Cathleen McCauley L.M.T.

By Cathy McCauley, LMT, NCTMB

Spring has officially sprung and a multitude of signs show the season is upon us. Take a walk through your neighborhood and you see crocuses blooming and green buds taking shape. The earth is fertile and bursting with life.

With spring here, it’s the time for rejuvenation and cleansing. The longer days bring a renewed boost of energy. With spring, you receive the opportunity to release any stagnation that has accumulated during the winter and start fresh in mind and body. You can look ahead and make plans for the coming year.

A Chinese proverb says, “Make your whole year’s plans in the spring, and your day’s plans early in the morning.”  The proverb comes from the fact that farmers sow their seeds in early spring to ensure a good harvest and highlights the importance of being proactive.  Applying this concept to fertility, you can see the importance of starting early in taking care of your reproductive health. When you begin to pay attention to your bodies’ rhythms, cycles, signs and symptoms, your chances can increase in creating a fertile environment.

If you haven’t been as proactive about fertility as you’d like, spring is the perfect time to make plans for the future. It might be time to talk to your doctor about a fertility blood work up to determine what’s really going on with your hormones. You could make an appointment with a nutritionist to overhaul your eating habits to be more fertility friendly or take a yoga class to learn some breathing and relaxation techniques for stress reduction.

Click here to learn about the Fertility Awareness Check-Up available from Fertility Centers of Illinois for just $90

Also, the concept of spring cleaning our bodies can become an important ritual. You need to clear out the toxins and rejuvenate any stagnate energy in the body to boost immunity and increase fertility health. Since spring is the time for new beginnings, it’s a good opportunity to experience something new. Acupuncture helps balance the energy in the body and stabilize the organs and bodily functions. Reiki, a gentle form of vibrational energy healing, helps restore harmony in the body, mind and soul and clears emotional blockages. Fertility massage focuses on opening up the abdominal and reproductive organs to promote the immune system and assist in blood flow. Massage also greatly reduces tension and helps you feel great.

In the spring, people begin to feel better as the temperatures increase, the sunlight shines and the world turns green. Pour some of that warmth and light into your reproductive health to invigorate and rejuvenate your personal fertility journey.

We’re here to guide you along your path and hope to see you soon!

When we begin a yoga or meditation program we want to jump straight to the “meat:”  how and when will this practice create peace of mind?  If after two sessions we have not achieved at least a semblance of calm we label ourselves a failure.  We can’t help it.

Traditional meditation training involved little instruction and relied on the arising of tranquility and insight.  In his book “Diamond Mind:  a Psychology of Meditation,” master teacher Rob Nairn notes that Western meditators often don’t come as easily to the natural arising of insight and will often use the practice of meditation to suppress psychological process instead of promoting it.  So Nair’s approach is to emphasize making “friends” with the mind and developing an attitude of playfulness towards practice.

Meditation is a process that balances concentration with letting go.  We practice over and over again allowing ourselves to be fully present in each arising moment.  Why?  Because it’s only in the present moment that a new understanding can arise.  Everything but the present is ruled by either memory of the past or imagination of the future.   This is a very important point for those of us who are trying to conceive.  That journey can be so encumbered by past disappointments and future fears and hopes that the present is almost completely obscured.  Together, though, with the help of breath and awareness we can begin to carve out a moment of “now” in which peace can arise and deep healing can occur.

For today, let’s try to sit in the now.  Don’t freak out if you feel like your mind is a Niagara Falls of emotions and thoughts.  This is NOT failure, it’s success!  You have become aware of your mind. As you continue to practice this awareness will grow and mature until you learn that you are actually a peaceful, content being experiencing a roller-coaster ride of experiences.  Here’s a very simple technique for staying present:

Sit quietly, either in a comfortable cross-legged position or in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your spine straight.  Close your eyes and place one hand on your lower abdomen.  Inhale deeply through the nose and feel the breath move down into the belly, expanding and moving the hand outward as if you’re filling up a balloon in your tummy.  Exhale through the nose, feel the belly begin to  deflate as you softly count the number “10.”  Inhale again, and with the exhale softly say to yourself “9.”  Inhale, exhale 8…and so on down to “1.”  As you count down from 10 to 1, feel as if you are consciously unwinding the forward momentum of your mind.  Feel as if you are a car exiting the highway and slowing down to a country road where you have time to look at the beautiful scenery and be present.   Once you begin to practice this technique daily you may find that after you’ve counted down your ten breaths you’re happy to sit a bit in peace.  Enjoy!  That’s the present moment.

If the exercise above was challenging, don’t despair!   Pulling Down the Moon will be offering a Mindfulness for Fertility class in conjunction with the psychologists of Fertility Centers of Illinois starting April 28.  Stay tuned for registration info and details…

by Breea Johnson, MS RD LDN

When someone is dealing with infertility, they often scour the world for answers. For a lot of women, they never figure out why they have unexplained infertility or experienced a miscarriage. But for some women, the answer may lie in a simple blood test to measure thyroid function as low thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity are both associated with infertility and miscarriage.

Consider Pulling Down the Moon nutrition client, Ann*, a 32 year old, normal weight woman who had two miscarriages with no explanation. After going to a miscarriage specialist, she was found to have hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) and with thyroid medication was successfully able to get pregnant and carry the baby to full term.

The thyroid gland, one of the largest endocrine glands in the body, is shaped like a butterfly and is located on the front of the neck below the Adam’s apple. While it is very small (only 2 inches across), it affects our entire body, as the hormones it produces and secretes regulate metabolism, growth and development.

