Food Freedom and Fertility Podcast

In this episode of Food, Freedom, and Fertility, Caitlin and Sophia discuss the importance of sugar and its affects on fertility by breaking down sugar’s role in our hormonal system through insulin, the role it plays in ovarian health, and identify the characteristics of sugar addiction as it is often debated in the world of dietitians. Posing questions to help listeners determine for themselves if they have a healthy relationship to sugar.    Blood sugar is directly related to fertility as it affects a hormone called insulin.  Insulin is the key that opens up the door allowing sugar fuel to come into the cells of your body so that you can blink your eyes, breathe thru your lungs, basically anything relating to body functions. The issue comes to play when there is too much insulin caused by eating too much sugar. In the context of fertility, sugar is especially important for your ovaries as they include your follicles that become the eggs you ovulate and other tissues that create hormones in your body.  Like any substance, our bodies can build a resistance to sugar making them insulin resistant.  Issues arise due to your ovaries inability to adjust, causing damage over time.  Big influxes of sugar, followed by big spikes of insulin can result in over-stimulated ovulation, leading to egg quality problems and general ovarian stress. In this episode, Caitlin & Sophia also discuss Follicle Arrestment; the term used to describe how excess insulin creates more testosterone, which can lead to higher testosterone levels in the female body causing ovulation to halt.    Caitlin & Sophia also discuss the hierarchy of sugars, explaining the difference in natural versus processed and artificial sugars, drinking versus eating sugars, in an effort to help listeners understand the difference in healthy fruits and vegetables versus less than ideal sugars found in high fructose corn syrup (usually in soda’s or sugary beverages).  While there’s an importance of a well balanced diet including fruits and vegetables, Caitlin & Sophia encourage listeners to decipher their need for sugar by reviewing their impulses consciously as they happen, gauging one’s need for unwanted sugars found in many food and beverage products.  While sugar addiction isn’t necessarily an addiction Psychology DSM would diagnose, you can certainly have an unhealthy relationship with it if you’re consistently struggling to abandon the thought of consuming it or get shakiness when cutting it out of your diet.  In an effort to help listeners determine the role sugar plays in their lives, Caitlin & Sophia pose questions to help listeners critically think about their diet, the ways in which they can substitute sugar, and the ways in which they can help their body with the urge for sugar on a daily basis.  In discussing the importance of portion control, Caitlin & Sophia aim to help listeners gain an attainable sense of what makes a diet healthy in order to set achievable goals for themselves, and their fertility in 2021.

In this episode of Food, Freedom, Fertility; registered dietitians, Sophia Pavia and Caitlin Johnson expand the topic of weight loss for fertility to dive deeper into the nutritional balance required from both partners in order to see success in fertility.  In women, it’s important to not only address if there is a need for weight loss or gain and its relation to hormones but to also outline the nutritional needs your body requires. On one side of the spectrum, women may be dealing with dietary restraints brought upon by too much exercise and not enough nutritional reinforcement.  On the other side, overweight women may see excess in insulin levels leading to an increase in a number of different things that rise Androgens, DHEA, or Testosterone which can stall ovulation or lower egg quality. This episode will expand upon the notion of weight loss by discussing the topics of positive detoxing, blood sugar levels, popular diet plans, the role of sleep, all in an effort to identify ways in which women can build a better nutrition plan for themselves leading to a healthier lifestyle and successful fertility. While debunking the inclination of rapid weight loss, Sophia & Caitlin also discuss the difference between supporting the body’s detoxing systems and simply detoxing the body with the newest trends in nutrient-deprived cleanses. Studies show rapid weight loss mobilizes a lot of toxic components stored in your fat cells and can actually release these toxins into your reproductive system when it’s dealing with lower calorie intake and harsher nutrition deficiency during a cleanse. Sophia & Caitlin continue to explain how your body’s awareness catches on that its being filled with less than ideal toxins and may withhold your eggs ability to become fertilized.  That is why Sophia & Caitlin take the time to outline ways of supporting the body’s detoxing systems including monitoring your bowel movements and providing your body with a recommended amount of fiber and other key nutrients.  Blood sugar balance is also a factor when gauging the need for weight loss in order to achieve fertility.  Both dietitians discuss filling your plates with colorful vegetables; define the right carbs, proteins and fiber sources; while also diving into the positive and negative sides of diet trends such as Keto and intermittent fasting. In discussing these diet plans, Sophia & Caitlin make sure to outline the rewarding aspects of these routines so listeners can gather the facts and make the best decision for their body.   Fertility isn’t just on the women’s side of nutrition. This episode also discusses excess weight in men and its affects on men’s testosterone and estrogen levels. It takes two, and often even more help from professionals and love ones when aiming for successful fertility.  Conducting the tests and evaluating what’s right for your body boils down to nutrients and the study of your own bodily functions in order to guarantee success at starting or continuing a family.

