07/09/2011 by Sarah Holland.

I realise that you may feel in need of emotional support as you try to conceive through fertility issues. You need support that’s effective, works quickly and can bring you the peace of mind and positive thinking that you know is so vital to supporting your fertility.

Perhaps you’ve heard about how successful EFT is at dramatically reducing negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, worry and fear. But you’re not sure how to learn it or apply it to your own unique situation, and achieve the positive results in your emotional well-being and mindset that you know would be SO beneficial.Well here’s the good news! I have developed a low cost, fast working solution to help yo u switch your thinking from negative to positive, and support you in a multitude of ways as you try to conceive your baby.I know what an emotional roller coaster it can be when you have fertility issues, and I’d like to invite you now to take my hand as a support you stepping off the roller coaster and on to a much smoother, easier to navigate path.What am I talking about? Click below to find out!http://www.fertilemindset.com/inner-saboteur
Don’t delay in clicking above and making a decision whether to sign up. There are only limited spaces available, and the ‘early bird’ booking price ends soon. PLUS if you’re one of the next few to sign up you’ll be able to grab one of the remaining chances to have a private one-to-one telephone session with me, to work on a key emotional issue for you.

Posted in Life Coaching, fertility coach, Fertility & stress, Fertility Tips, Fertility Experts, Alternative medicine, Guest blogger, Asking for help, Infertility & Stress, Stress & IVf, Stress & Infertility, Stress & Fertility, EFT and Fertility, EFT, Special Offers, Support for infertility, Running on empty, Fertility Services, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Stress, Getting Pregnant, Fertility, Infertility, Trying to Conceive, Fertility Advice, Positive Living, female fertility, Self care, doing things differently, Loving yourself, lifestyle and fertility, Stress relief, Friendship & support, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | 3 Comments »

19/05/2011 by amymarner.

Birth Preparation

Relaxation For Pregnancy and Childbirth

Life Upgrade for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Maternity Leave

Feels funny calling this a Spring newsletter with this fantastic warm weather we are having!  I hope you have all had a chance to enjoy the sunshine.

Birth Preparation

I have now begun to support women in preparing for their birthing experience.  As some of you already know I am keen to support women to have a positive birthing experience and now, as well as providing positive birthing stories, I am also offering Tracy Holloway’s ‘Relaxation for Pregnancy and Childbirth’ Hypnosis CDs and Life Upgrade sessions for those women who wish to address their fears during pregnancy and childbirth.

Relaxation For Pregnancy and Childbirth

“By taking time to relax deeply, women can tap into their innate wisdom, trust their birthing body, remain calm and feel confident – throughout pregnancy and birth.” Tracy Holloway.  For more details about the benefits of these Hypnosis CDs please visit my website. 

Life Upgrade for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Life Upgrade is a great for women who have fears about pregnancy and/or childbirth.  It is an effective system for addressing fears and allowing women to live in the moment happily without letting their worries take over. 

Life Upgrade is helpful for any fears, which pregnancy and childbirth can bring up however I have experience working with women who fear miscarriage, have fears surrounding the birth, and fears that may arise for those who are pregnant due to IVF treatment. 

It’s also a great system for use during labour to remain focused and in the moment clearing any fears that may come up.  What’s more the tools are extremely helpful for the parenting to come!

My Website has more details:

Maternity Leave

As I am currently 8 Months pregnant I am planning to take some time out from clients as soon as my baby is born.  I will be back in October 2011.  If you know someone who you feel needs some support before I am back feel free to get in touch as I do have a couple of excellent practitioners I can refer them to. 

In the meantime the Hypnosis and Meditation CDs will still be available from my website.

Click here for Life Upgrade meditations  

Click here for Fertility Solutions Hypnosis CDs 

Click here for Pregnancy and Childbirth Hypnosis

Posted in Fertility Blogger, Fertility Blog, Self Coaching, fertility coach, Support for infertility, Infertility blogs, Meditation, Meditation & Fertility, Infertility blogger, Hypnosis, Birth Coaching, Hypnotherapy, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Fertility, childbirth, Pregnancy, female fertility, Self care, Fertility Experts, Guest blogger, Fertility Services, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | 1 Comment »

09/12/2010 by amymarner.

Fertility Solutions was developed by Tracy Holloway as a whole person programme to support couples going through Fertility difficulties.

Experiencing fertility problems is one of the most stressful experiences to go through.  What is more a lot of people do not understand what it is like for couples experiencing problems.  Often couples who have been planning for a baby for years are asked “When are you going to start a family?”  This can only add to the stress, particularly if the couple have decided not to tell others about their fertility challenges.  What is more high stress levels are known to reduce the chances of conception so it is very important for couples to reduce their stress levels as best they can.

Fertility Solutions aims to give couples their best chance of conceiving by supporting them through the ups and downs of their fertility journey.  The programme includes Hypnosis, lifestyle support and a minimum of six sessions of Life Upgrade.

Hypnosis:

Hypnosis is a natural state that we all enter daily.  It’s those times when your imagination is active, so watching a film or reading a book.  If you are immersed in the story and your imagination is involved that is hypnosis.  You are completely in control and free to leave it at anytime.  Our subconscious does not know the difference between our imagination and reality so we can use our imagination to access the subconscious and create what we want in our lives.

Using hypnosis is a great way to address fertility, because we can access our imagination and address what is going on in our subconscious.  For example we may have spent years trying not to get pregnant, our subconscious may not have caught up with our new plans to start a family so using the imagination we can show the subconscious what we really want and it can catch up.  This then supports our body to conceive.

We may often have negative thoughts running through our minds, worry creating more worry and affecting our well-being.  Our negative thoughts can affect our hormonal balance but with hypnosis it is possible to bring them back to a healthy equilibrium therefore supporting conception.

Fertility Solutions hypnosis CDs have been developed by Tracy Holloway (a qualified hypnotherapist and renowned fertility specialist) in order to prepare the subconscious mind for conception.  The powerful CDs begin with deep relaxation; this prepares your mind for suggestion and supports you to release stress.  Once you have listened for at least a week to the first CD you can move on to the next.  Each one brings you relaxation and prepares the body for conception.  Some are designed specifically for those who are planning to conceive naturally, others support assisted conception and there are also CDs for those who have experienced miscarriage and fear their body cannot support a healthy baby.

These powerful CDs go hand in hand with the Fertility Solutions Programme but can also be very effective in their own right.

Lifestyle Support:

The Fertility Solutions Programme also provides advice and support on lifestyle.  For example I recommend that clients stop smoking and drinking alcohol in order to get their bodies in the best place for conception.  I will also make suggestions about diet and supplements to support fertility.  I recommend organic food as much as possible to reduce the residue toxins in the body and increase the nutrients in the diet.  For Couples with specific physical symptoms effecting fertility I may recommend certain supplements to support their body’s health.  Some people find these changes difficult and if this is the case then at least one of their Life Upgrade sessions will be dedicated to supporting graceful, effective and lasting change.

Life Upgrade:

Rather than an alternative therapy, Life Upgrade is a system which allows you to become more present in your day-to-day life.  It gives you simple tools that release negative thoughts running through your conscious and subconscious mind which have such an impact on the way you feel.  Letting go of those thoughts supports your well-being as a whole, physically and emotionally, as when we are in the present moment our body and mind is free from the distractions that create ill health and unhappiness.  The beauty of it is it is truly empowering; you are the one in control, you can deal with those thoughts and emotions as they come up rather than having to wait for your next session with a practitioner.

So how does it work?

Whatever is running in our subconscious mind affects the reality we experience.  The old programmes that are running are taken on by our subconscious mind because it think we need them to survive.  Some of those programmes are our own (from our childhood experiences for example) others have been passed down from our ancestors.

So here’s a simplified example; say one of my relatives had a bad experience at school, their teacher punished them for something they didn’t do.  Let’s say they got caned as a part of that punishment.  As an attempt to stop this happening again their subconscious mind took on the programme ‘Teachers can’t be trusted’.  This gets passed down the generations to me.  So I’m running the old programme ‘Teachers can’t be trusted’ I have no conscious knowledge of this programme nor of the events that took place to create it however it is there in the background as I go through life.

