getting pregnant

In a new study from Australia almost half of women who said they'd been struggling to get pregnant for at least a year ended up having a baby despite not getting fertility treatment.
That success rate was only slightly lower than in women who also reported trouble conceiving and opted for treatment with fertility hormones or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

She spent two years undergoing IVF treatment, and after four failed attempts thought she had lost all hope of becoming a mother So it’s little wonder Kate Silverton looks overjoyed as she shows off the baby she never thought she would have – conceived naturally within weeks of stopping the treatment.

Research figures published in 2005 stated that by 2015, 33% of the population would be infertile. Now, as we head into 2012, we are only 3 years away, so, are we still heading for this infertility epidemic and why?

Scientists have developed a ‘fertility wand’ that has been shown to double the chances of becoming pregnant. The pregnancy rate among women undergoing IVF who had the new treatment was 32.7 per cent, compared to 13.7 per cent in comparison groups who did not have the therapy.

The live birth rate was also higher in the treatment group — 22.4 per cent compared to 9.8 per cent in the untreated group. The new treatment works on the womb lining. Fertility experts believe a poor quality womb lining may be a significant factor in women struggling to conceive.

The global economic downturn stopped the first rise in fertility rates in more than 40 years, research reveals today.
Academics found that the recession of 2008-09 led to a decline in fertility rates as young, professional women feared for their financial future if they became pregnant. The downturn which started three years ago brought to an end the first concerted rise in fertility rates in the developing world since the 1960s, the study found.

Get your dates straight
There is an increasing anxiety about getting pregnant, especially for women over 35, but don’t feel as if you need to go straight for IVF. Work out when you ovulate. Ovulation occurs 14 days before your period, so this is the best time to try for a baby. If you are over 35 try for six months, and if you have no luck speak to your GP about alternatives
Check your BMI

An experimental fertility treatment increases the odds of an IVF pregnancy up to six times while also inhibiting chemicals which cause miscarriages, a study has found. When women who had gone through IVF time and time again without success were given a soya-based substance, half became pregnant. In contrast, fewer than one in ten of those who had conventional fertility treatment alone conceived.