Stress Management

Well Conceived July Competition

11:03 am by Kathy Rustell Leave a Comment

Well, Summer is here and blue sky ahead.

I am giving away 2 FREE places on my well conceived pre-pregnancy course if you are interested just pop your name and email in the boxes below.

Would you like to…………

Feel more positive and less stressed?
Get out of survival mode and start putting the fun back into your life?
Start feeling in control of what’s happening to you?
Have a set of tools at hand to help you through the bad days?
Stop living in fear?
Gain a sense of perspective and purpose?
Learn how to relax properly?
Build your self-esteem and confidence?
Move your sex life up a gear?
Stop living in the past or the future but in the here and now?

For more information on the course click here

Are You Being Tickled Pink At The Right Time?

10:49 am by Kathy Rustell Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about sex and some of the misconceptions around TTC.

If you have sex around the 14th day of your cycle you will automatically get pregnant. Well we know this is not true, lots of women do not even have a 28-day cycle to start with.

Even if you have a super-regular, 28-day cycle, there’s a chance you might ovulate one or two days before or after the day you think you will.

You need to have sex at the right time to get pregnant. If you have sex when there is no fertile cervical fluid, or too long after ovulation has taken place, the sperm and egg will be like ships in the night, and you won’t get pregnant.

Sperm can live inside your body between 24-48 hours (and in some cases, up to a week!) after sex. If you’re hoping to up your fertility odds, starting to have sex 4 to 6 days before ovulation and then 4 to 6 days after.

But if you have sex at the right time, the perfect storm of Egg, Cervical Fluid and Sperm all singing off the same songsheet and bingo…BABYTIME.

Too much sex?? (Is there such a thing?)

Now for those who are wondering what I am on about, here’s the big news: more isn’t always better and in this case, it tends to do more harm than good.

That’s right because experts suggest that having sex on an everyday basis has the potential to decrease your partner’s sperm count rather significantly. The worst part is that his sperm count can take a couple days to rebound, so your chances of conceiving a baby are going to decrease as well.

If you think you are doing your conception chances a bit of a favour by having lots of sex, you’re wrong. Instead of helping yourself, you are only making things worse. So how much sex should you have to increase your chances of conception? Well, once you time it all down, experts recommend you to have sex on every alternate day, (so every other day). So instead of having sex every single day in the week leading up to your ovulation and in the week after it, get into the act every other day.

The use of lubrication

Did you know most lubrication is spermicidal, meaning it kills off sperm before it even enters your uterus? This is not to say that getting pregnant with lubrication is impossible (as it should not be used as a method of birth control), but it definitely decreases your chances. So if you want to use lubrication then look for fertility-friendly options at the pharmacy or at a fertility centre.

Business instead of pleasure

By taking all the fun out of sex and making it just about the business of baby-making, you could be doing yourself a disservice. Interestingly enough, a female orgasm may actually increase a woman’s chance of getting pregnant. After a female orgasm, the uterine wall contracts and (in theory) helps pull the sperm up toward the Fallopian tubes.
Also, some males get “stage fright” when sex is timed and preplanned, and his orgasm is definitely needed.

The Green Eyed Fertility Monster

12:59 pm by Kathy Rustell Leave a Comment

Ok so I do not have green eyes but I am kind of cute!

There is the emotional side to TTC that is often not spoken about almost seen as TABOO – The Green Eyed Fertility Monster.

Let’s face it no-one like to admit to feeling jealous but heck we all do at times and never more than when Trying To Conceive.

When people are diagnosed with an infertility problem, it’s almost as if women with baby bumps or prams appear everywhere you look, plus infertility can leave you feeling excluded from a privileged members-only club.

TTC stirs up all kinds of emotions, jealousy, sadness, failure, guilt, anger, frustration which in turn increases your stress levels, in turn, this could be making it even harder to conceive, this catch 22 again.

Feeling jealous of a pregnant woman doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a human being – remember this fact.

Talking about fertility jealousy can be difficult even for the closest of friends especially if your friend gets pregnant. Be honest with her and tell her that you’re happy for her but also a little jealous at the same time and instead if talking about pregnancy stuff could we chat about other things.

Communicating your feelings in a constructive and honest way can help you – and those who want to support you. Most likely, your friend will understand what you’re going through and be supportive.

