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Welcome to the Circle+Bloom Blog
Guest Blog by Dr. Bradley Miller, a Reproductive Endocrinologist.
As couples seek to begin a family they sometimes face challenges with fertility. Delays or complications with conceiving a child can leave a couple with feelings of isolation and failure.
It is important for couples to recognize that they are not alone in this process and that other couples have been successful in beginning families with the assistance of fertility experts.
Below are the Top 10 things for couples to consider as they begin planning in their journey towards beginning a family:
- How long have you been trying? Couples should seek a medical evaluation if they have been trying for greater than a year, and, are under 35 years old and six months for anyone 35 and older.
- Are you having regular cycles? Irregular cycles or ovulatory dysfunction is a common cause of having difficulty to conceive. This alone may warrant a visit to your gynecologist.
- Is there a family history of infertility or endometriosis? Endometriosis is another common cause for infertility. If there is a family history of endometriosis she may want and be evaluated by a gynecologist.
- Do you have any other chronic medical conditions? Chronic medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes not only make it difficult to conceive but also may put the pregnancy itself at risk. These types of patients are better served by seeing a high risk pregnancy specialist prior to conception.
- Have you had any STD’s or pelvic inflammatory disease? Sexual transmitted diseases are a common cause of tubal disease leading to infertility. If you’ve had a history of any type of STD or pelvic inflammatory disease she should consider having a hysterosalpingogram performed.
- Does your husband have any difficulty with erection or ejaculating? Though many men may be reluctant to seek care for these symptoms it is highly recommended that men having any issues with erections or ejaculation be evaluated by an urologist.
- Have you been able to document ovulation with ovulation predictor kits? These kits are relatively inexpensive and are a good way to document that you’re having regular ovulation.
- Stress, how are you managing it? Stress alone rarely leads to infertility. However, it certainly can affect couples going through treatment. I strongly recommend that couples have some form of stress reduction and seek counseling from a professional if needed.
- Marriage. Keep the lines of communication open and honest. Getting help from a professional sooner rather than later can make all the difference.
- Have depression? If you believe you have depression or symptoms of depression, seek help from a licensed counselor. Medication may be needed.
Sharing these suggestions with your spouse will offer reassurance that many couples have successfully achieved conception, and, that there is a structural and social support network to help guide you through this process.
Dr. Bradley Miller is a Reproductive Endocrinologist who has been in practice for 18 years. Throughout his career over 2,000 babies have been born as a result of his care. He is the Managing Partner at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Michigan, one of the leading fertility centers in Michigan. Learn more about Dr. Miller and follow his blog to discover more answers to your infertility needs and questions.
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Guest Blog by Sara, an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer.
Getting older doesn’t necessarily mean that it will become impossible to conceive a child. It just means that it may take more effort than if you were younger. It’s perfectly OK to wait in order to become pregnant depending on your situation. You may have wanted to develop your career, travel the world, or enjoy the last 40 years of your life before having a child. It’s not selfish to want these things.
Some of us have no problem with conceiving at an older age. However, there are many who may have had problems leading up to this point. For those who are getting a late start on parenthood, is it realistic to conceive a child? Yes. It may take more preparations and considerations to balance life with a child, but it is possible.
1. Physical Condition – Conceiving a child is a physically taxing experience even for women in their prime. As age is now a factor, the importance of being healthy is more prevalent than ever. Getting into the best shape you can prior to conceiving can help you adapt to the changes your body is going to be facing. Deteriorating health can be detrimental to yourself and your child. As terrible as it may sound, being in bad physical condition while carrying a child could do great harm for both of you. Never underestimate the need for physical fitness.
2. Dietary Concerns – Any physically straining activity can benefit from the right diet. The little one growing inside you is going to put a great deal of strain on you. As you are eating for two, consuming a proper diet can help prepare yourself for the presence of a child. Eating a diet of lean proteins, whole grains, and plenty of calcium can do a great deal of good for helping yourself and your child develop.
3. Sicknesses – Although you may feel great, you could still be a carrier of a sickness or disease that can be detrimental to your conception of a child. As well as maintaining an optimum health, you need to be sure that your body isn’t harboring anything that you may not be aware of. Not only can some of these wreak havoc on the reproductive system during the experience, some can be extremely dangerous to conceive unless the illness is removed from the equation. Having your doctor do blood-work to make sure you’re in optimum health can help you save time and energy if you are fighting an illness that you’re unaware of.
