New Virginia Travel Guide Offers Up Love for Vacations

Richmond, VA (PRWEB) December 21, 2011

The Virginia Tourism Corporation has just released the 2012 Virginia Travel Guide with new destinations, family favorites, wineries and attractions that put love at the heart of every Virginia vacation. New features this year include vacation ideas for all four seasons, a special section on small towns, scenic drives and a listing of the newest attractions to open in Virginia. The guide is full of trip inspirations and travel resources that make planning a vacation to Virginia easy. Visitors can request a free copy of the 2012 Virginia Travel Guide in print or electronic form by going to http://www.Virginia.org or calling 1-800-VISITVA.

Highlights of the 2012 Virginia Travel Guide include:

????Details on the newest attractions and experiences in Virginia including the Patsy Cline Museum in Winchester, new wineries, the Golden Eagle Tree House at Primland, and the upcoming OpSail Virginia 2012 event.
????The best places for families to spend time together including beaches, kid-friendly resorts, exciting museums and camping adventures.
????An entire section dedicated to Virginia?s many beaches, where families can spend a memorable vacation playing in the sand along Virginia?s 3,000 miles of coastline.
????Inspiring scenic drives that traverse Virginia?s beautiful landscape from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Colonial Parkway and the newly designated Journey Through Hallowed Ground.
????The latest on wine travel in Virginia at the state?s more than 200 wineries.
????Historical highlights including the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War and Emancipation.
????Small town treasures such as old-fashion soda fountains, hardware stores and farmers markets.
????Vacation ideas for each of the four seasons.
????Four different cover designs feature Heartwood in Abingdon, Sandbridge in Virginia Beach, the Bluemont General Store in Loudoun County and Fort Monroe in Hampton.

Love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation. Visit http://www.Virginia.org to request a free 2012 Virginia is for Lovers travel guide or call 1-800-VISITVA for more information. Follow Virginia tourism on Twitter at @VisitVirginia and on Facebook at Facebook.com/VirginiaisforLovers.

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Thyroid and Fertility: Attain Fertility Center Expert Offers Information and Advice For A Healthy Pregnancy

Purchase, NY (PRWEB) January 25, 2012

Thyroid issues can be blatantly obvious or invisible. Either way, thyroid problems can be a factor in fertility issues for women trying to get pregnant. Many women who are having trouble conceiving may not know that a thyroid problem is at the root of their fertility issues. Dr. Susan L. Treiser, a reproductive endocrinologist, co-founder and co-director of IVF New Jersey, an Attain Fertility? Center, sees this situation often and offers information and advice to women.

There are two basic thyroid categories, Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid. Women who are having difficulty getting pregnant and recognize any of the symptoms should see a specialist right away.

Hyperthyroid symptoms include:

????Weight loss, trouble maintaining weight
????Trouble sleeping
????Mood swings, feeling nervous and irritable.
????Rapid and irregular heartbeat
????Feeling hot

Hypothyroid symptoms include:

????Trouble losing weight; easy weight gain
????Feeling sluggish and depressed
????Constipation
????Aching joints and muscles
????Feeling cold

In addition, one of the most common symptoms of both Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid is an irregular menstrual cycle which can be an indicator of infertility.

Dr. Treiser suggests that even if women don?t have any of the symptoms, a simple thyroid test performed by an endocrinologist will help rule out possible causes of infertility. The test will determine whether too much or not enough Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is being produced. TSH triggers the thyroid to produce two different hormones, T3 and T4. When the thyroid produces too much (hyperthyroid) or too little (hypothyroid) of these hormones thyroid problems can occur, including fertility problems.

One culprit in cases of hyperthyroidism that can lead to infertility and other health issues is having too much iodine in your diet. ?The thyroid gland needs a certain amount of dietary iodine to keep it healthy,? explains Dr. Treiser. ?Found in regular table salt and other food sources, too much iodine can lead to a hyperthyroid. Conversely, on rare occasions, low iodine in a diet can lead to a hypothyroid.?

Whether hyper- or hypothyroid, under the care of a fertility specialist, women have very good chances of becoming pregnant. ?There are risks and being monitored by a specialist throughout the pregnancy is extremely important,? said Dr. Treiser. ?Women who are hyperthyroid may run the risk of having a low birth-weight baby or have problems with pre-term labor. Those with a hypothyroid may have a higher risk of miscarrying. The bottom line is that women with any type of thyroid issue need to work with a fertility specialist and be monitored regularly to ensure a healthy pregnancy.?

About IntegraMed America, Inc.

IntegraMed is a leader in developing, marketing and managing specialty outpatient healthcare facilities, with a current focus on the fertility and vein care markets. IntegraMed supports its provider networks with clinical and business information systems, marketing and sales, facilities and operations management, finance and accounting, human resources, legal, risk management, quality assurance, and fertility treatment financing programs.

Attain Fertility? Centers, (http://attainfertility.com/ ) an IntegraMed Specialty, offers the nation?s largest fertility center network, with 14 company-managed partner centers and 24 affiliate centers, comprising over 130 locations across 32 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly one of every four IVF procedures in the U.S. is performed in an Attain Fertility Centers network practice.

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