So every interaction I have with teachers in my lifetime is going to have alarm bells going of in my subconscious mind ‘Teacher’s can’t be trusted!’ therefore I will be searching for examples of this, on high alert for untrustworthy things teachers might do to protect myself from harm.  I am likely to misunderstand events as examples of untrustworthy teachers, which will only reinforce the programme I am already running.  I will certainly find it impossible to fully trust a teacher with all that going on in my subconscious.

Say I could clear that old programme so it no longer gets in the way?  Say I could completely delete it so that I can begin to interact with teachers and see them for who they really are?  Using Life Upgrade tools makes this possible.  Once I recognise that I am unhappy with my interaction with teachers I can clear the old programmes quickly and easily.  (I don’t even need to know what the old programmes are.)  What’s more it’s so simple you can do it yourself as you go about your daily business.  Each time you observe something that you want to change you just get out your tool box and change it!  I find that really exciting!

Life Upgrade tools make it easy to get back to the moment because they deal with the old programmes in your subconscious mind that distracted you from the moment in the first place.  What’s more in clearing these old programmes you are less likely to be distracted next time.  So Life Upgrade doesn’t just support you to get back into the present it also makes it easier to live in the moment, as each time you use the tools you are clearing old programmes that you no longer need.  Not only is this extremely helpful for those going through a long fertility journey, it is also useful for parenthood.

Who is Fertility Solutions Suitable For?

Fertility Solutions is suitable for anyone who is on their fertility journey and would like to support themselves to cope better from day-to-day.  It is suitable for those who are experiencing ‘unexplained infertility’, those with physical symptoms which are effecting their fertility (e.g. Polycystic Ovaries, Endometriosis, Fibroids and other complaints) and those who are going through medical intervention.  It is suitable for those who simply wish to improve their reproductive health and those who have decided to end their fertility journey and wish to live a fulfilling life without children. For more details click here for my website or contact me to book your Free Initial consultation.

Posted in Asking for help, Infertility & Stress, Fertility & stress, Hypnotherapy, Fertility Tips, Fertility Blogger, Support for infertility, Hypnosis, Stress & Fertility, Stress & Infertility, Stress & IVf, Fertility Experts, Guest blogger, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Fertility, Infertility, Trying to Conceive, Stress, Womens Health, Fertility Services, doing things differently, Self care, Stress relief, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | 1 Comment »

13/10/2010 by positivelycalm.

Hi - this is my first post, so figured the best place for me to start was with my own journey.

Which in itself is a little bit scary, as in a place that is helping people who are finding it hard, I don’t want to be seen as a bit smug and insensitive to say that we caught the first time we started trying. Which we did.

However, our ttc was subject to quite a delay.

We planned to start ttc July 07  and felt that we were ready to see where we ended up.

However, in the January, I was signed off work due to infections and stress related to a family situation. Just as I was then about to go back to work, my sister took her own life and I was thrown into a world that before I had only seen in films.  Between march and may, I attended 3 funeral of close relatives.  I was working as a teacher, which of course is not known for being a stress free job, and with feeling isolated by friends, some of whom thought I would be “over it” by now, I found that I was in a constant state of stress and was also starting to lose my hair. It was definately no way to begin pregnancy so we decided to hold off, even though we really wanted to start our family. I knew my body - and mind- were just not up to it.  There was little available in terms of GP or councelling support, so in the end I started investigating alternative means of help.  I decided to have some Reiki treatments as a friend had previously practised on me in her training and found a local practitioner. ( I will blog more about this later). This really did help me relax -I had time to myself, to allow the positive energies involved in the Reiki to help me release the negative emotions that I needed to release. Through this, I started becoming aware of my own need to change. That I needed to do more exercise and to over all improve my physical and mental health. I had also been considering starting yoga classes, so when a children’s yoga teacher came to work with the children at school, I took my chance to give it a try.

After one session, I felt so energised and positive, I decided i wanted to join an adult class and really start finding out how good I could feel. I joined in with the class for a few more weeks and found i just felt better- more relaxed yet energised-each time.

In the mean time, I was feeling a lot brighter in myself, and for the want of a better word, human again, so we decided to ditch the contraception and start trying. I did check out where I was in my cycle, having been tracking it monthly and then using an online calculator to find out roughly when I was fertile but thought well, it could take a while so lets live for today and see what happens.

And, yes, we caught probably first or second time. I was convinced that it couldn’t be, having been so stressed for so long, yet there was the line on the stick telling me it was a bfp.

So I investigated antenatal yoga instead. When I got chatting to my yoga teachers, it turned out that yoga is often linked to the idea of helping with pregnancy. It is known to balance the mind, body and spirit, so perhaps adjusts the body internally too and gets parts set that things can just naturally “fall into place”. It also appears to be a common occurence that females who are training to be antenatal yoga teachers fall pregnant during the course, probably due to learning all the best practises to assist the body during pregnancy. Either way, I felt very strongly that the yoga really made a big difference, not least because i was so relaxed.

This is my little story, one that I am convinced was aided by the alternative paths I went down. I hope one day I  will become an adult yoga teacher as well and will be able to help  others on their path with yoga.

I have  been drawn to using Reiki in the fertility field as i feel that this too can make a remarkable difference, something i have already witnessed happen with a client. I am not saying that Reiki gets you pregnant, but it can definately help you relax.  And the relaxation part is something that comes up time and time again in relation to fertility.

I will continue to blog at another time and explain more about how I feel Reiki can help with fertility, with the aim that others will benefit from what I have experienced and what Reiki has to offer. And if neither of these things actually does help with the physical act of getting pregnant, it certainly doesn’t do the mental health of the mummy to be - or daddy to be- for that matter, any harm at all.

Namaste

Posted in Guest blogger, Fertility & stress, Fertility Blogger, doing things differently, female fertility, Fertility, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Getting Pregnant, Trying to Conceive | Print | 1 Comment »

12/09/2010 by amymarner.

My Fertility Solutions sessions no longer contain Theta Healing I now use Life Upgrade with all my Fertility clients.  If you have read some of my other blogs you may well be wondering why I have made this change.

What Life Upgrade has done for me.

I have adapted the way I work because of my own experiences and what I have found to be helpful for myself.  I have found Life Upgrade transformational in supporting my own well being and reproductive health.  I have successfully used Life Upgrade in my day-to-day life to lower my stress levels.  Not only has Life Upgrade helped me reduce stress it has also improved my physical health.  I have Endometriosis and up until recently have experienced debilitating pain for 1-3 days each month.  I have found that through using Life Upgrade tools I can manage my pain.  I am now able to be active on those days when formerly I would have been unable to move.  I have seen such a dramatic shift in the pain I experience I firmly believe it is possible for me to experience a period without pain if I continue to use Life Upgrade tools.

So What is Life Upgrade?

Rather than an alternative therapy, Life Upgrade is a system which allows you to become more present in your day-to-day life.  It gives you simple tools that support the release of negative thoughts running through your conscious and subconscious mind which have such an impact on the way you feel.  Letting go of those thoughts and feelings allows you to move forward and live your life, whatever else is going on.  In doing this you are also supporting your well-being as a whole, physically and emotionally, as when we are in the present moment our body and mind is free from the distractions that create ill health and unhappiness.  The beauty of it is it is truly empowering; you are the one in control, you can deal with those thoughts and emotions as they come up rather than having to wait for your next session with a practitioner.

What does this mean for Fertility Solutions?

The framework for the Fertility Solutions is still the same.  There is a Free Initial Consultation so I can assess your needs followed by six sessions specifically designed for you as an individual.  Through each session I will guide you through Life Upgrade tools to support your health and well-being.  From the first planned session you will be able to take home the basic tools and use them in your own time.  Using the Life Upgrade tools consistently will transform your Fertility Journey so you can continue to live your life and find enjoyment, what is more living in the moment increases your chances of conception.  The programme still involves hypnosis CDs to support your Fertility Journey.

Who is Fertility Solutions Suitable For?

Fertility Solutions is suitable for anyone who is on their fertility journey and would like to support themselves to cope better from day-to-day.  It is suitable for those who are experiencing ‘unexplained infertility’ and those with physical symptoms which are effecting their fertility (e.g. Polycystic Ovaries, Endometriosis, Fibroids and other complaints).  It is suitable for those who simply wish to improve their reproductive health and those who have decided to end their fertility journey and wish to live a fulfilling life without children. For more details click here for my website.

