lifestyle | | Improve fertility naturally

My employers asked about my maternity plans. I wish I had told them this.
Gallery
My employers asked about my maternity plans. I wish I had told them this.

My employers asked about my maternity plans. I wish I had told them this.

My employers asked about my maternity plans. I wish I had told them this. The information contained in this article is not legal advice. Rather, the article contains my own thoughts and experiences, as well as some inconvenient truths. In my experience, all employers will try to uncover the status of your private life. Here are some of the conclusions I came to. Photo credit: ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.com How to handle inappropriate interview questions [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-06-18T07:24:38+00:00 February 28th, 2018|Tags: lifestyle, work-life|

Why are healthy snacks so difficult to find?
Gallery
Why are healthy snacks so difficult to find?

Why are healthy snacks so difficult to find?

Why are healthy snacks so difficult to find? As I walked through a nearby park this morning, I had the impression of seeing only two kinds of people: either very fit ones who were typically jogging and working on becoming even skinnier, or obese ones, simply passing through the park. This reminded me that the holiday season is about to begin and that soon, I will be making efforts every day to not gain weight around [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-06-18T07:41:53+00:00 December 27th, 2017|Tags: lifestyle, PCOS, weight|

What your mom’s menopause tells about your own fertility
Gallery
What your mom’s menopause tells about your own fertility

What your mom’s menopause tells about your own fertility

What your mom's menopause tells about your own fertility A tricky thing about determining how many eggs a woman has left is combining the findings from your blood work with medical history and physical examination to arrive at a complete picture. Although a simple measure of FSH on cycle day 3 in either a home test or at the doctor's office will give you a rough estimate of what's going on, taking a smarter approach on such an [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-06-18T11:11:37+00:00 November 17th, 2016|Tags: lifestyle, menopause, mother over 35, ovarian reserve|

Legs up after intercourse: will it increase the chance of conceiving?
Gallery
Legs up after intercourse: will it increase the chance of conceiving?

Legs up after intercourse: will it increase the chance of conceiving?

Legs up after intercourse: will it increase the chance of conceiving? Photo credit: stockimage at FreeDigitalPhotos.net In virtually every corner of the world people believe that a special positioning during intercourse will improve the chances of getting pregnant or even affect the sex of the child. I still remember a joke I once heard in Bosnia about a man who desperately wanted a son after having four daughters and his wife telling him [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-05-31T11:10:06+00:00 October 10th, 2016|Tags: conceive after 35, conceive faster, lifestyle, natural pregnancy|

Have PCOS? Lose weight to get pregnant faster
Gallery
Have PCOS? Lose weight to get pregnant faster

Have PCOS? Lose weight to get pregnant faster

Have PCOS? Lose weight to get pregnant faster Image credit: marin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a set of symptoms that arises due to elevated male hormone levels in women. Among signs pointing to PCOS are: 1) Irregular periods (mention this to your doctor if it happens more than twice within one year), 2) Higher androgen levels (detectable on a blood test) and 3) Polycystic ovaries (detectable by ultrasound). Most women [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-06-18T10:04:37+00:00 August 16th, 2016|Tags: improve egg quality naturally, lifestyle, weight|

Alcohol and making babies – too many false alarms?
Gallery
Alcohol and making babies – too many false alarms?

Alcohol and making babies – too many false alarms?

Alcohol and making babies - too many false alarms? How much wine is safe when trying to conceive? Alcohol exposure in pregnancy carries risks, sure. It has been known for decades that alcohol use while trying to conceive and later in pregnancy can lead to a variety of effects on physical, mental and behavioral development of babies. However, how much alcohol at what time of pregnancy causes which defects in babies is currently [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-12-26T23:56:31+00:00 April 29th, 2016|Tags: alcohol, fertility, infertility, lifestyle, mediterranean diet, pregnancy, wine, women TTC|

Extra-weight does decrease your chances of getting pregnant
Gallery
Extra-weight does decrease your chances of getting pregnant

Extra-weight does decrease your chances of getting pregnant

Image courtesy: marin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net I will start this post by telling a little secret. In my counseling sessions, I sometimes insist on having video chats on Skype, for the reason that I like to see the women I'm talking to. Why do I need to see them? Because even when they're directly asked, women will not really admit their extra weight, and we can spend a lot of time discussing where things [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-12-25T01:07:13+00:00 February 29th, 2016|Tags: egg quality, extra weight, fat, getting pregnant, lifestyle, obesity, PCOS, young women|

Five simple lifestyle interventions which will protect your fertility and egg health
Gallery
Five simple lifestyle interventions which will protect your fertility and egg health

Five simple lifestyle interventions which will protect your fertility and egg health

Five simple lifestyle interventions which will protect your fertility and egg health Image courtesy: radnatt at FreeDigitalPhotos.net If I had to pick only five lifestyle interventions in terms of being simple to implement and bringing immediate and measurable benefits to women over 35 who are trying to get pregnant, these would be: 1. Stop smoking. Smokers are 30 percent less fertile than non-smokers and three times more likely to take more than a [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-06-18T10:50:12+00:00 January 11th, 2016|Tags: egg health, get pregnant after 35, get pregnant at 40, get pregnant fast, lifestyle|

How can I improve egg quality? With some time and dedication!
Gallery
How can I improve egg quality? With some time and dedication!

How can I improve egg quality? With some time and dedication!

How can I improve egg quality? With some time and dedication! While it’s true that the younger you are, the better quality eggs you have (and with this better chances to get pregnant), it's problematic in our society for a young woman to gather together the resources necessary to raise and provide for a child. More and more we tend to delay finding a permanent mate. Instead, we develop careers, build security, and basically lay-in supplies for a [...]

Darja Wagner 2018-06-18T12:24:21+00:00 May 5th, 2015|Tags: improve egg health, improve egg quality, lifestyle|

Do you eat a balanced diet? Really?
Gallery
Do you eat a balanced diet? Really?

Do you eat a balanced diet? Really?

Do you eat a balanced diet? Really? What you eat affects your chances to get pregnant From the perspective of someone who has dealt with vitamins and hormones for over a decade, I am convinced that it is not a good idea to rely on the claims of the food industry that eating “a balanced diet“ will provide all the nutrients that our bodies need. What does a “balanced diet” mean, beyond being [...]