Fairhaven Health, a leading trying-to-conceive, pregnancy and nursing site, explains the role of hCG in your new pregnancy: "Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin, hCG, is the hormone detected on a pregnancy test, produced by the placenta right when implantation first takes place. The point of hCG isn’t just to alert a woman of pregnancy, it is produced in order to let the corpus luteum to maintain the production of progesterone. Elevated levels of progesterone are vital in sustaining pregnancy, warming the body and preventing menstruation to begin as well as preserving the integrity of the endometrial-uterine lining. When testing for pregnancy, make sure to check the pregnancy test for when you can begin testing; pregnancy tests detect hCG at different levels so ensure you are testing at the appropriate time in your cycle!" For more helpful tips, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

FairhavenHealth.com, the go-to spot for fertility, pregnancy and nursing products, is back with its latest fertili-tip: "What is the importance of cervical mucus? Cervical mucus plays a pertinent role in fertility. When charting your fertility, cervical mucus is a key indicator of fertility. As women progress through their menstrual cycle, their cervical mucus consistency will transform. After menstruation, the consistency may be sticky and white, beginning to become more slippery and as you approach ovulation, it should become stretchy and clear (similar to the consistency of egg whites). When you detect the stretchy, clear fertile-quality cervical mucus, you are in your most fertile window. For women lacking fertile-quality cervical mucus, there are a supplements and products that can help. FertileCM is an all-natural supplement designed to encourage your body to produce fertile-quality cervical mucus. Pre-Seed (a sperm-friendly lubricant) mimics your natural fluids and is a great product to use in your fertile window, creating the optimal environment for sperm to travel." For more TTC help, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

TTC? Tried everything? Maybe it's not you.  Today's fertili-tip from natural fertility, pregnancy and nursing wellnesss site Fairhaven Health tells you about a new test for the man in the mirror. "We know the thought of having to go through a semen analysis can make men extremely uncomfortable—who can blame them? Before going through with the laboratory-conducted analysis, you may want to consider trying an at-home test. Fairhaven Health now offers an accurate, at-home sperm test that can tell you if you sperm count is within the 'normal' range—20 million sperm per milliliter of semen or higher. The SpermCheck Fertility Test will provide results within minutes – hopefully, easing the process of assessing male fertility." Learn more about the SpermCheck Fertility Test at www.fairhavenhealth.com

This week's fertili-tip from TTC, pregnancy and nursing resource Fairhaven Health tells why all lubricants are not created equally when it comes to trying to conceive.  "What is Pre-Seed Lubricant and how can it increase your chances of conceiving? Well, first things first, were you aware that many lubricants on the market are not fertility-friendly? They actually hinder your chances of conceiving by acting as a barrier and preventing sperm from reaching their destination! Pre-Seed is a lubricant specifically designed for couples that are trying-to-conceive. The formula actually mimics your fertile quality cervical mucus to create a healthy environment for the sperm to travel. The applicator format is especially helpful for couples that are trying-to-conceive as it allows the lubricant to be inserted into the vaginal canal—coating the vaginal canal and cervical opening creating an optimal environment for conception." For more from Fairhaven Health, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

This week's fertili-tip from Fairhaven Health, a one-stop healthy TTC, pregnancy and nursing shop, weighs in on the usefulness of fertility monitors: "There are many different wants to track your ovulation — as we previously discussed, The Fertility Awareness Method is one option, however, many women prefer using Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) and/or Fertility Monitors. OPKs are urine based tests that detect your lh (luteinizing hormone) surge, which may be detected roughly 24 to 36 hours before ovulation occurs. Electronic Fertility Monitors are one of the most advanced ways to predict ovulation — and can provide more notice than other methods. For example, The OvaCue is a saliva-based fertility monitor that can predict ovulation up to 5 to 7 days in advance — providing sufficient notice of your fertile window and of your highest fertility days. There are quite a few monitors on the market (saliva or urine based) that can be extremely helpful in increasing you chances of conception!" For more from Fairhaven Health, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

