HOW TO ACHIEVE
A BETTER HORMONAL BALANCE AND
BOOST YOUR FERTILITY NATURALLY
Most of us know that if we don’t sleep well, it can be difficult to function the day after; or that we usually feel more energetic in summer than winter. Even though it seems we forgot about the natural cycles of day & light and seasons, and we live totally disconnected from their rhythm. Another cycle which gets much neglected is the monthly menstrual cycle. Women are supposed to rest when menstruating but in our modern living setup, it is often a struggle to do that. More and more women don’t renew their energy properly and consequently, there is an increased number of menstrual cycle's symptoms (such as irregular & heavy periods, Ovulation & PMS symptoms) & hormonal imbalance conditions in women (such as Endometriosis, Fibroids, PCOS symptoms).
In this page, you will find information to learn more about women's health and lots of practical healthy living & self-care tips to support and improve your hormonal balance. You will learn how to bring more awareness to your daily, monthly and seasonal cycles of energy renewal through exercises, diet and lifestyle advice. And if you are trying to conceive, please keep reading as here is plenty of practical healthy living self-care tips to teach you how to get pregnant fast!
The reason why I decided to create this space is to educate and share all the knowledge I've gathered over the years. I’ve been suffering from PCOS and irregular periods since I was a teenager, and it is only through self-awareness and a continuous exploration and experimentation of natural holistic massage therapies & home remedies that today I feel empowered and much more in control of my reproductive health.
WOMEN'S HEALTH
HOW TO BOOST FERTILITY NATURALLY
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HOW TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM NATURALLY
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WHY STRESS IS SO BAD FOR MEN & WOMEN'S HEALTH
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PRECONCEPTION CARE: HEALTHY DIET TIPS, SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS!
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PRECONCEPTION CARE FOR THE FATHER
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ENVIRONMENTAL HORMONES (XENOESTROGENS: LEARN HOW TO AVOID THEM!
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UNDERSTANDING MISCARRIAGE AND LEARN TO PREVENT IT!
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SIMPLE TIPS FOR MENSTRUAL CYCLE SYMPTOMS & PROBLEMS
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Learn how to improve your hormonal balance
and how to get pregnant fast!
MEDICATION AND MENSTRUAL CYCLE SYMPTOMS
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WOMEN'S HEALTH: HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES
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HOW TO GET PREGNANT: THYROID HEALTH AND FERTILITY
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WOMEN'S HEALTH: WEIGHT AND FERTILITY
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NUTRITION
Learn how to implement your diet in order to improve your hormonal balance and enhance your chances to conceive!
HOW TO BOOST FERTILITY NATURALLY
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HOW TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM NATURALLY!
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PRECONCEPTION CARE: HEALTHY DIET TIPS,
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HOW TO GET PREGNANT: WHAT SUPPLEMENT AND
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PRECONCEPTION CARE: HEALTHY DIET & BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
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HOW TO GET PREGNANT: LIVER HEALTH AND FERTILITY​
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HOW TO GET PREGNANT: THYROID HEALTH AND FERTILITY
MOVE!
Easy and gentle exercises to release emotional
blockages and help you to get pregnant fast!
WOMEN'S HEALTH: PELVIC FLOOR HEALTH
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ENERGISE AND RELEASE EMOTIONAL BLOCKAGES
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WOMEN'S HEALTH: THE BIG DON'TS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FERTILITY PROGRAM
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Smoking can decrease your ovulation chances by 10% and may bring menopause earlier. Tobacco and coffee deplete your body of essential minerals and make it harder for the body to nurture the embryo, increasing the risk of miscarriage.
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One drink of alcohol per day may reduce the chances of conceiving by 50% and may delay ovulation! It affects blood sugars levels and the elimination of toxins and old hormones. Alcohol is like a super toxin as it blocks the absorption of vitamins, nutrients and fatty acids, all so necessary for men & women's health!
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Recreational drugs such as marijuana may disrupt ovulation and make the sperm hanging around, rather than swimming towards the egg.