Posted in Fertility & stress, Self Coaching, Hypnotherapy, Fertility Blog, Infertility & Stress, Support for infertility, Fertility Blogger, Guest blogger, doing things differently, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Natural Fertility Methods, Stress, Womens Health, Self care, Stress relief, Blogroll | Print | 1 Comment »

25/08/2010 by amymarner.

This question has come up a few times in conversation with people lately so I thought I would write about it in this blog.

It’s a relevant question but one that is difficult to answer because it depends on your criteria for success.  I cannot use pregnancy rates to gauge success because not all my clients want to become pregnant as a result of their sessions (some come to me for their reproductive health, rather than to conceive).  I can say that all the clients I have had have reported back that they have felt better in some way.

Those coming to me for reproductive health, Fibroids or Endometriosis for example, have told me they have noticed a shift in their symptoms after their sessions.

After specialising in Fertility Solutions for just over a year 3 of the women I have worked with are now pregnant or have had their baby.  One of these women listened to the hypnosis CDs alone the others also had Theta Healing.

Some of the women I have been working with are still planning to conceive and some of those have chosen to use medical intervention.  However all the women who are still planning for their babies have said that the programme has supported them to cope on their Fertility Journey in some way.  Some have said they are less stressed, others find they are no longer upset about seeing other women with babies and I have also supported women to feel at peace with past abortions or miscarriages.

So Fertility Solutions is not just about pregnancy rates, it is about enhancing reproductive health, supporting the over all well-being and in doing so it also gives couples their best chance of conception.

I offer a free initial consultation so you can find out if Fertility Solutions is the right choice for you. Contact me for more details.

Posted in Fertility Blog, Fertility & stress, Infertility & Stress, Fertility Blogger, Stress & IVf, Support for infertility, Fertility Experts, Guest blogger, Fertility, Trying to Conceive, Stress, Getting Pregnant, Fertility Services, Stress relief, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | 3 Comments »

06/07/2010 by amymarner.

As a Fertility Solutions Practitioner I am trained to specialise in the area of Reproductive Health.  Clients come to me when they are planning to conceive however I also get clients who simply wish to improve their reproductive health.

Fertility Solutions has been specifically developed to explore issues which effect reproductive health including Endometriosis.

When working with a client who has Endometriosis I will explore the subconscious beliefs effecting the symptoms.  Having been trained by Tracy Holloway, a renowned Fertility Specialist, I have her suggestions from years of experience working in this area. However each session is unique as it is designed to meet the needs of the individual.  Once the unhelpful beliefs have been found it is possible to release them using Theta Healing.

Fertility Solutions promotes relaxation, using hypnosis, which supports the healing process.  It is also possible to get pregnant with Endometriosis by addressing the symptoms and increasing the chances of conception.  By healing the mind you heal the body.

Fertility Solutions can help the symptoms of Endometriosis including (but not exclusively):

Pelvic pain (Chronic)

‘Infertility’

Endometriosis and bladder pain

Endometriosis and bowel pain

Painful intercourse

Irregular bleeding

Cysts

Spotting (bleeding before period is due)

Heavy periods

Extreme tiredness

Endometriosis adhesions

Ovarian endometriosis

Fertility Solutions is a simple yet effective programme which aims to give clients their best chance of conception by addressing the whole person including physical symptoms like Endometreosis.  I am experienced in working in the area of Reproductive Health and am sensitive to the individual needs of my clients.  Contact me for your Free Initial Consultation to find out if  Fertility Solutions is right for you.

Posted in Theta Healing, Endometriosis, Endometriosis & infertility, Support for infertility, Fertility Blogger, doing things differently, Guest blogger, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 1 Comment »

19/04/2010 by amymarner.

The Fertility Solutions programme uses mind body techniques to address reproductive health.  Mind Body techniques work with the mind in order to heal the body and there is growing evidence to show that working on the mind will affect the health of the body.  Stress is a perfect example, it is widely accepted that reducing stress has a positive affect on the physical body, strengthening the immune system and reducing the risk of heart attack for some. 

Fertility Solutions uses Theta Healing to address physical symptoms. A Fertility Solutions Practitioner will have experience working with couples who have physical symptoms affecting their fertility; PCOS, endometriosis or fibroids for example.  Using Theta Healing it is possible to explore the mind’s influence on the physical body and release issues which are contributing to the symptoms being experienced. 

Some people who find they have physical symptoms, which affect their fertility, will have suffered with bereavement or shock and trauma. In fact emotions such as shame, guilt, worthlessness, resentment and anger will stress the body if left unaddressed may result on an adverse effect on physical health.

As the programme uses mind body techniques it offers couples the opportunity to address their fertility without any invasive procedures and lays the foundations to give couples their best chance of conceiving.  Similarly it is useful for those who have chosen to use medical intervention (e.g. IVF) as it can address any stresses or issues that arise throughout treatment.

So Fertility Solutions supports the whole person; it addresses both the physical and emotional body. Whatever physical symptoms or emotional stresses you are experiencing on your Fertility Journey the Fertility Solutions Programme can help. 

For more details visit www.amymarner.co.uk

Posted in Infertility & Stress, Fertility & stress, Fertility Blogger, Support for infertility, Stress & IVf, Theta Healing, Guest blogger, Alternative medicine, Stress, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Stress relief, doing things differently, Fertility Services, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | 1 Comment »

22/03/2010 by amymarner.

Choosing medical intervention to conceive is not always an easy decision and certainly not one made lightly.  Experiencing ‘infertility’ is very stressful and adding invasive medical procedures to this can only increase stress.  Couples who are at the stage of medical intervention on their Fertility Journey are likely to be aware of how stress affects their well-being and fertility. 

Fertility Solutions supports the whole person using hypnosis and Theta Healing, those going through assisted conception can use the programme to support their journey and reduce stress.  The hypnosis CDs are designed to relax and support fertility, there are those which have been recorded specifically for couples going through medical procedures.  For example there is one to encourage relaxation and the natural stimulation of the chemicals needed within your body to support conception, another designed to support the egg once conception has taken place, especially helpful for women who may be afraid of a miscarriage.

 Along side the Hypnosis, Theta Healing allows couples to address any emotions or physical symptoms that may be affecting their fertility.  It is possible to support assisted conception by addressing any issues around the medical treatments for example; this in turn will aid relaxation and increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.

As a Fertility Solutions Practitioner my aim is to support my clients best chance of conception.  The programme allows us to address the whole person, physically and emotionally awakening creative power and increasing the chances of conception taking place.

Posted in Fertility Blog, Fertility & stress, Infertility & Stress, Fertility Blogger, Stress & IVf, Theta Healing, Hypnotherapy, Guest blogger, Stress relief, Stress, doing things differently, Fertility Services, Alternative medicine, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 1 Comment »

27/02/2010 by white76.

Posted in Pregnancy after miscarriage, Fertility Blogger, Guest blogger, TTc after miscarriage, Pregnancy, Trying to Conceive | Print | 2 Comments »

22/02/2010 by amymarner.

Reading up on what you can do to help your fertility shows that there are many things that couples can do themselves to increase their fertility.  There is a lot of good advice out there for couples for example:

• Reduce stress
• Eat organically
• Stop smoking
• Cut out alcohol
• Cut out caffeine

Although it is reassuring to realise that it is possible to make a difference to your fertility by changing your lifestyle, some may find that they need a complete change in order to give themselves the best chance of conception.  This may be overwhelming, but you don’t need to go through those changes alone. 

Using the support of Fertility Solutions means that you can gracefully shift and things such as stopping smoking and cutting out caffeine become manageable changes.  Using Theta Healing it is possible to work with the subconscious to address the beliefs and perceptions which are behind addictive habits like smoking, and allow clients to tackle their lifestyle changes more effectively. 

Reducing stress is another aspect of lifestyle that some may find a challenge to shift.  The Fertility Solutions Programme includes hypnosis CDs to support your relaxation, reduce stress and prepare your body’s fertility.  This is an effective way to tackle stress by simply listening to a hypnosis CD once a day.  After listening regularly clients experience a gentle shift in their lifestyles allowing them to reduce stress successfully.

