- Worry about fertility-related issues on a daily basis?
- Struggle with major ups & downs all month?
- Have trouble implementing the recommendations you know you need to do?
- Feel freaked out or completely disregarded when working with your fertility doctors?
- Face daunting statistics?
- Start to feel lost in hopelessness or uncertainty?
- Find it hard to juggle regular life and all the fertility dos/don'ts?
- Notice your connection with each other is getting strained & that sex has become almost like a chore?
- Feel uneasy about the effects of medications/harsh treatments on your body?
If you said "Yes" more than once or twice, you're not alone... but you've got a problem. You're quite possibly setting yourself up to join the 76% of folks whose fertility treatments are unsuccessful. Why?
Your body has been in fight/flight mode too much for too long... Which means your immune system is intensely strained. Your circulatory system isn't getting enough blood in - and toxins out - of your reproductive organs. You've got chronic inflammation. Your body thinks it's in crisis and reproduction is at the bottom of the priority list, physiologically speaking. I could go on.
You might be doing all kinds of amazing things to support your fertility. But chronic stress negates most of that good work. So when you're in this stress pattern, it's constantly two steps forward and one step back.
Emotionally, it's obviously not a lot of fun either.
But let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be so hard and angst-y!
Great stress-busters:
yoga
nature moments
sex - feel free to self pleasure as necessary
walk
breathe
Also keep your eyes open - I'll be sharing more tips about ways to work more specifically with fertility-stress soon!
What works for you?
Do you have trouble getting yourself to prioritize relaxation?