4. Stress – Levels of stress can be detrimental to a great deal of physical aspects of people of any age. Stress has been attributed to stomach aches, nausea, headaches, and even increased and decreased blood pressures. Reducing your stress can help you conceive as well as protect yourself from greater risks.
There is a lot to bear in mind for those having a child after 40. Although it may be considered morbid to think about, you need to put extra effort into making sure your child is cared for should something happen to you. The more miles you put on your tires, the sooner the tread is going to eventually wear out. Take care of yourself and your child and don’t leave anything up to chance.
Sara is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of NannyPro. Learn more about her http://www.nannypro.com/blog/sara-dawkins/.
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Guest Blog Post by Maggie Richards, a freelance writer and a yoga teacher in San Diego.
Shopping for toddlers, maternity clothes, babymoon traveling — If you’re considering getting pregnant now might be a good time to schedule a preconception checkup. There you and your partner can ask questions, determine readiness and consider the options.
According to Womenshealth.gov, the food and medication taken, and habits and lifestyle of a woman can affect her baby even before it’s conceived. Even if you aren’t sure about your preferred pregnancy time frame — you should talk to a doctor if it’s anytime within the year.
About a month or so before your appointment, make a list of the questions you’d like to ask your doctor. You may want to print your list or email yourself a copy, so it’s always easily accessible to open and update. Continue to add to the list until the day of your appointment.
Questions to Ask:
- How do smoking, alcohol and illegal drug use in either partner affect fertility?
- What would be an ideal weight for me to be at?
- Do you have any suggestions for medication or home remedies that can improve my chances for pregnancy?
- Which vitamins should I be taking?
- Will the birth control methods I was using before have an effect on how long it takes me to conceive?
- When do I have the best chance of conceiving?
- Is there anything my partner and I can do to improve our chances?
- Are there any health issues I’m at risk for or need to take care of before fertility?
- Is my age an issue?
- Are there any unsafe chemicals I should stay away from while trying to conceive?
Increasing your chances for fertility include understanding ovulation and your personal cycle. When talking to your doctor, ask which ovulation testing methods he or she suggests. For example, a First Response digital ovulation test tracks your personal LH level daily for a month in order to detect when you usually ovulate. Compare this brand to the methods your doctor provides. Ask about other factors, such as diet, exercise and sexual positions that could also contribute to improving your chances of pregnancy.
Topics to Talk About:
- You and your partner’s medical, surgical, reproductive and family histories
- Genetic conditions at risk
- Immunizations and vaccinations
- Ways to improve overall health
- Potential health problems or hazards you could run into
- Family concerns that could affect your health, such as domestic violence or lack of support
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- The normal period of time it takes a couple to conceive
Even if, you’ve been seeing your doctor for years, don’t assume he or she remembers everything about you. Talk about your health history, lifestyle factors, and home and workplace environment — especially if you have any concerns about any of them. If you have a substance abuse problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests asking your doctor for a referral to a local treatment center. Whatever your questions, it’s likely you’ll return home with a wealth of knowledge. Your doctor will likely have pamphlets to help you keep track of all the information he or she shares but, if not, consider taking notes, so you don’t forget!
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First of all, I truly hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Mine was somewhat relaxing, but as usual, we tried to pack too much into one weekend! At least the weather seems to have turned to summer temperatures here in North Carolina. It’s beautiful now! 
I wanted to let you know that we just released a new program. Let me be upfront, however, that this is a program for pregnancy, and this may not be something you are interested in hearing about at this point – given all that you may be going through.
But, if you are thinking you might be pregnant, or you are pregnant – well then, a huge congratulations to you! And for those still waiting on your BFP (“big fat positive”) …I know it is a difficult journey but you will get there, my friend.
Let me tell why we are excited about this program.
And it addresses our biggest complaint we get from our customers, which goes something like this:
“How do you leave me hanging like this? I have been listening to a specially designed program for each day of my cycle, and I finally get double lines on my pregnancy test, and I only have ONE program for the first trimester, when I am still feeling as anxious as ever? It’s not enough!”
It’s been clear for a while that our existing pregnancy program just didn’t cut it.
So, after about 4 months of writing, recording, editing and working with a few beta testers (a big thank you to Courtney, Danielle and Taylor!), we are so proud of our newly expanded Program for Healthy Pregnancy.
Our new program helps you address this anxiety with a specially designed program for EACH WEEK of your pregnancy, for the first trimester, and then monthly thereafter.
And you may be also asking yourself, why would I need a Circle+Bloom program for AFTER I am pregnant? Doesn’t my body just go on autopilot?
