Balance work and family

Sabrina is a single, 29-year old woman struggling with the issue of family and career. "I am thinking about going to pharmacy school, and you know it takes 6 years to finish pharmacy school. Do you think it's too late, or people do this kind of thing? Actually, I don't want to be single by the time I'm 35-36, but I see many women that delay relationships and marriage for the sake of their education and jobs. I would like a loving family, but I have the impression that if you decide to study something like pharmacy, you don't have time for anything else like dating and family? Please help me decide," she writes.

The good thing about modern America is that you can do literally anything at any age. Plus, you do not have to wait to finish your pharmacy program to get married. You can get married while you are a student and continue your education.

In any case, if you want to wait to get married till you finish the program, yes, I agree it will be late because by that time all good guys are already married (since you are not in a relationship right now, this is important) or very few single men left. A woman's fertility also drops in her late 30s and is much harder to get pregnant in your 40s in case you decide to enjoy a few years of your marriage without children. But if you like pharmacy and think that you would love to have a career in that, then go ahead and do it - I am sure that you will find some guy in the meantime and get married while you are still a student. Yes, it is hard to have a husband and children and also go to school but many women do it and so can you.

Raise sperm count by avoiding soy foods

When a woman tries to get pregnant, especially in her 40s, and it is difficult to conceive, the couple might not approach a reproductive specialist. Technically, after 12 months of trying, a couple may be able to seek infertility treatment. In that case, a series of tests will be done and the doctors will tell you what to do.

While couples can choose to do an in-home fertility test called Fertell, it may not give you all the answers. For instance, the sperm count can have a big role to play. Alcohol or drug abuse, obesity, unhealthy diet, stress, and depression are some of the reasons that lower sperm count, a latest study suggests that eating soy products may also drastically lower sperm count.

For obvious reasons, it is a controversial study. Asians consume a lot of soyabeans but to the best of my knowledge there is no fertility crisis in Asia. On the contrary, that is still the region with the fastest growing population.

So should you stop eating soy?

Unless you have strong reasons to eat it, I would suggest that it is a minor dietary change that you can easily make. If you eat animal products, you can get your protein that way. If you are a vegetarian, you can get your protein from beans.

How to improve chances of pregnancy?

Believe it or not but even a woman at the prime or her reproductive years (late teens and early 20s) does not have a 100% possibility of getting pregnant. The probability keeps dropping and it is nearly impossible to get pregnant in your 40s. Women like Michelle Duggar are rare and it is also believed that Nancy Grace did not get pregnant naturally.

While the egg quality drops with age, many women of advanced maternal age also find that they cannot accurately measure their ovulation - a key to getting pregnant. Measuring basal temperature or doing an ovulation test helps but they are not 100% reliable.

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Scientists have now been able to confirm that women subconsciously notice they are ovulating and change their behavior as well. For example, women will dress more provocatively during this period. So as a man you will notice that change in your spouse right away but as a woman if you feel yourself reaching out to a pair of thongs or lace boy shorts or going braless, you know it is time to invite your man to the bedroom.

Other changes that anyone can notice during ovulation are changes in facial feature, sense of smell, and waist to hip ratio.

How to get pregnant after 40?

Getting pregnant after 40 is not easy, if impossible. A woman's fertility drops significantly chances of miscarriage and birth defects explode. While there are some cures for infertility, and doctors can try assisted reproductive therapy (ART) procedures like IUI and IVF, the probability of a live birth is low.

One woman who has beaten the odds is Halle Berry (It seems that Nancy Grace did not get pregnant naturally). A negative pregnancy test is a very emotional moment for any woman trying to get pregnant but she saved all of them for some strange reason. After 35 tests, she got a positive test.

So what is the takeaway from the story of Halle Berry?

"While I was trying to get pregnant, we tried really hard, so it was a lot of staying home and just doing what you do," she told Oprah. In other words, since the probability is low, the best way to increase it to have sex more often and monitor your ovulation closely.