| --> | | | | pregnancy protocol that prepared my body and mind |
| Infertility is frustrating enough, but what's even | | | | and examined a number of other contributing factors |
| worse is becoming pregnant only to have all of your | | | | such as stress and how my less than perfect |
| hopes and dreams end in miscarriage. Just when you | | | | upbringing was affecting my fertility. I'm completely |
| think you've paid your 'dues', you think the universe | | | | convinced that there is a mind-body connection |
| couldn't be so cruel as to have this happen over and | | | | controlling many womens' ability to get pregnant and |
| over again. That's what I used to think before I | | | | stay pregnant. |
| realized there was much I could do to overcome | | | | Let's look at some of the factors contributing to |
| both infertility and miscarriage. I have finally come to | | | | infertility and miscarriage that we can control: |
| the conclusion that there are few things in life we | | | | 1. Stress |
| can't control. We are not victims of circumstance. We | | | | I can already hear you saying "here we go again--- |
| can be empowered by realizing that we own (and | | | | stress management, tell me something I don't already |
| control) our bodies, our minds, and our ability to | | | | know". But let's take a closer look. I found that there |
| attract what we want in our life. It's not that I think | | | | seems to be a profile of women who suffer from |
| women are responsible for their infertility and/or | | | | infertility and miscarriage. They tend to be very |
| miscarriages, it's just that whenever you place | | | | career and goal oriented, driven by deadlines, and |
| yourself in the "victim" mode, you automatically feel | | | | may think that they're expected to "have it all" or at |
| like there's nothing you can do. | | | | least "all at once". This attitude is totally inconsistent |
| I will admit, there may be physiological factors | | | | with getting pregnant and staying pregnant. I had |
| contributing to miscarriage requiring medical | | | | absolutely no idea how much stress I was under until |
| intervention, however, in my case, it was a matter | | | | I finally quit my management job. I look back now |
| of restoring the delicate balance of my hormones | | | | and can't believe what a pressure cooker I was in |
| and reproductive system. I had six miscarriages | | | | every day. At the time I thought I was handling my |
| before having my beautiful daughter. But when it was | | | | stress quite well, but now that I have the benefit of |
| right, it was right. I had her at the age of 44 and | | | | hindsight, I realize I was constantly functioning in the |
| conceived her without fertility treatments. I had a | | | | "fight or flight" mode. |
| totally uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery and if I | | | | 2. Diet |
| do say so myself, my daughter is perfect in every | | | | The American diet is about as bad as it gets and as |
| way. | | | | other countries get more "Americanized" their diets |
| Getting pregnant is an orchestration of synchronistic | | | | are declining as well. Even though I've always |
| events that play out like a beautiful musical | | | | maintained a body weight that was in the normal |
| masterpiece. Each instrument has to play on cue. It's | | | | range, I still wasn't eating foods that promoted |
| mind boggling to think about everything that must | | | | fertility. I researched food and nutrition publications |
| occur for successful conception, implantation, and | | | | and followed a diet high in hormone regulating foods, |
| finally, pregnancy. After undergoing a series of | | | | fruits and vegetables. Regulating hormones is also |
| unsuccessful fertility treatments (including IVF twice - | | | | critical in preventing miscarriage. As a bonus, foods |
| which resulted in the removal of a fallopian tube after | | | | that are good for fertility are happen to be great |
| an ectopic pregnancy), I was still certain that I could | | | | anti-aging strategies as well! It's great for my ego |
| have a baby the 'old fashioned' way even with one | | | | when people ask me "Are you going to have another |
| tube. Now that I understand how to restore the | | | | baby?" and I am now 47 years old! |
| delicate balance of my reproductive system, I | | | | 3. Visualization and meditation |
| shudder to think about how all the drugs and | | | | If you really want to attract something into your life, |
| hormones associated with fertility treatments may | | | | you need to see yourself as already having it. Many |
| have been one of the major obstacles to my | | | | amateur and professional athletes use a combination |
| success. It's like the proverbial "bull in a china shop". I | | | | of visualization and meditation before their |
| was injecting myself with powerful fertility drugs | | | | competitions. It's no different if you're trying to get |
| resulting in major mood swings, hyperstimulation of | | | | pregnant or if you're already pregnant and you want |
| my ovaries and estrogen levels that were off the | | | | to stay that way. I developed a number of |
| chart. We spent $25,000 of our hard-earned money | | | | visualization and meditation techniques which helped |
| only to walk away with nothing. In retrospect, I think | | | | me get pregnant and carry to term. |
| about how that $25,000 could have been a college | | | | 4. Examine your attitudes about family and children |
| fund for my daughter, and it's amazing how financially | | | | You should go back and confront your long-held |
| conservative we are with every other aspect of our | | | | attitudes about family and children. I grew up with |
| life. I can't think of any other medical procedure done | | | | parents who were totally mismatched, and as a |
| on basically healthy people that is so risky, expensive, | | | | result, I didn't even want children until I was in my |
| and has such marginal success rates. It's just that | | | | late 30's. I had such negative impressions of marriage |
| you want a baby so bad, you're willing to do anything | | | | and family that it's no wonder my body was |
| and therein lies the danger. Most of us have been so | | | | sabotaging my efforts to get pregnant and stay |
| conditioned to seek medical and pharmaceutical help | | | | pregnant. I had to get my mind and body in synch. |
| for every disorder, we don't even consider the | | | | When I ran a women's infertility support group, I was |
| 'natural route'. | | | | always amazed at the number of women who said "I |
| With each miscarriage, I was heartbroken but I took | | | | always knew I was going to have a hard time |
| comfort in knowing I could still get pregnant. None of | | | | getting pregnant!" Seems to be a bit of a self fulfilling |
| the doctors could tell me why I was miscarrying, so | | | | prophecy, doesn't' it? |
| they usually fell back on the dismal "pregnancy and | | | | Again, there are some women who have |
| miscarriage" statistics at my age. I didn't buy it. I | | | | physiological factors that contribute to their infertility |
| politely nodded by head and thought "blah blah blah, | | | | and or miscarriages, and it may be impossible for |
| I'm outta here!" I knew I just needed to get each | | | | them to have a successful pregnancy without |
| section of my orchestra to play in synch. It would be | | | | medical intervention. But for me, everything seemed |
| impossible to try to control microscopic events like | | | | to fall in the unexplained category. Well, I finally found |
| ovulation, fertilization, implantation, etc. But what I | | | | the 'explanation' - my orchestra needed some fine |
| could control is how my body functioned on a | | | | tuning. It was very empowering when I finally realized |
| "macro" level. I did my research and developed a | | | | I was in control of my body not the doctors! |