In this episode of Food Freedom and Fertility, Caitlin Johnson and Sophia Pavia define the balance of a well-based diet and its relationship with fertility by dissecting the truths and reality around living a gluten and diary free lifestyle.  It’s a known fact, that trends have formed around gluten & dairy free diets however, Caitlin & Sophia discuss ways in which listeners can critically examine the need for these cutbacks in your diet based on defining the principles one should prioritize when addressing a well-balanced diet, the effects of these diets when applied to fertility and women with PCOS.  The reality is not everyone has to begin with a drastic step of becoming gluten and/or dairy free if their inherent diet does not meet the standard criteria of wellness and therefore, fertility. The other exception is of course, if there is known allergies and digestive disruptions that are illustrated by unwanted reactions or discomfort.  During this episode Caitlin & Sophia define strategies to ensure you’re meeting a standard level of nutrition in order to assess if drastic cuts of gluten and dairy are needed while defining the two so more women can grasp a full understanding when adjusting their diet for fertility.  Gluten is defined as a protein found in three grains, Wheat, Barley, and Rye.  Despite the fact that gluten appears in nearly everything, it can be defined in just those three food groups.  Its role can be blurred in the way mass food production works due to cross-contamination in the factories where gluten and other forms of grain are made.  Dairy is defined as any milk provided by an animal.  This excludes the many plant-based substitutes such as soy or almond milk.  Before diving into dietary restrictions, Caitlin & Sophia address strategies to ensure you’re meeting a standard level of nutrition defined as the balance of healthy nutrient density. Proper balance includes colorful fruits, vegetables, quality proteins and fats including vitamins A, D, E, and K.  Diving further into what qualifies quality proteins, Caitlin & Sophia suggest ways to ensure you’re meeting a standard level of nutrition and what to watch out for when it comes to unwanted gluten usage.  Blood sugar balance is also depicted as a check point when examining your diet and role of gluten and dairy in relation to PCOS.   Dietary restrictions including gluten and dairy free meals aren’t always the answer if it means substituting one unhealthy food item like, donuts, for a donut made gluten free. It’s about knowing your identifying your blood sugar levels and the ways in which incorporating healthy foods can turn your diet around after the necessary trial period, which usually takes 4-6 weeks for noticeable change.  This episode is beneficial for all people looking to create a healthy and balanced diet, but also focuses on the effects of your diet and how to determine if cutting dairy or gluten is a good fit for you. If after listening to this podcast you still have questions Caitlin or Sophia would love to schedule a time to discuss your eating lifestyle and habits.  

Our special guest Kendra Tolbert is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and yoga teacher also certified in Aromatherapy with a specialty in Polycystic Ovary System (PCOS) & fertility. Her approach combines traditional wisdom and the latest evidence-based care to help women balance their hormones, prepare for pregnancy and increase their chances of conceiving. While working in the women's health institution, Kendra started to see more and more people with PCOS & infertility. With her 17 years of yoga expertise, Kendra thought yoga could serve as a wonderful way to support people, help them reconnect with their bodies and therefore, improve their chances of conceiving successfully. Yoga is often thought of as a physical practice but Kendra hopes to share the understanding that yoga can be so much more than just settling into the correct poses and exercises. Yoga also involves elements of meditation as it relates to breath exercises and a system of philosophy around how you interact with the world, including yourself. Other benefits include bringing awareness to how you use your body for everyday tasks including standing or sitting with a supportive posture. By doing yoga, your body naturally discovers its alignment and creates a noticeable awareness allowing simple, yet impactful habits (like poor posture) to improve with regular practice. With these discoveries, Kendra observed a noticeable switch in the way participants find a sense of ownership over themselves in a way that is both meaningful and motivating. In this episode, Kendra also addresses some common obstacles individuals share when deciding to start their yoga practice. These obstacles can include intimidation or hesitancy due to their environment or belief system.  Since yoga classes may be unattainable for some individuals, Kendra explains how to utilize what is available in your existing surroundings in order to accomplish the relaxing and beneficial aspects of the practice. She further discusses the body’s need for balance between lower impact exercises like yoga and vigorous workouts such as cardio or strength training. In an effort to address faith or religious hesitation, Kendra referred to her background in Christianity and spent time studying scripture in an effort to draw supportive ideas between her religion and the practice of yoga. Her observations illustrated no conflict and actually, an encouraging role between the two. She recommends people who are on the fence take a similar approach to see if bridges can be made between their own religion and yoga. The practice of yoga holds many benefits, all of which can be summed up by Kendra’s description of yoga as an opportunity to take time for oneself by doing something that is also kind for oneself. Kendra also shares some very interesting information regarding the research around yoga, PCOS, and fertility. Yoga is also very beneficial for people during the stimulation process during IVF, at it is an opportunity to encourage blood flow to the reproductive organs.  Kendra offers assistance via her YouTube channel: Live Fertile, and her membership website, livefertile.com. She can also be found on Instagram at @live.fertile.

