St. Louis: Convenient Fertility Analysis With an Ovulation Detector and Fertility Monitor Test Sticks

St. Louis,

Sometimes just going off the pill and waiting for nature to take over, is not enough to conceive.  If you are like me, you probably thought it would take a month or two and you would be pregnant.  Unfortunately, that is not always how it works.   

There are many methods out there for tracking your fertility.  I think I have tried them all.  The old standard was to measure your basal body temperature to determine when your LH surge occurred.  This involves taking your temperature with a basal body thermometer each morning before you get out of bed.  On the day of ovulation, your temperature will be slightly higher than it was before.  This method works for many people who are trying to establish a history of their cycles.  While it may help you conceive if you have a regular and predictable cycle, it does not tell you when ovulation is about to occur.  It only tells you that ovulation has occurred.  Unfortunately, the best time to have intercourse to conceive is in the days leading up to ovulation.   

Another method for monitoring your fertility is to monitor your cervical mucus.  When your cervical mucus is thin and slippery like egg whites, you are going to ovulate soon.  It may however only indicate that you have ovulated, which leaves you in the same boat as the basal body temperature method. 

After I had spent months using both of the above-mentioned methods, I decided to purchase ovulation predictor tests.  I started with the low-end tests, thinking there was no reason to spend a bunch of money on test sticks I was just going to throw away.  While the tests did show me that I was about to ovulate, it took several cycles for me to really figure out how to read the results.  Also, some of the tests were old or very temperamental, which would produce inaccurate results.  

So, I finally took the plunge and purchased a top-notch fertility monitor.  The entire package is worth every penny.  The monitor removes the need to interpret test results.  And, it is approved under most medical flexible spending accounts.  My favorite part about the monitor is the test sticks.  While many brands will sell you a canister of test sticks bundled together so that the sticks touch each other, the kind I got had individually wrapped test sticks making it easy to maintain the quality of each test.  The test sticks can either be held directly in your urine stream or be submerged into a sample.  After you have sufficiently doused the test stick, you remove the cap and place it on the specimen end of the stick.  The test stick snaps into place easily and the monitor does the rest of the work for you.  They also provided a helpline that can walk you through printing out your fertility charts for when you go to your next gynecologist visit. 

While there is no guaranteed success of conception with any product, a fertility monitor and easy-to-use test sticks make fertility charting simple and effective. 

Source by Serena N Ericson

Convenient Fertility Analysis With an Ovulation Detector and Fertility Monitor Test Sticks

St. Louis: The "Poor Man"s Thyroid Test"

St. Louis,

For those who are wondering why they have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone) but always test in the ‘normal’ range, take heart-you are not crazy and there may indeed be something not quite right with your thyroid. First of all, the thyroid tests used by laboratories are notoriously inaccurate, being ‘off by three standard deviations’ (pretty much useless except in certain cases).

Adding to the confusion is the difference between T3 and rT3 (Triiodothyronine and reverse Triiodothyronine). T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone in the blood and is converted from T4, which is produced in much larger amounts than T3. Synthetic T4 is what is provided in pharmaceutical medicines, which works fine as long as everything else in the pathway is working.

The tricky part comes when T3 is no longer being converted from T4, instead being converted into rT3 (reverse triiodothyronine). Think of it like this: reverse forms of the natural substances that we need are chemical mirror images. They are exactly flipped and don’t work the same way. Because the chemical ‘lock’ is oriented either right or left and the reversed form is oriented in the opposite direction, the reversed ‘key’ just doesn’t fit.

For instance, our bodies use D-glucose (dextrose) with is a right-rotatory molecule. L-glucose-a left-rotatory molecule–cannot be metabolized. It can taste the same, look the same, often have the same properties (dissolving in water the same, burning the same, etc) but it still is not D-glucose. So since the tissues of the body need T3, and rT3 won’t fit the lock, the symptoms of hypothyroidism occur.

