Trying to conceive

Ladies, listen up! Top tips for healthy sperm
Would-be parents often ask if there is anything they can do to get sperm into tip-top condition. Here, top sperm expert Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology at the University of Sheffield, gives his top ten suggestions to encourage your man to produce the best he can: Stop him smoking It’s

A woman’s guide to making intimate examinations more comfortable
Most women accept that intimate examinations are a necessary part of being female. Examinations are needed for cervical screening (smear tests), during pregnancy and childbirth, to investigate certain medical problems and during fertility tests and treatments. Often the thought of going for an examination is worse than the reality. Don’t

All you need to know about STDs
Beside unwanted pregnancy, unprotected sex can lead to HIV infection that may cause the incurable disease AIDS, as well as many other sexually transmitted diseases which you should be aware of. Most STDs can be cured, and the chronic ones can be kept under control with proper treatment. The most

What causes fertility problems in women?
Being diagnosed as infertile is often just the start of a long journey where a couple strives to become parents. As if the diagnosis isn’t devastating enough, often the reasons given for the diagnosis are confusing and peppered with complicated medical terms. This medical jargon can just make the emotional

What causes fertility problems in men?
Being diagnosed as infertile is often just the start of a long journey in which a couple strives to become parents. As if the diagnosis isn’t devastating enough, often the reasons given for the diagnosis are confusing and peppered with complicated medical terms. This medical jargon can just make the

Exactly how common is infertility?
Although we know a lot of people suffer from infertility, it has been difficult for experts to agree on exactly how many people are unable to naturally conceive. Infertility is sometimes defined in different ways and measured using different assumptions, so scientists are often measuring slightly different values when trying

Skinny jeans: a fashion fad threatening your health
These days, it’s hard to look far without seeing a pair of tight or ‘skinny’ jeans. The advent of these jeans came in the 1950s, with pioneers like Elvis Presley paving the way for the new fashion fad. Since then the beacon has been taken up by celebrities ranging from

Keep the FUN in Sex when trying for a baby
Trying for a baby can be stressful and stress is not good for you or your sex life. Advice on getting pregnant ranges from making sure you have sex as often as possible when you are ovulating to advice on how to take the pressure off ovulation time by having

Chlamydia – the silent threat to fertility
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. This is the most common bacterial sexual infection, with over 100 million people getting infected each year. In the last ten years, the infection rate of chlamydia has doubled in the UK. And this is not the

Antioxidants, Reactive Oxygen Species and your Fertility
Sperm have a pretty tough time. They begin life in the testes, where – after a gruelling 74 days on the production line – they wind their way through coiled tubes to reach the prostate gland. It’s from here that sperm will be ejaculated during sex. They’re catapulted at a

The effect of stress on fertility
We’re all exposed to stress, every day. It is a normal physiological response to challenges we face at work, in our relationships, running errands or dealing with obligations. Stress has a natural role as our protection – it prepares our bodies to react to the imminent danger by offering two

TTC – when it takes more than desire to succeed
Statistics say that every sixth couple in the UK is experiencing difficulties conceiving. Now, let’s take into consideration that experts’ advice is that you see a fertility specialist only if you’ve been having unprotected sex two to three times a week for at least a year and haven’t had much

How to pinpoint ovulation
Some time ago, the most reliable way of determining when you’re ovulating was practicing your math skills with a calendar and a pen. Needless to say, this method is not exactly accurate and is definitely not the best way to try and maximise your chances of conceiving. Nowadays, you don’t