If certain celebrations like baby showers, christenings just feel too painful step away and send a gift, you do not need to give a reason and you do not need to put yourself through this.

Don’t feel guilty about taking care of yourself.

In a nutshell, it’s OK to be angry and all right to be sad, jealousy is part of the package too. These feelings don’t make you a bad person, they make you a real person, with real feelings.

Talking in a support group can often be a big help and the internet has opened up this area. Sometimes it is easier to talk to people online who are in the same situation as you than to close friends face to face who do not understand.

It can be easy to get caught in negative thinking patterns that will only make matters worse: “I’ll never get pregnant” or “I should have tried to get pregnant before, and now it’s too late.”

Remind yourself that your fertility problem is not your fault and find ways to bring positivity and resilience back into your life.

So how can you help yourself

Learn new coping skills to handle the situation you find yourself in.

Work on your goal sheets, relaxation, diets, exercise, meditation try not to spend 24/7 focusing on TTC

Simple stress management techniques can help reverse the negatives effects of stress on your mind and body and boost your chance of becoming pregnant.

Plus, managing your stress gives you a better sense of perspective and improved self-worth which in turn becomes a powerful tool in dealing with infertility.

Stress relief should be a part of every couple’s conception plan especially if they are going through IVF also it is very important once you are pregnant.

Trying to conceive can be tiring emotionally, physically, mentally and financially. It affects your spirit, mind and body.

Let’s face it ladies, we are very complex creatures and lifestyle factors can influence our fertility, so keep a close eye on your diet, exercise and stress levels.

So, keep working at the below

Give your sex life a boost

Make sure you are getting enough sleep

Eat a healthy diet

Getting regular exercise

Meditate

Yoga

Empower yourself

Practice mindfulness

Make time for each other

Alternative therapies like acupuncture

Be kind to yourself

Treat yourself

Build up your self-esteem

Set goals outside TTC

Keep a journal this can help to see stress triggers and make a note of how you are feeling.

Remember no living in the past feeling regretful and guilty or living in the future daydreaming pull yourself into the present as you have control over this.

Is Stress Stopping Making It Harder To Conceive?

12:20 pm by Kathy Rustell Leave a Comment

Is Stress Stopping Making It Harder To Conceive? Well, it could be but it is not as easy at just that.

If you’ve been trying six months or more to get pregnant I expect you have been told by well-meaning friends and family that:

“You’re just trying too hard.”

“Chill out and it will happen.”

“You’ve got to calm down and let nature take its course.”

You ask yourself – why should something so natural and easy for so many couples be so hard for us?

It is so unfair we are doing everything right but it is just not enough.

Then the guilt kicks in and you start blaming yourself if you were not so stressed you would be able to conceive which in turn stress you more.

Plus, your sex drive takes a dive which is not helping at all, a catch 22 and vicious cycle.

Research shows that trying too hard may play a part in a third of people trying to conceive.

You see stress can quickly run your body down, it’s used to everyday stresses and it’s completely natural and expected but too much stress will cause the body to go into survival mode so that your system can continue to function.

Part of this survival mode is making sure you do not become pregnant.

So yes, learning how to manage your stress is vital.

The path between stress and fertility is not clear but scientists found that those women with high levels of stress hormones can stop ovulating this is called “stress-induced anovulation” where your ovaries do not release an oocyte during a menstrual cycle. Therefore, ovulation does not take place and therefore you are unable to conceive.

The Adrenaline stops you from utilising the hormone progesterone, which is essential for fertility. It also causes the pituitary gland to release higher levels of prolactin, which also causes infertility to occur.

Also, note, if you’re stressed, your cervical mucus may indicate that something’s not right. Rather than noticing increased cervical wetness as you approach ovulation, you might find patches of wetness scattered with dry days. It’s as if your body is trying to ovulate but the stress continues to delay it.

It’s also possible that reducing stress may help enhance proteins in your uterine lining that are involved in implantation and it may increase blood flow to the uterus, which also affects conception.

Of course, then there is Stress Induced Reproductive Dysfunction – chronic stress causing lack of libido as well as a decrease in general fertility.

Simply put too much stress puts you off sex.

So, you see too much stress really does not help.