Herald Sun - Nature's Medicine

 

NATURE'S MEDICINE

For those who missed last "Weekend's" Edition of the Herald Sun you can check out my article I wrote below.

Some simple and easy tips to increase your Health and Fertility.

Yoga Poses to increase our Fertility

Vipariti Karani (Feet up the Wall).

Vipariti Karani is a restorative and relaxing posture. This asana is known as ‘inverted lake’ and is based on the belief that the blood and hormones circulate better through the body when it is inverted. It allows the pelvis to be above the heart and pools the energy like a lake in the pelvis, calming the heart and mind. For this reason, this posture is great to do after having sex. It allows blood to flow to our reproductive organs and calms our central nervous system, inducing our relaxation response along with restoring our body. This posture is beneficial during your IVF cycle when under going ovarian stimulation. It helps alleviate bloating and distension. I advise my my patients to this posture both during an IVF cycle, after egg retrieval and of course after ovulation. 

Place a bolster/block or rolled up yoga mat against the wall. To prepare sit sideways to the wall, and swing your legs up the wall so you are in an “L” Shape with your back on the floor and legs up the wall.  Lower your back to the ground; use your hands to push your buttocks and legs as close to the wall as possible. When you are in the final pose your legs should be up against the wall. Your lower back/sacrum resting on the prop. Flex your feet and place your hands on your womb space.

Tuesday Inspiration!

Oh Tuesday Inspiration how I am feeling you! Practicing Mindfulness!

I love Child's Pose. You can totally Surrender into this pose. Letting all the worries of the world fall away.

Wednesday Inspiration

Be Present in the moment! Smile and take it all in.

The Role of Acupuncture in Natural Fertility & IVF Acupuncture Support

Acupuncture

In recent studies, it has been shown that women having IVF treatment can boost their chances of falling pregnant by 65 per cent simply by having acupuncture. A review combining the results of seven previous studies has found that acupuncture also increases the chances of having an ongoing pregnancy (beyond 12 weeks from gestation) by 87 per cent -- and nearly doubles the chance of a successful live birth, increasing that by 91 per cent. If you’re new to the fertility process some of this information may be new to you.

With natural conception acupuncture can:

• Regulate the Menses: works by regulating our hormones and menstrual cycle. Controlling irregular menstruation can enable couples to better predict the time of ovulation.
• Increase Uterine Lining: It increases blood flow to the uterus, resulting in a thicker healthier uterine lining. I have seen dramatic improvements with acupuncture and herbal therapy in treating thin endometrial lining.
• Improve Sperm: Separate studies have shown that acupuncture can increase sperm count and sperm motility.
• Prevents Miscarriage: Particular herbal formulas and acupuncture treatments are known to help secure a growing embryo and prevent a miscarriage.

Acupuncture & IVF

In conjunction with in-vitro fertilization (IVF), acupuncture may help:

• Regulate hormones: Women’s hormones must fall within a desired range to continue with treatment. Acupuncture helps regulate your hormones.
• Increase number of follicles and improve egg quality: Obtaining good quality eggs is the most important factor and desired outcome. Specific points help stimulate our ovaries and build endometrial lining.
• Increases changes of Implantation: Acupuncture helps creates a receptive environment for the embryo to implant. As mentioned earlier in the study it increases your chances of falling pregnant by 65%.
• Relieves stress: Acupuncture has been shown to increase beta-endorphins “happy hormones” in the blood thereby reducing stress levels. 

At Angea Fertility Clinic our Practitioners support you during your Natural Fertility and IVF journey. To contact our clinic please call 9510 3700 or email info@angea.com.au

The Breath, Belly Breath & Fertility

The breath plays an important role and has a powerful influence over our physiological and psychological well-being. Breathing is something we don’t pay a great deal of attention too. In fact, its is an unconscious response we do naturally. What I teach my patients is conscious breathing and conscious awareness; it is a form of mindfulness.

Have you ever noticed when in a stressful situation that your heart rate increases, your breathing becomes more shallow or labored. This is our body going into what we call the “Flight or fight” response. All you can think is, how can I get out of this situation. Your head is screaming, “run”. In this heightened state our body begins to produce the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is well known for its impact on fertility. Stress reduces the changes of conceiving with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) according to recent studies.