The symptoms of hypothyroidism have been treated by many physicians as indicative of hypothyroidism despite ‘normal’ lab tests. Those symptoms include the following:

Fatigue

Dry skin/hair/eyes

Constipation

Weight gain

Hair loss (head and outer part of eyebrows)

Cold intolerance

Hormonal problems (men and women)

Most of the time physicians just order a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test, which does pick up blatant changes like the true hypothyroid state of not producing enough (which causes an elevation in the TSH levels) or the hyperthyroid state of extremely low (producing too much, which causes a drop in the TSH levels). The others-more than 80%–of us that are producing rT3 get told there is nothing wrong with us, it’s all in our heads, and the lab tests are normal. For more on what to do about that, see the other articles in this series.

To perform the ‘poor man’s thyroid test’ is easy. First get a thermometer that is easy to read-not a fever thermometer. You want a ‘basal body thermometer’ or ‘pregnancy thermometer’ because you need to be able to actually read the small increments of temperature. The standard is the mercury thermometer but you can also use a digital thermometer if you must but it is not recommended as they can be very inaccurate.

Shake down the thermometer so the mercury is all the way down and place it safely on the bedside table to use in the morning. The axillary temperature is the usual preferred place to take the temperature. Just be sure to place the tip of the thermometer right in the middle of the armpit and hold the arm tight against the body for 10 minutes. Most doctors will tell you to start taking the temperature about three hours after you wake up, and then twice more at three hour intervals. The trick is to make sure the temperature is checked at the same time and during the same levels of activity every day, for one week. Some of us like to have the early morning temperature recorded and averaged in also.

Take at least three temperature readings daily and average them together, recording that average, for one week. Normal temperatures are low in the morning and highest in the late afternoon. There are plenty of references to the Broda Barnes method of thyroid evaluation, where it is suggested that below normal is 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Dr. Denis Wilson (Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome) suggests that 97.8 degrees is too low for proper metabolic functioning and that 98.6 or higher is preferable (which has been the case for my own patients).

If people were running higher temperatures during the teenage years, that might be one indication that a higher than ‘normal’ temperature would be desirable. If someone ran 99.6 during healthy teenage and young adult years, and then dropped to 97.8 in middle age, that could be an indication that driving the temperature back up into the 98.9 to 99.6 range might be better-for that person.

Of course, each person is different and needs to watch out for heart palpitations and anxiety (good indicators of too much thyroid).

Once the week-long temperature evaluation is done and found to be below normal, one can approach a naturopathic or holistic doctor to determine the next step. Or, one could try iodine supplementation, which might take care of the problem all by itself. In any case, avoid things that load the system up with bromide, fluoride and chloride. Since too many people are way shy of having anything approaching the required dose of iodine in the diet, adding some supplementation via shellfish, kelp and other sea vegetables could make a huge difference. For those who hate the very thought of tasting iodine-which is admittedly pretty nasty-there are pill forms that can help.

© 2010 Dr.Valerie Olmsted All Rights Reserved

Source by Valerie Olmsted

The "Poor Man"s Thyroid Test"

St. Louis: 2 Explosive Tips to Conceive - The Best Ways to Predict Ovulation to Increase Chances of Pregnancy!

St. Louis,

If you want to get pregnant, it is very important that you pinpoint your ovulation. There are many women out there that are unaware that ovulation is when you are the most fertile. Ovulation is when the egg is made available by your body in order to be fertilized. Here are two great ways to pinpoint when your ovulation date is!

Get an Ovulation Prediction Kit

Using an OPK can really increase your chances of conception because they will tell you exactly when you will be ovulating.  These are commonly referred to as pee sticks and can be found at your local drug store or supermarket.  These are used like a home pregnancy test but can be a little more expensive.  However, the accuracy of the results is phenomenal!  If you are unsure of when you will be ovulating, this is a great method for you to figure out exactly when you are going to be the most fertile during your cycle.  Investing in one of these will really increase your chances of having a baby sooner!

Saliva Tests are the New Thing!

Aside from Ovulation prediction kits, saliva tests have just recently been introduced to the market for infertile mothers.  These tests are small enough to take anywhere and resemble a tube of lipstick so you do not have to worry about people asking questions!  These may run you about 60 dollars, but if you are desperate enough, that shouldn’t matter!  This is an even more accurate way of pinpointing ovulation than the OPK’s.  Spit tests have a lens which you apply saliva, and a smaller lens to look through to observe the reading, almost like a microscope!  The instructions will tell you what your saliva should look like during ovulation as well as before it to help you conceive a child without problems!

