Continuing Rise in Numbers of Women Undergoing Fertility Treatment

The Telegraph reports that "Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) showed 36,648 women underwent fertility treatment in 2007 – a rise of 5 per cent on the 34,855 in 2006."

An increase in fertility problems is believed to be due to a number of factors, including rising levels of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, obesity, diabetes, past surgery, hormone problems, smoking and stress.

When it is obesity that is considered to be the problem, prospective parents are often advised to lose weight in order to improve their fertility. Unfortunately, since they are usually also advised to do this by means of dieting, they seldom succeed in losing much weight. They need to be given the correct information, namely that obesity is caused by fluid retention and occurs only in people who are sensitive to salt or suffering from sodium retention. It then becomes easy to lose weight, because all that is necessary is to give up dieting and to deal with the fluid retention. Fluid retention is reduced, i.e. excess fluid is excreted from the body via the urine, by cutting down on salt and salty food, and by eating good, healthy meals with plenty of fruit and fresh, unsalted vegetables. This is the safe, sure, speedy way to lose excess weight.

Low salt intake during pregnancy also reduces the risk of developing gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, so would result in a safer pregnancy and a healthier baby.

Margaret Wilde www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk