Getting Pregnancy Ready

I was keen to speak to Jemma after I'd read her article 'Why I froze my eggs at such a cost?'  as previously I has assumed egg freezing was a viable option. To be honest I'd not given it that much thought. I assumed because big companies like Google were offering incentives to women to freeze their eggs then there must be data to back up the treatment. I'd even had chats with some of my single friends about it. Jemma has made me think differently and ask more questions. You can follow Jemma on Twitter here  and Jemma's play will be showing in London this summer details are here 

Before I spoke to Jemma, I'd interviewed Valerie Landis as she has set up a website called Eggsperience.com  which has made the decision to freeze her own eggs has decided to create a resource educating women in the opportunity they have. She describes her site as 'All things egg freezing and back to help inspire, teach, educate women about oocyte cryopreservation.'

You can follow Valerie on Twitter

Known as the Period Whisperer amongst friends, Rachel works to educate women about ways to understand their menstrual cycle, something I admit I didn't really get until I was trying to conceive.

I found Rachel really fascinating to chat to, she really knows her stuff and explains it so easily.

Sometimes I have been guilty of drifting off when trying to get my head around the complicated goings-on within our bodies - however, Rachel has earned her title for sure and I can see why her blogs and youtube channel is gaining popularity.

We spoke in a fair bit of detail about how a mission to help women understand that they don't have to endure painful periods each month. Rachel works via Skype as well as face to face and explained in our chat how taking simple measures can make a massive difference to how you're feeling. Whether you are just starting out trying to get pregnant, or have already embarked on fertility treatment.

We discussed how diet affects your period, and how tampons can cause pain. We also spoke about massage and how men can get involved. From explaining how a painful period is your body trying to tell you something, Rachel talked me through the benefits of menstrual cups and fabric pads and how the color of your period is also an indicator of your wellbeing.

From her own struggle with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), Rachel became more and more compelled to research how to overcome period pain with more holistic methods, especially as she wasn't getting the support she needed from Western medicine. From Endometriosis and PMS  as well as many other menstrual concerns Rachel offers brilliant advice via her website The Period Whisperer, she also speaks on a podcast and has a youtube channel, humorously called Womb Tube.

You can follow Rachel on Twitter here and join her Facebook group here 

Meet my latest guest, Claudia Spahr an author, speaker, and coach. Claudia had her first child aged 42 and at 48 has three children.

Her book 'Right Time Baby' is written to empower women to embrace motherhood positively regardless of age. I found it so refreshing to hear Claudia's take on motherhood, rather than what we constantly hear that as a woman, after 30 your clock is ticking and at 35, well you're gonna struggle...

As a journalist by trade Claudia has written a wonderful informative take on motherhood asking a lot of questions and taking you on a journey that is entertaining for both older mothers as well as if you're in your 20's or 30's. As more and more women are waiting to have children there is a wealth of information here to help you make informed decisions and not feel pressured if you're not ready when others say you should be. 

From its 'Are you Ready' test to fertility foods as well as in-depth research on the treatment of women during childbirth over the centuries and around the world this book is a fascinating read.  

Find out more about Claudia and her work  and you can follow her on Twitter here  and join her Facebook group 

Would you use a syringe to get pregnant? As The Fertility Podcast matures, and I meet more and more people on Twitter, I'm keen to broaden the topics I cover in the podcast.  Don't get me wrong, the focus of what I'm doing still remains on infertility, however, I think it's important to consider your options if you've found you've still not gotten pregnant in the time frame you'd hoped.

Having had successful fertility treatment I can see that we did kind of rush into it pretty quickly and the more I learn from the people I speak to, I've realized there are all sorts of possibilities. I'm not naive and I know this isn't going to be for everyone, however, I was pretty fascinated when I met Marc and Maureen on Twitter - founders of Mosie baby.

The pair are married and not only have they created a product to help people get pregnant at home.. with a pretty impressive result.

As more and more CCGs in the UK withdraw their funding for IVF and the cost is still to be regulated couples need to really know what they have available to them if the money side is out of reach. I am about to release a series of episodes working with Access Fertility which is sponsoring the podcast about the clinics they work with providing finance packages for IVF treatment. However, if you are at the point where you aren't getting pregnant but you can't get your head around fertility treatment then here's something to think about.

Just over a week ago, I was tuned into BBC 5 Live to hear my next guest, Alexia Leachman being interviewed. You will hear in the podcast what she was talking about, it was a tough interview in some respects and I know Alexia has since had a hard time from trolls on Twitter, but I think she's a pretty remarkable lady and I'm sure you'll agree.  I've decided to include Alexia in this season, and as part of National Fertility Awareness Week as I think the techniques she teaches could be really helpful to you on your fertility journey. 

About my guest:

Alexia is the host of the award-nominated Fear Free Childbirth podcast. The Fear Free Childbirth is a 9-month podcast for mums and dads who want to look forward to and prepare for a fear-free childbirth experience. In her show, Alexia shares positive birth stories, insights into the latest childbirth research, inspiring tales from birth professionals, and some tips and techniques for clearing your fears and stresses. Her second book, Fear Free Childbirth is due for launch in January 2016.

