Before turning to high-tech fertility treatments, the 15 percent of all couples who experience fertility problems might consider reading and trying the many conception tips in Winifred Conkling's highly helpful Getting Pregnant Naturally: Healthy Choices to Boost Your Chances of Conceiving Without Fertility Drugs. Conkling, an experienced medical and natural health writer and mother of two children (one who took a long time to conceive), differentiates between "infertile" and "subfertile" couples, and asserts that more than half of all couples who have failed to conceive in a year or more of trying can go on to get pregnant and have healthy babies. Her book describes how.

Conkling begins with a clear description of the complicated mechanics of conception and the basics of enhancing conception chances. Combining accessible and straightforward information with simple checklists, she then presents dietary suggestions (men should avoid cottonseed oil, a natural antifertility agent), herbal remedies, homeopathy, acupressure (complete with pressure-point maps), and stress-reduction techniques (including enjoying good orgasms, biofeedback, meditation, visualization, massage, and refraining from adopting a child as a means to reduce infertility stress). For each suggestion and remedy, a complete, easy-to-follow description is provided. Getting Pregnant Naturally concludes with lifestyle suggestions such as losing weight gradually (if needed) and avoiding bicycling (for men), as well as quitting smoking and recreational drugs, minimizing air travel, and limiting computer use (there may be a link between computer use and miscarriage). A 27-page appendix listing resources rounds out this highly helpful guide. --Ericka Lutz


Book Description
You May Not Have Tried Everything! Today, many couples who experience problems getting pregnant look to the miracles of modern science for help. Yet for the more than five million Americans of childbearing age who have failed to conceive within a year or more, the good news is that as many as half go on to get pregnant and have healthy babies. Getting Pregnant Naturally is filled with dozens of little-known tips for increasing the odds of conceiving and offers the essential information any couple should have before they resort to expensive, invasive, high-tech fertility treatments -- • The most common causes of infertility or subfertility in both men and women • How the age factor relates to ability to conceive• Why fertility and infertility can flutuate from month to month• How to recognize and test for the signs that ovulation is taking place• How to change your lovemaking to increase the likelihood of conception • How men and women can increase their their chances of conception through nutritional supplements• Age-old herbal remedies that have been shown to increase fertility• Homeopathic therapies that can work• The mind-body connection:fertile ideas to boost your fertilityAnd Much More, Including:

Resource information on fertility centers,
natural medicine, and adoption


About the Author
First and foremost, Winifred Conkling is the mother of two children, Hannah (who was conceived the first month of "trying") and Ella (who took considerably longer and ultimately inspired this book). Once the kids are asleep, Conkling transforms into a freelance writer with extensive experience writing about health and alternative medicine. She is the author of Stopping Time: Natural Remedies for Aging (Dell, 1997), Natural Remedies for Arthritis (Dell, 1997), Natural Remedies for Children (St. Martin's, 1996), Trade Secrets (Fireside, 1995), and Securing Your Child's Future (Ballantine, 1995), among other books. Her work has been published in a number of national magazines including American Health, Consumer Reports, Mademoiselle, McCall's, and Reader's Digest.

ANNOTATION

"...advocates the belief in the mind-body connection, covering herbal and homeopathic remedies along with tips about how to change lovemaking to increase the chances of conception."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

You May Not Have Tried Everything! Today, many couples who experience problems getting pregnant look to the miracles of modern science for help. Yet for the more than five million Americans of childbearing age who have failed to conceive within a year or more, the good news is that as many as half go on to get pregnant and have healthy babies. Getting Pregnant Naturally is filled with dozens of little-known tips for increasing the odds of conceiving and offers the essential information any couple should have before they resort to expensive, invasive, high-tech fertility treatments — • The most common causes of infertility or subfertility in both men and women • How the age factor relates to ability to conceive• Why fertility and infertility can flutuate from month to month• How to recognize and test for the signs that ovulation is taking place• How to change your lovemaking to increase the likelihood of conception • How men and women can increase their their chances of conception through nutritional supplements• Age-old herbal remedies that have been shown to increase fertility• Homeopathic therapies that can work• The mind-body connection:fertile ideas to boost your fertilityAnd Much More, Including:

Resource information on fertility centers, natural medicine, and adoption