Practically Fertile

Latest Episodes:

You Officially Have My Permission To Stop Worrying About These 4 Things Jun 28, 2018

Show notes

It's hard to let things go sometimes- especially when we're looking for answers. You're not getting pregnant so CLEARLY it's something you're doing wrong, right?

Well… no, not always.

Sometimes it simply is just the timing... and has absolutely nothing to do with what flavor tea you're drinking.

Yes, you do need to pay attention to lifestyle habits…

Yes, you do need to cut certain things from your diet…

And HECK YES, you do need to understand your cycle…

But still, there are just some things that you can officially toss in the "WHO CARES BUCKET!"

And that's what we're going to gab about today!

On today's episode I'm going to:

----> Break down the top 4 things I hear people worrying about most…

----> Explain why they aren't worth becoming a worry-wart over…

----> And there's a little bonus "ah ha" moment about spleen energy and digestion I think you're going to like…

Quit pulling your hair out over every little thing and join me to catch a breather.

TTC is exhausting YOU control the level of chaos… and I think you'll feel much better for doing so!

Links mentioned:

Private FB Community

Everything You Need To Know About Fertility Massage With Angie Allison, LMBT Jun 21, 2018

Show notes

Angie and I met over 10 years ago when we shared a mutual working space. Basically, as a fertility acupuncturist I helped women get pregnant and then as a massage therapist- with a focus on fertility and prenatal care- Angie helped them through their pregnancies.f

She was like the PB to my Jelly <3

And now she's here to talk with us today! She's basically a self-care guru and today we'll be talking about the things you can do to help increase fertility and decrease pain or discomfort throughout the pregnancy from home.

In today's episode of the How to Get Healthy and Get Pregnant podcast you'll hear us dishing on:

---> All things massages: how it works for fertility, why to get them while pregnant, and how to find a massage therapist who specializes in them near you.

---> Castor Oil… and how to use it most effectively.

---> And of course more #selfcare hacks so you can take care of your body before, during and after baby!

Links mentioned:

Bellies and Babies

Private Facebook Group

Five Steps To Overcome The Disappointment of a BFN Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

There's nothing worse. Like literally… nothing.

Here you are doing EVERYTHING you're supposed to be doing: eating healthy, tracking your cycle, keeping your stress as low as possible and reading- or listening- up on #AllTheThings… and yet, there it is AGAIN!

So much for that stress.

It's almost like it's mocking you- telling you you're not worthy

Still, it hurts. Stings. Breaks you down and sometimes makes you want to throw in the towel. Trust me, after 10+ years in this sacred space, I've seen and heard it all- and I promise, you're not alone.

On today's episode of the How to Get Healthy and Get Pregnant podcast, I'm going over the 5 steps to overcoming disappointment after a BFN:

---> Yes, it is similar to the stages of grief- and owning those emotions is essential!

---> I'm going to open up about some of my own struggles in life and how I overcame those moments of being ready to quit…

---> And I have a freebie to help you outline the emotions you go through to help you walk through to the other side quicker and more effectively than letting it continue to build up and break you down.

Will the BFN ever get easier? Unfortunately not- but that doesn't mean we give up our dream of starting a family, right?

Links mentions:

Private FB Group

Episode 74 Freebie

Truth or Fertility Urban Legend: Popular Beliefs Debunked May 31, 2018

Show notes

My guest today is Jocey Rodriguez, my right hand person. She has been on show multiple times and if you're part of our private Facebook group, you certainly have benefited from her expertise.

A couple of weeks ago, Jocey and I were discussing cases, and we got on the topic of fertility urban legends that people believe to be true and how we wish these urban legends didn't spread like wildfire.

And you know what I'm talking about. "Eat pineapple and drink pomegranate juice." "Use Robitussin to thin the cervical mucus."

Listen we totally get it, when nothing is happening the way you envisioned, you want answers and you want to know what you can do today to fix it all.

I asked Jocey to be on the show today because 1) It gets lonely sometimes flying solo and 2) I wanted a little extra help to debunk some of the popular fertility legends that are out there.

These urban legends, while none of them are harmful, and in fact they might help some people, they are not the best way to approach your fertility.

OK, so we're going to:

Debunk the top 6 urban legends when it comes to TTC
The alternatives and practical actions you can take instead.

Links mentioned:

Private Facebook Community

How to Take Care of Yourself During Pregnancy and Post-Partum to Preserve Future Fertility May 24, 2018

Show notes

If you're not pregnant right now I still want you to listen to this episode because here is the thing, setting a solid foundation for a healthy pregnancy and also post-partum, directly impacts your abilities to get pregnant in the future.

We have a lot of mamas in the private group that are trying for a second or third child. And while they didn't have any problems the first time, this time around seems harder. Well, that's because the kidney energy is a bit more depleted. So while we can't replenish the kidney energy, we can preserve it better. And how you take care of yourself during pregnancy and post- partum can affect how well you preserve that energy.

I will go over in detail:

Considerations for diet, exercise and self-care throughout all three trimesters of pregnancy.
How to induce labor naturally.
The one mistake most women make post-partum and the most important thing you need to do to take care of yourself.

Remember, we inherit a limited amount of Kidney energy from our parents. So, the healthier you are, the more you have to pass down to your baby and future generations.

