Fertility Road Issue 14

F E R T I L I T Y R O A D
N E W S , V I E W S & R E V I E W S
INTERNATIONAL
YEAR OF QUINOA
YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT EATING A NUTRITIOUS
diet and living a healthy lifestyle is a great way to up
your odds of conceiving. One of these fertility friendly
foods is quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) which has been
singled out as having high nutritive values and also a
great source of protein.
It has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild,
slightly nutty flavour makes for a great alternative to
white rice or couscous. Once considered a junk crop by
the Spanish conquistadors, quinoa now comes with an
air of gourmet, once available only in health-food stores
and high-end groceries, this superfood has now found its
place on the supermarket shelves.
So popular is this grain, that the UN has now declared
2013 to be the ‘International Year of Quinoa’ and is
hoping quinoa can play an important role in eradicating
hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
For more info please visit www.fao.org/quinoa-2013
Official figures show that in the past decade, a total
of 4,899 children have been born following fertility
treatment either to single women or lesbian couples.
Which amounts to more than three births every day.
THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN BORN WITHOUT A FATHER IN THE UK THROUGH FERTILITY TREATMENT
BOOK REVIEW
DELIVERING
HOPE
The Extraordinary Journey
of a Surrogate Mom
by Pamela MacPhee
TEN YEARS AGO, PAMELA MACPHEE OFFERED TO BECOME
her very own human biology experiment by carrying a baby
for her cousin’s wife, who was devastated by infertility from
cervical cancer. She went on to successfully deliver Hope, a
healthy baby girl in May of 2000. Delivering Hope tells the
story with all its highs and lows, stresses and happiness of
a surrogate Mum. Previously published in 2009 it is now
available on kindle and is a must-read for all those considering
surrogacy, not only to better prepare them for the journey
ahead, but to gain an insight into what offering the gift of a
life can mean to couples who are unable to conceive.
Available on Kindle from Amazon.co.uk
MEN’S BODY
ODOUR IS A
TURN-ON
FOR WOMEN
RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
California, Berkeley, have discovered that a
compound found in male sweat can cause
a number of emotional and physiological
changes in women. The male chemical
androstadienone in sweat was found to
regulate menstrual cycles and increase
the release of luteinizing hormone,
which plays an important role in
stimulating ovulation. The male
underarm odour also activates
certain brain areas, improving
woman’s mood and sexual arousal.
08 | WWW.FERTILITYROAD.COM | APRIL - MAY 2013