Each Fertility Journey is different and some couples may find that a change of lifestyle is all they need to successfully conceive however that doesn’t mean to say everyone find these changes easy to achieve.  The Fertility Solutions Programme is designed to meet the individual needs of the client, therefore each session will be adapted for you to give you the best chance of conception.

Posted in Fertility Tips, Guest blogger, Fertility & stress, Fertility Blogger, Theta Healing, Alternative medicine, doing things differently, Stress, Stress relief, lifestyle and fertility, Self care, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | No Comments »

03/02/2010 by Sarah Holland.

The stress of infertility can be overwhelming and could even be making your problems worse.  Extreme stress may cause further disruption to your delicate hormonal balance.  Plus constant anxiety and worry can mean it’s impossible to make rational decisions about fertility treatment options. Not forgetting that the stress of trying to conceive for a long time puts massive stress on your relationship, which needs to remain strong throughout this emotional time.

So what can you do about infertility stress?

EFT is an easy technique to learn and use, for successful stress reduction and emotional well-being.  Based on the same theories as Chinese acupuncture, it is stunningly effective for dissolving negative emotions including anxiety, worry, fear and anger.  EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, and the principle behind it is simple:

The cause of ALL negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system. 

EFT utilises the meridian system which has been used in acupuncture for thousands of years.  This modern development uses no needles, but instead a simple tapping technique on specific points on the face, upper body and hands while focussing on the emotional issues you want to work on and repeating words and phrases to help the process.  The tapping on these special points balances the energy disruptions, releasing negative emotions, and helps you back into a state of balance where you approach challenges with a rational and logical outlook.  Unnecessary negative emotion which is unhealthy and damaging is resolved with EFT and replaced with more healthy emotions that benefit our physical and emotional well-being.  The tapping can seem a little crazy at first, but once you get started you will soon understand how quickly it can reduce, and usually eliminate, intense negative emotions.

So how can EFT help with fertility issues? 

Anyone who has been trying for a baby for some time knows all about the rollercoaster of emotions involved.  Common emotions include jealousy, anxiety, panic, fear, worry and sadness.  And although you know that stress can further block your attempts at conception, it’s so difficult to switch off these emotions, especially when you get a negative pregnancy test, or your period shows up.

EFT is also a highly effective technique at removing psychological blocks to conception. Past traumas, memories, beliefs about pregnancy, birth and parenthood, can all affect how you truly feel about having a baby.  You may feel ready to be a parent, but are there any hidden blocks that are stopping you from conceiving?  EFT helps you identify and resolve these blocks, and move you towards having your baby.Fertility treatment such as IVF can increase your stress levels even further, as so much hope and expectation is built up around ‘Test Day’.  You wouldn’t choose to put yourself through so much stress when you are trying for a baby, but when faced with the challenge of fertility issues it seems inevitable.  Or is it?

Many women all over the world are using EFT to improve their chances of conception.  It’s a popular technique because, unlike other methods, it can be used both in a therapy session and as a self-help technique.  It often works very quickly which also makes it low cost, and the results can be outstanding. 

Here’s what some women said about their use of EFT for fertility issues.  (They had all been trying for a baby for a number of years, and became pregnant soon after).

“It was hard to believe how quickly EFT worked for me.  I had trouble dealing day to
day with issues surrounding my infertility problems.  Just thinking about them brought
up so much anger and frustration and jealousy towards other women who were
pregnant or had babies.  After using EFT I felt all the anger, frustration and jealousy
lift.  I’m definitely much more relaxed now and people have even commented that I
seem happier.”  - SM (now a mother to 2 children)

“I first used EFT on the day I got a negative pregnancy test after IVF and I could
barely talk I was crying so much.  EFT helped me to relate what the emotions were
and enabled me to hope for the best at the next attempt.” - J (now a mother)

“I am a very anxious person and was aware that stress and anxiety can have an
effect of fertility.  EFT helped me to identify my feelings of panic and fear at not
being able to conceive naturally and also addressed my feelings of envy for friends
who conceived easily.  After using EFT I was surprised by the change in my outlook.  I am now feeling far more positive about the journey I am on in order to have
family of my own and hoping for a blue line soon!” - AL (now a mother)

EFT can be learnt as a self-help technique at little or no cost.  See www.TapIntoYourPotential.com for a free ebook ‘EFT Basics’.

To learn EFT from scratch and use it specifically for fertility issues to improve your chances of conception, the ebook ‘Overcoming Infertility with EFT’ is ideal.  It gives clear EFT instruction and is in a practical, easy to use format that is suitable for all fertility issues.

You may like to work with a professional EFT practitioner, either over the phone or in person, in addition to using EFT by yourself.  Some people find that even more can be achieved this way, and more complex issues can be approached.  Sarah Holland is a certified EFT practitioner who specializes in optimising fertility.  She is based in the UK and works over the phone with people all over the world. 

Posted in EFT and Fertility, EFT, Guest blogger, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 1 Comment »

27/01/2010 by admin.

We have some really great guest fertility bloggers, and are always on the lookout for new contributors for this fertility blog. If you would like to join our team of contributors please do get in touch. You can blog about anything fertility related including your personal ttc journey or fertility/ infertility experiences

We are also looking for fertility experts. Are you working in a field of fertility or are in complementary medicine, and would like to share your knowledge and wisdom with our readers ? Would you like to blog about your particular field and how it relates to fertility as a specialist contributor on our fertility blog ?

If you would like to be a guest fertility blogger or contributor please e-mail us or post in comments and we will e-mail you.

Any e-mail address or personal info you leave in comments is kept private

Posted in Fertility Blogger, Fertility Blog, Fertility Experts, Guest blogger | Print | No Comments »

26/01/2010 by amymarner.

Theta Healing is a mind/body technique which allows clients to comfortably explore and gently release beliefs which may be affecting health and well-being.

As a mind/body technique Theta Healing addresses the whole person, recognising that a healthy mind creates a healthy body.  Theta Healing is an energy healing that addresses the subconscious mind that drives us.  A Practitioner simply meditates into a Theta Brainwave and is then able to witness energy changes that result in a change of perspective and a shift in well-being for the client.

A Theta Healing session with Amy Marner involves a discussion about the issue you would like to address.  During the discussion your Amy will be listening out for beliefs, feelings or perspectives which may be blocking your full potential.  Amy may use muscle testing to check whether they are held on a subconscious level.  Once found Amy will simply witness the blocks clearing for you whilst meditating in Theta.  In this way it is possible to experience transformational shifts, allowing clients to reach their full potential.

The Theta brainwave is a natural state which we enter daily.  Our brainwaves are in Beta when we are awake, talking and communicating.  The brain is in Alpha when we are relaxed and meditative.  (Reiki Practitioners use the Alpha state.)  We are in a Delta brainwave when we sleep and this changes to a Theta brainwave when we are between sleeping and waking.  Theta practitioners have been trained to easily access this Theta brainwave.

Fertility Solutions combines the transformational healing of Theta with Hypnosis and advice and support with lifestyle changes.  This powerful combination addresses physical symptoms which may be affecting fertility by gently releasing the subconscious beliefs behind the symptoms.  It is very effective in reducing stress levels, and supporting couples to lead fulfilling lives whilst on their Fertility Journey rather than allowing Fertility to take over their lives.  It is helpful in supporting couples who are going through medical intervention, both for physical and emotional support.

The aim of Fertility Solutions is to address physical and emotional well-being and therefore support couples to reach their best chance of conception.

The Fertility Solutions Programme begins with a free Initial consultation to assess if it is right for you. Contact Amy Marner for more details.

Posted in Theta Healing, Guest blogger, Alternative medicine, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 3 Comments »

15/01/2010 by amymarner.

Theta Healing is and energy healing which allows us to explore and release the memories we hold which may be blocking our full potential.  The Fertility Solutions Programme uses Theta Healing and Hypnosis to gently discover and release any beliefs, memories or emotions that may be blocking conception.  The process can also address physical symptoms such as PCOS.

<!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> Tracy Holloway developed the Fertility Solutions Programme after years of working in the area of fertility.  Tracy has worked as a Hypnotherapist, Psychologist and Theta Practitioner who is renowned in the area of fertility.  She has brought together her rich knowledge and experience to develop the unique programme which explores the well being of the whole person in order to support their reproductive health.

