We thought we’d get back to some basic stuff this week and talk about your menstrual cycle and the part progesterone plays in it.

If you’re having difficulty in conceiving or are dealing with miscarriage, you’ll probably be advised to have a progesterone level test to check your ovulation. You’ll also probably be told that you should have it on day 21 of your cycle. But… is your cycle 28 days long? If not, then having a test then won’t yield an accurate result.

You need to have the test seven days before your period - so work out which day is the one for you, and book it then.

Progesterone is important in the second half (or luteal phase) of your cycle. It prepares the lining of the uterus for holding a fertilised egg, and women who have low progesterone may not be able to carry a successful pregnancy. If you’ve heard the term ‘luteal phase defect’, this is what it means.

For women, the interaction of fertility hormones is very complex, but as long as you know your own cycle, you’ll be well placed to get the most accurate results from your tests.

We’ve been reviewing a special report in the November issue of What Doctors Don’t Tell You, which discusses a possible link between our exposure to chemicals in the environment and rising infertility rates worldwide.

One of the studies quoted looked at perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), used in lots of everyday items such as non-stick cooking pots and pans, personal care products and pesticides. The point about these chemicals is that they hang around, contaminating food and water supplies, and eventually find their way into our bodies.

Researchers concluded that high levels of PFCs may interfere with a woman’s ovulation pattern. This could result in irregular menstrual cycles, delayed ovulation or even early miscarriage.[1]

And men’s reproductive health could also be affected, especially from the effects of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), mainly found in food. Another study in the report noted that high levels of PCBs in men can reduce sperm motility - a well known factor in male infertility.[2]

We should point out that it’s early days. More research will have to be done before any conclusions can be drawn. But if you’re trying to get pregnant, there’s no harm of being aware and avoiding unnecessary exposure.

Here are our tips for reducing your chemical load:

- Filter your tap water

- Avoid canned foods (cans labelled ‘organic’ are usually OK as they’re white lined)

- Eat organic, unprocessed, fresh food (fast food wrappers are usually treated)

- Use glass or china dishes in the microwave instead of plastic, and store food and drink in non-PVC containers

- Cook with stainless steel or cast iron pans and utensils (avoid non-stick)

- Choose natural fibres around the home

- Natural cosmetics are better for your body: ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ in the ingredient list may indicate phthalates are present

[2] Semin Reprod Med, 2006; 24:156-167

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…

Regular readers of the Juno blog may well be thinking that we’re obsessed with food in our posts! We’re not really but the fact is that diet can be key when you’re trying to get pregnant.

Let’s look at blood sugar as an example. If you’re eating a good, wholesome diet, your blood sugar levels are balanced, you have energy and you sleep well. But if your diet is full of highly processed food, lots of sugar and quick fix carbs, blood sugar levels fluctuate. This can cause you to feel irritable and headachy, and more importantly, can contribute to infertility.

Insulin is the hormone which converts sugar and starch into energy for our bodies to use or store. High levels of insulin cause too much sugar to be released in the blood, leading to sugar rushes and slumps. Eventually we become insensitive to the insulin, and this increases levels of male sex hormones. The effect of this for women is that the ovaries produce too much androgen which results in follicles developing too fast, then shutting down before they produce eggs.

By eating a diet that’s as unrefined as possible, making sure you always eat a little protein with whole grains, and not forgetting lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, you’ll slow down the release of insulin. This will rebalance your blood sugar levels and could help get your fertility back on track.