It’s normally us women who are constantly reminded about our age and how it negatively affects our fertility but now it seems that the same rule applies to men too.  A recent French study of over 12,200 couples having fertility treatment suggests the chance of a successful pregnancy falls when the man is aged over 35.  It adds that the chance is significantly lower if he is over 40.  Previous studies have shown that both natural and assisted conception is more difficult if the man is over 40.  The researchers told a European reproductive health conference that it was likely the problems were caused by DNA damage in sperm.

According to a recent BBC article, Dr. Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at Sheffield University and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said: “There is a growing evidence from a number of studies to show that men are not totally immune from reproductive ageing. “Previous studies of couples trying to conceive naturally or undergoing IVF have shown that men over the age of about 40 are less fertile than younger men.  Moreover, if they do achieve a pregnancy their partners are more likely to miscarry.”

This study reinforces the message that men aren’t excused from reproductive ageing and it’s just as important for men to consider their age as women.  This also applies to the general responsibility of fertility issues - it’s all too easy and common for the woman to take it all on herself and feel wholly responsible, but this complex process often involves both the man and the woman.  We would encourage men to consider their overall health even in advance of planning a family, by looking at their diet and lifestyle so that they have the best possible chance of producing sperm of the highest quality.

We were honoured when Kindred Spirit magazine called us to say they were writing an article, Homeopathic Help, in their March/April 2010 issue and would like to feature a case study from Juno Natural Fertility.

With kind permission we told them the story of Davina, who’d been trying to conceive for two years. Davina suffered with polycystic ovaries and was under a lot of emotional strain since her gran became ill around the time that she’d started trying for a baby.

As well as highlighting homeopathy’s role in fertility, the article also went on to look at other ways that homeopathy can help people with their health and featured a case study of someone who used to suffer with sore throats and tonsillitis until she experienced homeopathic treatment.

You can read the whole article in our news section.

This month Natural Health magazine is taking a look at the Pill and some of the health problems that have been linked to it, including irregular cycles, mood swings, loss of libido and more serious health issues such as infertility, high blood pressure and heart complaints.

They asked a number of fertility experts, including Juno Natural Fertility, to explain some of the risks associated with the Pill and to offer advice for combating these side effects and helping your body to restore its natural state of equilibrium.

You can read the whole article, Is the Pill harming your health?, here.

We’ve talked before about chemicals affecting fertility, but as it’s hit the news again in the last week or so we thought we’d bring these new findings to your attention. Chemical toxicity in the system does seem increasingly likely to be a factor amongst couples struggling to conceive.

This is due to the use of flame-retardant chemicals also known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the last 30 years, which can now be found almost everywhere; in the soil, sediment, food, air and house dust.  As a result of their widespread use research has shown that ‘97% of Americans have detectable levels in their body’.  The effect these chemicals are having on our general health, and more specifically fertility, is now being questioned.

According to a recent Economist article, ‘Kim Harley of the University of California, Berkeley, and her colleagues decided to look at whether levels of PBDEs in women affected their fertility. They took blood samples from 223 women on low incomes living in California, most of whom were Mexican, and asked them how long they had taken to become pregnant.  Their research, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found that each tenfold increase in the blood concentration of PBDEs was linked to a 30% decrease in the probability of becoming pregnant each month.’

Although this research is fairly conclusive about the negative effects of PBDEs on fertility, more research is needed to know the full extent of the problem.  At Juno Natural Fertility a key part of our treatment involves carrying out a Mineral and Toxicity Analysis.  Based on the results we’re able to give you tailored homeopathic remedies and supplements to detox any chemicals found in your system and restore mineral levels in the body.

You can read the Economist article in full here, and to find out more information about our Mineral and Toxicity Analysis visit our website.

A week or so ago we did a live webchat as part of Babyexpert.com’s Fertility Month - as you may know from an earlier post.

It was a great privilege to hear from lots of women who wanted help with their particular fertility problem and were looking for our advice. And clearly there is interest in using natural ways to help with these issues.

We covered a range of topics - from recurrent miscarriage and possible ovulation problems, to dealing with the effects of stress from trying to conceive and minimising the impact of a city environment on the body.