<!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> Using Theta Healing it is possible to address physical symptoms which may be affecting fertility, for example PCOS, Fibroids, Endometriosis and Sperm motility (to name a few).  It is also possible to address emotional issues which affect couples who are experiencing fertility challenges.  Many of my female clients will talk to me about their grieving each time their period arrives.  They describe their fertility journey as a roller coaster ride. They have hope during the month then the grieving starts as their cycle begins again.  Using the Fertility Solutions Programme it is possible for women to view each cycle as a positive thing, their body is working in the way that will make pregnancy possible at some point in the future, rather than a setback.  Sometimes a simple relieving of stress is enough to support conception.

<!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> One thing that is important to remember is each couple is unique, their journey is unique and they will conceive in their own time.  In other words it’s best not to compare yourselves with others because everyone’s journey is different.  Using the Fertility Solutions programme it is possible to address the emotional stresses and strains and focus on other areas of your life (enjoying your relationship for example) rather than relying on conception to bring happiness.  By addressing both physical and emotional aspects of fertility it is possible to have your best chance of conception.

<!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–>

Posted in Fertility Experts, Male Infertility, Guest blogger, Alternative medicine, Fertility Services, Running on empty, Hypnotherapy, Fertility Blog, Support for infertility, Theta Healing, pcos syndrome, Fertility Blogger, Infertility & Stress, doing things differently, Self care, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Stress, Fertility, Infertility, Natural Fertility Methods, Womens Health, Fibroids & fertility, Stress relief, lifestyle and fertility, Fertility Treatment, PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Male Fertility Issues | Print | 2 Comments »

04/01/2010 by yourgreatlife.

How do you find the support you need for your infertility?  Regardless of how you came to be infertile or what your goal, it can be a challenge to find someone who not only empathizes with your situation, but also is prepared to be there for you on either an emotional or practical level. You may wonder why, for something so fundamental to your happiness, someone wouldn’t want to be counted in your support network. 

Why You May Not Be Getting the Support You Need from Logical Sources

1. They believe that you must be responsible for your infertility somehow.
2. Your partner is ambivalent about becoming a father or mother.
3. You want to be a single parent.
4. You are not married to your partner.
5. You are in a gay relationship and they believe every child needs a father
6. They are infertile also and worry they will lose you to a baby and mom-friends.
7. It’s your boss. Doctor appointments and maternity leave will inconvenience them.
8. People think you should be grateful that you already have one child.
9. They are jealous of the attention and sympathy you get for your infertility.
10. They are too wrapped up in their own life to realize you need them.

Those people may not realize they are being unsupportive. What is obvious to you may not occur to them.  An example:  your mother phoning you daily with details of her friend’s daughter’s pregnancy.  “What do you mean? I thought you would be happy for her.” Or, someone may think if you needed them you would ask and you haven’t.

They may be judgmental.  “Well if she hadn’t (pick one) a) taken such a stressful job, b) had that abortion years ago, c) waited so long or d) gained so much weight, she wouldn’t be in this situation now.” In fact, almost the entire list comes from people judging you and your condition by their own values, rather than stepping into your shoes to think what it must be like to be you.  However, you may be able to turn their attitude around.

First, look at your own responsibility for the situation and take ownership of it.  In that way, you will be less likely to assign blame, feel resentment and put other people on the defensive.

1. Have you failed to let people know about your infertility? (Most can’t read minds.)
2. Have you made it so much a part of your identity that you sound like a broken record?
3. Have you not been there for them when they needed your support?
4. Have you isolated yourself from all your friends who have children?
5. Have you held back on congratulations toward a sister-in-law, cousin or colleague who has had a baby?
6. Did you previously fail to show empathy toward someone else who was infertile?
7. Do you whine too much?
8. Have you lost your perspective?
9. Have you made sex seem like a chore, obliterating the romance and passion in the bedroom?

If you don’t keep up your work, friendships, social or sport activities, you may become “out of sight, out of mind.” If you no longer accept invitations, people may assume you no longer want or need their company.  Though it may seem logical to you and very unfair to compare the situations, a friend who has had a difficult pregnancy or birth, postnatal depression, has a colicky baby or has had a miscarriage, may feel that you have not supported her when she needed you.  It isn’t your friend’s fault that you haven’t yet had a baby of your own.  Messages can be misconstrued and feelings hurt on both sides.  All relationships need to be nurtured in order to thrive, so give to get.

How to Find The Right Kind of Support

The trick to getting support is to first list the type of support you need, and then identify who can provide it.  For example:

• Someone who will listen and keep it confidential
• Go with me to the doctor
• Someone who’s also infertile and knows what it’s like
• Friends I can go out with, to forget my problems
• Cover my workload when I need time off
• Friend(s) who won’t need an explanation or take it personally when I opt out of get-togethers and baby showers
• Give me my injections  
• Pass the word so that I don’t have to get into it 10 times a day
• Friend who will rescue me from upsetting conversations
• Help me with my food and fitness plans

Now, split your list of needs into two, under the headings: emotional support and practical support. Connect the tasks with the names of people you know. Then ask yourself a very important question: “Is it reasonable for me to expect this person to provide this support.”  Consider:

1.     your relationship

2.     their nature (sensitivity, generosity, etc…)

3.     their availability

4.     their reliability

Next, look at acquaintances in an outer layer of your life.  A colleague at work may also be trying to conceive.  You may click with a nurse at the clinic.  That other woman you always see in the RE’s waiting room may be happy to go for a coffee. A friend of a friend may have had the treatment you are considering and be happy to answer your questions. Reach out when you feel strong enough or the need is big enough. Infertility seems like a personal or sensitive subject that people may wait for you to bring up the conversation. So go for it; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

When No One Close at Hand Will Do - Infertility forums are wonderful resources for information, camaraderie and supportive conversations.  They all have a “personality” of their own, so cruise them for a few days to figure out which one is a good fit for you.  There are also hundreds of blogs written by infertile women (and a few by men) to which you can subscribe.  Again, cruise the blogs until you find an appropriate few, keeping in mind that they are the product of someone else’s personal experiences, attitude and knowledge level.  After a little while, if you keep reading and commenting on the forum(s) or blog(s) of your choice, you will feel a part of that community.  Be careful though not to take someone else’s experience or opinion as valid medical advice unless they are medically qualified.  Always check with the doctor treating you before trying anything that may interfere with or delay your chances of treatment.

Professional Support - Last, but not least, there is an advantage in having a specialist fertility coach if you are not coping well with your infertility.  The criteria to look for in a coach include training, rapport between the two of you and their ability to teach and motivate you to achieve the positive changes you are after. While coaches don’t absolutely need to have personal experience with a client’s issues to be effective, I believe that it is a genuine advantage in the area of fertility coaching. A fertility coach who has herself had difficulty conceiving, will have an authentic understanding of the emotional, physical, financial and social aspects of the fertility rollercoaster ride.

There is plenty of evidence that your state of mind can affect your fertility.  If you are overly stressed, feeling negative, comfort-eating, arguing with your partner or not sleeping, you are not creating the best possible state of wellbeing for conception, pregnancy and childbirth.  A fertility coach will look at the whole person to determine which small changes in your attitudes, actions and lifestyle will make a difference to your overall wellbeing.  From that better place, you will work together to find the best way to create and build your family. By aligning your goals with your value system, your coach may also be able to help you determine whether to undergo or continue fertility treatment, if and when to stop trying to conceive, end fertility treatment or consider an alternative path to parenting, such as egg or sperm donation, surrogacy or adoption.

In the end, it’s your choice of how open or private you will be about your infertility and that will directly affect what kind of support you receive.  Just remember support comes in many forms and from many places and sometimes must be earned. Be understanding; over time, supporters can be more or less active in your life as their own circumstances change.  Giving support is not a job description; it’s a gift.

Lisa Marsh is the fertility coach  and owner of Your Great Life in Stanmore, North London.  For more information about her, go to http://yourgreatlife.co.uk. Subscribe to her blog at http://yourgreatlife.typepad.com or to arrange a coaching session, in person or via telephone, please contact her at 020 8954 2897 or lisa@yourgreatlife.co.uk. 

You can also follow Lisa at http://twitter.com/yourgreatlife for helpful Fertility and Miscarriage Support Tips, as well as other information about news in the field of women’s reproductive health.