  Best foods to eat in the two week wait?   The two week wait (TWW) is the time between a confirmed ovulation and a positive pregnancy test or your period. It’s about 2 weeks long If you are changing your diet to make general healthier choices this would be fine.   This is not a great time to completely switch up your diet and start something new. For example, this is not a good time to go gluten/dairy free because these changes might put you at risk of not getting enough calories as you learn how to eat.  Changing your diet can also increase your stress, which is detrimental during this period. Building a healthy uterine lining: During this time, the baby isn’t even attached to your body; this is the time when the sperm has met the egg and it is about to attach to the uterus.  Your job is to help your body build a healthy uterus to eventually feed the baby.  You need to have a lot of progesterone during this time. The corpus luteum is the follicle that is left over after the egg has been ovulated. This is what begins to produce progesterone.  Hormone support Two major focuses when thinking about nutrition: Green leafy vegetables which have a high folate content.  Pork, red meat, parmesan cheese, broth, parsley Foods rich in lysine which helps body build new tissues  Supports tissue growth, reducing inflammation Almonds, pumpkin seeds cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower sesame  Nuts and seeds which have omega-3, selenium and zinc If you are exercising, make sure there is enough food energy to support activity so that your body can also put energy towards growing your baby.  Eat enough for your activity level What should I eat during the 2 week wait? Should you change your diet drastically?    What  are the top questions to ask your doctor if you haven’t gotten pregnant yet?   Blood work! Check hormone panel  These aren’t pregnancy specific but give us a good amount of information about how healthy your body is overall. This can help to make sure you aren’t sick or dealing with an underlying infection that might be preventing pregnancy.   CBC (complete blood count) and complete metabolic panel  Thyroid panel is important for someone who is having a hard time getting pregnant, especially if this runs in your family Celiac Hashimotos  Tests for underlying autoimmune that might impact ability to get nutrients from their foods. For example:  Make sure that you know that you are actually ovulating and WHEN you are ovulating to make sure that you are timing your sex appropriately. These are vital pieces of information that can inform how you move forward.  It’s never too early! But it’s also not too late. You can start at any point getting extra help. If you start early, you can work on learning about your cycle so that when you are ready to get pregnant you have a head start. If you have been trying for a while, there are specific things that you can look at with a specialist to increase your chances. It’s not “too late” to ask for help.  It’s important to address your reproductive health overall. It shouldn’t be considered “normal” to have painful, debilitating periods for your whole life. It’s not wrong to reach out for help if you know something isn’t right!  Even if you aren’t ready to have a baby right now or are unsure if you want a baby, you can still get help for current problems in your cycle.  Think about the type of team you want. Do you want to be on medications and look into surgery or do you want to focus on natural remedies? Both are valid but think through how you want your journey to look and what will align with your priorities.  If your intuition says that you should see someone- see someone! It can’t hurt to ask for help.  How long should someone ttc without seeking help? (before going to a doctor to help) / at what point do you recommend seeing a fertility specialist?      Are there any dietary changes for TTC with hypothyroidism?   Depends on what is going on with the thyroid. There are a lot of different combinations of hypothyroidism.  Adrenals? under-eating carbs, stress, sleep, etc.   Hashimotos? Maybe gluten free, high quality meats and broths, gut health Are cruciferous veggies OK? Probably not an issue unless you are eating a TON of cruciferous vegetables and this is probably not one of the heavy hitters affecting your thyroid.  Make SURE you are getting a full thyroid panel in your labs.  Find a doctor who is “thyroid literate” and knows how to interpret labs, give you the right medications, and support you appropriately.      Why is it that some women/couples can get pregnant so easily and other women can’t (outside of the standard diagnoses)?   Check sex timing and sex frequency first and foremost. It’s not really an issue of “more sex” but “well timed sex in relation to your ovulation.”  Make sure that you’ve had your partner's semen, blood sugar, testosterone, etc. checked. Causes of subfertility are not only a “female issue.”  There might be some underlying autoimmune condition or malabsorption disorder (ie digestion). Something else might be up that is not a “common” diagnosis. There is some issue that is preventing easy pregnancy. Keep digging until you have an answer or a pregnancy.  Consider age. The older we get, the more difficult pregnancy becomes.  The best thing you can do? Keep advocating for yourself! Keep learning, keep going, keep doing your best.     How do I lower Testosterone?   Spearmint tea, zinc supplements, peony can all help.  Most of the testosterone is made in the ovary. Excess insulin causes the ovaries to produce excess testosterone. Balancing blood sugar and eating foods that don’t cause your body to release a lot of insulin will help protect your ovaries from excess insulin and testosterone production. Myo-inositol can help here too.  Consider insulin resistance Balanced blood sugar, balanced hormone, nutrient rich diet throughout the holidays. Holidays are stressful already and consistently eating unhealthy foods can further increase stress. Having a big holiday sugar binge might feel good in the moment but it’s going to have a longer term impact that will throw you out of balance.  Exercise, sleep, get outside for fresh air.  Don’t overdo it with alcohol. This can really put you in a bad mood, increase anxiety the next day, impact your sleep, and your ability to stay calm. It makes you more susceptible to destructive behaviors and thought processes. Know your limits and don’t over do it.  Nutrition to support mood with holidays and struggling to conceive?   What should we do about sugar and “sugar addiction”?    