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Build Support,
Lower Stress,
Get Pregnant
The holiday season is now underway. This is often a
difficult time of the year for those struggling with
infertility. One of the best things that you can do
for yourself to enhance your general well-being and
increase your chances for conception is to develop a
support network.
Having people who understand what you are going
through can help you feel less alone, less
overwhelmed and less out-of-control. A support
network can: provide you with a sounding board to
help you better determine the next step in your
infertility journey; provide you with information that
ordinarily you would not be aware of; remind you
that it's the hormones that are making you bloated
and feel half-crazed; and offer you hope.
Resolve
is a national organization
with chapters throughout the country. It offers
informational sessions and support groups. The
support groups are led by mental health
specialists and fall into many categories: primary
infertility, secondary infertility, planning to adopt,
donor egg and women 40 and over.
You might expect that women who attend a support
group experience a reduction in symptoms of
depression and anxiety, and an increase in feelings of
overall well-being. What you probably wouldn't
guess is that group attendence may increase
the rate of viable pregnancy as well. Research
published in Fertility and
Sterility (2000) demonstrated that 54% of
women who attended a Resolve support group and
55% who attended the Harvard Mind/Body infertility
program had a viable pregnancy within one year,
compared to 20% in the control group. Patients in
both groups received valuable information, support
and encouragement from their peers.
Building a support network also helps to keep
your partner from becoming burnt-out. No matter
how understanding, helpful, and supportive your
partner is, the infertility process is simply too much
for him to shoulder alone. By reducing some of
the strain, you are enabling him to replenish his
resources for the rest of the infertility journey.
Remember, support is not a luxury, it is a necessity!
Best of luck,
Gayle D. Crespy, Psy.D.
Program Director
Mind Body Infertility Program ....
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Greetings!
This newsletter is designed to provide you with the
latest fertility news and research so that you can
make the most informed decisions. We carefully
select items that are of special interest for those
dealing with infertility issues and who want to know
more about Mind Body techniques. It is sincerely
hoped that this letter will be of great use to you.
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| Fertility Recipe |
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Many patients with polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS) also have features of the metabolic
syndrome, also referred to as
syndrome X. This syndrome is characterized by
insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. In
order to help improve lipid levels, such as decreasing
LDLs and total cholesterol levels, it is recommended
that fiber intake be increased to 25 grams per 1000
calories. Dietary fiber binds cholesterol and
increases transit time and therefore there is less time
for the fat to be absorbed. Foods rich in dietary fiber
are beans, oat bran, fruits and vegetables.
Mixed Geens with White Beans
Salad
8 cups of mixed greens (arugula, dandelion,escarole);
2 cans of white beans drained; put in bowl and
mix well.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar;
2 tbsp dijon mustard;
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil;
1 tbsp water;
1/8 tsp pepper;
3 galic cloves minced; combine all ingredients in a
bowl and whisk well; pour on greens. Serves 4.
-
Maria Biasucci-Vianna,
MS, Nutritionist
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| Can Yoga Help Me? |
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Increasing numbers of women are using yoga to
complement traditional Western medical treatments
for infertility. Sometimes when we are trying to get
pregnant and cannot, we get sad and angry at
ourselves, at our bodies for failing us and as one
woman in my yoga sessions said "My doctor didn't
exactly have a prescription for that".
In reality, we
may express these feelings but mostly we stuff it and
don't process them. Yoga helps us untangle those
inner blocks and knots and deal with them. Yoga
helps us to learn to trust ourselves and our bodies
again. It helps us to walk through the fire and no
matter what our situation, yoga teaches us how to
embrace this ever changing kaleidoscope we call life.
Life is truly a miracle - our own lives and that of our
children. We must learn to honor our sacred selves
first and by doing so, we can then honor our
children, present and future. Read more at Resolve.
-Monica
Morell, PhD, www.fertilityoga.com
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Monica has an excellent yoga video ... |
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| Local Group Forming |
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10-Session Mind/Body Group: Enhancing Fertility and
Overcoming the Infertility Blues
Program Includes:
Stress Awareness · "Mini" Relaxation Exercises ·
Relaxation Response Training · Yoga Class · Breathing
Exercises · Guided Imagery · Deep Muscle Relaxation
· Stress Triggers · Nutritionist Talk · Exercise
Information · Positive Restructuring · Challenging
Cognitive Distortions
Group Begins: January 11, 2005, Tuesday's 6:30-
9:00pm. Location: White Plains, NY
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Registration Information... |
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| Mind Body Store |
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After receiving many requests over the past few
years to recommend Mind Body books, relaxation
tapes, and videos, we decided to put together our
Mind Body Store.
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Visit the Mind Body Store... |
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