First things first, it is important to know what your luteal phase is and when it takes place. Your luteal phase begins at ovulation and ends the day before menstruation begins for your next cycle. It is during this phase that fertilization and implantation would occur. Many women don’t realize that they have a luteal phase defect until they are trying to conceive and begin tracking their ovulation.

A luteal phase lasting less than 10 days can be classified as a luteal phase defect. It is necessary for you to have 10 days or longer in your luteal phase in order for implantation to occur and sustain. With less than 10 days, the uterine lining begins breaking down too early – it is not prepared for implantation which causes an early miscarriage. As stated above, many women don’t discover this defect until they are trying to conceive, but there are a few symptoms to look for. Some women may experience frequent but light periods. Women who chart/track their ovulation, may notice that after ovulation their basal body temperature does not remain elevated during the luteal phase as it should due to the rise in estrogen after ovulation.

There are some known causes of luteal phase defect:

Poor Follicle Production: FSH levels are directly correlated to follicle production. It can be caused by two different issues – either your body is not producing enough FSH or your ovaries are not responding the FSH that it is producing. The corpus luteum produces progesterone, which is necessary to prepare your uterine lining for implantation. Inadequate follicle production in the first half of your cycle leads to poor corpus luteum quality. With inadequate progesterone levels, your uterine lining begins to breakdown, resulting in early menses and possible miscarriage.

Failure of the Uterine Lining to Respond: In this case, FSH levels may be adequate, along with healthy follicle development and corpus luteum, however, the uterine lining just isn’t responding to the normal levels of progesterone. The uterine lining will most likely not be prepared for implantation.

Premature Failure of the Corpus Luteum: The corpus luteum can fail when the initial quality of it is inadequate. The progesterone levels may begin low and drop even further after five to seven days after ovulation. Once these levels drop, menses onset early.

If you discover that you have a luteal phase defect, there are some over the counter remedies. Vitamin B6 is one over the counter option; taking B6 every day of the month can lengthen your luteal phase. B6 can be found in fertility supplements, such as FertilAid for Women. If those remedies don’t help – there are also medications that your doctor can prescribe. Luteal phase defect may sound a bit scary but luckily it is a fairly easy to diagnose and correct.

Clomid (Clomiphene citrate) is a fertility drug commonly prescribed to women that are trying-to-conceive to induce ovulation. Clomid is often prescribed to women with irregular cycles that either experience irregular ovulation or don’t ovulate at all. If you aren’t sure whether you are ovulating, you can determine this by tracking your menstrual cycles with ovulation predictor kits, fertility monitors, or even monitoring your body’s natural signs – the consistency of your cervical mucus and tracking your basal body temperature.

In order to understand how Clomid works, it is important to understand what is happening in your body as you approach ovulation. In the beginning of your cycle, estrogen levels are low which signal your body to produce FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). Estrogen levels begin to increase which triggers LH (Luteinizing Hormone). This surge is what releases the mature egg from the follicle. For ovulation to occur, enough LH and FSH must be produced to release the egg. Clomid is used to help your body produce enough LH and FSH. It tricks the body into thinking that there is not enough estrogen – which increases the production of LH and FSH, causing your body to ovulate. Generally, it is not recommend to take Clomid for more than six cycles, so if pregnancy is not achieved, a different treatment plan should be discussed.

While taking Clomid, it is common to experience a decrease in fertile-quality cervical mucus. It is extremely important to have a healthy environment to transport and protect the sperm when trying-to-conceive. Supplements, such as FertileCM can help increase the quantity and quality of fertile-quality cervical mucus and is safe to take along with Clomid.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone, commonly referred to as FSH, is a hormone that can directly influence your chances of conceiving and/or sustaining pregnancy. The level of FSH your body produces correlates to the quality and quantity of your remaining eggs. Typically, women that are trying-to-conceive want to see their FSH levels below 10mIU/ml. When FSH levels are too high or too low, becoming pregnant can become much more difficult as it affects your menstrual cycle and whether or not you ovulate.

Knowing your FSH levels is important in predicting how fertile you are. As your egg quality and quantity dwindle – your body tries to compensate and produces more FSH in order to stimulate ovarian function. This is commonly seen in women experiencing premature menopause or who are at the age when menopause is approaching. Low FSH levels can impact fertility and result in irregular cycles, which is commonly seen in women with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). If your body is not producing enough FSH, it cannot sustain a healthy ovarian reserve.

You can easily test your FSH levels either at home or at the doctor’s office. Both tests are to be performed beginning on cycle day 3 (the 3^rd day of your menstrual cycle) and continue through cycle day 5. If you receive a positive at home FSH test, you should visit your doctor for further testing with a blood test.