Inherently, food is food. If you want to consume sugar, you just have to plan for it. BUT, it’s not necessarily your fault that you are craving sweets. Our hormones really affect cravings and insulin resistance.  To address insulin resistance- make sure you have a balanced plate. Include protein at every meal, colorful fruits and veggies, and fiber. Don’t necessarily completely avoid what you are craving (that can cause you to binge on it later) but include it in a balanced meal. Breakfast is important! Eat a protein rich, low sugar breakfast. Eating a high sugar breakfast can cause you to crave sugar throughout the day. Even if the foods aren’t high sugar but still have a sweet flavor (like pancakes or sweet protein powders) can make you crave sugar later in the day. A sweet treat with no calories can do the same thing (like artificial sweeteners) and cause your body to want more high sugar foods later to get the calories.  You may need to eat breakfast earlier so that you aren’t eating so late in the day. Often times people eat breakfast late (around 11am) and then end up eating high sugar foods late in the day. This can build a cycle in which you eat dinner late and then you aren’t hungry until later in the day, etc.  When you want something sweet, pair it with protein. This can balance your blood sugar and give you the sweet taste that you want.  See an addiction counselor if you have a true addiction. This can be a psychological and physiological issue that cannot simply be solved with a high protein breakfast.    Do you recommend the Ava bracelet in PCOS?   Sophia- recommended for women with PCOS who have shorter (less than 40 days) cycles. Not recommended for really long cycles. This wearable gives you a lot of data that might be helpful to look at.  Caitlin- All ovulation trackers track your temperature. It doesn’t matter so much what wearable you use as long as you are getting the data. If wearing one around your wrist is going to be more comfortable for you and you will be consistent about wearing it, then this would work for you. The problem is, it might not be very clear based on how it displays the data exactly when you ovulate because it displays so much data- the graph is really small on the app.  Get the wearable that you are most likely to use consistently!      If you don’t want to take metformin, what’s the next best thing…   If you’re taking metformin because you know that your PCOS is due to insulin resistance, there are definitely some things that you can do with your diet and supplements that can help with insulin resistance. Make sure that you are on the right med to address the underlying cause of your PCOS and on the right dose.  Balance your blood sugars with nutrition- increasing protein, fiber, colorful fruits and vegetables, limit sugar and refined carbs Move your body to help you become more insulin sensitive. Exercise can help decrease insulin resistance.  Pro of metformin- your insurance will probably cover it.  Cons- nutrient deficiency, side effects, pregnancy outcomes impacting baby’s cognitive development and baby’s potential future obesity risk.  Myoinositol can do very similar things as metformin Berberine is very therapeutic for insulin resistance, especially if the person also have fatty liver disease N-acetyl cysteine has very similar outcomes as metformin Pros of supplements- works the same as metformin with less side effect Cons- insurance might not cover it and you will probably have to work with someone to make sure you are getting the right dose.  Supplement options:

Today we are joined by the @prenatalnutritionist, Ryann Kipping! Ryann is a clinically trained Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Lactation Educator, and author of the Feel Good Pregnancy Cookbook. She is the founder of the @prenatalnutritionist, a private practice which focuses on preparing women for pregnancy and conquering nutrition during and after pregnancy. She is also the founder of the Prenatal Nutrition Library, an online community for evidenced based nutrition and information before and during pregnancy.    We first discuss how someone should shift their focus with regards to nutrition when they go from TTC to now being pregnant. Ryann explains working with professionals like Sophia and Caitlin can set you up for a great foundation prior to becoming pregnant. She discusses how the initial shock of being pregnant drives curiosity for whether or not there are certain foods that you were regularly eating before that are now safe or not. Ryann explains overall, nutrition for TTC and pregnancy are the same. You should be making sure you are still eating well-balanced, well-rounded meals.    We then jump into combating morning sickness and nausea during pregnancy. While normally you might be eating all the greens and eating all the protein prior to pregnancy,  when nausea hits at 7 or 8 weeks into your third trimester, Ryann explains how to deal with this. She explains that the nutrition you fueled yourself with prior to becoming pregnant then becomes what your body relies on when you are pregnant and might not be able to stomach any food due to nausea. Ryann also explains some women can’t even get down their prenatal vitamins either, so she encourages women to do the best they can, and that “some calories are better than no calories.” So - if you can only eat plain noodles, that is better than not eating anything! If you know that every day at 3pm your nausea hits, then you can plan for it by maximizing your breakfast and lunch nutrition. When you are feeling bad around dinner time, you will know that you got in a lot of nutrients earlier in the day.    Ryann explains blood sugar management is also a major key in combating nausea. Having an empty stomach increases nausea, so it’s important to prevent huge blood sugar spikes throughout your day. Eating small frequent meals can help with this, as well as eating fat or protein with carbs. You can also try eating some carbs first to get your palette ready, and then try to stomach some protein after you get the carbs down. Caitlin shares that when she was pregnant and would wake up in the middle of the night, she would keep a small protein-rich snack on her nightstand to snack on for blood sugar balance. Sophia reminds listeners that this doesn’t have to be a super hearty protein-rich food; it can be peanut butter, string cheese, or cottage cheese. Ryann shares that one of her clients only wanted cereal for dinner, so she chose a healthier cereal option, used whole milk, and added a scoop of collagen to make it a more nutritious choice.    