Don't Tell Me To RELAX- A Fertility Podcast

Episode 3 of our Teaching To Conceive Series

💛 As part of this Series we are running a free fertility masterclass also called, Teaching To Conceive. Which offers 6 live webinars to dive into the information we discuss on the podcast in more detail. Each session also offers a live Q & A so you have time to speak to our team of experts. We start the 8th Oct and you can register ⁠⁠here.⁠💛

Today we delve into the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, exploring its significance, the hormonal changes that occur, and how lifestyle factors can influence this phase.

Takeaways:

ACUPUNCTURISTS- you can find out more about the Chinese Medicine Nutrition Diploma at ⁠⁠The Northern College of Acupuncture⁠⁠ by following this link ⁠⁠here.⁠⁠

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discovery Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

💛 You can work with us online or in our clinics in London and across UK. More information is available on our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠.

💛 And for more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

Episode 2 of our TTC Series

💛 As part of this Series we are running a free fertility masterclass also called, Teaching To Conceive. Which offers 6 live webinars to dive into the information we discuss on the podcast in more detail. Each session also offers a live Q & A so you have time to speak to our team of experts. We start the 8th Oct and you can register ⁠⁠here.⁠💛

Katy and I are talking periods and their link to our health and fertility.

We explain that a period is the bleeding phase of the menstrual cycle, which marks the start of a new cycle and that a true menstrual period follows ovulation.

We also discuss the importance of a good period, (yes the do exist) which should last 3-6 days, have a moderate flow, bright red color, minimal pain, and no excessive spotting.

Takeaways

ACUPUNCTURISTS- you can find out more about the Chinese Medicine Nutrition Diploma at ⁠The Northern College of Acupuncture⁠ by following this link ⁠here.⁠

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discovery Call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

💛 You can work with us online or in our clinics in London and across UK. More information is available on our ⁠website⁠.

💛 And for more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

Welcome to Series 5 of the Podcast!

Episode 1 of our Teaching To Conceive Series

💛 As part of this Series we are running a free fertility masterclass also called, Teaching To Conceive. Which offers 6 live webinars to dive into the information we discuss on the podcast in more detail. Each session also offers a live Q & A so you have time to speak to our team of experts. We start the 8th Oct and you can register ⁠here.💛

Katy and I are discussing all the basic but so often overlooked fertility information to help you understand how your fertility works and improve your chances of conception.

In today's episode we discuss the importance of fertility education and the basics of getting pregnant. We highlight the lack of comprehensive sex education in schools and the need for more open conversations about fertility. We also address the misconception that getting pregnant is easy and quick, and remind listeners that it can take time and patience.

Takeaways:

ACUPUNCTURISTS- you can find out more about the Chinese Medicine Nutrition Diploma at The Northern College of Acupuncture by following this link here.

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discovery Call⁠⁠⁠⁠.

💛 You can work with us online or in our clinics in London and across UK. More information is available on our website.

💛 And for more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

This is our final episode for this Series, we will be back in September!

TRIGGER WARNING: in this episode we discuss miscarriage, IVF failure and pregnancy.

We're ending with a positive story, with Charlotte, a lovely patient I have had the pleasure of working with over the last few years.

Charlotte shares her journey of trying to conceive and experiencing multiple miscarriages. She shares her emotional toll and the frustration of waiting for appointments and test results and ultimately having to pay for rounds of IVF. I can happily report that Charlotte had her baby boy about a week after recording this episode and both are doing well 💛

Takeaways

If you're looking for further support for miscarriage and loss then please see The Worst Girl Gang.

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠⁠⁠Discovery Call⁠⁠⁠.

💛 You can work with us to support your fertility both ⁠⁠⁠online ⁠⁠⁠and across ⁠⁠⁠four London clinics.⁠⁠⁠

💛 For more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

Charlotte Faure Green, a nutritionist specializing in anxiety, stress, and sleep, shares her personal journey with sleep issues and how she became interested in the field.

She explains the importance of sleep for overall health and fertility, highlighting the impact of sleep on hormones like progesterone and estrogen.

Charlotte discusses the circadian rhythm and its role in sleep, as well as the negative effects of poor sleep and shift work on fertility.

She provides tips for improving sleep habits, such as reducing screen time before bed, keeping the bedroom cool, and incorporating calming activities like meditation or breathwork.

Takeaways

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😴 For more support on sleep see Katy's (Reflex East) up coming Sleep School............

"Sleep School is our signature DIY reflexology course to help you finally get a good night’s sleep.

This year we will have both myself, Katy, and our wonderful reflexologist Marta leading your sessions where we will guide you through reflexology, sleep hygiene practices and acupressure points that will help get the most restful night’s sleep you have had in years!

Join us at 8.45pm Sunday 21st-Thursday 25th to get you through the working week. And it’s totally FREE!

If you can join us live each night you really will get the most out of the sessions and help you to form new habits around sleep. But don’t panic! All sessions will be recorded and accessible for everyone who has signed up to Sleep School  

And, if you join sleep school, you'll enjoy a discount on seeing Marta and me at our Hackney clinic throughout July and August—newbies get 15% off their first consultation and regulars get 10% off follow-ups

All you need to do is follow the link to join: https://mailchi.mp/17244c7c768c/sleep-school-2024

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠⁠⁠Discovery Call⁠⁠⁠.