Posted in fertility coach, Life Coaching, Fertility & stress, Fertility Blogger, Support for infertility, Fertility Experts, Guest blogger, Infertility, Fertility, Friendship & support, lifestyle and fertility, Fertility Advice | Print | 5 Comments »

20/11/2009 by amymarner.

Fertility problems are one of the most stressful experiences to go through. What is more a lot of people do not understand what it is like for couples experiencing problems. Often couples who have been planning for a baby for years are asked “When are you going to start a family?” This can only add to the stress, particularly if the couple have decided not to tell others about their fertility challenges. What is more high stress levels are known to reduce the chances of conception so it is very important for couples to reduce their stress levels as best they can.

Mind/body techniques can be really helpful when dealing with the stress Fertility issues can bring. Meditating is great because it brings stillness to the mind relieving it of all the clutter that we tend to live with on a day-to-day basis. Regularly meditating can help to reduce that clutter at other times. If you are someone who finds meditating difficult listening to a CD of guided meditation can be helpful to start with. It’s a question of finding what works best for you.

Practicing being mindful during day-to-day tasks is also a helpful way to reduce stress. For example being mindful whilst eating means that you smell the food. Look at the colour. Be aware of the texture in your mouth. Really taste it as you chew. Take your time. You can apply this mindfulness to anything; just make sure you are using all your senses to do it.

Of course Fertility Solutions can help too. Using Theta Healing it is possible to reduce stress levels and using the Fertility Solutions Programme means you will not only reduce your stress levels but also give yourself the best chance of conceiving be it naturally or with medical intervention. For more information on how Fertility Solutions can help you go to www.amymarner.co.uk

Posted in Fertility Tips, Guest blogger, Alternative medicine, Fertility & stress, Fertility Blog, Fertility Blogger, Infertility & Stress, Assisted reproduction, doing things differently, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Trying to Conceive, Stress, TTC over 35, lifestyle and fertility, Stress relief, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | No Comments »

16/11/2009 by amymarner.

Hypnosis is a natural state that we all enter daily. It’s those times when your imagination is active, so watching a film or reading a book. If you are immersed in the story and your imagination is involved that is hypnosis. You are completely in control and free to leave it at anytime. Our subconscious does not know the difference between our imagination and reality so we can use our imagination to access the subconscious and create what we want in our lives.

Using hypnosis is a great way to address fertility, because we can access our imagination and address what is going on in our subconscious. For example we may have spent years trying not to get pregnant, our subconscious may not have caught up with our new plans to start a family so using the imagination we can show the subconscious what we really want and it can catch up. This then supports our body to conceive.      

We may often have negative thoughts running through our minds, worry creating more worry and affecting our well-being. Our negative thoughts can affect our hormonal balance but with hypnosis it is possible to bring them back to a healthy equilibrium therefore supporting conception.

Fertility Solutions hypnosis CDs have been developed by Tracy Holloway (a qualified hypnotherapist and renowned fertility specialist) in order to prepare the subconscious mind for conception. The powerful CDs begin with deep relaxation; this prepares your mind for suggestion and supports you to release stress. Once you have listened for at least a week to the first CD you can move on to the next. Each one brings you relaxation and prepares the body for conception. Some are designed specifically for those who are planning to conceive naturally, others support assisted conception and there are also CDs for those who have experienced miscarriage and fear their body cannot support a healthy baby.

These powerful CDs go hand in hand with the Fertility Solutions Programme but can also be very effective in their own right. For more details and to buy online click here.

Posted in Guest blogger, Alternative medicine, Running on empty, Assisted reproduction, Hypnotherapy, Fertility & stress, Fertility Blogger, Infertility & Stress, Fertility Blog, doing things differently, Stress relief, Fertility, Infertility, Recurrent Miscarriage, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, Stress, female fertility, Miscarriage, Womens Health, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | No Comments »

01/11/2009 by yourgreatlife.

Part One: How Do You Function as a Couple? 

Infertility is no picnic. There are months or even years of suspecting a problem, opening up about it, asking for help, educating yourselves about issues, medical terms, finding acceptance and making decisions about how to proceed.  It’s not entirely straightforward for most couples.  How can it be, unless you are incredibly agreeable, immediately find the right doctor and receive an unequivocal diagnosis and solution?  Often, I get annoyed by the over-used term “fertility journey,” but it fits here too perfectly to cast aside, as I describe various crossroads you may reach on the way to creating your family.  A crossroads, in this context, is one of those times when you have to stop and deliberate a big decision that will affect the way you pursue parenting and its success.  You may have a possible diagnosis, a medical opinion, and/or the opinions of family, friends and forum members to contend with, fighting for attention in your head.  You have to pay attention to what your body is telling you as well.  Primarily, if you are in a relationship, you must come to an agreement with your partner at each of several crossroads. 

How will you get through these rather large bumps in the road? For the most part, that will depend upon how your relationship already works.

For a couple whose communication skills are quite healthy, facing these decisions may not be too difficult. Secure in their relationship, they may sit down together and have private, peaceful conversations every step of the way.  They will lay out the pros and cons very efficiently, really listening to each other and reading the subtext (that which is not actually spoken) to arrive at a decision that both find acceptable.

The couple who do not talk about much may just launch into medical investigations and treatment without much forethought.  That may seem unbelievable, considering the physical, emotional and financial costs, but it works for some.  This is the couple that knows they want children, want their “problem fixed” and allow their doctor to run the show. “It seems like everyone is having fertility treatment these days,” so why shouldn’t they? One concern is that if they don’t talk about huge issues like fertility treatment, they may not know when they need to be supportive of each other.

Where one person in the relationship is clearly dominant, the person who is in the power seat makes most of the decisions and their partner follows the lead.  When it comes to fertility issues, I would lay a bet down that the woman is making the decisions. This is actually more effective than you might think, in that traditional relationships assign matters of health, wellbeing and family planning to the woman. Her man goes off to work, doesn’t accompany her to the doctor’s office and understands the need for scheduling tests, scans, injections, sex and, well, life.  She only has to tell him where and when to show up to fulfil his parts of the equation. 

 Finally, there are the couples who discuss EVERYTHING in minute detail, who I divide into two camps:1)  The couple who talk about everything with each other and everyone else. Copious research, note-taking, question-asking, Google-obsessing, and forum-hopping is normal for them, but they do finally come to a decision and eventually take a step forward and 2) The couple that goes round and round the issues in circles, saying “What do you think? No, you say what you want first. Please just tell me what you want to do. Maybe we should discuss it more.”  This couple is in danger of losing valuable time in getting their treatment started or moving on to the next available spot with the clinic.

This is Part One of a Series. Please look for the next Part: Coming upon a Crossroads, What You Need To Make Your Decisions.

Lisa Marsh is a Fertility Coach working with people on all aspects of fertility, including female and male infertility, pregnancy loss, assisted conception, alternative means of family-building and menopause.  Visit her blog http://yourgreatlife.typepad.com or her website http://yourgreatlife.co.uk for more information.  For coaching, email lisa@yourgreatlife.co.uk

Posted in Guest blogger, Assisted reproduction, Male Infertility, fertility coach, infertility investigations, Asking for help, Fertility Treatment, Male Fertility Test, Infertility, Trying to Conceive, Fertility, IVF, Getting Pregnant, Fertility Tests | Print | 1 Comment »

14/10/2009 by amymarner.

I am delighted to be invited as a guest blogger to this site, so here goes with my blog…It is now widely accepted that our mind affects the health of our body. The way we think and feel makes a difference to our physical well-being. It is now more common to use Mind/ Body techniques to address physical health. By Mind/ body techniques I mean exploring the health of the mind to address the health of the whole person. Research has also found that Mind/ Body techniques can support fertility. Alice’s Domar’s research has found that when women who are planning for a baby address their depression their fertility rates increase.