Ryann also explains that she recommends full fat dairy for pregnancy, even though eating low-fat dairy has often been engraved in our minds that it’s superior to full fat. In pregnancy, your need for fat soluble vitamins increases, so without enough of the fat, your body can’t absorb the vitamins (A, D, E, K). Sophia and Cailtin share that the patients with PCOS that they work with are caught in the middle because their doctors tell them to lose weight, yet now they are told they should be eating full fat dairy, and they ultimately end up worried that they will gain weight. Ryann debunks the myth that you will not suddenly gain more weight eating full fat dairy.   Ryann discusses common myths that often ruminate around what types of foods to avoid during pregnancy. One common myth is that you should avoid fish due to having too much mercury, when in fact, it’s so important to eat fish, specifically fatty fish, during pregnancy. She explains the benefits of eating fish far outweigh the risks, and the need for DHA is especially important during the third trimester. Ryann advises to avoid consuming shellfish raw. Her prescription of fish oil varies for clients; those who rarely eat fish could benefit from a DHA supplement whereas someone who might’ve grown up eating a lot of fish might not need it. Her favorite brands she recommends are Nordic Naturals and Carlson.    We also discuss ways for women who have had multiple miscarriages to have more insight on how to prevent future pregnancy trouble. Ryann explains it’s extremely important to make sure your thyroid is healthy, and getting your thyroid levels checked can be the first step to determine this.    The biggest component to getting through your first trimester, to Ryann, is prioritizing your mental health over any specific food. Her number one priority is to make sure her clients’ minds feel at ease about what they’re eating so that they can optimize the way they feel throughout their first trimester instead of worrying about specific foods to avoid. Speaking of foods to avoid - Ryann advises that raw shellfish and romaine lettuce are the two biggest foods to avoid during pregnancy. She emphasizes to wash your produce because produce in general often ends up on the foodborne outbreak list. News flash - if you are craving a sandwich... eat that deli meat, girl! You have such a less chance of getting sick from that pasteurized brie cheese and freshly sliced deli meat than you do eating something like raw shellfish or unwashed romaine lettuce. Ryann mentions veggie trays and fruit trays are also common foods you should avoid, since you have no idea how long they have been sitting out and/or what pathogens are growing on them.   So - your doctor prescribed you a certain prenatal, and your dietitian prescribed you a different one...now what? We emphasize that Ryann is a pregnancy nutrition EXPERT, and we are fertility nutrition EXPERTS, and doctors specialize in a different purpose than nutrition and vitamins. Just because a prenatal says “Check with your doctor before consuming,” doesn’t mean you have to listen to it. Remember to listen to the experts in their field - we would never recommend you go to a dietitian for a C-section. Ryann explains you have to see past some companies' brilliant marketing and make sure they are third party tested to ensure you’re getting a quality supplement.    Lastly, we discuss how to prevent ways to avoid gestational hypertension and/or preeclampsia. Although these are very complex topics, Ryann discusses the importance of including glycine, a conditionally-essential amino acid, in your diet (basically, increasing protein intake). She also talks about ways to lower inflammation by increasing Omega-3 fatty acids and decreasing intake of Omega-6 fatty acids in your diet. These two factors can help decrease your chances for developing gestational hypertension.    If you’d like to see more of Ryann, be sure to follow her on Instagram at @prenatalnutritionist or join her Prenatal Nutrition Library! 

This episode features real-life Labor and Delivery nurse, as well as the host of the MommyLaborNurse podcast and Instagram page, Lisel Teen! Lisel helps shed some light on a lesser-known fertility issue: secondary infertility. This is the title we give to women who already have a child (or more than one!) and are struggling as they try to conceive the second or third time around. This concept can be mind-blowing for so many women since we have often been told since puberty that pregnancy is going to happen the moment you even think about unprotected sex. This is further reinforced when women get pregnant easily (or relatively easily) with their older children, but then it doesn’t happen as easily the next time around. So why does this happen? Lisel explains: Age can be a factor. Remember that you’re now older now than you were when you tried for your first. This certainly doesn’t disqualify you from having more children, but it may mean that your body needs more intentional support than when you were younger. Your partner - If you have the same partner as before, he is now a few years older too. His semen quality might be vastly different due to his age/diet/lifestyle/stress/sleep than it was when you conceived your older children. If your partner is new, there could be an issue there too. Birth outcome of your prior pregnancy - if you had a c-section or other uterus surgery it could be that there is scarring or some other kind of structural damage that is making pregnancy more challenging than it was before. Toddler lifestyle - Eating a steady diet of toddler scraps and waking up several times per night with your older child can tell your body that now is not a good time to get pregnant again. So what about the transition from postpartum to being ready to conceive again? This is something that really varies from woman to woman. Technically speaking, you CAN get pregnant before your period returns postpartum. Remember, true periods happen because ovulation occurred 12-14 days prior. But what about if you’re breastfeeding? Some women who are breastfeeding on demand don’t ovulate for many many months. Other women can still ovulate even when they’re nursing! The hormone your body makes to promote milk production often suppresses ovulation (a common problem in women with PCOS) but for some women, ovulation can still happen when breastfeeding. If you’re struggling to conceive or have a regular period postpartum, you may need to consider how frequently you breastfeed your older child. Some women don’t need to ween entirely in order to