Links mentioned:

Private Facebook Community

Everything You Need to Know About an Acupuncture Session May 17, 2018

Show notes

I'm going to talk about something I love dearly, and that is acupuncture.

I talked about how specifically you should go about looking for an acupuncturist before, but there are still lots of misconceptions surround acupuncture itself.

So in this episode, I want to go into detail and:

clear up some misconceptions
talk about about what a typical acupuncture treatment should look like from beginning to end
what you can expect to feel during the treatment and after the treatment.

I hope to ease your fears about acupuncture because it is such a powerful tool to help you get pregnant. I don't want you to stop treatment or have your fears get in the way because of misconceptions, or because someone didn't take the time to talk to you about what to expect.

Links mentioned:

Private Facebook Community

Is Infertility Part of Your Identity? Apr 26, 2018

Show notes

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week.

I know a lot of organizations are raising awareness this week about this with activities and inspirational stories, and we're doing the same at the office. But one thing I refuse to do is to use the word infertility and call this a disease. It's not a disease.

Just saying infertility makes me cringe because I do not like that word at all. I avoid it at all cost, like a plague.

Every woman is practically fertile, period.

But infertility has become an identity for so many women.

What you don't know is that our identify drives the stories that we're telling ourselves. An identity is created based on some type of experience that we encounter, and we interpret the experience and ultimately form a belief around the experience. Then we craft stories based on this belief that become our identify, and our identity fuels our stories. It's a loop that goes round and round and round.

And it is exactly why in this loop, a lot of self sabotage happens.

Links mentioned:

Private Facebook Community

Plant-Base Nutrition for Vegetarians with Sarah Kaminski Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, I interview Sarah Kaminski. You may remember her from an honor coaching call episode #61. I coached Sarah on how to recover from her most recent miscarriage. And most recently when we talked, I'm happy to report that her hormones levels have improved dramatically I'm just so excited for her because I truly feel pregnancy is just around corner for her.

But today, I specifically wanted Sarah to come on the show because Sarah is Certified health coach with a passion for plant-based diet. And today, we're going to talk all about plant based diet for those of you who are trying to conceive and are vegetarians.

Although you've heard my spiel about animal protein vs. plant based protein in episode #46, I never try to force or persuade anyone to ditch their vegetarians diets because I'm respectful of the reasons why someone might choose not to eat meat, whether it's ethical reasons or whatever.

But what I'm finding is that a lot of vegetarians, especially those who are trying to conceive do not balance their meals to optimize fertility. And since I'm not a plant-based diet expert, I've asked Sarah to help me out and talk about how to thrive on a plant based diet.

Don't forget to download Sarah's freebie!

Links Mentioned:

Private Facebook Community

Freebie

Episodes Mentioned:

#61: Honor Coaching Call: I Help Sarah With Her Pathway to Pregnancy

What You Need to Know About Blocked Tubes Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

Remember the "Now What Series" way back when, I went through the popular conditions and what you can do if you were diagnosed with PCOS, unexplained infertility, endometriosis, High FSH. But I have talked about this one condition.

There comes a time on every woman's fertility journey when you start to get discouraged because nothing you're doing is working. Many of you will eventually consult a medical doctor, hopefully a Reproductive Endocrinologist. The doctor will run a standard set of bloodwork and do an HSG. HSG is what's known as the dye test, or hydrosalpingogram. This procedure is useful to look at the uterus and tubes to see if they're healthy and connected.

Many women discover that there are blockages in their tubes after the HSG. So on one hand, it's a relief to know that there's an answer as to why things are not happening. But on the other hand, it can feel like your fate is sealed...if the tubes aren't open, how is the sperm going to get through.

Everyone's situation is different. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you. But today, I want to talk to you about:

Common causes of blockages in the fallopian tubes
What you can do if you've found out that your tubes are blocked.
Should you be moving on to medical procedures in this situation

Links Mentioned:

Private FB Community

How Stress is Damaging Your Fertility - HPA Axis Dysregulation Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

In our private group, I get this general feeling that there's so much information out there and it's hard to figure out who to listen to or what applies to you. But a common theme that I'm sensing is that many people are putting stress on their bodies without even realizing it.

If you remember from a previous episode, we went over the idea of the kidney energy reservoir and how genetics, lifestyle choices can seriously impact how quickly we use up the energy in the reservoir. Even though I think people get this concept that if you withdraw from a savings bank without depositing back in, you'll end up with a deficit...I don't think the message really hit home because Chinese medicine concepts can be a little abstract.

So today I want to approach this from a functional medicine perspective and talk about stress, the different types of stress, and how it seriously damages your HPA axis and therefore can affect your chances of getting pregnant.

In this episode, I will:

Explain the concept of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
The four common stress triggers that can cause HPA axis dysregulation
My top tips on how to rebalance the HPA axis

I've also created an assessment for you to gauges your risk for HPA axis Dysregulation, and it will quickly give you an idea of where you fall on the spectrum.

To get your hands on this assessment, you can download it at adriennewei.com/63download.

Links mentioned:

Freebie Download

How to Get Healthy and Get Pregnant Facebook Community

Episodes mentioned:

Episode 26

Episode 38

Episode 40

Episode 49

Episode 50