Fortunately, if you discover that you have an imbalance of FSH – there are some supplements that can help to balance those increasing FSH levels. FertilAid for Women is a supplement that contains Vitex, which has been shown to not only keep FSH levels from increasing but to decrease FSH levels to an appropriate level in some women.   Dependent upon your FSH levels and your age, your doctor may want to proceed forward with more aggressive fertility treatments.

When trying-to-conceive, many women track their cycles to determine their most fertile days by using ovulation tests or fertility monitors.  Charting your cervical mucus consistency and basal body temperature can also indicate when your most fertile days are and help confirm when ovulation has occurred. Some women, more commonly women with PCOS or irregular cycles, may be unaware that they are experiencing multiple follicular stimulation in a single cycle.

If you have ever received two peak readings or a second lh surge in one cycle just a couple days apart– you may have unknowingly experienced multiple follicular stimulation. In order to achieve pregnancy, the follicle is released from your ovary and it must rupture for the egg to be released from the follicle. In cases of multiple follicular stimulation, your body releases the follicle, but it doesn’t rupture – therefore the egg is not released and you are unable to achieve pregnancy at that time. Your body realizes that this has happened and subsequently releases a second follicle 3-5 days later.

Typically, after ovulation, fertility monitors will register ‘low’ fertility, cervical mucus egg-white consistency will be gone, and there will be shift in basal body temperature. Women that experience multiple follicular stimulation will receive a second peak reading with their monitor and may continue to see any other natural fertile signs. If you receive a second peak reading, it is extremely important that you continue intercourse as you can only conceive after ovulation has taken place (i.e. conception will not result from the first follicle that was released).

It is important to track your cycle diligently so you are able to catch cycles where there may be a delay in the time when you are able to conceive that month. Using the OvaCue Fertility Monitor can help to identify the release of a second follicle so you don’t miss this opportunity to conceive. The combination of the oral sensor and optional vaginal sensor indicates ovulation with a dark pink/purple color on the OvaCue fertility calendar – if this color is seen a second time that cycle, you can conclude that secondary fertility has taken place. When this second set of peak days are identified, intercourse should be continued as ovulation didn’t occur as it should have with the first peak reading. This is one of the main reasons that women experience a cycle that is a couple days longer than usual. Women who experience irregular cycles or who have been diagnosed with PCOS should be especially cognizant of this.

Many women decide to go off of their birth control pill once they have decided it is time to begin trying for a baby. Unfortunately, many women picture this to be a much smoother process then it ends up being.  To better understand why this can often be a difficult transition we must first understand exactly what it is that birth control does to your hormones.

There are many different types of birth control; some that stop your period completely or give you very few a year, and others that regulate your period into a 28-day cycle. As they all work a bit different – they have a very similar effect. Birth control works to change the levels of your hormones, specifically estrogen and progesterone. By altering and controlling these hormones, they can help to prevent pregnancy in multiple ways – by stopping your ovaries from producing eggs, altering the thickness of the wall of your cervix (which prevents the entry of sperm into the uterus), or by changing the lining of your uterus so the egg can’t attach and implant.

Once birth control is discontinued, many women report having irregular cycles or having no menstruation for many months. It can take a while for your body to return to the cycle you had before beginning birth control pills. This can be especially frustrating for women that were hoping to conceive shortly after going off of the pill. Dealing with irregular cycles (or no cycle at all) can make predicting ovulation nearly impossible. Herbal fertility enhancing supplements, such as FertilAid for Women, contains vitex and other herbs to help regulate your cycle and correct any hormonal imbalances that might be present – this in turn should help to normalize your cycle. Many women begin taking this supplement post-pill to help see a regular cycle sooner and increase their chances of conceiving.

Endometriosis is a condition that affects around 5-15% of women of reproductive age. Each month, a woman’s body sheds endometrial tissue from the uterus through menstruation. Endometriosis occurs when this tissue grows outside of the uterus, in areas such as ovaries, fallopian tubes, and areas around the uterus. This tissue outside of the uterus responds to hormones just as it would inside the uterus. It attempts to breakdown and shed but it is unable to do so as it has no natural outlet.

Endometriosis can cause internal bleeding, scarring, abnormal bleeding, inflammation, severe pain during menstruation or during sex, and can often be the cause of infertility. That said, many women don’t experience any symptoms and only discover that have endometriosis once they begin trying-to-conceive.

There are several non-surgical and surgical treatments for endometriosis. A woman may undergo hormone therapy, which can be used in two different ways; hormones to make your body think you are either pregnant or going through menopause. Some hormone therapy may be used to decrease the amount of estrogen your body is producing, as estrogen feeds the growth of tissue. Some surgical options include laser laparoscopy or hysterectomy. The route chosen would depend upon the reason for treatment, whether it be to reduce pain or for treatment of infertility.

