I have worked with many women over the years with various women's health issues through my work in Reflexology and other holistic treatments and classes. Amoung the most heartbreaking for me to hear are the stories about infertility. This seems to take so many forms and can happen to people trying to conceive for the first time or on trying to conceive for a second, third or subsequent times.
No matter where your journey takes you and whatever your story is, I wanted to compile a list of tips that I often share with women who come to me to help them become pregnant naturally or compliment a more medical route.
I am also in the process of structuring a workshop on these topics that can really support you and make you feel like you and your body are doing everything to help in this process. I have many tools that will help you and below is a list to get you started.
There is so much more I want to share with all of you but I will be letting you know about my up and coming "Fertility Wellness Workshop" in the Autumn. Please hit subscribe at the bottom of the blog and I will let you know when there is a date set.
1.Calm the Mind and Body You need to take yourself away from stress and noise, finding a peaceful place. Grounding or earthing your body can be very beneficial. This means to take your shoes off and walk bare-foot on the ground; whether it is on the beach or in the garden, the aim is to connect with the earth. Then you need to focus on your breathing: Breath in through your nose, filling up your lungs, opening the diaphragm and expanding your tummy. Then exhale through your mouth, a long exhalation out. While you are exhaling out, let go of any fear or negativity that you are holding on to in your body - down through the ground and away from your body. Then on the in breath, take in positivity and calm from the ground. Doing this regularly will bring calm to your mind and body and keep you in a positive and content place. Stay outside for at least 10-20 minutes to allow your body the time and calm it needs. (People who say they don't have the time should do double!)
2.Get to know your Cycle You need to know YOUR cycle and what is "normal" for YOU. This is crucial for a base knowledge of what is going on. I don't want you to become obsessed with this but you do need an idea of what is going on. This means you need to keep a diary. This might take a few months to get to but look at this list below and it will give you an idea of what you need to take a note of:
- Check your temperature each day (at the same time),
- Make a note of how you are feeling and your mood.
- Make a note of discharge (colour and viscosity),
- Be aware your energy levels throughout the month.
- How heavy your period is, any clotting and the length of your period (Day 1 is the first day of your cycle).
3.Sex Position Misionary position is best for conception, woman lying down and man on top. I would advise that you stay lying down for at least 20 minutes after intercourse to give the sperm a chance to swim to the egg (or swim up and get ready for the egg). This means your optimal time is leading up to ovulation so the sperm is there when the egg drops from the ovum and out of the Fallopian tube. (This is why you need to get to know your body and when you are ovulating. The egg will only live for 24 hours; sperm will last for a few days - although this depends on the sperm count and age of the man). I could do a separate blog on this alone!
4.Eat Nourishing Food This can depend on what stage you are in your cycle. You don't need as many calories in the first half of your cycle (Follicle Stimulating Hormone FSH Phase) so lighter foods would be advised and keeping your blood sugars balanced. Smoothies would be great. At ovulation mood stabilises and you need more high fibre foods to flush out oestrogen from the liver and keep the bowels moving. At the second stage (Leutinising Hormone LH phase) you start to need slightly more calories because your metabolism increases. Increase your nutrient dense foods; include brown rice and more root vegetables. These will keep you fuller. Then increase iron rich foods during your period. When you are at the beginning of your period you also need to think about your egg production and the quality of your ovum and egg. That is why at this stage you need to include protein rich food, lots of dietary fibre and lots of fatty acids. ( I will be covering this in more detail on my new workshop, let me know if you would like to pre-book your place.)
5.Listen to your body I mentioned this already above when I talked about getting to know your cycle. You will only get to know your cycle if you start listening to your body and what it is telling you!! At the beginning of your cycle - in particular the FSH Phase - you will be more active and might fancy doing more high cardiovascular activities but as the cycle moves on to the LH Phase you need to slow down. This is a time where you might like to go for the walk and do some lighter exercises. And as you approach your period or pregnancy the 3 most important things you need to remember are: REST, REST and more REST. Pushing yourself too much will put added pressure on your body and this will be seen as an extra stress that your body is trying to avoid. Extra progesterone in the body is designed to calm you down and make the body more restful. We need to start listening to our bodies and start paying attention even if we never want to become pregnant.
Forget all the reasons it won't work and believe the one reason that it will.
I have nearly 20 years experience in the world of Reflexology and a lot of that time has been spent on fertility Reflexology. I have done countless courses and read as many books on women's health and I feel I am in a great position to help you on the journey that you find yourself on. I always deal in the strictest of confidence and with the utmost respect for you and your story. I have yet to hear the same story twice!