Absolutely yes…but your mind still may be creating very anxious thoughts during a time when when your body is doing enough to keep up with all the changes happening inside. As we’ve always said, the mind/body connection is very powerful, so to reduce stress and anxious thinking is just as important while you are pregnant to help keep up with your energy levels, feel balanced and in control, and to develop a feeling of connectedness with your baby (or babies!).
And another uber important feature to our program is when you get closer and closer to delivery, we spend a lot of time focusing on visualizing a relatively pain-free delivery where you feel empowered, confident and in control.
Just read some of the feedback we’ve been getting (from Courtney, Taylor and Dianna):
“I do not know how you guys do it; this week’s relaxations and focus corresponded perfectly to week 9. The focus on areas of anxiety and tension and finding your inner energy source was incredible. I am not sure what was causing it however I did find that my energy was stuck on my right side near my abdomen. With this visualization and connection I was able to move this stuck energy and unblock this right away.”
“I LOVE to hear what is happening right now in my baby’s development. It felt so incredible and gave me chills, to hear that the jaws, eyes and ears are forming as well as the heartbeat.”
“After using your Happy Birth program (which is included free!), I can say that I had a close to perfect 4 hour natural drug free labor. Your program gave me the strength and courage to put trust and faith in my body through the birthing process.”
“During the beginning of this segment we are asked to send love to your uterus. I though this focus was absolutely amazing, as soon as I did so I could visualize this love and radiant light beam in my uterus.”
And we are offering a special 35% discount to the first 100 people who download the program.
The code is: PREGNANT35 but it will automatically be disabled when it hits the 100th use.
Here are the finer points:
- It’s a WEEKLY program (for the first trimester) starting with right after you find out your are pregnant. The program offers fresh new content for each week when you are newly pregnant, when anxiety of something going wrong is at its highest, especially if you have have had recurrent miscarriages or who have been trying for a while to get pregnant
- After the first trimester, there is a monthly program for the rest of your pregnancy
- As before, we will include the Happy Birth Program FREE, which focuses specifically on being confident and in control during your birthing process
- The program is almost five hours in length and can be downloaded, installed on your smart phone (iPhone, etc.) to listen to in privacy and whenever fits into your schedule (just don’t drive a car while you are listening!)
So act now to be one of the first to take advantage of this special pricing, 35% discount for the first 100 downloads – and use the code PREGNANT35 when your purchase the download version of our Program for Healthy Pregnancy.
Did you recently purchase our old version of the pregnancy program and would like to receive our new program? If it was within the last 90 days, just email amy @ circlebloom.com and please let us know which email you had used to purchase the pregnancy program and we will send you the free upgrade.
Do you have a friend or family member who is pregnant? Make sure to share this with them so they will be able to take advantage of the discount!
So that’s it! Just wanted to let you know about the new program.
Please let me know if there are any questions at all you might want to email me about. Just comment below and I will try to respond right away.
With love + gratitude,
p.s. The offer is only available for the download version of our program. The CD sets will not be available until about the third week in June.
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I thought I would share this very important question that came in from Emma a few days ago.
She writes:
“A little bit of background – my husband and I have been trying for 4 years this June both naturally and through IVF. We have had 3 miscarriages – one of which (natural pregnancy) was at 10 weeks.
I am willing to try anything and so bought your programs…
I am at day 8 of my cycle and the thing that is worrying me are the terribly negative thoughts that creep into my head while undertaking the visualization exercises.
I don’t want to sound crazy or creepy but when I try and imagine beautiful healthy ovaries for example images of black dead ovaries pops into my mind. I am scared that I am now making things worse. I stop the thought the second I have it and concentrate on the positive images but I am quite concerned.”
And I thought it might just be easy to share with you our verbatim response and how NOT to worry about these negative images that may pop up while you are using our programs.
Dear Emma:
Thank you so much for reaching out with this very important question! And my enormous condolences for what you have been through with three miscarriages..
Let me make a bet – that just by writing this email will already help these automatic thoughts that keep popping into your head. You have begun the process of acknowledging them – which is the first key step to letting them go…
And this is key – you are trying with all your might to downplay them, ignore them, sweep them under the carpet – but just like the movie the Poltergeist, they say “I’m baaaack!”
So the key is to allow them simply to be, but even more important – understand why you are having them. I would suggest that you respond either to me, or to write into a journal – whatever you prefer – stream of consciousness type writing and answer this question… “why is my body giving me this visualization?”
