Experiencing Infertility: Are You a Team?

There are couples who seem to naturally function as a team no matter what their circumstance. Others have very separate lives as valued independent and high functioning adults that happen also to be in a relationship. This difference does not particularly matter until perhaps there is an unexpected event such as infertility.

Do you have support?

One of the first things I ensure when a person experiencing infertility attends for counselling, is to look at the supports around them. Primarily whether they feel they are part of a team with their partner or are they fighting solo for their right to have a child.

The reason this is important is that with any unexpected crisis we often need to lean on others in a way that we may not have had to previously. Some people dread having to be dependent on another for support even if that other is their life partner. But lean we must, as it is just too big to do alone. If you are single and doing it alone it is even more important to figure out who you are going to wrap around you for when times get tough. Often this will be a team of health professionals such as those we have at Fertile Ground Health Group, as you will need your friends to stay friends and your family to remain family. Holding complete responsibility physically is one thing, but holding emotional responsibility is unnecessary and likely to contribute to poor mental health and wellbeing.

Are you in this together?

A firm acknowledgement from a partner that you are in this together is such a simple task and yet over and over I encounter couples who have distanced themselves from each others struggles whilst in the midst of getting on with it. This can often be about not wanting to burden the other with this business of sadness, grief,  loss, feelings of dread, increasing anxiety and or depression for this elusive future goal so desired.

Can you share?

Communication is just so important with direct validation of the other’s experience and sharing what it might be like for you. Sharing big emotions is so human and brings forth closeness and understanding. No one is a mind reader. We need to be told what is needed rather than guessing. One conversation can change everything for the better.

What better way to prepare for parenthood than to up-skill on your communication? Take a direct route to tell your partner what you want from them and find out what they need from you. It can be good to get some guidance from your counsellor about how to go about this, so that you can take into account your particular relationship challenges.  You don’t want an invitation to get closer to become a bone of contention.

Developmentally the relationship should be ready for some challenges, or else why would you be trying to have a baby together? What is more you will need these skills more than ever once your little one arrives!

 

SuzanneHURLEYCSuzanne Hurley, FGHG Perinatal and Fertility Counsellor

Suzanne offers counselling for individuals and short term couples work through the many stages of fertility and parenting including contemplating pregnancy, unintended pregnancy, during pregnancy, life with a baby and end of reproduction. She has an impressive level of expertise having worked with varying degrees of reproductive loss, including pregnancy options counsellinginfertility and IVF supportperinatal mental healthabortion counselling and in reproductive health issues. Suzanne is available for counselling in East Melbourne at Fertile Ground Health Group two days per week. More information about Suzanne is available here: Suzanne Hurley, Counsellor.

Online booking at Fertile Ground

How to be smart about stress and your fertility

By Gina Fox, Naturopath

Listen now to Gina’s Podcast “How to be smart about stress and your fertility”

The effect of stress can be different for each of us and just because you don’t feel stressed doesn’t mean that you may not be affected. The very busyness of our daily routines can result in constantly raised stress hormones such as cortisol. The effects of stress on the regulation of hormones, blood sugar and adrenal functions are well established and this means that reproduction is compromised, especially when experienced long term.

In the podcast Tasha Jennings ND of Conceive Baby website talks with Naturopath and Natural Fertility Specialist Gina Fox about the impact of stress on fertility and what you can do to improve your chances of falling pregnant.Gina has over 15 years clinical experience with a Masters in Reproductive Medicine. As well consulting at Fertile Ground Health Group, she is also a writer, speaker, naturopathic lecturer, student clinic supervisor and co-founder of the Be Fertile Series of Guided Meditations to support people through the struggles of trying to conceive.

Click here to hear the podcast. “How to be smart about stress and your fertility” Interview by Tasha Jennings from Conceive baby with Naturopath Gina Fox.

WTF is MTHFR?

By Gina Fox (FGHG naturopath) and Joanne Sharkey (FGHG acupuncturist)

We are thrilled to announce the latest in our informative podcast series WTF is MTHFR – an interview by Joanne Sharkey with Gina Fox on the ins and outs of MTHFR.

