As a service to our patients, we like to pause each month and share information with you via our eNewsletter. It may be the latest news on infertility and/or pregnancy wellness, an interesting article on general wellness or health care reform, or an inspirational story from one of our patients.

If you have any questions or comments, if you'd like to learn more about a particular subject, or even just need to schedule an appointment, please don't hesitate to contact us.

We hope you enjoy this month’s edition!

Take care and be well,

David Youran
Director and Founder

A new study has found that acupuncture may be a safe and helpful alternative to medication for depression during pregnancy.

"We tested acupuncture as a standalone treatment," said study author Rachel Manber, a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, "and the results are very positive."

For the study, Manber and her team recruited 150 pregnant women who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder. All study participants were between 12 and 30 weeks pregnant.

The women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: depression-specific acupuncture, control acupuncture or massage. The depression-specific acupuncture was a protocol specially designed for the study while the control acupuncture involved needling acupuncture points not known to be associated with depression relief.

To read more of this article...

A new device that looks a lot like those home ovulation and home pregnancy tests but checks sperm count will soon be available in Europe, and is undergoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review for marketing in the US.

The test targets couples who have been trying to get pregnant for a few months, but aren't ready to seek professional help, Dr. John C. Herr of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, who helped develop the new test, told Reuters Health.

The test helps couples sort out if the male is a factor in the infertility "and to do that in privacy with some cost savings," he said. "The product will retail for about $25. That's a lot cheaper than going in and having a full semen analysis."

To read more of this article...

If you’re addicted to your iPod or other MP3 device, now you can use the time you would have been listening to Lady Gaga into time spent trying to boost your fertility. Circle + Bloom offers a twenty-eight day program of audio programming designed to harness the mind/body connection and help foster conception. The twenty-eight daily tracks, approximately fifteen minutes each, follow the body's natural reproductive cycle.

Each daily session includes a combination of music, words, and guided instructions designed to help the body manage stress and get ready for conception. For more information, a free trial version, or to order the $125 downloadable program, please visit Circle + Bloom.

Article and photo compliments of Conceive Online.

We hope that you are finding our eNewsletters useful. Please feel free to email us a particular subject that you would like to see included!