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Chemicals in commercial lubricants kill sperm and affect sperm motility by 60-100%.
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Xenoestrogens (environmental hormones), which are man-made chemicals miming effect of natural oestrogen’s. For more info, please check my fertility-natural solutions page.
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Chemicals in non-organic food (i.e pesticides in the dirty dozen vegetables)
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Supplements that damage egg and sperm, such as:​
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St Johns Wort (a natural antidepressant) as it affects the brain chemistry, thus the hormonal balance​
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Ginko Bilboa as it affects the microcirculation and brains chemistry, dilating the blood vessels
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High dosage of VIT C as it dries the cervical fluid, making it harder for the sperm to reach the egg. Instead, Low dosage of VIT C (through supplements or food) are recommended as they increase the sperm count.
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Echinacea - increases immunity and may make the body perceiving the sperm as an invader, thus attacking and destroying it. In fact, the body immune system usually decreases when progesterone levels rise, in order to create a perfect environment for the new embryo, slowing the body down.
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WOMEN'S HEALTH: UNDERSTANDING MISCARRIAGE AND HOW TO PREVENT IT
Most of miscarriage are caused by genetic factors resulting in poor development of the embryo or placenta.
Understanding the different factors that may contribute to miscarriage, may help you to prepare for a future pregnancy with more awareness in order to have a stronger and healthier body.
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Miscarriage usually happens within the first 14weeks and it becomes quite common in women over 40’s. Even if you have miscarriage 3 times, you still have high chances to have a healthy pregnancy.
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The main causes and factors increasing the risk of miscarriage include:
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Chromosomal abnormalities (70%)
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Infections in early pregnancy. It is better to wait an infection is completely gone before trying to conceive.
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STI as they cause pelvic inflammation and may cause ectopic pregnancy
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Wrong supplement (echinacea, st john, ginko bilboa)
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Diet: try to reduce coffee and have an adequate protein intake, which is essential for quality eggs. Cooking meat at high temperature, consuming smoked or preserved product may all cause damage to eggs. Magnesium needs to be increased during pregnancy.
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Radiation from TV, Radio, Photocopy machines
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Chlorine: avoid swimming pools in the first trimester and don’t buy “already washed” salad as it has been washed in chlorine
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An autoimmune disorder such as Hughes Syndrome. This causes the blood to become sticky so the nutrients struggle to reach the placenta. A simple remedy could be taking a low dose aspirin as it thins the blood (always consult your GP).
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Overreacting NK cells, which they attack the embryo as they see it like cancer or invader. If you have any suspect, ask your GP for a blood test. Studies have proven that 86% of success can be reached through the use of steroids or aspirins. You can also ask your GP to check your thyroid as NK cells could cause Thyroiditis, creating fertility problems.
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Endometrial lining may not be good and affect the implantation of the egg. It can be checked by a gynaecologist to see if progesterone levels are ok. Sometimes viagra can be prescribed as it has the ability to increase the blood supply to the uterus.
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Obstetric cholestasis (only 1 over 100 pregnancy). This relates to a liver condition that creates a persistent general itching sensation, mostly in the last trimester in hands and feet, for a build-up of bile acids in the bloodstream. It is usually diagnosed with a blood test and treat with medications.
WOMEN'S HEALTH: WEIGHT AND FERTILITY
Being Overweight or Underweight may both interfere with women's health.
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Being underweight can cause a lack of essential vitamins and minerals. The body needs at least 18% of body fat to ovulate. Heavily restricted diets combined with excess amounts of exercise have been found to be more injurious than beneficial. Weight should be a balance between energy intake, storage and expenditure of energy.
Foods such as aduki beans, black beans, oysters, squid, raspberries and strawberries may help you to add some fuel and restore your energy.
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Being overweight creates a situation of excess fatty tissue. Fat produces and stores oestrogen, consequently interfering with the normal feedback of the hormonal cycle. Some IVF clinics often refuse treatment to overweight women in order to avoid a really high level of oestrogen circulating in the body.
Excess weight contributes to toxin build-up, makes your heart work harder and stresses weight-bearing joints such as the legs, pelvis and spine.