Different types of breathing patterns have distinct physiological effects. When we connect to conscious breath, it triggers the physiological response of rest and digest. Everything in the body begins to slow down; our heart rate, our mind, our breathing becomes deeper and consciously we begin to connect into our body. Suddenly, we notice we are in a more relaxed state.

The breath we want to promote in fertility is the belly breath. Slow deep rhythmic abdominal breathing. Belly breathing stimulates our vagus nerve, which controls important body functions such as respiration and digestion and sends sensory information to the brain.  Using this breath shifts the hormonal milieu in the body from “flight or fight” to “rest, digest and nest”.

Close your eyes and focus on breath. Begin to identify your breathing pattern. Are you holding tension in your shoulders, back and neck? Is your belly moving?

If you’re not using belly breath, try this exercise/

1. Lie down on the floor with legs extended.
2. Place your right hand on your heart and left hand on your lower belly
3. Close your eyes and begin to breath in and out of your nose.
4. As you inhale feel your belly expand. Breath into your belly
5. As you exhale, feel your belly contract, gently drawing belly to spine.

Continue this belly breathing for 5-10 minutes.

FERTILITY YOGA WORKSHOP

www.angeayoga.com.au

Fertility & Vitamin E

Fertility & Vitamin E

There are so many supplements on the market that can improve and increase our fertility. I am going to share with you, what I find is important to improve and increase our reproductive health and wellness.

Our body and reproductive system is made up of million and millions of cells, including our sperm and eggs. Vitamin E is essential in protecting and improving our cellular health. It is an important antioxidant for reproduction and fertility.  Research has shown it can improve the overall health of Men's sperm and in Women can increase our overall egg health. This is great news!

The chemical name of Vitamin E is Alpha-Tocopherol, it comes from the Greek word Tokos which translates to "offspring" and Phero which means to "bear". It literally means to bear children. I love it when we can find naturally produced foods that contain these qualities. Vitamin E is found in foods  such as almonds and other nuts, sunflower seeds, spinach and apricots.

For the Woman!

Women under going IVF cycles who have been found to have  a thin uterine lining <8mm, Vitamin E has been shown to increase uterine activity and can aid in increasing  the thickness of the endometrial lining. A study published by Fertility & Sterility April 2010,  found that Vitamin E could increases uterine radial artery blood flow. Results showed vit. E given at 600mg a day increased uRA in 72% of patients and endometrial thickness (EM) in 52% of patients.
If you are starting an IVF cycle this may be something you might like to consider. It is always important when going for your scan to ask the thickness of your endometrial lining.

For the Boys!

Vitamin E has been shown to increase your overall sperm health and motility. Vitamin E when taken with Selenium increases live sperm rate. This is most important when having to give a sample for an IVF cycle.  Vitamin E has also been shown to reduce sperm defects. The numbers are actually really good, showing that men who take Vitamin E supplements for even just a few months, can see up to a 10% increase in fertility. I recommend you start now!

In another study, males enrolled in an in vitro fertilization program who had previously had low fertilization rates were treated with oral vitamin E for three months. Fertilization rates increased significantly from 19% to 29% after one month of treatment (Geva).

I would recommend a diet rich in Vitamin E foods and a daily dosage of 500mg.

Sources

Takasaki A, Tamura H, Miwa I, Taketani T, Shimamura K, Sugino N (April 2010). “Endometrial growth and uterine blood flow: a pilot study for improving endometrial thickness in the patients with a thin endometrium”. Fertil. Steril. 93 (6): 1851–8. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.12.062. PMID

Geva E, Bartoov B, Zabludovsky N, et al. The effect of antioxidant treatment on human spermatozoa and fertilization rate in an in vitro fertilization program. Fertility and Sterility. 1996;66:430–434

Practice Breath - The art of Receiving and the art of Releasing...............

When we are born, the very first thing we do is take in a breath, inviting life force to fill out bodies and feed our vital organs. Breath is Life itself. The act of inhaling is the act of receiving. The act of conceiving is also an act of receiving.

BODY AWARENESS

Thought for today!  

Body Awareness

It is easy to judge your body for not supporting you or notice what’s “not working”. It is common to feel let down by our bodies when facing our fertility challenges. I encourage you to shift your awareness to what is working in your body and how your body is responding. Begin to notice how your body feels each day as you move through your day. Focus on the positive aspects. How is your body supporting you. What feels good? What can you do live a healthier life?