Fairhaven Health

Sponsor: Fairhavenhealth.com

Fairhaven Health is a Corporate Sponsor of babyMed.  As an on-going sponsor, Fairhaven is demonstrating their commitment to support the mission of babyMed and the women and families who turn to us for care and support.

Fairhaven Health sells Fertilaid for Women and Fertilaid for Men, the top-selling fertility supplements in the United States.

FertilAid for women

Fertilaid for Women is the doctor-approved and Ob-Gyn-recommended supplement designed to increase fertility and improve reproductive health.

With an all-natural, non-prescription, patented formula that brings together scientifically-validated herbal ingredients and essential vitamins, FertilAid promotes female hormonal balance and reproductive wellness, supporting fertility and optimizing your chances to conceive. Fertilaid for Women is your fertility enhancing supplement and your complete prenatal vitamin - all rolled into one.

Created by Ob-Gyn and leading fertility expert, Amos Grunebaum, MD, Fertilaid for Women combines fertility-enhancing nutrients with a “Just Right” formula of folic acid, essential vitamins and minerals, and key antioxidants. This comprehensive formula makes it the only fertility supplement offering total preconception vitamin support - optimized for trying-to-conceive women.

Fertilaid for Women was formulated on the basis of established scientific literature to help optimize fertility safely and naturally as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. With a proprietary herbal formula that includes chasteberry (vitex), red clover blossom and ginkgo biloba, FertilAid helps restore hormonal balance while supporting overall reproductive wellness.

Fertilaid for Women is the #1-selling fertility supplement in the U.S. and was recently selected as the best supplement by the Ovia Family Awards survey, an independent poll of over 9000 trying-to-conceive women. Fertilaid for Women has no negative side effects and has no impact on the likelihood of multiple births.

FertilAid for men

Formulated by Amos Grunebaum, MD, the ingredients in patented Fertilaid for Men have been scientifically demonstrated to enhance male fertility and improve overall reproductive wellness as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Ideal for men with a low sperm count or for those looking to optimize their sexual health.

Fertile, healthy sperm are defined not just by the number of sperm (or count), but also by sperm concentration, by sperm motility and speed, and by healthy morphology (sperm shape and size). Sperm motility is determined by the percentage of sperm that are moving and their capacity to "swim" in a forward direction. Healthy sperm motility allows sperm to sustain vitality and propel themselves through the uterus to the fallopian tube - and ultimately penetrate the surface of the ovum and fertilize the egg.

How to increase sperm count and motility? Fertilaid for Men addresses these key issues in male fertility and reproductive health. With an effective formula that combines a potent blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals with the amino acid, L-Carnitine, Fertilaid for Men is designed to support the healthy formation of sperm and increase both sperm motility and sperm count. Check out the FertilAid for Men Clinical Study as published in the American Society of Andrology's 2009 Annual Proceedings.

Step 1: Know when you ovulate - Your peak fertile time

There are only 4 or 5 days each cycle that a woman can get pregnant, so knowing when you ovulate is perhaps the single most important key to successful conception.

Ovulation occurs each month when a mature egg is released and is ready for fertilization. The days surrounding your ovulation date represent your most fertile time of the month. For this reason, correctly identifying your ovulation date is mission critical for the trying-to-conceive woman.

Your fertile window starts about 4 days before ovulation and ends about 24 hours following the release of the egg. Because the sperm can live in a woman's body for 5 days or so, a woman's fertile period is actually longer than the 24-hour lifespan of the ovum. To increase your chances of conceiving, predicting the days of peak fertility - and more specifically predicting the date of ovulation - is very important. There are a number of tools that can help you pinpoint ovulation including ovulation predictor kits (OPKs), saliva-based ferning microscopes, electronic fertility monitors, fertility charting with a basal thermometer (bbt charting), and keeping track of physical phenomena like changes in cervical mucus and/or cervical position.

Here are some specific ovulation prediction options we consider to be the most valuable and practical:

Option #1: Urine-based ovulation tests

Urine-based ovulation test strips are the least expensive option when it comes to ovulation prediction. These easy-to-use home test kits allow you to identify your "LH surge" - the spike in luteinizing hormone that occurs 24-48 hours before you ovulate. Conception is most likely to occur within thirty-six hours following the LH surge, so a positive LH test helps you time intercourse accordingly. Ovulation tests can be purchased inexpensively at Fairhaven Health with fast shipping. (We recommend the BFP Test Strip Little Bundle.) 

