Welcome to Wijnland Fertility: This Edition we dedicate to the hard-working women and their fertility risks.
To do this we need to Breathe into Fertility Future!
Stress is a known factor in the struggle to fall pregnant with worries and pressure at work
In a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, it was found that working for more than 40 hours a week was linked with a 20% increase in the amount of time taken to get pregnant, compared to those working 21 to 40 hours. The sample size of the survey was 1,739.
Stress is a known factor in the struggle to fall pregnant with worries and pressure at work leading to poor quality of sleep, raised cortisol levels and hormone fluctuations. Constant stress can affect ovulation by altering signals to the hypothalamus, the center of the brain that regulates some of the hormones that remind the ovaries to release their eggs every month. Women under relentless stress may ovulate less regularly, making it harder to plan for the most fertile times to have intercourse. Overworking was also associated with decreased interest in sex and many hours at the office also stole from hours spent in the bedroom.
“Women who work too hard and for too many hours will inevitably encounter a variety of health problems. Ultimately preparation for parenthood should include striking a healthier work/life balance. Moms who work too hard before pregnancy are as likely to put their pregnancy under strain by continuing to slave away when they most need to rest. When baby arrives its simply not sustainable to work more than 40 hours a week.”
Lizanne van Waart advised would-be Mothers to start being mindful of their body’s need to rest and rejuvenate. “Start putting some boundaries in place and make your wellbeing a priority. Take a lunch hour to sit in a park or go for a walk. Start the day with a meditation or some stretching. Get home in time to cook yourself a healthy meal.”
Key to working smarter but not harder is time management. Many women benefitted from putting away their phone and all its distractions after 8pm, whilst others made working time about work only, focusing on the completion of tasks within their own personal deadlines.
Robert A. Greene, MD, coauthor of Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility has these tips for women wishing to find a better work-life balance:
Salute the Sun “If you’re not the type to sit and meditate for an hour every day, yoga may be the next best thing,” says Dr. Greene, who recommends hatha yoga, a style that focuses on breathing and movement without concentrating directly on meditation.
Early to Bed. Over 80 percent of women ovulate between midnight and 8 a.m. so sleep becomes essential to prevent hormonal imbalances. Not to mention that sleep helps you cope with stress in general. If you are waking up tired or feel as if you are running on empty, you’re not getting enough.
Have sex – for the sake of it. Don’t turn sex into a fertility project, relax and enjoy the intimacy.
Do this 10-minute stress Rx. Try progressive muscle relaxation, an exercise that involves tightening and relaxing every part of your body from head to toe. Furrow your forehead for five seconds, then relax your face for five seconds. Then wrinkle your nose for five seconds, and relax it for five seconds. Do the same with your jaw, and so on, for 10 minutes, or more if you have time. “This helps you to physically feel what your body is like when it’s tense versus when it’s relaxed,” says Dr. Domar.
Put it on the page. Dr. Greene is a big fan of journaling to soothe stress. “Putting your worries on paper is one of the best ways to get perspective and feel like you’re more in control of your problems,” he says. Writing in a journal regularly, even for just a few minutes a day, can help you feel more positive and less.
Lizanne van Waart, says that bringing stress under control may take time and practice. “Working with a therapist can help you manage stress successfully and permanently.”
A TRIBUTE TO WOMEN
DOING THE WORK
The faces of Woman’s Month (from the ones that represent frivolous fun and freebies to the others that show us success against the odds or suffering beyond imagination) are a reminder that being a woman is complex.
There is more to being a woman than bubble baths and spa days. Although these things are welcome and lightness is necessary, but being a woman is sometimes a deep web of contradictions, a journey we spend our lives figuring out.
Radiating from our own internal stories and upbringing, we are sub-consciously wired to interact with the world in a certain way. Add to this our reactions to the stereotypes that surround us and the crazy expectations that we take on (and try to deliver on) and we are often sent off into our daily lives like spinning tops.
We are fine-tuned to play multiple roles and as the daughters of the first free (and sometimes feminist) women, we are trying hard to take on this freedom and become all things to everyone.
In my work I see women in crisis. Women who have found that all that they thought they were and could be, is not within reach. That they have no control. That the life they had mapped out is not the one they find themselves in. Infertility is like a concrete wedge being dropped into the middle our path. It has to be confronted, it will mean a re-navigation. I see these women try to pick up this concrete block, push it aside, or climb over it. But I have learnt in my practice that it has to be worked through – with a fine chisel.
I would like to honour all of my patients. All of the women out there who are doing the work. Tapping away with their hammers and chisels. Finding a way to transform big blocks of concrete into beautiful doors, intricate sculptures and triumphant reminders to leave on their paths. So that other women may admire them and see that with determination, we can get through.
This is an extract from one of my favourite poems, The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer:
“I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and your toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.” Be with joy.
SHIFT YOUR MIND, SHIFT YOUR LIFE
The stress of resolving an infertility challenge can sometimes become an aggravating factor in the path to becoming pregnant. The mind begins to hold on tightly to the end goal of conceiving, even to the point of an obsession that shapes all of your daily experiences and creates tension in relationships.
New Year’s resolutions may have fallen by the wayside but there is no calendar to resetting the body and mind with some new techniques that will not only take you into a more mindful 2025 but which may also assist you in creating the right head-space to take a positive outlook on your fertility journey.
Mindfulness is about being present to the moment. Fully aware of your body within the space and place it is in. Practicing mindful meditation for just a few minutes a day can decompress anxiety, help you regain perspective and calm your body and overly-active mind down.
Sit or lie down in a quiet, private space in a corner of your home or garden where you feel safe and relaxed.
To do this you may need to get up a bit earlier or perhaps you can take a lunch break to seek out a quiet spot.
Close your eyes and become aware of your body.
Focus on your breath and nothing else.
Breathe in through the nose for as long as it is comfortable, hold your breath for as long as it is comfortable and then release slowly through the nose.
Keep repeating this action, slowing your breath down and building up to slower, deeper lungful’s of air.
Try to empty your mind of chatter by tuning into how your body is feeling in the present moment, you can scan your entire body as you focus on your breathing.
The mind is mischievous and will play! When it wanders off just gently bring your focus back to the breath. To get you started try these great free (or partially free) apps for Android and IOS
Inspiration for calm moments on-the-go here
Great tips on learning how do I to meditate here
With over 3 million meditations https://insighttimer.com this is a top-rated app for IOS and Android
Headspace will show you how to meditate and has lots of info on why meditation is so good for you https://www.headspace.com