Alexia is also a coach who works with business leaders, TV personalities, creatives, entrepreneurs, and more recently, mothers on a mission who want to step up their game in their life and business.

Alexia appears regularly in the press, TV, radio, and online including the BBC and SKY, and has been featured in Huffington Post, Mail Online, Psychologies, Red, Easy Living, and Mother & Baby magazines.

Follow Alexia on Twitter @afearlessbirth

Interview with Fertility coach Kate Davies, understanding natural fertility methods, and Lisa Affield the Fertility yoga expert

About the guests:

Kate Davies is a   Fertility practitioner, coach, and registered nurse with over 20 year’s experience. She has all the clinical knowledge to really understand your journey, which makes her unique, as the only fertility coach in the UK to have a clinical background and ideally placed to work with couples trying to conceive.  Read Kate's guest blog for The Fertility Podcast here 

Lisa Affield is a yoga practitioner, who researched and devised a fertility yoga program and used it before and during her own fertility treatment to keep her calm and positive throughout. After eight years of trying to conceive.  Having been told that IVF was her only option, Lisa and her husband Steve had three cycles of IVF at Exeter Fertility clinic and finally, at the age of 36, had her first baby, Josephine. After two more IVF cycles, twins, Dexter and Isabelle, were born in April 2011.

Items mentioned in this podcast:

• The link between stress and fertility
• Loss of a sense of self when trying to conceive
• Dealing with the ‘two-week wait
• The lack of men having coaching
• A closed Facebook group offering fertility support
• The risks of companies such as Apple and Facebook encouraging egg freezing
• The benefits of using yoga to ease stress before and during IVF

In this podcast you will learn:

• Research shows that time to conception with fertility knowledge is reduced
• Lifestyle tweaks can make all the difference into optimising their fertility
• There are things we can do, to really check your lifestyle and improve fertility
• Fertility preservation FB and APPLE

OFFER: Quote ‘The Fertility Podcast’ when you visit Your Fertility Journey to receive  20% off Kate Davies’s Fertility Coaching packages

Follow Kate Davies on Twitter  

Follow Lisa Affield on Twitter 

To hear an interview with Dr Marilyn Glenville about how a nutrient deficiency can affect fertility please visit our Patreon site and join our amazing community 

About Guest

Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD is the UK’s leading nutritionist specialising in women’s health. She is the former President of the Food and Health Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine, a registered nutritionist, psychologist, author and popular broadcaster who obtained her doctorate from Cambridge University.

Dr Glenville is a popular international speaker. As a respected author on women’s healthcare, she gives regular talks on radio and frequently appears on television and in the press. For over thirty years Dr Glenville has studied and practised nutritional medicine specialising in the natural approach to female hormone problems.

Items mentioned in this podcast:

• Miscarriage - after natural conception and IVF, how to help women stay pregnant & and the importance of a focus on men
• How certain nutrients can have a real impact and how they can make a difference for men and women
• Lifestyle and Environmental factors
• Finding the cause for ‘unexplained infertility’
• Checking nutrient deficiency could save the NHS £’s on fertility treatment if checked
• How nutrients could improve a poor semen analysis

In this podcast you will learn:

• The Fertility Mineral deficiency test - and retesting
• How nutrient supplements can help your fertility
• Nutrients have to be taken in their most absorbable form
• How egg quality can be improved in a 3 month period
• Endocrine factors

Follow @DrGlenville

Welcome to Episode 12 of The Fertility Podcast. This is a really exciting time for me, as I'm expecting my first baby at the end of this month (Feb 2015) so we are focusing on a mindset which applies to so many different stages of our lives. Sarah is doing some really interesting work online which is detailed below and in the podcast.

About Sarah Holland:

Sarah Holland is a fertility support specialist, who uses the powerful technique of EFT to help others negotiate the emotional roller coaster of fertility issues and find a positive way forward towards creating a family. Based in the UK, Sarah supports people from all over the world via phone and Skype consultations. Having experienced fertility issues herself, and now a mum to two boys, she recognizes the importance of excellent emotional support and stress reduction during this challenging time. Sarah believes that everyone should have access to emotional support while trying to conceive through fertility issues and co-founded the fertility support community Blossom & Be.

Items mention in this podcast

• Importance of seeking emotional support
• What is EFT ( Emotional Freedom Technique)
• Reasons why EFT can be so effective

In this podcast you will learn:

• Private support group Blossom and Me
• Fertility Focus Telesummit
• Fertility Question time – online monthly event

To find out about fertility support with Sarah visit www.FertileMindset.com.

Follow on Twitter @FertilyMindset 

All you need to know when trying to get in the best shape possible to have a baby. Whether you think you have a healthy diet and lifestyle or not you might be surprised to learn about toxins in your makeup or nasties in your protein shakes. You can learn how to improve egg and sperm health and track your fertile window plus get tests to do at home to put you in the most knowledgeable place possible.