Also uber important here…don’t see these as “bad” or “negative.” This scenario could most definitely play out in your situation: through your stream of consciousness and automatic writing to answer this question, your intuition is strongly telling you something important about your body.
And in a flash of instinct and self-knowing, you come up with an answer. And then you ask your doctor, who confirms your suspicion and you can then tackle the issue head-on.
OR – this visualization leads you to a much deeper understanding about your body, its balance, and its self-healing power and you are able to change this dynamic through a more nurturing visualization and helps turn things around.
Let me share a quick story. My father died when I was 12 and one of the last images I have of him was when he was in the ICU all hooked up to a million machines. He was already brain dead, and my mother, who was freaking out, told me to talk to him as he could still hear me. As you can imagine, at 12 I was scared shitless and devastated by what I saw. This has haunted me for most of my life. But I have decided to change that memory. Simple as that. And in a state of meditation, I allowed myself to see that episode completely different – my father is laughing with a top hat on with Rayban sunglasses, and my mother is also laughing and dancing. Weird? Heck-ya, but it has literally changed my feeling about life from scary and sad to fun, nurturing and miraculous.
Remember, your thoughts may seem as if they are automatic, but you also influence them and can change them. Most important, learn from them, and try not to label them as bad. They are helping you! Life is meant to be abundant.
OK, so take action now by either responding to me, or if you are more comfortable, writing in your journal as to why you are having these visualizations.
So, why don’t YOU take action now as well and let us know in the comments section what weird or negative thoughts you may be having and how you can start to think of them differently!
With love + gratitude,
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Guest Blog by Marcela De Vivo, a freelance health & wellness writer from Los Angeles. She covers everything from skincare and supplements, to fitness, holistic wellness, and special needs issues.
Those looking to have a baby can help encourage the cause by eating right, exercising and avoiding things such as alcohol and smoking.
Unfortunately, although a majority of couples trying to have a child are already aware of these things, they’re still not able to conceive successfully.
If you are currently in this situation, there are a variety of vitamins and supplements that can help both the man and the woman increase their fertility and improve their odds of becoming pregnant. Since it’s just a matter of buying a vitamin supplement, most of which are natural and have few–if any–side effects, it’s definitely worth a try.
Best Vitamins and Herbs for Women
There are some supplements that both men and women should take up front. In addition to these supplements, there are some others that are uniquely helpful to women and men individually.
We’ll start with a few supplements that are specifically helpful in terms of increasing fertility in women:
- Calcium — Doctors recommend that women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant should consume about 1000 mg of calcium every day. As this is a high amount, it may be difficult getting this much calcium through food alone, therefore, consuming this amount through a multivitamin or prenatal formula is a good idea. Drinking milk and eating dark, leafy greens is also encouraged.
- Folic Acid — Folic acid is considered a no-brainer, even if you’re just a woman of childbearing age who plans to get pregnant in the future. Folic acid is made up of a B-complex vitamin that helps the body create red blood cells. It will also assist in the production of extra blood cells during pregnancy. Folic acid may also reduce the risk of certain spinal cord problems for the baby. You can get your daily intake of daily folic acid by eating citrus fruits, grains and dark leafy greens. Folic acid in capsule form is also another option.
- Omega 3 Free Fatty Acid — Omega 3 Fatty Acids are not naturally produced by your body, therefore you will have to get these nutrients through food or a supplement. Studies have shown that this particular supplement helps with embryo development and quality.
What these vitamins will essentially do for women is better prepare their bodies to be pregnant, which can help with the process of conception, both directly and indirectly. If your diet is healthy and you’re paying attention to when you are ovulating, taking the proper supplements should be enough to give your body just one more nudge in the right direction.
Best Vitamins and Herbs for Men
Statistically speaking, a man has about a 1 in 10 chance of having a low sperm count, which can negatively impact his fertility. If a couple is having trouble getting pregnant, this could definitely be the culprit. It is a good idea to get the sperm count checked; that way, you can at least rule it out as the underlying problem.
Regardless of whether or not a low sperm count is the problem, the following supplements can help increase fertility in men:
- Vitamin E — Vitamin E is an excellent source of antioxidants and, in many studies, it has shown to improve sperm quality.
- Vitamin C — Like Vitamin E, vitamin C provides much-needed antioxidants, having the same positive effect on a man’s sperm. You can get vitamin C through fruits, like oranges and strawberries, or you can just take a supplement.
- L-carnitine — This is something you’ll need to get in a supplement form, but in many cases, it can enhance sperm’s motility.