💛 You can work with us to support your fertility both ⁠⁠⁠online ⁠⁠⁠and across ⁠⁠⁠four London clinics.⁠⁠⁠

💛 For more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

Laura Wilkes, a women's health coach and yin yoga teacher, discusses the benefits of Yin yoga for women trying to conceive.

Laura will be coming into our community on Wednesday 3rd July at 8 pm to do a free yin yoga class for us. You can join us by registering here.

Yin yoga is a slow, gentle practice that focuses on holding poses for an extended period of time, allowing for deep relaxation and release of tension.

Yin yoga also helps regulate the nervous system, reduce stress, and improve sleep.

Laura emphasizes the importance of creating a safe space for women to feel and release emotions, as the TTC journey can be emotionally challenging. She highlights the connection between stress and fertility, and the need to prioritize self-care and stress management in order to support fertility.

The conversation explores the relationship between stress and fertility, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and managing stress in the journey to conception.

Takeaways

You can find out more about working with Laura through her website or Instagram page.

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠⁠Discovery Call⁠⁠.

💛 You can work with us to support your fertility both ⁠⁠online ⁠⁠and across ⁠⁠four London clinics.⁠⁠

💛 For more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

WARNING: this episode discusses miscarriage, baby loss and failed IVF.

Hazel Leonard, a fertility educator, registered midwife from The Prepared Pineapple, discusses the challenges and concerns of getting pregnant after fertility struggles and loss.

Hazel emphasizes the need for support and education during this journey, as well as the importance of acknowledging and validating the emotions that come with it.

We discuss the anxiety and fear that often accompany pregnancy after fertility struggles, as well as the pressure to have a positive experience.

We also discusses the impact of hormones, the role of doulas, and the need for mental health support during this time.

Takeaways

Hazel will be doing a free webinar in our community group on June 26th. It's free to join just register via the link below. You can follow Hazel on Instagram here.

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute ⁠Discovery Call⁠.

💛 You can work with us to support your fertility both ⁠online ⁠and across ⁠four London clinics.⁠

💛 For more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

I am joined by Dr. Golnoush Golshirazi, CEO and founder of ScreenMe.

We discuss the importance of the vaginal and seminal microbiome in women's and men's health. Golnoush explains that the vaginal microbiome is a diverse ecosystem of microorganisms that plays a crucial role in protecting the reproductive system and modulating the immune system.

Dysbiosis, or an imbalanced microbiome, can lead to recurring infections and fertility complications.

However, traditional testing methods, such as cultures and PCR, are limited in their accuracy and scope. ScreenMe offers next-generation sequencing (NGS) tests that provide a more comprehensive and detailed analysis of the vaginal and seminal microbiome. The results can help guide personalized treatment plans and improve fertility outcomes.

Takeaways

See Screen Me website for more information about the vaginal and seminal microbiome and testing.

💛 To find out more about working with us you can book a free 15 minute Discovery Call.

💛 You can work with us to support your fertility both online and across four London clinics.

💛 For more information and access to all our webinars, support events and community come and join our fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Don't Tell Me To RELAX.

💛 For emotional support we have The Pocket Hug: a little guide to help you through. Available for free ⁠⁠here.

This is the last in our Men in May Series and we are discussing sex and TTC. Which obviously is for men and women.

Sex and TTC, a topic not often discussed but often an area that can quickly become stressful and pressure fuelled leading to issues on both sides.

So this week I am joined by Andrea Balboni, a sex, love, and relationship coach. We discuss the challenges couples face with their sex lives when trying to conceive.

Andrea discusses why this can become problem, why this is common and very normal and what practical steps couples can take.

This includes having open and connected conversations about sex, reducing stress and fatigue, and exploring pleasure in different ways.

We discuss:

Andrea has an excellent free resource on her website all about How to Talk About Sex

💛 If you'd like more information from our Men in May please join our (Don't Tell Me To RELAX) fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ There are webinars on Nutrition for Men, Testing for Men and general fertility issues relating to male fertility to catch up on.

💛 To find out more about how we can support your fertility either online or in person you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠book a discovery call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠appointment directly online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

💛 For more information on men & fertility you can download our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Male Fertility Fact Sheet here

This week we are looking at what happens for the man as they go through IVF.

I am joined by Kathryn Hawes,  an embryologist at The Lister, to discuss the process of creating embryos and the importance of healthy semen. We look at what healthy semen looks like, the steps involved in creating embryos, the difference between IVF and ICSI, and the use of additional tests and techniques. Kathryn also provides tips for men and couples going through fertility treatment.

We discuss:

💛 If you'd like more information from our Men in May please join our (Don't Tell Me To RELAX) fertility support group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ There are webinars on Nutrition for Men, Testing for Men and general fertility issues relating to male fertility to catch up on.

💛 To find out more about how we can support your fertility either online or in person you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠book a discovery call⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠appointment directly online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

💛 For more information on men & fertility you can download our ⁠⁠⁠Male Fertility Fact Sheet here