What can you do to get through this time with the least amount of emotional pain?

1.     Let Go: As a society, we are used to the idea that if you work hard enough at something, you will achieve it. Women approach infertility with that same attitude - if I take control of my fertility, I will be able to achieve my goal. Our fertility is one thing that is completely out of our control. We can do things to optimize our chances to conceive but there is only so much you can do to optimize your chances, the rest is up to God or chance (or whatever you believe in). I want to tell women who are stressed out, trying to control every aspect of their fertility to let go. This is very hard to do without training. I recommend buying a meditation and visualization CD to get started. You can buy a CD through our clinic. We offer Mind-Body group and individual sessions designed to teach the meditation techniques that will help you cope with infertility and let go of the stress that you keep bottled up inside.

2.     Be Prepared: When making social plans, know what you’re getting yourself into. For example, if Christmas with the in-laws means attending the family daytime services geared for kids, make alternative plans. Attend a midnight service and plan to join the family later in the day just for dinner after the kids have opened all their presents. Being prepared for questions family or friends may ask will also help you cope with infertility during the holidays. If someone asks you if you have kids, a simple no will do. You shouldn’t feel the need to confide intimate details of your infertility struggles with anyone. IVF stories are all over the news right now. It isn’t unusual for dinnertime discussions or discussions at social gatherings to revolve around the latest goings-on of the recent mother of 8 IVF babies. Don’t take what people say about infertility treatments or IVF personally.

3.     Shopping for Gifts: Consider doing all your shopping online to avoid malls filled with reminders that may be emotionally tough to deal with.

4.     Take care of yourself: this means doing things for yourself that will help you relax and deal with stress in ways that are good for your spirit. The holidays are filled with opportunities to over-indulge whether that’s with food or drinking. Be as mindful as possible of your emotional and physical well-being during this time.  Take Yoga classes, get massages, see a psychologist, and see your acupuncturist more often.

We are proud of our quality of care, as well as our honest and sincere practice! We have just been re-inspected by IMQ of California (Institute for Medical Quality–similar to JCAHO) in October 2009, and are fully certified for the next 3 years.  Our laboratory has also just passed our regular CAP (College of American Pathologists) inspection and is fully accredited until our next regular inspection in December 2010.

We are thankful to have you as our friends and supporters, in helping many patients form their families!  Above all, we will continue to strive for the best outcome for our patients!!

Your best line of defense during this waiting period is keeping busy. Even if you’ve decided to take time off work after your embryo transfer, make sure that your days are full of activities. Perhaps organize a room or two in your house. Read a book that you’ve wanted to read but haven’t had enough time, organize old pictures or take a cooking class. What ever you choose, make a plan of what you’re going to do and on what day and check it off on a list of things to do.

As you wait for your results you will find your mind wandering…am I pregnant? Am I not pregnant? What am I going to do if I’m not pregnant? Active thinking is the best approach. Pick a mantra. Every time one of these thoughts or a negative thought pops into your mind, like, “I’m never going to get pregnant.” Just repeat your mantra. It could be something as simple as “Happy Healthy Baby.” Say it over and over. Don’t let your thoughts consume you. As soon as a negative thought crosses your mind - start saying your mantra.

Consider including Mind Body sessions as a part of your treatment plan. These sessions are designed to teach you the tools needed to keep calm and have a positive outlook. Studies have also shown that couples, who participate in the Mind Body approach, have a higher pregnancy rate.

What do all these activities have in common? They keep your hands and mind working. Keeping busy and occupied will help you get through some of the toughest and most challenging times of your life so that when the waiting period is over - it will have gone as quickly as possible without you feeling more emotionally drained than you need to.

The thyroid is a tiny gland with an enormous impact on the health and well-being of the entire body. Under functioning of this gland, or hypothyroidism, affects approximately 1 out of every 12 women. However, thyroid conditions can be sub-clinical, or go unnoticed for many years. Every cell in the body needs small amounts of thyroid hormone for optimal functioning. So, when this gland is compromised, many aspects of health can diminish, including fertility.

Many women suffer unnecessarily with symptoms such as fatigue, decreased libido, hair loss, water retention, depression, insomnia, and menstrual irregularity and may experience fertility challenges such as recurrent miscarriages.

Chinese medicine groups many of these symptoms into the “Kidney” system, which loosely correlates to the endocrine system, including thyroid, adrenal and ovarian function. Chinese medicine practitioners assess not only standard lab tests (measurements of TSH, T3 and T4) but also delve into aspects of health history such as immunity, energy levels and sleep patterns that have interrelationships to the thyroid function in order to arrive at an understanding of the entire “Kidney” system.

Chinese and Western medicine recognize that stress, overwork and poor diet may negatively impact the “Kidney” or endocrine system. Conversely, applying acupuncture and appropriate lifestyle modifications may help improve endocrine health and in turn, reproductive function.

The insertion of acupuncture needles at specific points on the body propagates sensation to the brain (specifically the hypothalamus), which in turn helps regulate the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to impact hormone regulation and improve thyroid function.

Chinese medical nutrition traditionally employs substances from the sea that are rich in iodine, such as oyster shells and seaweed to treat thyroid nodules. With the current availability of iodine (an essential component of the thyroid) in our regular food sources, these substances may not be as necessary, but a well-balanced diet including good sources of protein (deep sea fish, hormone-free meat and poultry), complex carbohydrates (squash, asparagus, brown rice, beans, sweet potatoes) have shown to contribute towards healthy thyroid function. Foods to avoid include alcohol, sugar and goitrogens (peanuts, pine nuts, tapioca and sorgum).

Stress reduction techniques and immune-restoring activities such as yoga and meditation help to re-balance and restore thyroid function. Cognitive therapy has also shown an effect on the thyroid axis similar to that of antidepressant treatments.

Proper diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism can significantly improve reproductive health and overall quality of life.

“I just wanted to personally thank you for all the behind the scenes support you provided us…from ordering meds, to emailing schedules, to answering my random questions. You have made this whole process run smoothly and made it as stress free as it possibly could be. It is just such a blessing to have people on your side and watching out for you!”

Our very own Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, along with researchers at University of Michigan have recently published their findings showing that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a disease affecting the brain.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a very common problem – affecting about six million women in the United States. Polycystic ovary syndrome is defined as having two out of the following three signs or symptoms: irregular or even absent periods, evidence of high androgen or male hormone levels (acne and hair growth are a couple of signs); and/or polycystic appearing ovaries – this refers to multiple, small follicles seen on the ovary.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome may have problems getting pregnant and even staying pregnant because of the abnormal hormone levels involved. If pregnancy is your goal, a reproductive endocrinologist will check hormone levels and devise a treatment plan hopefully resulting in a pregnancy. The abnormal hormone levels involved can also have an effect on a woman’s metabolism. Problems with obesity and insulin resistance are also very common.

Women with PCOS have abnormal secretion of hormones involved in the opioid system. This system has effects in the brain as well as elsewhere in the body. The opioid system controls appetite, food cravings, mood, how we think, our stress response, and sleep. What does this mean for women with PCOS? This could explain why women with PCOS may have problems with food cravings, depression, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and are at increased risk for sleep apnea, and score lower on memory tests. Treatment plans to address these issues involve medication to reduce insulin levels as well as testosterone levels. Treating the symptoms of PCOS have been shown to improve your quality of life.

We are learning more and more about the effects of PCOS. Our reproductive endocrinologists at Laurel Fertility Care are specialists on PCOS and its effects on pregnancy. Please contact us for more information.