We also advised on mineral and toxicity testing, using Australian Bush Flower essences, and talked in general about the potential of homeopathic treatment.

Why not check out the Babyexpert.com webchat page? You’ll see the questions and our answers - and there may be something there to help you.

Don’t forget… we’re always available to answer your individual questions. All you need to do is to ask the experts and one of us will respond personally. We look forward to hearing from you.

This week we’re pleased to have been asked for expert advice in an article for Zest magazine. The piece, Life after the pill, brings together various solutions for women who experience problems post-pill.

When you stop taking the pill, it can take some time for your hormonal system to get back to normal, and that can be quite a rocky road for some women.

If you’re planning to start a family, we believe natural remedies are the way to go if you have to cope with painful periods, mood swings and other symptoms of hormone imbalance.

We mentioned a couple in the article - Pulsatilla and Sepia. Pulsatilla is a good remedy if you become very emotional before your period, and experience pains on the first day. And if your periods are painful with a low dragging pain, try Sepia for natural relief.

You can read the whole article in our news section.

It’s Fertility Month on Babyexpert.com and we’ve been invited to answer their readers questions live on a webchat tomorrow (Monday 11th January) from 12 - 1pm. So if you have a burning question you’d like to ask, then why not join us or simply log on to see what everyone else is talking about, as we’re sure there’ll be lots of interesting questions and answers. Click on the link below for more info and register to ask your question:

http://www.babyexpert.com/Getting-Pregnant/Natural-and-homeopathic-fertility-webchat/v1

Hope to see lots of you there!

We were overwhelmed by what a fantastic response we had to the Juno Natural Fertility stand at last week’s Fertility Show. The focus of our stand was our newly launched Juno Fertility MOT, which created a great deal of interest. Thank you to everyone who came to see us - we hope that you found our information and approach useful.

With around 3,000 visitors to the show over the two days, it’s clear that people really want to know more about the natural approach to fertility. It was also great that lots of you came along with your partners - it’s good to meet the men too.

We talked to so many of you, from people who are just starting to think about pregnancy, to others who have been trying for many years. We covered issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and unexplained infertility.

There was lots of interest in getting mineral levels tested and finding out your current toxic load with our Mineral and Toxicity Analysis. We wrote a post about this subject in July, so read it here and do drop us an email if you’d like to know more about this simple testing procedure.

We ran a competition to win a free Juno Natural Fertility initial consultation, and thanks to over 200 of you who entered. We’re featuring the names of the two prize winners on our latest news page until 23 November, and you’ll be able to see more of what we’ve been up to there as well!

We’re excited about our feature in this week’s Stylist magazine. The two page feature includes an extract from our Juno Fertility MOT, with a quiz for you to check out the physical, emotional and psychological factors that may be affecting your fertility.

As you know, we’ll be at the Fertility Show, Olympia on Friday and Saturday this week where we’ll be on hand to talk to you. Plus - you’ll be able to get an exclusive 20% discount on all our products, including the Juno Fertility MOT.

Stylist magazine is distributed weekly free in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Leeds and Birmingham, but if you don’t manage to get hold of a copy, you can view it online at:

http://issue.stylist.co.uk/1A4aeeb4cc2c766012.cde.

You’ll find us on pages 36 and 37, so why not take the quiz and see how you score!

Looking forward to seeing lots of you at the Show…

We’ve just launched our new service - the Juno Fertility MOT.

If you’ve been trying to conceive without success for six months or more, or you’ve suffered repeated miscarriage, you could benefit from the Juno Fertility MOT. You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that you’re doing everything you can to improve your chances of getting pregnant.

It’s very simple: just complete our questionnaire in your own time at home, and we’ll undertake a full analysis of your fertility situation. You will receive a comprehensive report containing detailed information about factors which may be preventing you from conceiving, plus individualised advice for both partners to increase your chances of conception and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

The Juno Fertility MOT costs just £54.99 so give us a call on 0845 423 8962 or go to our products page to find out more.

If you’re coming to The Fertility Show on 6 and 7 November we’re offering you a Juno Fertility MOT for only £43.99 - a 20% discount on the regular price! So come and visit us on Stand 12. Not booked your tickets yet? Go to our links page and check out the Fertility Show website for more information.