start ovulation again, while others do. On the other hand, women who don’t breastfeed can see a boost in fertility very soon after the birth of their older child. This is a biological response to what you body considers the loss of a child. Back before baby formula and bottles, if you didn’t breastfeed your body assumed your baby wasn’t alive. This triggers ovulation so that your body can conceive again and bring another child into your family (because your body doesn’t understand your baby is healthy and thriving, just eating formula!) Surgical birth can also change fertility. Remember that when you have a c-section, your body is not only going through everything that a postpartum body goes through; but it is also recovering from a major abdominal surgery. Depending on the nature of your c-section, your uterus can have scarring, disrupted blood flow, kinked tubes, or other issues that are making it harder to conceive. Seeing an abdominal massage specialist or pelvic floor physical therapist can help you assess whether or not your surgical birth is contributing to your challenges conceiving the second or third time around. Another factor can be that sex post-baby can be DIFFERENT! Perhaps now that you already have one (or more) children, having sex the same way as you did pre-baby might not be as comfortable or fun. Many women struggle with painful penetration, urinary leakage, weak orgasms, or other issues that make sex less fun after baby. Pain or discomfort with sex is NOT your fault and there are specialists who can help! Women (Sophia and Liesel included) can feel a lot of shame and guilt around this and feel like the pain and discomfort is due to their own lack of sexy-ness or virility. Your vagina, pelvis, and abdomen are filled with muscles that can get tight, loose, kinked, or damaged just like any other muscle in your body! Seek help if you’re uncomfortable during sex, because help is available! Disclaimer: Kegals are NOT always the answer! They can, in fact, make some pelvic floor problems WORSE! See a specialist and figure out what’s actually wrong.   Liesel goes on to share her journey getting pregnant with her second baby.   She candidly shares that she did initially get pregnant easily her second time around, but unfortunately she lost that pregnancy at 6 weeks. The stress and lifestyle/work/grief issues she was going through impacted her greatly, and it ended up taking another 6 months to get pregnant again. Liesel also shares about the mental health struggles that came along with trying to conceive as well as dealing with the loss of her second pregnancy. She struggled with anxiety and a lot of over-vigilance that included torturing herself with dozens of pregnancy tests. Taking a pregnancy test can seem fun at first, but over time you can become legitimately traumatized by seeing all the negative tests. She eventually started really prioritizing her mental health, nutrition, and stress relief and that’s when she was able to conceive and carry to term again. For her, she was able to make these changes by focusing on one thing at a time. She would start with something small like “eat a healthy breakfast”. Then, once she had that happening she would bring on another task like “2 workouts per week”. Slowly, she was able to build healthy habits that eventually lead to her body being ready for another baby. We also want to highlight that just because there are some things you *can* to  improve your fertility the second (or third) time around; it does NOT mean that your struggle is your fault. There are controllable factors in your life that impact your fertility, but that is not the same thing as being blamable for the struggle or loss that you experience. Liesel shares more of how she helps mothers by offering paid courses, as well as her blog, instagram, and podcast which are resources available to everyone for free! You can find her @MommyLaborNurse on instagram, as well as follow her blog and her podcast for even more free info on all things labor and motherhood!

Holiday Episode: How to navigate the holiday season- emotionally and nutritionally, when you’ve been trying to conceive?   Remember to be gentle with yourself and prepare for what’s coming. You can rehearse your responses to common pregnancy questions and social situations and have a game plan for whatever might be coming your way. While during COVID, these situations might come up less than in previous years, it’s still helpful to prepare for if they do come up.  Find ways to experience the holiday joy even when there is a lot of pressure around getting pregnant. This is a time of family and celebration! Remember that your feelings are valid no matter what! You don’t need to feel guilty about anything that you feel. Sad, stressed, overwhelmed- that’s all OK. We are here to give you support! You aren’t alone- lot’s of women are feeling these things. While you might be the only person in your family who has had a hard time getting pregnant or the first person who is changing their diet, other women are going through similar things.   Thanksgiving- what comes to mind when you think about this holiday?   Cooking all day, being with family, feeling busy? Feeling bored and hungry all day and then starving when you finally sit down to eat?   Thanksgiving food classics: Protein (ham, turkey, prime rib, tofurkey), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, corn break, dressing, green bean casserole (fresh, frozen, canned? Pick your poison).    Navigating the Thanksgiving menu   There is a lot of food, which can feel overwhelming. Do you love all the foods? How do you enjoy what you love when you’re trying to conceive? Remember: YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RUIN YOUR CHANCES OF TRYING TO CONCEIVE WITH ONE MEAL! Maybe it will delay your ovulation for a little bit but it’s not going to derail your plans for months if it’s only one or two days of holiday eating. If you love it, go ahead and enjoy it. It’s just one day! Food is not just energy- it’s an experience. Remember that you are celebrating family and love and community.    Nutrition tips for thanksgiving: How to find balance when fertility is your goal:    Eat high carb foods (pumpkin pie) with protein,  Remember how important getting good sleep is,  Don't “save up” your calories for one big meal (this will help you not overeat when the big meal starts) Take care of yourself- going into the day hungry, tired, hungover, etc. can really make it more stressful and might cause you to make further unhealthy choices: set yourself up for success.  