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Sometimes we don’t realise that we may have created a physical “buffer” to protect ourselves emotionally. Before starting any diet then, it is important to reflect on this question: “Do you really want to lose weight?”. If your answer is truly positive, you would have chances of success. Diet and exercise are both important and complementary.
Try to find a type of exercise that you really enjoy, rather than something you do out of frustration.
STRETCHING YOUR BODY TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S HEALTH and GET EMOTIONAL and PHYSICAL BENEFITS
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Posture is a reflection of your physical health, vitality and emotional state. Stress causes us to tense up and suffer from fatigue without even realising it.
If you tend to slump forward, it may be due to sluggish internal organs (which get bent) or it maybe has to do with poor self-esteem.
Poor posture will eventually become chronic and weaken your postural muscles, leading to compression of the organs which won’t be able to function properly.
The good news is that all physical reactions to emotional stress can be controlled both by your mind and by moving your body. The key factor is to learn how to react to everyday stresses and get in control of these reactions. By learning to improve your physical and “emotional” posture, you can influence greatly your response to stress, thus reducing physical discomfort.
Become aware of your weaknesses, be thankful to them and see them as guidelines for behaviour, not as things to feel bad about. If we are able to look at them in this way, they may point us in a better direction and teach us how to take better care of ourselves.
These stretches will help you to connect with yourself, thus improving your posture! The aim of these exercises is to help you bringing awareness of where in your body you hold tension, rather than grabbing your toes.
- When should you perform these stretches?
It would be best to find some time both in the morning and the evening, but start with what you can. Stretching in the morning will let you draw the rising energy of nature, while stretching in the evening may help you to get rid of fatigue and energy accumulated during the day. Avoid stretching after a meal or if you have a fever.
- How to breathe?
Never force a stretch, but move slowly into it, using your breath as a guiding help. When inhaling try to lengthen a bit more, when exhaling relax into the stretch.
- Spend more time doing the stretches that you feel most challenged
1) Governing Vessel: Lie on your back and try to take hold of the soles of your feet. Rock back and forth, rolling on your spine. All the effort should come from the lower abdomen and avoid rolling on your neck.
2) Conception Vessel: Lie on your stomach and try to take hold of your ankles. If you can’t reach them, imagine that you do. Rock back and forth, rolling on your abdomen gently. Avoid this exercise if you suffer from back problems or during a menstrual period.
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3) Penetrating Vessel: Sit and try to place one foot on the opposite thigh. Breath into your belly and on the out breath stretch forward toward the extended foot. It is more important to keep your back straight rather than reaching your foot. Repeat for 5 breath on each side.
4) Belt Vessel: Sit with your legs apart, placing one hand on your hip and the other on your ribcage. As you inhale, lean towards the side where you are holding your hip. Repeat it 5 times for each side. Then grab both your hips and make 30 circles, first clockwise, then anticlockwise, moving from the base of your spine.
5) Yang heel Vessel: Sit with your legs apart and try to take hold of the big toes. If you can’t reach them, imagine you do. As you inhale, lift only one leg, stretching it outwards and following it with your eyes. As you exhale, return it to the centre. Repeat this for 5 breath for each leg.
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6) Yin heel Vessel: Try to kneel with one leg straight in front of you. Keep your back straight and if you can, stretch toward the extended foot. If you are very flexible, you could try holding your foot and raise it slowly as you inhale. Repeat for 5 breath on each side.
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7) Yang linking Vessel: Open your legs as wide as possible. Place your hands on the floor in front of you. As you inhale, lengthen towards the floor; as you exhale, return upright. Keep your back straight and let it follow your hands where it is comfortable.
8) Yin linking Vessel: Sit and try to fold your foot on the opposite thigh. If you are flexible, try to take hold of your big toe, reaching it from behind your back. Always keep your spine straight. You can also try to grab the big toe go the extended foot. This is quite a difficult posture, so if you can’t grab any big toes, it doesn’t matter; just use your imagination and breath gently into it. Repeat for 5 breath on each side.
