The Whole Pineapple

We’ve covered the initial fertility tests for eggs and sperm, so on this week’s short snack, it’s time to travel up to the uterus and fallopian tubes. But how?

Ruby and Anne discuss the difference between a Hysterosalpingogram or ‘HSG’ and a hysteroscopy, and what information can these diagnostic procedures reveal.

When should you consider these tests? What can you expect from the office visit? And what’s the deal with the ‘wandering womb’? Get it all on this episode.

Yoga has come a long way from a bit of a "fringe" activity to a popular way to get and stay fit. But can it help with fertility?

Ruby and Anne’s guest today certainly believes so – in fact, she wrote a book on it! Lynn Jensen is a Registered Yoga Instructor and a Certified Yoga Therapist.

In 2002, after her own fertility journey, Lynn founded the Seattle-based Yoga for Fertility program, and since then has helped thousands of women and couples on their paths to parenthood.

Lynn is co-author of the book Yoga and Fertility, A Journey to Health and Healing. She designed and taught the yoga portion of a study on Yoga for Menopause funded by the National Institute of Health and the University of Washington.

Lynn currently teaches group Yoga for Fertility classes online, as well as offering private instruction and fertility coaching. Yoga teachers certified through Lynn’s Yoga for Fertility Teacher Training programs are now teaching across the U.S. as well as internationally. Find her at yogaforfertility.net.

Highlights:

About Lynn, her credentials and journey The advent of yoga for fertility What is different about yoga for fertility?How do you structure classes for people who are in different parts of their cycles?Overcoming the isolation of infertility The stigma around fertility issues Safe spaces for those dealing with infertility Stress reduction/stress hormones How often should people do yoga? Adding back to your life energy stores The benefit of mind/body and support for fertility

Lynn offers online courses, so if there's not yet a yoga for fertility class near you, you can still enjoy the benefits!

Take a moment to notice how you’re breathing. Is your breath short and shallow? Or long and deep? Our breathing runs on autopilot, but there are ways to control, deepen, and improve it.

Breath is the foundation of a yoga practice. In this short snack episode, Lynn Jensen (@yogaforfertilityLynnJensen) leads us through an ujjayi breathing exercise, which is great for calming down your central nervous system. Get ready to relax and expand your capacity.

If you’re facing fertility challenges, there are myriad resources for medical and emotional support. There are podcasts (ahem, like this one!), classes, and...books! On today’s short snack episode, Ruby and Anne are reviewing two fantastic reads.

Fertility Walk by Tamara Tobias (@fertilitywalk, @tamaratobias.fertilitywalk), a nurse practitioner, dives into the medical side of infertility. What's it like in fertility clinics? What’s the science behind the barriers? What are those gray blobs on your ultrasound?

Make IF Make Sense by Regina Townsend (@brokenbrownegg) shares a deeply personal story about the unpredictability – and all the accompanying emotions – of infertility. How do you make sense of such a big IF? Where are the spots of humor in an otherwise difficult situation? How can you locate solace for yourself?

Both books are excellent companions for your fertility journey.

...Looks like it’s time to head to the library!

Phew! Ruby, Anne, and counselor Suzi Mohn are going to fix All The Things today, so the rest of us can relax by the pool.

OK, maybe not, but they certainly can help, so listen up!

Today’s question is: How can you support your partner in a difficult fertility journey?

Often, the one who will not be carrying the baby feels a little helpless and useless during the process. (For ease of communication, we’ll call this person “the partner.”) Partners want to support the one who will bear the child, but they don’t know how, and it seems everything they say gets tangled up with all the big emotions and the hormones and does nobody any good.

Though attention generally focuses on the one hoping to get pregnant, partners are suffering too. They’re sad and scared and hurting, but their attempts to help are perhaps a bit clumsy because they often can’t understand the ramifications of fertility treatment on the body, the heart, and the psyche.

And the one going through the fertility treatments may not have the time or language or mental space to teach their partner how to help.

Because of this, a couple of Suzi’s therapy groups undertook the task of creating a list — a list of what those hoping to carry a child wanted to hear so that their partners could truly be as supportive as they wanted to be.

All the points on the list are powerful and valid. Here are some of the highlights:

“Tell me you love me and know why I’m sad.”

“Share with me your vision of our child.”

Take my fears and doubts seriously, but also remind me that we're a team and we'll work this out.”

If you want someone to climb into the cab and stare at the ground with you (and that’ll make a lot more sense after you hear the episode), ask them to listen to this episode. Share with them the list (with your own additions and subtractions) to help open those critically important lines of communication and mutual support.

You can find out more about Suzi Mohn and get her contact information at the HERE. You can find more from Ruby and Anne at thewholepineappple.com