Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: fertility + fit + 233,000  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

Getting fit for fertility

One in six couples today has difficulty in conceiving and in the last few years, a welter of DIY fertility testing kits has come on the market. The Clear Blue range includes an Ovulation Test (£19.95) and Fertility Monitor (£99.99), which help you chart the most fertile time in your cycle.

Fertell (£79.99) assesses the quality of eggs in the woman (known as ovarian reserve or ageing) and sperm motility in the man. Another ovarian reserve test is Plan Ahead, a blood test developed by experts at the University of Sheffield (£179,).

But how useful are these tests? Consultant gynaecologist Michael Dooley, author of a new book Fit for Fertility, believes that their role is limited. For couples in good health, he advises going right back to basics. In order to conceive you need an egg, sperm and the two to get together: in other words - sex. Many couples just don't have enough these days, he says.

Couples should go back to making love two or three times across a week, the average rate in the first three years of partnership (after that, it drops to two or three times a month). That way, he says, couples in good health need not worry about precise times of ovulation.

The biology works like this: "Eggs last for 48 hours and sperm for four to five days. So if you have sex on Monday, but ovulate on Tuesday, you'll still be fine making love on Wednesday." (As one man said to Michael: it's no binge drinking and no binge bonking, doc.)

In Michael's view, the tests can be useful if, say, one of the partners is often away so they need to establish the most fertile time. But I'd rather couples went to their doctors and had gold standard tests earlier and immediately if you have irregular periods or other health concerns - rather than sitting at home possibly getting obsessive or paranoid. Being in all round good health and keeping relaxed is vital for fertility. As well as all the medical facts, Michael's book details a truly integrated approach covering nutrition, hydration (most of us are dehydrated) and exercise, plus alternative and complementary therapies. Remember too, he says, that most problems of infertility can be overcome so keep a positive approach.

Finally, don't forget that sex should be a delight not a passionkiller: "I've always believed intuitively that semen quality is better when couples engage in natural lovemaking, rather than the man having to produce sperm in a clinic and there's some evidence now that this is true."

Michael Dooley can be contacted at the Poundbury Clinic, Dorchester (01305 262626) or Westover House in London (0208 877 1877).

To have a copy of Fit for Fertility by Michael Dooley FRCOG delivered to your door for £12.99 post free, simply call the YOU bookshop on 0870 162 5006, or visit www.you-bookshop.co.uk

For more information about the tests, visit www.clearblue.info or phone 0845 7076596, visit www.fertell.co.uk or phone careline 0800 731 8267, or visit www.planaheadtest.com.

Grow your vegetables

Dorset mum Tara Smillie reports a simple solution for children who won't eat vegetables. Her son Kieran, 3, refused everything except frozen peas until he grew runner beans at play school. Now he's a born again veg lover.

This spring, Kieran and his dad are planting basic crops from seed including carrots, tomatoes and more beans. And if you fancy competing to grow the biggest marrow, join 13 year old Amy Dettmar's Marrowthon Campaign to raise funds for the Aplastic Anaemia Trust.

Amy, who has severe aplastic anaemia, is inviting children (and grownups) to buy a packet of Long Green marrow seeds by Thompson & Morgan for £1 and enter the competition. For more information, www.marrowthon.org.uk

Small Change Big Difference

To avoid blood sugar dips, try truly tasty, truly healthy, gluten free 9 Bar by Wholebake, 69p from Sainsbury's and Holland & Barrett, stuffed full of good things including hemp and a variety of seeds. Great for kids' lunchboxes too.