A well-functioning thyroid gland is pivotal for a healthy body and to conceive a healthy child. There is a direct interaction between the thyroid gland and the reproductive organs (the testes in men and ovaries in women). Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) influences ovarian function by decreasing levels of sex-hormone-binding-globulin (SHBG) and increasing the secretion of prolactin. Prolactin, the hormone which stimulates milk production for breastfeeding, also affects ovulation and menstrual cycles. Prolactin inhibits Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). With high levels of prolactin, which can be caused by hypothyroidism, ovulation is not triggered and a woman cannot get pregnant. Additionally, in men, low FSH and GnRH caused by elevated levels of prolactin can prevent the maturation of sperm.

Another common disorder affecting fertility is Thyroid Autoimmune (TAI) disease (Graves Disease and Hashimoto’s Disease). It’s the most common autoimmune disorder and affects between 5-20% of women of childbearing age (Poppe, 2008). This group of disorders involves both the endocrine and immune systems. Interestingly, there is double the rate of miscarriages in TAI-positive women and TAI has also been found to be increased in women with endometriosis. In one study, researchers found a 75% reduction in miscarriage among TAI-positive women who received levothyroxine (a drug used to treat low thyroid function) during gestation and pregnancy. Subclinical hypothyroidism also may be an issue, as women with TAI show moderately high TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) levels before pregnancy, although often within the normal reference range. There has been discussion among endocrinologists to move the limits of TSH (used to measure TAI) to 2.5mIU/l but that is not in effect yet.

We asked Dr. Christopher Sipe, a Reproductive Endocrinologist and one of our doctor partners at Fertility Centers of Illinois, whether he thinks thyroid disorders go undiagnosed early in the fertility journey when a woman is still with her OB.

“Because thyroid disorders are so common,” says Dr. Sipe “there are many women walking around who are undiagnosed. Thyroid hormone levels fluctuate in our daily lives and can be affected by diet, exercise, supplements, weight changes, medical conditions and seasonal changes. Therefore, a woman can be normal once but 6-12 months later have an abnormal level. Pregnancy also causes a shift in the normal range of thyroid hormones, further making diagnosis of a thyroid disorder more difficult. It is for this reason that diagnosis pre-pregnancy is ideal and screening should be recommended to any woman considering pregnancy.”

Dr. Sipe recommends woman have her TSH checked when she is considering becoming pregnant, when she has an irregular menstrual cycle, if she has a family history of thyroid disorder or if she exhibits symptoms of a thyroid disorder. Symptoms of thyroid disorder include inability to lose weight, dry skin, dry hair, depression, fatigue, constipation or muscle aches and pains.

In the case of a woman who is trying to conceive, testing the thyroid early may save valuable time.

“Treatment can take three to six months before a steady hormone level is achieved, and then pregnancy can be attempted,” concludes Dr. Sipe.

*Name withheld for confidentiality reasons.

This week is an exciting week at PDtM.  We have two new drop-in classes on the schedule, iRest ™ Yoga Nidra for Fertility and our Reiki & Meditation Circle for Women.  Your first session in either of these classes is FREE so  sign-up now and give them BOTH a try.

Ellen MacGran

iRest for Fertility starts Tuesday April 5 and runs from 7 to  8 p.m.  Our teacher Ellen MacGran has a gentle, soothing voice and has trained extensively with Dr. Richard Miller, one of the foremost experts on yoga nidra in the country.  Yoga nidra, which means “sleep of the yogi,” is a guided relaxation practice that is done laying down and creates a state of deep rest for body and mind.  Men are welcome to join this class.  You can even bring a pillow and your favorite blanket.  Cost $15 drop-in.  First class FREE!

Lisa Espinosa, Reiki Master

Reiki & Meditation Circle for Women begins Thursday April 7 and runs from 5 to 6 p.m.  This beautiful class combines beginning meditation instruction, sitting practice and healing energy work.  Your instructor is Lisa Espinosa, Reiki Master.  Cost $15 drop-in.  First class FREE!

Other wonderful events include two FREE patient education seminars:

Fertility Cleanse Thursday April 7,  6 to 7 p.m. Click here to register for this free program sponsored by Fertility Centers of Illinois

FEM Protocol Fertility Massage Class Sunday April 10, 12-1 p.m. Click here to register for this free program sponsored by Fertility Centers of Illinois

Upcoming Events Include:

Laughter Yoga

***THIS IS A FREE EVENT IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK *****

When is the last time you experienced an amazing giggle fit or a gut-busting crack up? Believe it or not, new studies show that laughter may improve IVF outcomes. Beyond fertility, we know that laughter can improve brain chemistry, release feel-good chemicals called endorphins and even stimulate the relaxation response.

Join Pulling Down the Moon Co-Founders Tami Quinn and Beth Heller for a Laughter Yoga practice that combines breathing and spontaneous laughter to elicit an amazing shift in the chemistry of your body and mind. This wonderful community event will lighten your heart and mind and connect you with the spark of joy that is present within all of us.

Click here to register for Laughter Yoga.

Therapeutic Yoga and TCM for PCOS

If you have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome this unique workshop will empower you to use two ancient healing systems, yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine, to help manage the symptoms and adverse health consequences that are associated with PCOS.

At this workshop we will explore PCOS from the perspectives of yoga and TCM, learn a therapeutic yoga program that addresses the specific health concerns of PCOS and meet other women who are learning how to be radiantly healthy despite PCOS. You will leave with tools to support your physical, mental and spiritual health.  Pre-registration is required for this event.  Cost:  $35

Click here to register for Therapeutic Yoga and TCM for PCOS.

If you build it, they will come. Co-Founders Beth Heller and Tami Quinn share their story on why they decided to create Pulling Down the Moon.