Start with a high protein breakfast, lots of veggies.  Feed yourself appropriately through the day. If you haven’t fed yourself, your blood sugar will drop (hint: don’t get “hangry”!)  What if you’re drinking? Make sure to eat! Alcohol might make it more challenging to be around certain family members in an emotionally charged situation.    Making choices about food   Consider dessert- just because it’s available and “traditional” doesn’t mean you need to eat it. If you like pie, eat pie. You don’t like pie? Eat something else. You can say “No, thank you!” That’s totally valid.  Don’t worry about your meals being judged. You make your own choices and you don’t have to validate them to other people.  If you don’t want to go to a gathering- that’s valid too. Especially during this COVID year.  Get some additional help if you feel like you need it! Absolutely go see a therapist and get some tools for navigating the holidays. It helps to just talk it over sometimes.    Holiday drinks- Pumpkin spice lattes, eggnog, peppermint lattes, gingerbread lattes.    Having these drinks day after day can seriously impact your hormones, sleep, blood sugar, and cravings. All these drinks are super sugary- basically a hot milk shake.  You can have them but consider it a DESSERT, not a beverage or a breakfast. There is nothing wrong with enjoying them but consider when and how much you are having.  Tips: choose decaf, get a small, eat it with or after a very protein rich  meal or snack. You can change the order by asking for fewer pumps of sweetener. You can make your own! Add spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric, all spice)  to whole milk in your coffee and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. You are familiar with all these ingredients AND they are great for you.  Experiment: when you have one of these drinks, really pay attention to how they make you feel? How did you sleep? How is your energy later in the day? Did you get a headache or stomach ache?    Ideas for using leftovers   Turkey pot pie, turkey chili, turkey enchiladas Shepards pie with extra mashed potatoes Bone broth: use the carcass for bone broth- bone broth is great for your gut health, your skin, your fertility.  Pick off all the meat and simmer the bones and skin, add veggies, and a little lemon or another acid source (ie: 3 tablespoons vinegar)  to pull out extra nutrients.  You don’t want to use raw bones- make sure they are cooked. You can even bake these first to make sure they are fully cooked.  Cook low and slow (12 hours on low heat) or do it in your pressure cooker for about an hour for a similar result.  Pick out bones or strain to get out additional sediment  There is nothing wrong with throwing away what you aren’t going to eat! It’s OK to toss it!    Alcohol and mocktails   Can you drink alcohol when you’re trying to conceive? It really depends on the person. Can you drink in true moderation and leave it at one drink or does that lead to having more and more drinks? Consider your personal habits around drinking. Alcohol can affect your estrogen levels and your cycle but one drink is not going to be the difference between getting pregnant or not.  If you’re going to drink, pick the drink that you really actually love and not the one that you think is healthier.  If it gives you anxiety, it’s fine to skip! You can decline a cocktail.  TIP: Declining a cocktail carries a lot of meaning (“are you pregnant??”)- you can rehearse and prepare an answer that takes the pressure off of you, like “it really hasn’t been agreeing with me lately.”     Questions from instagram:   How do you get around the “when?” questions? Consider who is asking and how much you trust them. Some people you can share the truth with. Other people you might be a little more protected around because you don’t trust them as much. You can give short answers or longer! Totally up to you how you respond and what you feel comfortable with. This question can really hurt, especially if you’re been trying for a long time and it might be helpful to rehearse answers that you feel comfortable giving when this comes up.  How do you handle stress in the holiday season, especially during a COVID year? Take care of yourself; make sure you are exercising regularly, exposing yourself to light, prioritizing sleep, checking in with your mental health. Consider all the things that you normally do for your mental health and double down your efforts to keep up with those things.  What is sometimes extra stressful about the holidays is being off of your regular schedule (like your regular breakfast and your movement routine). Focus on what you can do to stay in your normal routines and stick to some sort of regular routine as much as possible (remember to eat!). Serve someone else! If you have the mental space to do so but are feeling lonely and discouraged or stuck, find ways to safely reach out and serve someone else. This can be very healing and relieve stress, and loneliness. Ask yourself: what gifts do you have to serve other people?  If finances are tight and gift giving is hard this year, consider giving other types of gifts; make something, write a letter, send a card. If you do have the ability to give gifts, consider buying off of etsy to support a small business that might be struggling right now.  We are thinking about trying to conceive during the holiday season? Is this a good time, especially during COVID? Do what feels right: There is no right or wrong time to start your family. If you feel comfortable with it, go for it! Consider if you’ll be ok with some potential changes like going to ultrasounds alone. There is really no research that shows that being pregnant comes with additional COVID risks. Trends show that a lot of people do conceive during the holidays because it’s often a time of relaxation (lots of September babies!).  How are you defining “trying to conceive”: Depending on how you are planning to conceive might also impact this decision. If you are going down the path of making major changes or using medical interventions, this might be a stressful time to do it. If you are planning on stopping birth control, that is much less stressful and it might actually take some time to get in touch with your fertility and ovulation signs.  Holiday Parties:  Eat a nutritious meal before you go! It’s not going to work well to make your whole meal out of cocktails and appetizers when you arrive hungry. You will not feel good and there might not be choices that fit with how you want to eat.  Skip the stuff you don’t care about! You don’t have to eat it.