Source by Sandra Estergard

2 Explosive Tips to Conceive - The Best Ways to Predict Ovulation to Increase Chances of Pregnancy!

St. Louis: Sexuality Tests, Surveys, and Quizzes

St. Louis,

The next time you are surfing the Internet for information regarding sex, you may want to try your hand at one of the many sexuality tests that are available.

A variety of sexuality tests is available to examine your knowledge on many different topics. Some of these topics test your general knowledge of sexuality, as well as allow website visitors to test, examine and explore their own sexuality.

Below you will find numerous websites featuring an assortment of tests, quizzes, and surveys:

· When you visit the Sex Quiz Site at [http://www.sexquizsite.com], you will encounter a collection of sexuality tests gathered from all over the Net.

The list of links includes sexuality tests, such as 100 questions testing your purity, which is quite a popular type of sexuality test.

Other tests deal with lesbianism, sexual positions, levels of foreplay, as well as a sexual color personality test.

These tests are free and meant to entertain. Be aware that this website is not for those who find offence in every little thing.

· The Sexgage website, http://www.sexgage.com, provides an interesting sexuality test by asking a series of questions that involve the analysis of your hands.

Questions are asked regarding such things like the shape of your fingertips, thumb flexibility, as well as what is the highest part of the palm of your hand.

The test uses palm-reading theory that provides information regarding a person’s sex appeal.

· Purity sexuality tests are popular on the Web, offering an array of options in different categories.

The Definitive Purity Test, found at http://www.puritytester.com – described as the “ultimate purity” test. Not only will you receive a score for yourself, but also you will be able to compare your answer with all of the other people who have taken the test.

Sample questions on this website include: “have you ever had a date past am, to “have you ever lied about your sexual preference in order to avoid a date?”

· The Gender Purity Test explores some of the gender questions that many people have. This is available at http://www.helpself.com/purity.

· When visiting the website [http://www.hotspots.com/sex], you will be able to take a sexuality aptitude test, as well as participate in a global sex survey.

This is a chance to discover some of the popular and not-so-popular attitudes towards sex, including dating and relationships.

The results of these tests and surveys are by sex, age, location, and marital status.

Some sexuality tests on the Internet do not test you on your sexual prowess, but help individuals to make important decisions in their life.

There are sexuality tests that test whether or not a teenager is ready to have sex for the first time.

Some sexuality tests also test a person’s knowledge on the STD’s and other sexual health obstacles that a young adult may face.

There is also a sexuality test that will calculate a woman’s chances of getting pregnant by identifying characteristics and behaviours which make them a low-risk or high-risk.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to the type of tests, surveys, and quizzes that are available regarding sexuality.

Source by Stephen Todd

Sexuality Tests, Surveys, and Quizzes

St. Louis: What Does The Blood Test Result Mean? Part 1 - Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

St. Louis,

The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, also known as CMP is an inexpensive blood test that gives you vital information. Why is this important? Generally most people have not had the training to understand what the basic laboratory tests mean. The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel is important because it gives an overview of exactly what and how the body is functioning. To understand just the basics of your blood tests will assist you in your health care program. When your physician says all of your results were normal, now you will know what that means.

The comprehensive metabolic panel actually has 17 different tests within the panel. Within these17 tests is important information regarding your kidneys, liver, electrolytes and your sugar levels.

Glucose- To determine if your blood glucose level is within healthy ranges; to screen for, diagnose, and monitor diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) – This measures the amount of nitrogen in your blood that comes from the waste product urea. This is made when protein is broken down in your body. It is used evaluate kidney function and monitor the effectiveness of dialysis and other treatments related to kidney disease or damage.

Creatinine- To determine if your kidneys are functioning normally and to monitor treatment for kidney disease. The kidneys also filter out waste and other unneeded substances from the blood.

BUN/ Creatinine Ratio- Comparison of the two waste products of the normal metabolic processes.

