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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fertility and Stress

I'm a bit behind with my posting...last week the fertility group discussed stress and its effects on fertility.

I've always heard that stress can have adverse effects on the body, but I was surprised to learn about some of the effects it has on fertility. Some of the fertility-stress facts I learned are that stress:

  • Is the most significant block to getting pregnant
  • Disrupts hormone production
  • Can hinder adequate blood-flow to the uterus
  • Can lead to poor follicular quality
  • Negatively effects the FSH test - can result in false results 
 Those of us who are unfortunate enough to be on the infertility roller-coaster know that it is just that...a roller-coaster. There are good days, bad days, and really really bad days. How do you relax when your mind just won't let you? Here are some of the stress-relieving techniques we learned about:
  • Create positive affirmations, and recite them daily
  • Think positive
  • Meditate
  • Do deep breathing exercises
  • Create a gratitude journal

So what does all of this mean for me? Well, infertility is extremely stressful in and of itself. And that stress causes more stress which, in turn, causes a chain reaction in my body. I really wish I could turn off the worry like a light switch, but I can't. But I WILL make a concerted effort to deal with my stress head on, rather than keeping it all bottled inside.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Fertility Diet

This week in the Fertile Attraction group we discussed...FOOD! Fertile food, that is.

I was surprised to learn that low fat and fat free isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'm so used to suffering through watery skim milk and rubber cheese...but I guess I can learn to like full fat yogurt, cheese, and milk...if I must! *sigh* 

In truth, I'm already on a diet; (aren't I always? I swear, for someone who has been dieting her whole life, how the hell can I still be fat??????) but I'm excited to make some simple changes. My current diet is about 1,000 calories or less a day. For breakfast I have a GNC protein shake (made with skim milk), followed by a banana mid-morning. For lunch, I have another GNC protein shake (made with water) and an apple, or nectarine, or peach. Mid-afternoon I have a serving of high fiber cereal (dry), or a Fiber One bar. Sometimes I'll have another piece of fruit on the way home or before dinner...which is usually a chicken wrap and a salad, or something like that. I've decided to ditch the skim milk and go for organic yogurt with the morning shake, and for the afternoon shake I'm going to add some greens.

I'm debating adding a fertility superfood like maca to my diet too. I had a short two week run with royal jelly....but wasn't aware that people with severe bee allergies shouldn't take royal jelly! That explained my recent asthma attacks, migraines, hives, leg swelling, and dizzyness! My Dr. said I could have died....ooopsie doodle! SO, needless to say, before I add maca or anything else to my diet, I'm going to thoroughly check it out first!

I'll keep you posted!