Vitamins that Work for Both Men and Women
In addition to what we have already covered, these supplements can help treat infertility in both men and women. It is recommended that they should be taken regularly by couples who are trying or planning to get pregnant:
- Zinc — Both partners should be getting plenty of zinc in their diet as it helps ovulation and fertility in women. It also increases semen and testosterone production in men.
- Coenzyme Q10 — Usually shortened to “CoQ10”, this supplement has shown in studies to both increase sperm count in men and increase egg quality in women.
By improving the quality of your diet, exercising regularly and taking the recommended supplements, couples trying to conceive may be able to increase their chances of becoming pregnant.
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“Rock bottom became my solid foundation.” – JK Rowling
How are you on this fine Thursday? I hope you are feeling happy, full of energy and have a smile on your face!
What’s that?!? You aren’t feeling happy, full of energy or have a smile on your face? Are you feeling as if you are in a rut…that nothing is going your way…and it seems like everything is just plain pissing you off?
And, of course, we have Mother’s Day right around the corner, which for a LOT of us, isn’t necessarily the happiest of days. For me, I get to reflect on the passing of my Mom more than 18 years ago.
I believe that it is the human condition to feel the full range of emotions and absolutely no one is happy all of the time.
But, here’s the key to actually harnessing the power of these negative emotions.
Yes, I do believe there is a power behind them. Call it the yin-yang energy that underlies our universe.
Allowing your emotions just as they are and “lean in.” This could be your personal paradigm shift.
But how can we “lean in” to capture this power? Here are three suggestions:
1. Allow yourself to just be
- Even when you are saying to yourself “I feel like sh*t!” – accept it, and let yourself stay in that unhappy, dark place as long as you want. It’s absolutely futile to push those sad feelings out of your life because it’s impossible to completely change your outlook on command. Plus they serve a purpose. These sad, distraught, questioning emotions allow you to consider new options, take a step back from life and reevaluate, and to recuperate your mind and body from a stressful time.
2. Try not to label your sour feelings as “bad”
- When you think about these down feelings in the context of allowing you to recuperate, or to learn something about yourself, would you label that as “bad?” Maybe there is no such thing as good and bad when talking about the emotional state we find ourselves in. And when we don’t use such labels, we become free of the restrictions they impose.
3. Try to center yourself on your life goals
- Knowing you are in a “down” state, it’s important to stay focused on your life goals, intentions and desires in life. This will be your short-cut back into a more optimistic state. And I do believe what you think about, you bring about. So, intending and reaffirming what you truly want out of life, even if you are “faking it until you make it” – is so important and will always be the solid foundation from which to grow.
So, accept the truth inside, and always have your guiding star with your dreams, desires and intentions lighting the way… And find the juicy bits that keep life exciting.
Now it is your turn to take action now. Comments below and answer one of these easy questions: “What one word describes your you are feeling today?” or “What one word describes your thoughts about Mother’s Day?”
With love and gratitude,
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We are thrilled to share with you this AMAZING deal being offered by our wonderful affiliate Donielle Baker–the Natural Fertility ebook Bundle! We are offering our Fertility Relaxation Program as part of the bonus material you will receive when you purchase this incredible offer, and you will have a chance to win our Natural Cycle for Fertility Program as part of the huge giveaway you will be entered in automatically with your purchase.
We know preparing for pregnancy can be confusing, and if you’re trying to overcome infertility, it can definitely add to this confusion as well. We all want to be healthy, to have balanced hormones, and to have more stable moods, but finding good, solid information can be tricky.
And it can get expensive.
That’s why Donielle decided to contact some of her favorite ebook authors and fertility and health supporters and put together this fantastic bundle of information for you so that you can save over 92%.
It’s everything you need to know to get your body ready for pregnancy, whether you’re just starting a family, want to add to your brood, or are looking for ways to overcome hormone imbalance and infertility. This bundle is everything I wish I would have had access to many years ago when I first began thinking about trying to conceive.
Instead of paying over $450.00 for all of these ebooks, you’ll pay just $34.95 for:
- 30 ebooks, spanning fertility information, matters of the heart, real food and recipes, and pregnancy and baby information
- 1 week long meal plans
- bonus FREE content
- and you’ll receive an entry to win a grand prize worth over $1130.00!
Just the bonus offerings would cost $30.00! We are so happy to be able to participate, and want to send a huge THANK YOU to Donielle for bringing together all of these amazing resources in such an affordable manner for this community we care so much about. Click here to view more details and buy the bundle.
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