Dr. Simone’s Mind Space

What could be more unsexy than having your doctor monitor your sex life, as intrusive as ultrasounds on a weekly basis. When under IVF treatment, or actually even before that, when trying and trying with no success, sex becomes performance driven, rather than passionate, seductive, emotionally intense, and exciting.

How can we keep this passion up and the performance pressure down?

• Arrange date nights, candles, bubbles, all you’d always done in the beginning of your romantic relationship.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Perinatal depression is a common challenge for new parents, one in 10 was the common standard. Perinatal mental health problems have however significantly increased during the pandemic, up to almost every other pregnant and postpartum women struggling with depression and anxiety. It is a dark place for the entire family, the couple, and the individuals. An untreated perinatal depression causes longterm consequences on the child’s mental health. Something that can with relatively little effort be avoided, if assessed early, the parent getting the nurture and outlet of someone listening and containing non-judgmental and fully present. It can feel awful and horrible as a parent to feel negatively and hating one’s own child, that was often extremely wanted, yet when struggling with perinatal depression one simply doesn’t have the resources to do so. Parents not struggling with perinatal depression at times can also feel that way. Being angry at times at your child is normal, children trigger our own inner child and childhood needs that haven’t been met. It’s important how to resolve a situation as such, not avoid that by all means.

Steps to get out:

• Seek professional help early.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Each individual deals differently when confronted with infertility. Some become very obsessed with their own health, very task-oriented, some depressed, some anxious, others angry and resentful.

It is important to accept the entire rainbow of emotions. Sometimes, seeking help as an individual and as a couple can relief some of the emotional pain.

• Look after yourself.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

We all have our habits and daily routines. Some of these lifestyle factors are more or less supportive and constructive for our health. Yet, changing habits, no matter how destructive they may be, is incredibly challenging. It takes time, perseverance, patience, willingness, and acceptance to make adjustments.

When facing infertility, lifestyle factors, as do physical, and mental factors play their role in the puzzle. It is important to look at the individual and the couple from a holistic perspective, seeing the individuals and their needs, in order to start any treatments. As helpless, paralyzed one can feel with regard to the medical components, one area we can all impact is our lifestyle.

Lifestyle benefits:

• Reduce chronic stress.

@unesurcent

@drschwank

@optimalperformancezurich

Many couples have an idea of their trajectory of their relationship, including milestones they would like to achieve. Moving in together, decorating a joint home, travel, spend everyday life together, and plan the future ahead.

If couples are in a relationship for a long time, in addition do decide to get married, a natural follow up in most societies is the expectation of the couple having a child, preferably more than one. The more a couple feels the need to conform with society’s and family’s expectations, and the more specific personal goals they pursue, the more challenging when confronted with a clear full stop of their envisioned future plan: namely infertility.

Taking the journey as a couple:

• At this stage it’s very important for the couple to communicate and share future dreams and expectations.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Many women around the world are undecidedly childfree. The reasons can be very diverse and for many women and partners the cause never found. It is a very challenging situation on a personal, relationship based, family, societal, and even evolutionary level. It’s against the norms and conventions of society and our evolutionary instincts, dreams, expectations, desires, that are unwanted denied to us. It’s a very different scenario to the one of an individual or couple willing not having children.

The pain and the mourning of the child that’s never been born is beyond imagination. Time can heal such a wound in some women, yet others will struggle for a lifetime. Factors contributing to the way individuals deal with a loss vary and can positively or negatively affect the mourning process, as well as the ability to cope and overcome the hardship.

A topic that every woman and man can potentially be confronted with and need to address when starting to consider whether or not to have a child. It is however a taboo topic and one that many avoid to consider, especially when postponing their reproductive health plans and family plans to a later stage in life.

One way of securing a more flexible family planning, which is however depending on the country a woman lives, more or less controversial or even forbidden, is egg freezing. It can have a positive impact on the reproductive timing, provide more choices in choosing the best time for oneself to potentially become a parent.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Today’s conversation and second episode of a public health series on perimenopause. Dr. Anna answers questions and shares her expertise on hormonal supplement treatments, lifestyle components, and other ways in treating symptoms of perimenopause.

Anna Raggi, MD, gynecologist, reproductive medicine specialist and gynecological endocrinologist. Women's health has always fascinated her, and even as a young doctor she enjoyed listening to her patients, consulting, and advising them. She is very passionate about her work at the Fertisuisse fertility treatment center in Olten and Basel, Switzerland, which she founded with three partners in 2014. She is very grateful that she has became a mother of two children at a relatively young age. www.fertisuisse.ch, www.wirwolltendich.ch

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Parents of young children often struggle with finding time for their romantic relationship. It starts with the lack of looking at each other’s eyes. Finding time to look at each other, not after a child running around or being just to exhausted for couple’s time, looking at the phone, watching TV, or simply falling asleep.

These moments are super rare and precious to maintain the relationship. We need to be able to be intimate with each other. That’s incredibly important for the connection among the couple. The more we find small moments of affection, the more we stay emotionally happily stay connected. Even in the most challenging years of small children and sleep deprivation.

It needs a lot a lot of patience and understanding from both partners to come together and spend time with each other.

Seek out support when you struggle. The years are limited, when kids are extra small and depend a lot on their parents. An insight a friend shared with me and I felt being extraordinarily helpful and applicable.

Options for connection:

• Get babysitters, invest in it now, that “expensive” time will be time limited.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

We all are victims of uninterruptedly looking at our screens, whenever there’s downtime. A wait at a restaurant for a meal, a coffee break at a Café, lining up to order any drinks or food, especially in NYC, a subway or train ride, elevator, prior to boarding a plane, the list could go on and on.

Looking up and being aware of our surroundings, catching their gaze, and even start a conversation.

I’m an actor of it too, lining up to order a drink and writing podcast notes. Yesterday, I sat in a Café by myself and just did some people watching on a hustle bustle Friday late summer evening in New York. I noticed how I felt a bit uncomfortable not having my phone near me. I thought of everyone around on their phones or in conversations. This made me aware of the socially new normal way and my “odd” way of just being in the moment, relaxing, taking the human experience in with all senses. Such a wonderful feeling and experience, very very relaxing and calming body and mind. I felt very at peace with myself and happy to have experienced that.

Go out on your own and do a look up moment. Enjoy the unique experience, trust in yourself ☀️

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich

Traveling, especially solo traveling can expand our horizon. It does do something with us, challenging our inner selves for self reflection. We’re thrown out of our routine everyday life, the ordinary, out of our comfort zones.

This place is maybe unsettling, uncomfortable, stressful, yet also very refreshing, and rejuvenating.

The disruption traveling can cause to both body and mind have pros and cons, which are why many opt out and decide to stay in their comfort zone of their predictable home country and their own home.

Yet, if we do travel, we become because of this disruption of our comfort zone more world open and tolerant for the other, the new, which only benefits the ones we love, the community, our nations, and the world.

Bring your children on a trip, yourself, and encourage others to follow your footsteps.

Happy weekend energy from New York City, Dr. Simone.

@drschwank

@unesurcent

@optimalperformancezurich