Recent research from university of California, Berkeley found that the hormones produced when stressed suppress fertility by reducing the production of hormones needed to stimulate a healthy reproductive system. Therefore it makes sense to address stress levels to support fertility.Fertility Solutions is a programme that supports fertility with the use of Mind/ Body Techniques. It was developed by Tracy Holloway, an experienced hypnotherapist, psychotherapist and Theta Practitioner. The Programme uses hypnosis and Theta DNA Healing to address emotions such as depression, stress and bereavement. This in turn can bring the body back into health allowing conception to occur. Using Theta Healing it is also possible to address physical symptoms such as Endometriosis, POCS, Fibroids and other female complaints. Men can deal with low sperm count or low motility with the support of Theta DNA Healing. The Programme aims to support couples on their Fertility Journey encouraging feelings of peace, releasing stress and addressing physical symptoms. The programme allows couples to lead fulfilling lives rather than their fertility journey taking control. It reconnects people to their power, which has a positive effect on all areas of their life. This support allows couples to gently shift and release issues that are known to affect fertility, giving them their best chance of conception.

Posted in Guest blogger, Fertility Blogger, Alternative medicine, Stress relief, Stress, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 3 Comments »

30/09/2009 by yourgreatlife.

Take a Time-Out to Control Your Stress 

Liken the accumulation of stress from infertility to a traffic accident in which the first car stops suddenly. No one has been injured and the damage from the two-car accident is contained, but neither of the parties has put out flares signalling danger.  As a result, each successive car behind them piles up, multiplying the level of damage.  Similarly, small signs of stress like nail-biting or cranky behaviour, may seem harmless, but you don’t have to be falling apart to internalize damage.  If your ultimate goal is to become pregnant, your initial, short term goal must be to lower your level of stress, clearing a space for the work to begin.  Then, keep it clear throughout your attempt to conceive.  

If you are aware of areas of your life in which stress shows up, the next step is to acknowledge the stressor and change your response to it. When you feel your personal signs of stress creeping up, you can deal with them on the spot by practicing this short visualization technique I call a time-out. 

Time-Out – I call this visualization a time-out because all it takes is excusing yourself for a few minutes. When you become practiced at it, it feels like you have had a mini-holiday. It is useful in a few ways.  

• Replacement - By focusing on an image in your “mind’s eye,” you block out the image corresponding to your stressor.
• Relief - Placing yourself within the positive image/scenario you have chosen, and imagining its sights, sounds, smells and tastes, helps to break the emotional connection you felt in response to the stressor.
• Rapid - It’s a quick fix, free of cost and no prescription needed.
• Restorative - It is very empowering. Mastering the visualization allows you to re-gain control of your stress and restore calm.    

Take Two - A 2-minute visualization exercise can be slipped into your daily life without attracting attention.  Whether you are working, busy with your family, at a party or involved in a project, it is easy to slip away for two minutes at a time.   Any Time, Anywhere – Privacy and safety are the two required elements, in order to allow you to break the connection with your current environment. Be creative; you can find privacy in the busiest places: empty offices, walk-in closets, the loo or even sitting in the car on your own driveway. In order to reach that quiet space inside, it may take four or five minutes at first, but with some practice, you will be able to reduce the time it takes to regain control to about two minutes. Please use caution and do not practice it while driving.  Pull the car over to the side of the road if necessary.  Define Your Image – Close your eyes. Isolate a specific image, real or fantasy, which evokes a 100% positive feeling. If an image of your last beach vacation, however lovely, brings up the nagging feeling that you didn’t look great in your bikini, it isn’t the right image for this exercise. Your image can be a frozen moment in time, such as the kiss at your wedding ceremony, or a conjured image of a beautiful place you will go in the future. Let your mind play on this image, vivid detail and colour, sharpening the detail. Imagine that you can smell the air, hear the sounds and even taste something that is evocative of the memory or fantasy of your choice. This image should make you smile. The emotions evoked by your image might be peace, happiness, confidence, contentment, hope or a mixture of other positive feelings.   Write Your Story – Silently, describe the scene to yourself as if narrating a script. For example: “I am dressed in white, on the silvery-grey, wooden deck of my house. I am looking down at miles of virtually empty beach. The ocean is deep blue and turquoise; the sky melts into the horizon. The late afternoon sun is making millions of white, jewelled ribbons dance on the water.  I see a few people walking or sitting and enjoying the peaceful day.”  Now you know mine; it’s your turn. Make it as real in your mind as you can. Are your feet bare? What is the surface under your feet? Is your skin cool, warm or hot? What do you hear, smell and taste?  Are you alone, or with others?  

To Begin Every Day - Use your Time-Out to start each day until it becomes habit and you can fit the exercise into two minutes. This works well for clearing any non-specific stress; you know, the feeling that you want to crawl back under the duvet rather than face the day.  A good place for this is in your morning shower, because it’s private, you feel the pleasant sensation of the water and it blocks out most noise.  

Step by step:

• Relax - Close your eyes and breathe fully and slowly several times. Concentrate on your breathing for as long as it takes to empty your mind enough to begin the visualization. Invite your positive image into your mind, filling out “the frame” with the context that envelops that beautiful image.
• Drop yourself in to your visualization. If you are a fan of Star Trek, you can imagine “beaming down to the planet.” I prefer to use a different technique:  It feels as if an artist suddenly changed a 2-dimensional picture into a 3-dimensional environment that you can enter.  Imagine that image slip like a liquid over your head and down your body until you see yourself clothed and positioned as you were during the first Time-Out.
• Become One with your image - Focus on and isolate each part of your body and “feel” them connect with the physicality of air, earth or water in the place you imagine yourself to be. Direct your mind to travel up your body, recognizing the sensations you feel, from toes to shoulders, and then out to each hand, up your neck and to your head.
• Emotionally connect to your image – allow yourself to recognize the feelings conjured by your visualization. This is like “getting into character” for your own dramatic performance. Are you: euphorically in love? Flush with success?  Comforted by an embrace? Peaceful and still? Dazzled by beauty? Exhilarated by speed?
• Lock it all in - Bring your arms up and wrap them around yourself. First you were part of a positive image; now draw that positivity into you and lock it in with a hug. I find that the physical embrace centres and comforts me. Try it, especially if you have been feeling tired, lonely, fearful or shaky. If you are not in a private enough space, you may feel it is enough to just clasp your two hands together in a firm grip.
• Acknowledge that you will have challenges during the day and that you are strong enough to embrace them without fear of over-reacting. Then, shake your arms out and slowly open your eyes.
• Repeat your visualization however often you feel the need. 

If ever you can’t relax enough to bring up your Time-Out image, use props and your other senses to give you a prompt:

• When you open your eyes, write down what you saw in your mind’s eye, in a very descriptive way. This is one place that the gratitude journal really comes in handy. Knowing that you are doing something positive for yourself is very empowering. The physicality of writing and seeing your description on paper will further anchor the image and your positive response to it, and you will have it to look back at if need be. 
• Practice your visualization while holding a talisman in your hand.  Then whenever you feel stress rising, hold and rub it between your fingers. I use a tiny silver ball with the faint, twinkling sound of chimes, to trigger both visual and auditory memories of my happy place.

I would be very interested to hear from you about your use of the Time-Out exercise; what your image is and how well it works as a stress reliever. 

My blog is http://yourgreatlife.typepad.comMy website is http://yourgreatlife.co.uk Contact information:  020 8954 2897 or lisa@yourgreatlife.co.uk

Posted in Self Coaching, Fertility & stress, Infertility & Stress, Life Coaching, Guest blogger, female fertility, Self care, Infertility | Print | 1 Comment »

22/09/2009 by admin.

We have some really great guest fertility bloggers, and are always looking for new contributors for this fertility blog. If you would like to join our team of contributors please get in touch.

We are also looking for fertility experts. Are you working in a field of fertility or are in complementary medicine, and would like to share your knowledge and wisdom with our readers ? Would you like to blog as a guest on our fertility blog ?

If you would like to be a guest fertility blogger or contributor please e-mail us or post in comments and we will e-mail you.

Any e-mail address or personal info you leave in comments is kept private

Posted in Fertility Blog, Fertility Experts, Guest blogger | Print | No Comments »

16/09/2009 by yourgreatlife.

Moderate stress is part of the human condition, however, one serious stressor such as infertility, can truly disrupt our lives and make the difference between a good year (substitute “decade,” if applicable) and a bad one.  The irony is that stress is often cited as a serious factor in infertility.  It’s the old chicken and egg question…which of these came first. You may never answer that question, because you could initially have felt stressed by such common factors as the rigors of your job, difficulties in your relationship, financial insecurity, moving house or simply that you are a worrier.  Whichever it is, if you are struggling with uncertainty about whether you will ever have a child and want to give yourself every chance of success you must look at the symptoms of your stress and find ways to lessen them.  