Sodium- To determine whether your sodium concentration is within normal limits and to help evaluate electrolyte balance and kidney function.

Potassium- To determine whether your potassium concentration is within normal limits and to help evaluate an electrolyte imbalance. It is critical for normal functioning of the muscles, nerves and heart.

Chloride – To determine if there is a problem with your body’s electrolyte or acid-base balance and to monitor treatment. It also helps maintain proper blood volume, blood pressure, and PH of your body fluids.

Carbon Dioxide- Carbon dioxide is a gaseous waste product made from metabolism. The blood carries carbon dioxide to your lungs, where it is exhaled. Your kidneys and lungs balance the levels of carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and carbonic acid in the blood.

Calcium- To determine if the level of calcium in your blood is at normal levels. Calcium is important to many body functions including muscle contraction, nerve and brain function, bone formation and the release of hormones.

Total Protein- -To determine your nutritional status or to screen for certain liver and kidney disorders as well as other diseases.

Albumin- To screen for a liver disorder or kidney disease or to evaluate nutritional status.

Globulin- Globulins are proteins that can be measured in blood serum. High levels may indicate liver disease, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. Low levels may be related to immune deficiency kidney problems or bowel related disease.

A/G Ratio- It has to do with the ratio of albumin and globulin, serum proteins. A decrease in the A/G ratio often indicates the presence of impaired liver function, nutritional status, kidney disease and many other conditions.

Total Bilirubin - To screen for or monitor liver disorders.

ALP- To screen for or monitor treatment for a liver or bone disorders

AST (SGOT ) – To detect potential damage to heart skeletal muscle and liver cells..

ALT(SGPT)- To screen for liver damage. Injury to the liver results in release of this enzyme into the blood.

The comprehensive metabolic panel may also be used to monitor a disease process, and for treatment purposes. Many treatable diseases do not show any physical signs and symptoms, until damage is done. Just because you feel fine does not mean that something may not be wrong. Early detection will save you time, money and heartache down the road.

Diabetes is on the rise. Due to poor food choices and obesity, more and more people are developing Type 2 diabetes. This is preventable in some cases. Simple changes can be done early before potential systemic body damage has started. The American Diabetes Association is a great resource for more information on diabetes.

Liver disease may remain silent for many years until irreversible damage is done. The liver is the largest organ in the body. It plays key roles in many vital body functions. It acts as a filter and is involved in metabolism; hormones, clotting and much more. Other important key factors that may lead to liver disease may include alcohol consumption, prescription medications, over the counter medications, and herbal supplements. Hepatitis may remain silent and only be diagnosed through a simple liver blood test which shows elevated liver enzymes. There are two main enzymes called ALT and AST. These enzymes are located within liver cells which may leak into the bloodstream once damage is done.

Kidney disease can remain silent for many years also. Diseases like hypertension and diabetes may affect your kidney function. The kidneys play many vital roles in processing wastes, and excreting them form the body in the form of urine. When the kidneys fail to do their job, wastes build up quickly resulting in dialysis or death. The Centers for Diseases Contol and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in March 2007 showed some staggering numbers. One in nine adults has chronic kidney disease. Another statistic shows there are 470,000 people relying on dialysis to live. That is almost a half a million people!

Electrolytes are used by nerve, heart, and muscle cells to carry electrical impulses to muscles, nerves and brain. Electrolyte disturbances can occur with vomiting, diarrhea, or diseases involving hormones that regulate electrolyte concentrations. Potassium levels are tied to heart and nerve impulses as well as muscle function.

Time and money are crucial to each of us, luckily there are ways to get to get tested with having to waste too much of either. Reduce your wasted time, money, and stress by understanding the basics of your body first. The next time you see your physician, you may feel a bit empowered by telling him you have already tested and understand what your results mean.

Source by Rachael Miller

What Does The Blood Test Result Mean? Part 1 - Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

St. Louis: How Soon Can One Obtain STD Test Results?

St. Louis,

During the early times of STD existence, there was no way to test if one is infected with sexually transmitted diseases. This is why it has reached its highest number of STD cases during that time. Most people who infected already with STD are unaware and they are also being able to shed the disease to their partners.

