That's Fit

Healthy eating is important for everyone -- it helps you maintain an appropriate weight, provides your body with the right mix of vitamins and minerals, and sustains energy. But healthy eating has another perk ... it helps promote male fertility.

Male infertility is the cause of roughly half of all infertility cases. And erectile dysfunction can affect a couple's sex life and strain a relationship. To maintain or improve sexual function and fertility, a heart-healthy diet is imperative. Healthy blood pressure and unclogged arteries equal an improved blood flow -- and when it comes to men, improved blood flow equals healthier sexual function.

Check out the gallery for seven foods that can help improve male sexual function. And for more on men's sexual health, visit AOL Body.

Endometriosis is a condition that was discussed a lot in my house when I hit puberty and started experiencing menstrual cramping that brought me to my knees. My mother was diagnosed with it (and told she needed a hysterectomy) when she gave birth to me -- that was, of course, after more than 25 years of truly unbearable cramping during menstruation and 10 years of trying to conceive with no luck. She had seen doctors about the pain and was basically told it was in her head.

So, when I came across this post at Divine Caroline on the "Devastating Effects of Endometriosis," I took a moment to read it over, and boy am I glad I did. It turns out that endometriosis can cause a lot more than just miserable cramping.

Endometriosis "occurs when fragments of the womb lining are found in other parts of the body where they may swell, bleed, and lead to fusing and scarring." Fragments are generally found in the abdomen, but can be found in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and bowel -- even as far away as the lungs. And, it can cause infertility -- between 30 and 40 percent of women with endometriosis are unable to conceive.

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Did you know your man may not be as fertile as his father was? Numerous studies conducted over the past 20 years indicate that sperm counts in human males, as well as alligators, are on the decline. And more and more fish are becoming hermaphrodites. The average sperm count is as follows:

Volume - 2-6 ml
Density - > 20-200 million ml
Motility - > 60% motile

However, according to scientific literature on sperm counts, these values are decreasing at a steady pace. Sperm counts are not only decreasing, but the average sperm volumes are showing a greater proportion of deformed spermatozoa that have reduced motility. This is not only an American phenomenon; it is occurring globally. Scientists hypothesize the change is indicative of environmental and/or lifestyle factors as opposed to genetic changes in susceptibility.

If the decrease in sperm counts continue to decline at the rate at which they have been in the past 10 years, the human race may be subject to widespread male infertility. Scientists have ideas as to why this is occurring, but they have not conclusive findings to actually provide preventative measures.

What are your thoughts? How do you think the human race will evolve to in order to survive?

Cell phones have been accused of causing brain tumors, hearing loss, even making you look older, and now we can add one more thing to the list. Researchers who have been looking at the effect of electromagnetic waves of sperm cells and have had some interesting results. In the group of men studied, as reported cell phone use increased, the number and quality of their sperm went down.

Before you ban your man from using his mobile, keep in mind that these results are very, very preliminary. To quote one author, "We are not saying that mobile phones affect fertility." More research needs to be done before anyone can definitively what these results mean.

It never hurts to do a little review on a topic that affects so many women, and some men too. The topic: Anorexia.

Anorexia Nervosa, a type of eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and leading to a restriction of food and dangerous weight loss, is one serious disease -- between one and two of every 10 cases of anorexia leads to death from starvation, cardiac arrest, medical complications, or suicide.

Anorexia can halt the physical and emotional growth of teenagers and can lead to premature osteoporosis, infertility, increased risk of miscarriage, and low-birth-weight babies. Anorexia may be especially deadly for women with insulin-dependent diabetes if they omit or under-use insulin to control their weight.

A doctor once told me that there are so many pieces that have to fall into place, so many small details that have to line up perfectly, that it's a wonder anyone gets pregnant at all. He didn't tell me that to discourage me, but instead to explain that there are so many factors to fertility, beyond the obvious ones. If you're having trouble conceiving and have no clinical signs of infertility, check out this article on how to improve your fertility. They include:

• stop smoking
• reduce stress
• get enough of the right nutrition
• lose weight
• consider certain natural fertility boosters (check with your doctor first)
• avoid foods with pesticides
• get enough sleep

In some cases, those tips are derived from studies that are small or only seem to indicate a link, so take a minute to read the full article and decide what is right for you before making any changes.

Infertility is a heartbreaking issue for anyone who's experienced it. Though there are costly medications and procedures to help, there are also a number of natural steps that a couple or individual can take to increase their chances of conceiving. Hence the appeal of yoga fertility classes, which use poses and practices thought to increase fertility.

Though there's little scientific evidence to show that yoga can help aid conception, I believe it can simply because it can relieve stress and calm one's mind. When a woman is trying to get pregnant while listening to the deafening ticking of her biological clock, she is stressed out, worried and all-too focuses on the task at hand. While I'm no expert, I think that yoga can help put things in perspective and help ease the pressure of anticipation.

What do you think?

I saw something on my local morning show that kind of got me worried this morning -- it was about how drinking from plastic bottles can be dangerous because the type of plastic used in them can emit toxins. Now, I am a water-aholic and I am rarely seen without my Nalgene bottle. It's my way of ensuring that I get my 64-oz of water a day.