This week's fertili-tip from Fairhaven Health talks mucus—and, interestingly enough, it's actually quite helpful when it comes to conceiving. "The Fertility Awareness Method is the most basic way of tracking and charting your menstrual cycle and predicting ovulation. The primary natural signs are your basal body temperature and the consistency of your cervical mucus. All it takes is each morning (before getting out of bed and drinking or eating anything) take your basal body temperature and record it— an increase of .4 degrees Fahrenheit may indicate that ovulation has occurred. Charting cervical mucus is also quite easy. Is it dry? Sticky? Slippery? When your cervical mucus is slippery and clear (similar to an egg white)—you are in your most fertile window and can predict ovulation to occur shortly. When trying-to-conceive, have sex on those days each cycle when you have slippery cervical fluid and prior to your temperature spike (and shift) to increase your chances of conception!" For more from Fairhaven Health, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

This week's fertili-tip from Fairhaven Health is all about balance: "PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Sydrome) is a hormonal imbalance in women that can affect fertility. Symptoms can be quite varied among women but many experience irregular cycles (sometimes no menstruation), abnormal hair growth, weight gain and ovarian cysts. The cysts are not harmful, but lead to hormonal imbalances and irregular menstrual cycles. PCOS is actually quite common, affecting as many as 1 in 5 women. Treatment is dependent upon the symptoms – both physical and hormonal. For obese women, weight loss is highly encouraged and has shown to help regulate menstruation/ovulation in women. FertilAid for Women has been quite successful for women with PCOS — helping to restore hormonal balance, and in turn, helping to regulate their cycle." For more from on TTC, prenatal and postnatal health, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

This week's fertili-tip from Fairhaven Health talks about the hormone that affects the quality of your eggs: "FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) is a very important reproductive hormone, which correlates to the quality and quantity of your remaining eggs. As you can imagine, FSH levels have quite an impact on a woman’s ability to conceive. If your body isn’t producing enough FSH, it cannot sustain a healthy ovarian reserve and you may experience irregular cycles (as seen in PCOS). High FSH levels can be seen in women experiencing early menopause – as their egg quality and quantity dwindles, their body tries to compensate by producing more FSH to stimulate ovarian function. Supplements, such as FertilAid for Women, help to keep FSH levels from increasing and has even helped to decrease FSH levels in some women." For more from the natural fertility, pregnancy and nursing product depot, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

There are so many possible reasons why you are having trouble getting pregnant. Seriously, it's stunning how many things can affect fertility. The good news is that there's help—and natural help, at that. This week's fertili-tip from Fairhaven Health, a natural fertility, pregnancy and nursing product and awareness site, is all about the luteal phase defect. The luteal what? Yeah, us too. Read on to find out. "A woman’s luteal phase begins at ovulation and ends the day before menstruation begins for the next cycle. A luteal phase lasting less than 10 days can be classified as a luteal phase defect and can affect a woman’s ability to conceive. It is necessary to have a luteal phase of at least10 days or longer in order for implantation to occur and be sustained. With a luteal phase lasting less than 10 days, the uterine lining begins breaking down too early; therefore, it is not prepared for implantation, which causes an early miscarriage. Vitamin B6 has been shown to lengthen the luteal phase (FertilAid for Women contains B6) in many women. Otherwise, there are medications that your doctor can prescribe. Luckily, it is fairly easy to diagnose and correct." For more from Fairhaven Health, go to www.fairhavenhealth.com.

Man, oh man! What if this whole TTC thing isn't about you? What if it's about your man? Maybe your dude has some fertility issues. Dude! If you're trying to conceive, you should most definitely get your man checked out, say the reproduction (that word always reminds me of Grease 2) experts at Fairhaven Health. Here's their TTC fertili-tip of the week: "When a couple is having a hard time conceiving, it is important that both are tested for infertility issues. Low sperm count, slow sperm movement (motility), or abnormal shape (morphology) tends to be the main infertility issues that men face. Male infertility plays a role in almost half of the couple experiencing infertility. Supplements, such as FertilAid for Men, are designed to increase sperm count as well as improve the motility and morphology of sperm—promoting the healthy development of sperm. For more trying-to-conceive content and product info, please go to www.FairhavenHealth.com."