cold, they run for shelter.)

But when it comes to making babies or preventing them scientific methods are the odds on favorite by a long shot. Family planning is very often the best way for a group of people to get out of poverty. Most women want to limit the number of offspring they produce--but religion, politics, ignorance, (and in Africa--rape) make this very difficult. I'm not against helping infertile people conceive--their children are likely to be very wanted...and they usually have the means to care for them. But to survive well, we (as a species) will need to aim for 0 population growth (i.e. the birth rate in any given year is the same as the death rate) or nature will exercise "family planning". I have often thought that we should offer incentive plans to support this, but I know it would never fly. You want to become a citizen, sterilize yourself and you move up on the list. You want early release from prison or drug treatment--we'll pay for your sterilizations. Extended welfare benefits--sterilization. I also think the government or institutions should be able to pay for abortions in exchange for info. or stem cells the fetus might provide. Nothing would be mandatory like in China, but there would be incentive plans tied into encouraging limited family sizes.

JJM, the book you mentioned is great. There's a new one by Thomas Kida called Don't Believe Everything You Think...and Southerlands, Irrationality is a classic.

--(p.s. nice to see you in this neck of the woods, JJM)

 

[athon]

Considering that something like 80% of fertilisations don't make it to neonate stage, I still wonder how so many teens manage to fall pregnant if they claim they were being 'careful'.

Anyway, while I have no data to back me up here, I'd say that what the guy is saying sounds pretty valid. Hormone production and blood cholesterol levels are closely related, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was some influence of body fat on fertility. Stress is also one of those things that could easily play a role in how easily one falls pregnant.

It would be interesting to see some research on this. But I don't see it as 'woo', as much as logical medical advice that could use researching.

Athon

 

[Lisa Simpson]

I hate the "relax" mantra. My sis-in-law had all kinds of fertility problems, in part due to the fact that she's a DES daughter. So after years of fertility treatments they gave up and adopted. Two years later, she got pregnant and everybody said "oh, it's because you finally relaxed." Or...maybe the fact that she lost 50 pounds. Given that one fertility doctor actually told her that the treatments would be more effective if she lost weight, I'm gonna go with the second one.

 

[Wavicle]

He swears those are both tried and true, and if all testing comes back normal the success rate for those able to put on a few pounds, or really make lifestyle choices that limit stress, are really high.

I'm far from an expert in this subject, but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that both those arguments seem rational from an evolutionary standpoint.

Having a baby is a substantial drain on energy. If you don't have enough body fat to have a reasonable chance of producing offspring who make it to reproductive age, then it seems that there would be an adaptive advantage to delaying conception until there are adequate fat stores.

Same with stress. To the best of my knowledge there is such a thing as "stress hormones" and not carrying a child during times of stress historically probably carried with it an adaptive advantage.

 

[Wavicle]

Having said all of that, the first question to ask is: Are you having unprotected sex? And, if so, how often?

If I put my recollection of the talk that planned parenthood gave to my health class in high school, together with my current knowledge of statistics, I would reccomend having apparently-protected sex. PP's statistics for the probability of conception among couples practicing the "withdrawal method" (coital interrupt) exceeded the conception rate among couples trying to get pregnant. By a fairly large margin, if I remember correctly. Something like 80% vs. 99% conception rate.

 

[Wavicle]

In the bigger picture, world population is at something like 6.6 billion--so why not let infertile couples remain infertile?

Since we're probably talking about someone from either North America or Western Europe, I think the answer to that question is: Infertility here has essentially no impact on world population. Most western nations only have a growing population because of immigration. It hardly seems fair that westerners, who can provide an excellent environment for their children, should not receive fertility treatments because families in third world countries are so large.

If we disregard for a moment "correlation doesn't show causation" then it would seem that if we really wanted to do something about the world's population, we'd spend lots of money educating women in the third world (which in itself certainly sounds like a noble goal).

 

[Katana]

If I put my recollection of the talk that planned parenthood gave to my health class in high school, together with my current knowledge of statistics, I would reccomend having apparently-protected sex. PP's statistics for the probability of conception among couples practicing the "withdrawal method" (coital interrupt) exceeded the conception rate among couples trying to get pregnant. By a fairly large margin, if I remember correctly. Something like 80% vs. 99% conception rate.

I would question their source then because the failure rate cited in the ob/gyn literature is 19%.

 

[LostAngeles]

I seem to recall that for women to keep a regular cycle, they need a certain amount of body fat (and Barbie doesn't have that)... maybe that explains the 10 pounds?

 

[articulett]

I hate the "relax" mantra. My sis-in-law had all kinds of fertility problems, in part due to the fact that she's a DES daughter. So after years of fertility treatments they gave up and adopted. Two years later, she got pregnant and everybody said "oh, it's because you finally relaxed." Or...maybe the fact that she lost 50 pounds. Given that one fertility doctor actually told her that the treatments would be more effective if she lost weight, I'm gonna go with the second one.

I, too, hate it when people say "relax"--or "chill"...I'm not just talking about doctors...I'm talking about all people who "command" people to "relax". It implies that that you are over reacting to something and it is something one shouldn't say if they actually want someone to calm down. If you truly want someone to be less anxious...ask "what can I do to help?"

When did commanding someone to relax ever make anyone relax? And since it never works why do people continue with this patronizing advice giving.