Option #2: Saliva-based ovulation microscopes

Another affordable ovulation prediction method is the ovulation microscope that detects changes in your hormone levels. Before ovulation takes place, a gradual increase in estrogen occurs. With the Fertile-Focus Ovulation Microscope, you predict fertility by viewing the visual changes that take place in your saliva throughout your cycle. Just prior to ovulation, women experience an "estrogen surge", which is less sudden than an LH surge and helps you predict ovulation as much as 72 hours in advance. The ovulation saliva test allows you to observe crystal patterns once your saliva dries. These crystal formations are only present when your estrogen levels increase. The crystal pattern is called "ferning" because the patterns resemble fern fronds. When you see strong ferning patterns, you know you are fertile and ovulation will take place in the next few days. Many women opt to use an ovulation microscope in conjunction with ovulation test strips for more predictive accuracy.

Option #3: Use the OvaCue fertility monitor

The OvaCue Fertility Monitor is certainly the most informative ovulation prediction tool. The OvaCue, a tool that tracks trends in electrolyte levels in your saliva and cervical mucus, identifies more fertile days in your cycle than any other ovulation prediction method. You'll also receive confirmation that ovulation did indeed occur. In short, the OvaCue Fertility Monitor can easily and accurately predict your ovulation date many days in advance and then confirm when ovulation has taken place. Using the OvaCue only takes a few seconds each day and requires no messy urine testing or additional products to buy.

Helpful Hint: We've created a tool where you can chart all of your fertility indicators in one convenient location - OvaGraph, the official charting tool of Taking Charge of Your Fertility. OvaGraph allows you to input your basal body temperature, OvaCue readings, ovulation test results, cervical mucus consistency, and much more. You'll also have access to OvaGraph's forum where you can gain support and wisdom from an entire community of trying-to-conceive women, as well as our own fertility specialists. Visit OvaGraph, and create your account today, don't worry... it doesn't cost a thing!  

Step 2: Improve your reproductive health and hormonal balance

Changes in hormonal balance, illnesses, travel, stress, extended bouts of insomnia and dietary factors can alter menstrual cycle regularity. Some women have clockwork cycles, but, unfortunately, cycle irregularity or changes in cycle length are common.

Some women are quick to assume they need prescription assistance in order to encourage cycle regularity and achieve pregnancy - particularly if they've experienced the disappointment that comes with receiving several consecutive months of "BFNs" - big fat negatives - on pregnancy tests. There are certainly cases where medical intervention may be required to achieve and maintain pregnancy. But more and more women are discovering the benefits of natural supplementation with fertility-enhancing herbs, vitamins, and minerals. 

FertilAid for Women is the top-selling fertility supplement in the industry and has helped tens of thousands of couples to conceive. FertilAid takes a two-pronged approach to fertility enhancement: FertilAid contains all the ingredients of a complete prenatal vitamin, including folic acid. As you're no doubt aware, Ob-Gyns recommend that you take a prenatal vitamin containing folic acid while you're trying to conceive. FertilAid provides comprehensive prenatal vitamin and mineral supplementation, including the precise amount of folic acid recommended for trying-to-conceive women.

FertilAid contains key herbs that have been demonstrated to improve reproductive health and encourage hormonal balance. The herbal blend in FertilAid encourages cycle regularity and regular ovulation - both of which can be extremely helpful in facilitating successful conception. More specifically, FertilAid contains vitex agnus castus, which helps promote cycle regularity. Vitex can help balance the levels and ratios of hormones required for normal menstrual function, ovulation, and fertility. The herb is safe for women who want to increase their chances of conceiving, and it can also help women with irregular ovulatory function and/or short luteal phases. Women coming off of hormonal birth control may also take vitex to help restore normal ovulation.

OvaBoost is another natural dietary supplement that can help improve cycle regularity, along with egg quality and ovarian function, and is particularly helpful for women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome or those over the age of 30. A recent study revealed that women undergoing IVF treatments saw significant improvement in egg quality when taking folate, myo-inositol, and melatonin together. Research also confirms that myo-inositol works to improve insulin sensitivity, thereby helping promote optimal ovarian function and cycle regularity in women with PCOS.

Environmental toxins in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the personal care and cleaning products we use can also negatively impact your fertility and cycle regularity. These harmful chemicals can build up in your body and overload your liver and intestines, causing your body to use all of its resources to eliminate the toxins. FertileDetox for Women & Men is a doctor-designed supplement that helps the body remove harmful toxins that can negatively impact reproductive health. FertileDetox is a great way for both partners to prepare and enhance their reproductive health prior to and during their trying-to-conceive efforts.