The ingredient in plastic that's dangerous is called polycarbonate and most plastics have it -- even tin cans and baby bottles have polycarbonate. Poly carbonates have been linked to infertility problems and miscarriages, as well as other problems. You can tell if your bottle has polycarbonate by checking the bottom -- if it read PC near the recycle symbol, it's in there. So what can you do? Drink from glass or stainless steel bottles. And if this isn't an option because of kids, many stores carry polycarbonate-free plastics.

What do you think -- is this paranoid mumbo-jumbo, or should I be afraid?

Merck has stopped promoting the mandatory use of Gardasil that targets the human papillomavirus (HPV). It's probably no coincidence that their turn-around comes at the same time that reports from the National Vaccine Information Center are surfacing about fainting and dizziness reported by dozens of patients as side effects of Gardasil. There are also some concerns that Gardasil may cause infertility.

An early version of the Virginia house bill contained a clause addressing liability issues "if a female who is inoculated with the HPV vaccine becomes incapable of naturally conceiving a healthy child carried to live birth or experiences impaired fertility as a result of the HPV vaccine".

Legislators got that idea because the vaccine contains Polysorbate 80, which is linked to infertility in mice. The Merck HPV vaccine also contains sodium borate which is a common roach killer in each of its three doses. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health notes of sodium borate that it "is now known to be a dangerous poison, it is no longer commonly used in medical preparations." That was published in 2005. Yet the FDA in 2006 approved the Merck vaccine with this "dangerous poison" to be "commonly used" in these vaccinations. The symptoms of sodium borate poisoning according to the NLM citation include many of the side effects being reported after less than six months of the vaccine usage. These include convulsions, collapse, and seizures that include twitching of facial muscles, arms, hands, legs, and feet.

How many of these young women taking this vaccine will find out that they are barren 10 to 15 years down the road and what will their options be if they are forced to take this drug because of legislation mandates?

I don't know what to make of this: US researchers found during a comprehensive study that women who eat more full-fat dairy products, including ice cream, improve their chances of pregnancy. It seems almost too good to be true: eat ice cream to increase fertility. That sound you here is thousands of women clamoring for their freezer, finally given permission to eat their favorite guilty pleasure...without the guilt.

Low and no fat dairy products have a whey protein added to them that may have male hormone effects in women, suppressing ovulation. Full fat dairy products have higher levels of estrogen, a female hormone, which may increase the chances of ovulation. Full fat dairy has been getting more press lately, and with the addition of this study, whole milk may officially be not just for toddlers anymore.

On the other hand, thousands of women who are overweight are told to lose weight to increase their chances of ovulating, and women who have PCOS are told to avoid sugary treats due to insulin resistance. So if you decide to add full fat dairy back into your diet, make sure you make the necessary adjustments, because you'll be adding calories and saturated fat, as well as sugar if you decide to go for the ice cream. Adding in fat and calories mean you'll have to reduce them elsewhere to avoid gaining weight. Mmmm...ice cream!

Here's some surprising news from the infertility arena -- a recent study has found that the old standby drug clomiphene (Clomid) actually works better than diabetes drug metformin for treating PCOS-related fertility problems.

PCOS -- or polycystic ovarian syndrome -- is the leading cause of infertility today. Among the syndrome's symptoms are obesity and insulin resistance, as well as irregular ovulation and menstrual cycles. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that women with PCOS who take metformin ovulate on a more regular basis, so for several years the drug has been prescribed off label to women suffering from infertility. The old fashioned clomiphene looked to be on its way out, but this recent study may put it back into the spotlight.

Women in the study were divided into three groups. One group took only clomiphene, a second took only metformin, and a third took both. The group that took metformin alone had a live birth rate of 7% while the group that took clomiphene had a live birth rate that reached 22%. Interestingly, the group that took both drugs had a higher ovulation rate than the other two groups, but their birth rate was not significantly higher, leading researchers to believe that all ovulation is not created equal.

Though the clomiphene group was more successful, their success rate was still only 1 in 5, making it clear that more PCOS research is necessary to understand this syndrome and its role in infertility.

Trans fats are the new "out" food, if you can even call them a food. Found mostly in fried and processed foods due to their hydrogenated fat content, trans fats have been found to be a culprit in increased heart disease.

But if you are a woman of childbearing age who would like to conceive, a new study shows that you'll have even more reason to avoid trans fats. It seems that by having just 2% of your total calories from trans fats, it can cause a 73% increase in ovulation-related fertility.

What? That's huge! I bet it is not hard to eat 2% of trans fats if you go out to dinner often or use margarine or packaged foods. This list of the top ten trans fat foods should help you to reduce the amount of trans fats in your diet.

Not too long ago, fellow That's Fit blogger Martha Edwards posted about foods that can help or hinder fertility. Maybe decreasing trans fats and increasing oysters could be your recipe for success.

Happy baby-making, and here's to healthy eating!

If you're a snacker or eater of trans fat-containing foods (partially hydrogenated oils, for one), you may be getting less fertile as a result, according to a new stipend of research.

The new research stated that cutting or eliminating trans fats from the diet may be especially important for women of childbearing age who want to have kids.

It's well-known that eating foods containing trans fats is very damaging to one's health -- a fact that is undisputed. Many food companies and even cities and restaurant chains are getting rid of the dangerous fats as the public finds out just how bad their effects can be. Add possible infertility to that list now.