Loss of identity - With infertility, women are confronted with two serious blows to their identity. The first is the endangerment to their life plan, including hopes and expectations of having a child or children of their own. The second blow is to their image as a woman, which includes the perception that their body is letting them down by not functioning as it should. This in turn affects their sense of femininity and sense of purpose.  Who am I, if not a mother?  Who am I, if my body won’t do what it is supposed to do?   

Lack of control – Infertility propels women into a world of blood tests, unfamiliar medical jargon, drug therapy and/or surgery.  Not only can they be devastated by their diagnosis, but also by their measurement against a Rate of Success chart.  You are no longer you; now, you are geriatric (40 & over?), obese, poly-cystic, have unhealthy eggs, anti-cardio whatever and/or “unexplained” infertility. While weight, nutrition and bad habits can be improved, we can’t turn back the hands of time or produce another supply of eggs. To any woman who has even the slightest tendency toward perfectionism, this categorization, entry into the mind-boggling medical system and the inability to control her own reproductive function can be dehumanizing.  Even the strongest woman can find herself feeling helpless, isolated and dependent, all of which are incredibly stressful.  

Where stress shows up – Stress, from any source, is cumulative and can affect other psychological and/or physiological areas of your system.  Just as stress from your job can turn around and bite you from behind, lessening your efficiency at the workplace, stress from infertility can affect your reproductive health.  Common areas that show symptoms of serious stress are: 

• Appetite and weight – either losing or gaining them substantially
• Sleep – not having enough of it
• Concentration and organization – the loss of which can affect productivity and safety
• Emotional stability (neediness, wide-ranging emotions, desire to isolate yourself, jealousy, self-esteem, guilt, anger, etc…)
• Headaches
• Digestive system
• Blood pressure
• Menstrual cycle – you must ovulate properly and on schedule to achieve best chance of conceiving
• Personality – a rollercoaster of emotions; acting out
• Relationships – arguing, feeling unsupported, worrying about the future together
• Reliance upon unhealthy habits to calm you – smoking, drinking alcohol, etc…
• Temperament – whether low, disinterested and negative or self-centred, volatile, even bitchy 

Both the stress and its symptoms are real and can cause temporary or long-lasting damage, so don’t brush them off.  If you can identify with any of the symptoms above, it’s time to find your way out of this maze. 

Acknowledging Stress – Since your ultimate goal is to become pregnant, your primary, short term goal must be to acknowledge and then lower your level of stress.  Look at how you are performing in your job, your relationship and friendships. Have you been in denial about how well you are coping with the strain of infertility? Perhaps you can remember uncharacteristic emotional outbursts, sudden tearfulness, and snappish responses. A little of this is normal and quite understandable, until it begins to impact upon the very things you need to safeguard: your health and your support network.  If you notice that people are walking on eggshells around you, it’s a pretty good clue that you are not coping well with stress. Be careful. Patience may run out if you start to indulge in primadonna behaviour, expecting special treatment all the time.  You need all the support you can get, so don’t alienate those who are standing by to offer it. 

There are several things you can do to help yourself if you are suffering from stress due to infertility.  How do you know for sure if this pertains to you? Self-awareness is essential, but if you are not particularly good at it, ask someone you like and trust to be honest with you.  

1. Begin a gratitude journal. A truly miserable person will find this difficult at first, however, even if (or especially if) you fit that description; the focus on the positives will also have a cumulative effect. Record the simplest or mundane events in your day if you must, such as “the sun is shining, my bus was on time and I haven’t gotten my period yet.”  Eventually, you may find gratitude for enough things in your life and even those connected to your infertility, like “met a new friend in the doctor’s waiting room.”
2. Try acupuncture, making sure to find a practitioner who has knowledge of your condition.
3. If you are in fertility treatment, schedule the scans and blood tests for early morning to get them out of the way, leaving you with the rest of the day to live your regular routine.
4. Talk about it. See a fertility coach or counsellor with whom you can release your pent-up stress.  Their objectivity, confidentiality and support make sessions a safe place to talk about your thoughts and feelings and work out your options. It gives your partner and friends a break too.

In Part Two, I show you how a visualization exercise I call a time-out can be a quick, easy and independent way to lower your stress level.

My blog is  http://yourgreatlife.typepad.com/

and my website is  http://yourgreatlife.co.uk/

Contact information is 020 8954 2897.

Posted in Fertility & stress, fertility coach, Guest blogger, doing things differently, female fertility | Print | 3 Comments »

10/07/2009 by yourgreatlife.

Hi, I am Lisa Marsh, of Your Great Life, saying my own hello as a guest blogger. I will be writing from the perspective of someone who has experienced both recurrent miscarriage and secondary infertility in the past. I have been incredibly fortunate to have two healthy children within the seven years of TTC and am not planning to have any more children. I hope that my experience will be inspiring to some of you.

As a direct result of my personal experiences in this area, I went on to train as a life coach and as a miscarriage helpline volunteer. I run a miscarriage support group and find that issues of infertility are entwined with miscarriage, such as PCOS, in the members’ reproductive health. I am now devoting my entire professional practice to fertility clients, starting with TTC and continuing into the loss of fertility due to ageing (menopause), disease and chemotherapy.

I am really looking forward to being a part of this forum. Please give me some feedback on my blogs and let me know what you want to hear about.

Posted in Guest blogger, Self care, Stress relief, Positive Living, Miscarriage | Print | 1 Comment »

22/06/2009 by kat.

Hey folks,

I’m one of your guest fertility bloggers – here to talk through my journey, in the hope you find it interesting/useful/entertaining.

A bit about me:

I’m 31, and the hubby is 30. We started TTC last March (2008), and so far we’ve had absolutely no joy. We’re now into the world of fertility investigations – both have had blood tests, hubby’s had the sperm checks, I’ve had the internal scans, and we have our second consultant appointment in a couple of weeks. Here’s what we know so far:

GP told me bloods suggested no ovulation, but consultant disagrees. Initial scan result suggested endometriosis but the doc who did second scan disagrees – thinks it’s just a dermoid cyst. So if that’s right, then I’m pretty much in the clear which is great news! Just working on getting my weight down to a healthy BMI - I’ve lost 1 1/2 stone in the last 6 months, but still a way to go and if IVF becomes the road we go down then I want to be in the best possible physical shape (plus, as I tell myself every month - if I can’t be pregnant I can be skinny!).  

Hubby’s initial sperm analysis not so positive – he had a count of 0.4m per ml (I think that’s the right measure – the number’s definitely right though!) vs a normal 20m, at which point there’s apparently not any point in discussing motility etc. (although that was also bad). He’s back for a second test this week, with a different methodology, and I’m really hoping for good news from that one otherwise we have some tough decisions to make.

I found it quite hard to find info about male infertility – our GP jumped straight to ICSI as a solution, while the consultant was able to discuss possible causes & treatments, which was such a different mindset. Even on the internet I found a limited amount of useful info. I’ll post more about our experiences as we go in the hope that it’s of use to someone else in a similar boat – and I’ll probably also post the occasional weight loss update, wobbly comment about the emotional side of TTC and anything else that seems relevant!

Posted in Guest blogger | Print | 4 Comments »

22/06/2009 by admin.

We have some guest fertility bloggers who are going through fertility investigations coming on line in the near future so watch this space.

We are also looking for fertility experts

Are you working in a field of fertility or are in complementary medicine, and would like to share your knowledge and wisdom with our readers ? Would you like to blog as a guest on our fertility blog ?

If the answer is yes please e-mail us or post in comments and we will e-mail you.

Any e-mail address or personal info you leave in comments is kept private

Posted in Fertility Experts, Guest blogger | Print | 1 Comment »

17/06/2009 by admin.

Are you undergoing fertility investigations or fertility treatments now or in the near future ?

Would you like to blog as a guest on our fertility blog ?

If the answer is yes please e-mail us or post in comments and we will e-mail you.

Any e-mail address or personal info you leave in comments is kept private

In return for your posts we will keep you supplied with fertility products and early pregnancy tests, as well as lots of support and advice.

Ideally you need to be in UK so we can mail your freebies to you easily, however if you are outside UK and would like to become a guest blogger please contact us

Posted in Guest blogger | Print | No Comments »