Have you heard of MTHFR? What is it? Why is everybody talking about it? Could it be affecting your chances of conceiving a healthy baby? Implicated in miscarriage, sperm defects, neural tube defects like spinabifida, and even chromosomal issues like down syndrome, MTHFR needs attention in a practice like ours with a special focus on fertility and helping people conceive healthy babies.

What if you do have it? Can it be treated? Will treatment actually help? Is there a bigger picture than this reductionist approach?

There are so many questions when it comes to MTHFR. Get all of your answers here on this fabulous and comprehensive podcast with FGHG acupuncturist Joanne Sharkey interviewing FGHG fertility naturopath Gina Fox

Listen to the podcast now

Let’s talk about sex, baby!

By Charmaine Dennis, Naturopath and Co-director

 

It can be so easy to get caught up in the dos and don’ts of trying to conceive – don’t drink alcohol, go to your GP for testing, give up the cigarettes, exercise more … that we can forget to talk about the most important thing about getting pregnant – SEX!

When you first start consciously trying to conceive, sex with your partner may be the most potent love making you have experienced. To come together to make a baby is ultimately what it is all about – a culmination of your love together resulting in the formation of another human being whose every cell is made up of your union. Amazing times!

But it seems that it can quickly turn to stressful thinking, especially as we often assume that it will happen quickly and easily for us. We tried so hard for most of our reproductive lives to not get pregnant with intercourse, so it is easy to assume that it should happen on the first attempt without contraception. Right?

Continue reading Let’s talk about sex, baby!

The Fertility Diet – Boost your chances of Conception

The Fertility Diet offers a useful resource for anyone trying to conceive whether they’ve encountered fertility issues or not. Getting on board with these simple strategies will create the right circumstances for a heatlhy conception and healthy baby. The advice given in the book gives couples the power to make a difference to their own health and positively influence their fertility.

Author Tasha Jennings is a naturopath, nutritionist and Melbourne local whose personal history of infertility was the inspiration behind the book. This easy to read, magazine-style book, offers simple, down-to-earth tips and advice for pre-conception health. Tasha gives us a succinct explanation of the basics for good fertility health and why it matters when we’re trying to conceive. It is a nice blend between a professionally well researched book and a practical guide for couples wanting to conceive. Tasha shares many gems she found in her search to optimise her own fertility.

The basics such as charting your menstrual cycle and understanding about ovulation, PCOS and other health issues that can affect fertility are explained. It briefly covers the main factors that influence fertility such as age, weight, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, nutrition and exercise and combines easy to implement strategies to help improve egg quality, uterine and sperm health.

Tasha covers the major nutrients needed to enhance fertility and talks about some of the herbs and supplements that may be useful. As a naturopath herself Tasha understands the importance of consulting a naturopath or herbalist for individualized herbal and nutritional treatment. This part is understandably limited in its scope: the correct dose and length of time you should take a nutrient or herb is vitally important, so Tasha doesn’t provide or recommend a one-size-fits-all self-prescription.

A large chunk of the book is devoted to a practical 90 day fertility diet designed for men and women to support egg and sperm health during the critical 3 month period that the egg is developing. This 12 week diet will appeal to women who like structure and convenient menu planning with the easy, healthful and delicious recipes.

Tasha has done a great job at giving practical tips and advice for anyone trying to conceive. It offers a fabulous jumping-off point to give any couple a leap up the ladder of conceiving. I highly recommend it as a good read. This is the advice we’d like all our patients to follow before they conceive.

Tasha Jennings - Author PhotoThe author, Tasha Jennings, will be launching The Fertility Diet, giving an informative talk and book signing at Fertile Ground Health Group in East Melbourne at 7pm on Thursday 30th July.

To book in for the launch call FGHG reception on 03 9419 9988 or email reception@fertileground.com.au.

Cost $30 including a copy of The Fertility Diet, healthy drinks and snacks and and inspiring talk with introduction by Gina Fox (FGHG naturopath and fertility expert).

 

 

Recommended by Gina Fox, Naturopath & Fertility Expert, Fertile Ground Health Group.