Because of the alarming fact that STDs are now so widespread and seems to be unstoppable, some concerned individuals and organizations are coming up with ways to at least control its shedding and increasing of its number of cases. Information shedding is our answer to the infection shedding. If people are equipped with information, they will better know what to do with and against the infection. They will be educated on how to prevent getting infected with STD.

Another way is to make STD testing more reachable and available for all. If people will be treated early, they will have the chance to avoid further complications and also they can practice preventive measures to avoid shedding the disease to others. STD test is not only done for detection of STD alone. Reasons for taking an STD test are to detect asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infections, to determine the cause of illness, as a check before or during pregnancy, to check if long term partners are free of any illnesses or diseases, to check after childbirth if free from infection and to prevent the use of infected blood or organs.

STD testing will involve several procedures like sexual history, physical examination and laboratory testing. Initially, the doctor would need some information from to come up with an effective treatment for your disease or illness. He or she may need to know what you sexual history was before and after the STD detection. So, this would mean having to deal with re-testing and follow up checkups. After that, physical examination is conducted to check if symptoms occurred on the patient. This way, the doctor may know what disease has infected the patient. And lastly, laboratory test of samples will be conducted. After all of these procedures, results will be released. Re-screening is also essential for previously infected persons to prevent a relapse of the disease.

Therefore, a local STD testing can come out with its results in a few days. This will cover all types of STDs and infections. With today advancements in technology and science, there are new ways of testing that was introduced. A quick or rapid STD testing promises results in as quickly as twenty minutes. It is also said to have the same accuracy as to the traditional STD testing. This may be conducted in STD testing clinics now sited in different states around U.S to further help those STD patients who would like to be treated. However, these simplified types of STD testing will not cover all types of diseases. It can only detect the more common ones like Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. And aside from that, it will turn out to be more costly since you have to take another test to check on the other STDs that the quick STD testing missed out on.

Source by Trevor Getto

How Soon Can One Obtain STD Test Results?

St. Louis: How to Tell If You Are 1 Month Pregnant

St. Louis,

There are many ways apart from the obvious changes in the appearance that can be considered as clues for being 1 month pregnant. The changes that are going on inside your body are making it to react differently than the normal even in the very first month. It is very easy to spot those early signs that your body gives you, you just have to observe carefully.

The sign to be noticed first if you are 1 month pregnant is the period that doesn’t come, and this one is also the most well known one. But not having your cycle on time doesn’t necessarily mean that you are expecting as variations are possible. Not many women have a regular to the date cycle, and only they can start looking for baby clothes if it’s not on time. All the others will have to see some more indications to be sure.

Many women do not exactly know when their period should come and they just consider being pregnant almost every month. The implantation itself can be spotted too but it is very often being mistakenly taken for a lighter and briefer period. In this case what usually happens is that the woman thinks she has had her period and in fact she has been pregnant for almost a month.

As you already read deciding only by the period being missed is not the best way of determining a pregnancy. It shows in many other ways also and it does so even in the very first month. Of course some of the indications are much more obvious than others. And one that no one can ever miss is the so called “morning sickness”. However even with this sign you have to know that despite the name for example in does not always appear in the morning, or at least not only.

Another indication that you may be 1 month pregnant is the sudden change in taste. If you just start to not like any more your favorite brandy or your breakfast tea, if you get a sick feeling just after your favorite meal, it might be a good idea to get a pregnancy test from the local pharmacy. Remember that such reactions can appear even in the first days of the pregnancy.

Common symptoms that appear in the first three months are the sleepiness and feeling weak or faint. Even being reported in the following months also, these do normally appear in the early stages. On the contrary fatigue is usually reported during the final months but it is also considered as a sign telling you that you are expecting.

There are other symptoms also that usually do not mean pregnancy when they appear alone, but being in a moody humor or having your breasts tender more than the usual, coming along with any of the above mentioned ones are a reason to get a test. Because making one is actually the easiest way to tell if you are 1 month pregnant.

Source by Lori Hayley

How to Tell If You Are 1 Month Pregnant