Today we are joined by Dr. Loree Johnson, a licensed marriage and family therapist who has  more than 25 years of experience coaching clients in her private practice. She helps others overcome the emotional challenges that come with infertility. Dr. Johnson has served on state and national boards, and she is on the board for the Society of Reproductive Medicine. So, needless to say, she is the perfect guest to bring on.   According to Dr. Loree, having a therapist on board is key for a few reasons: 1) physical well-being sacrificed through all of the medications and procedures; 2) close relationships being sacrificed from support exhaustion; and 3) mental well-being takes a big hit through each of the milestones, so having that support from a third party is vital to staying healthy through the journey. Do you find yourself saying, “not ANOTHER appointment to schedule!” when someone mentions seeing a therapist? If so, iit might be a good time to prioritize going to therapy over other activities because of how much it can greatly benefit your health in multiple ways.   Dr. Johnson introduces therapy as an invitation to explore through having a simple conversation that that person might not have otherwise. She counsels women, men, and couples alike, so each person in the journey has a role to be recognized. Her role to her clients is to help them practice skill building to manage stress/emotions, offering encouragement/support, and often act as a coach to help her clients get through their fertility journey intact.    Some of Dr. Loree’s top conversations she hears from clients are that the woman’s husband does not understand what she’s going through, or that he doesn’t care enough. She also discusses how sex is such an obstacle for couples because a lot of times women don’t actually feel sexy but are pressed for timed intercourse during ovulation, or that the man has performance anxiety as a result from the pressure. She enjoys helping couples reclaiming the fun in sex to produce authentic sex.   Dr. Johnson also shares how her own fertility journey has been a struggle, including losing a child, and she explains how her own experience inspires her to help others get through theirs. “Infertility issues can feel like trauma. You can’t mindset your way out of trauma.” - Dr. Loree Johnson   Therapy doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment. You can come in with specific issues you want to discuss, even if it has nothing to do with your relationship with your husband or anxiety about your fertility journey. You can breeze in for 5 sessions and utilize the tools you learn, or you can continue on for continued support and skill building.  Having an amazing therapist like Dr. Loree Johnson could help you make great strides in enduring the trials and tribulations throughout your fertility journey -- if you’re just beginning it, or if you are in the trenches -- anyone is welcome.    You can find Dr. Johnson on instagram or on her website. She shares her Self Care Guide and her Grief Guide for free on her website. Do yourself a favor, and don’t wait to start therapy! 

Today we dive in talking about the most free resource there is to not only improve your chance to conceive, but just improve your health in general...ESPECIALLY if you are having hormone issues. You might’ve guessed it..sleep! Discussing sleep as a health intervention is so under-appreciated because it’s not glamorous and businesses can’t make a profit off of marketing it by itself. BUT- it is so crucial for our body’s everyday demands - digestion, hormone control, stress balance, appetite, and so much more.    Although there is limited research on sleep for fertility specifically, we do discuss one NIH review on sleep hygiene for fertility. Sleep hygiene is directly controlled by the HPA axis, which is comprised of your hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. These glands basically control your brain/body response to stress and rest. This article discusses primarily that if one area within your HPA axis is out of whack, it can directly influence your sleep quality. The second pathway that this article discusses is how your sleep hygiene can be negatively influence your sleep duration. The third pathway is disruption in your circadian rhythm - or your body’s alarm clock.     The most significant factor that is derived from poor sleep is lack of production of fertility hormones. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body does not produce enough of some hormones and so much of others. The same part of your brain that’s responsible for sleep/appetite hormones is the same place that produces fertility hormones, which is why it’s so important to not neglect sleep habits when considering fertility probability.   But how much sleep is good sleep? One study found that women who were undergoing IVF and had between 7-8 but no more than 9 hours of sleep consistently had the highest chance of having a successful IVF cycle. In this episode, we talk about how you know you actually got a good night’s sleep, and below are some tips that we discuss that will enhance your sleep:   Resetting the circadian rhythm: expose yourself to natural light as soon as you wake up for 10-15 minutes to get your eyes adapted to the full spectrum light. This will help your body to naturally make melatonin easier later in the evening. If you aren’t able to do this (i.e. working long shifts), try buying a full spectrum lamp to shine on your face while you’re getting ready for work. Or, sit by your window and let the sun hit your eyes!  Limit caffeine. While every person has different genetics and processes caffeine differently, a solid recommendation would be one serving (i.e. 8-9 oz medium roast coffee) and stop drinking by 11am or noon. Caffeine can impact the length you’re able to sleep, but every person is different. This might not apply to you, but if you’re experiencing a lot of these symptoms, try limiting caffeine to get more restful sleep at night.  Stabilize Blood Sugar. Be mindful of having a balanced dinner (protein, fiber, complex carbs) to prevent high blood sugar spikes that can disrupt sleep. Also possibly add a bedtime snack that has protein in it.  Adding cherries or tart cherry juice right before bed can improve melatonin production.  Limit alcohol. It is taxing on your body in terms of antioxidant production to process alcohol (which it views as a toxin) and regulating hormone metabolism.  Limiting blue light at night. Wear blue light filtering goggles - not glasses - goggles will cover light coming from any angle. Pick activities like reading or journaling instead of looking at your phone or TV.  Limit sounds/interruptions in the room (i.e. don’t let your animals in your room if they disrupt your sleep, get an eye mask, black light curtains, or ear plugs if your spouse snores).  Move your body! Even an hour outside will improve your sleep quality.  Create a soothing bedtime routine. Our bodies love habits! Maybe you take an epsom salt bath, light a candle, read a book, use essential oils, journal, or pray.  Remove all clocks/alerts/phones away from your bed. This will help reduce anxiety about answering texts or looking at the time and thinking “oh my gosh, it’s already midnight and i'm not asleep?!”  Orgasms! They help produce prolactin and oxytocin which can help you wind down. Supplements like Melatonin, Magnesium, 5HTP, Linden leaves, Holy Basil, Chamomile, or Ashwagandha. Always talk to your naturopath MD, RD, or healthcare professional before starting a supplement.    Start with whatever in this episode sounds do-able for YOU! This should be personalized and what you think is a priority - where you really had your “AHA!” moment... and then if you feel ready, continue to work through the list. We hope you enjoy this episode!