Step 3: Don't forget to consider male fertility

When we experience difficulty in becoming pregnant, there's a tendency to look at the woman first. But research tells us that the male partner should receive equal scrutiny. That's right - infertility issues can be traced to the man just as often as they can be traced to the woman, and often it can be a combination of male/female issues.

In fact, average sperm count among men has decreased by 50% since 1938, and continues to decline by at least 2% every year. Our modern lifestyle, often characterized by too much stress, chronic exposure to dangerous environmental chemicals, and a diet deficient in essential vitamins and minerals has taken a toll on male reproductive health, specifically sperm health. As a result, many men suffer from low sperm count, low sperm motility, and/or abnormal sperm morphology (the size and shape of sperm).

In recent years, fertility experts have discovered that oxidative stress causes sperm damage, leading to low sperm count, low sperm motility, and abnormal sperm morphology. Oxidative stress occurs when the amount of free radicals circulating in the body exceeds the amount of antioxidants that are present. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules produced when your body breaks down dangerous chemicals. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, thereby reducing the damaging effects of these compounds.

The good news is that men can improve their fertility through supplementation with key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. FertilAid for Men is a product that has been clinically tested in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, and was found to increase the total number of motile sperm a man produces. We recommend that all men (even if there is not a specifically known sperm deficiency) take a male fertility supplement such as FertilAid for Men.

Of course, a product like FertilAid for Men is of even greater importance for men who have been diagnosed with a specific fertility issue, such as low sperm count or motility. If you've been diagnosed with low sperm count, you may also want to take CountBoost for Men - a product that is designed to be taken in conjunction with FertilAid for Men. Similarly, if you've been diagnosed with low sperm motility, you may want to supplement with MotilityBoost for Men in addition to FertilAid for Men.

While a lab-conducted semen analysis is the "gold standard" for obtaining comprehensive information regarding your sperm health, the SpermCheck Male Fertility Test is a convenient home sperm test that is 97% accurate in measuring sperm count. In minutes, the SpermCheck test can tell you if your sperm count is in the "healthy" range for a fertile man (above 20 million sperm per milliliter) or if it falls below that threshold. 

Step 4: Give his sperm a good home

Are you familiar with cervical mucus - that slippery substance that's secreted by the cervix? Cervical mucus plays an important role in the trying-to-conceive equation; it protects and nourishes sperm as they travel to fertilize the egg.

Before ovulation, a woman typically experiences very little visible cervical mucus. Gradually, more mucus will accumulate - but it will be yellow or cloudy with a sticky texture. This is non-fertile cervical mucus, sometimes referred to as "hostile cervical mucus".

As you near your ovulation date, the presence of cervical mucus will increase due to higher levels of estrogen in your body. First, the mucus will be moist or slightly tacky, and white or cream-colored. As you near your most fertile time, CM will become thinner and more slippery.

During ovulation, the amount of cervical fluids will increase greatly and the appearance will resemble raw egg whites. The texture of the CM will become increasingly slippery, stretchy, and may appear semi-transparent. This is the optimal time of the month to conceive.

After ovulation (luteal phase), the quantity of the slippery, thin CM will decrease and the texture will become sticky and cloudy again. Post-ovulatory dryness may also occur as the levels of progesterone rise in your body.

Ideally, your cervical mucus will be abundant with an egg white consistency during your peak fertile time of the month. This is often referred to as your "fertile-quality" cervical mucus. Sperm can swim and survive in fertile-quality cervical mucus. "Hostile" cervical mucus, on the other hand, is thicker and consequently may impede sperm from reaching their end destination.

If you notice any sort of vaginal dryness around your ovulation time, you may benefit from a natural herbal supplement designed to help improve the production of your fertile-quality cervical mucus. FertileCM is a product designed specifically for that purpose. FertileCM encourages the plentiful production of fertile-quality cervical mucus, and offers the additional benefit of promoting a healthy uterine lining for embryo implantation.

Another product you might consider trying is Pre~Seed, the only sperm-friendly lubricant on the market. Unlike other lubricants which actually kill sperm, Pre-Seed has been clinically demonstrated to serve as an optimal environment for sperm 

Enter the coupon code "5tips" for 10% off fertility products at fairhavenhealth.com.