Many women with endometriosis have reported positive results when taking a natural fertility supplement such as FertilAid for Women. FertilAid contains a number of fertility enhancing herbs such as vitex (chasteberry) that help to regulate the hormones and correct any imbalances that might be present.

The simple answer is….Yes!  Not only is it safe to combine the two supplements as they were formulated to be taken together but it is highly recommended for women to use both to maximize conception efforts.  FertilAid for Women is a supplement designed to regulate your ovulation and correct any hormonal imbalances that might be present, which in turn should help to normalize your cycle over time. Additionally, it is a complete prenatal supplement providing the maximum recommended amount for women that are trying-to-conceive. The fertility enhancing herbs as well as the prenatal vitamins provide the best nutrition when trying-to-conceive. FertileCM promotes the production of fertile-quality cervical mucus.  It has also been shown to strengthen the uterine lining and support female arousal and sexual sensitivity. Fertile-quality cervical mucus is essential when trying-to-conceive, as it needs to nourish and protect the sperm while in transit. FertileCM helps to ensure that your cervical mucus is the appropriate pH balance conducive to conception. As you can see, the combination of the two supplements helps to maximize your conception efforts in many ways. You can begin taking both supplements (3 times a day) at any point in your cycle and are to be taken throughout your entire cycle.

The benefits of herbal supplementation to enhance fertility are unfortunately often overlooked. One of the most recognized and recommended herbs used in fertility enhancement is Chasteberry, or Vitex (vitex agnus-castus). Vitex is a fertility-promoting herb that has been used as far back as ancient Greece. Vitex was and still is recognized for its medicinal properties, which are used for a number of ailments. For centuries, women have used vitex to increase their odds of conceiving a baby, as well as to treat symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance and PMS.

Recently, Vitex has been shown in several clinical studies to help stimulate and stabilize the reproductive hormones involved in ovulation, cycle balance, and menstrual regularity. These studies also document a statistically-significant increase in fertility among women using vitex, with more pregnancies than in control groups using a placebo. Vitex is an important ingredient in both FertilAid and FertiliTea which contain a number of other fertility enhancing and nutritive herbs such as Red Raspberry Leaf, Green Tea, Ladies Mantle and Nettle Leaf.

Couples who are trying to conceive are now, more than ever, turning to more natural ways of addressing infertility. Scientifically validated ingredients found in fertility supplements may lead to increased conception rates and provide a healthful alternative to conventional treatments such as prescription drugs or other invasive treatment options.

It is true that FertilAid may help to normalize an irregular cycle, and as such, it is often used by women with cycle irregularity issues such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), however most of the women who take FertilAid already have regular cycles. This is because cycle regularity represents just one small facet of what FertilAid is designed to provide. FertilAid is designed to improve a woman’s overall reproductive health. Not only does it provide all of your preconception vitamin and mineral needs, but it also contains key herbal ingredients that have been found to benefit reproductive rates. If you have a regular cycle, you may experience a bit of irregularity initially as your body adjusts, but typically regularity is re-established fairly quickly. For more information about FertilAid, visit www.fairhavenhealth.com.

Ovulation occurs when an egg is released from one of your ovaries and travels through the fallopian tubes to await fertilization. On average, the egg will live approximately 12-24 hours awaiting fertilization from sperm. If conception doesn’t occur, the unfertilized egg, uterine lining, and additional blood will be shed during menstruation. If conception does occur, the egg will implant in the uterine wall within about 6-12 days.

Understanding ovulation is very important if you are trying to conceive. Here are a few common myths and misconceptions.

A Woman Can Get Pregnant Only One Day During Her Cycle. It is true that ovulation (meaning the dropping of one or more eggs) generally only occurs on one day of the cycle, but a woman can actually get pregnant from having had intercourse 4-5 days before ovulation occurs. The reason for this is that sperm can live for up to 5 days in a healthy reproductive tract.

A Normal Menstrual Cycle is 28 Days, and Ovulation Occurs on Day 14 of the Cycle. The reality is that every woman’s cycle is different, and generally ranges from 24-36 days. Ovulation days can also depend on the woman and can occur many days before or after the 14th day of her cycle. You will not necessarily be fertile on the 14th day of your cycle. Fertility Charting, and the use of ovulation microscopes and other predictor devices are recommended to test for your window of fertility.

Women Can Ovulate More Than once During Her Cycle. This is not true. Ovulation only occurs once during the cycle of a healthy woman. It is true that more than one egg may be released during ovulation, but this almost always occurs within 24 hours of each other.

Women Ovulate on the Same Day Each Month. While most women ovulate towards the middle of their cycle, the actual day can change month to month, even in women with regular cycles. This is one reason that tracking for ovulation is so important!