We are setting our sights on you, PCOS!  We are in our labs right now mixing up a deadly concoction of brain-body therapy to rid you forever!

When we sent out our questionnaire a few months ago as to what next product you would like us to develop, PCOS was high up on the list. We’ve heard you and are working very hard to help you help yourself heal from PCOS.

By way of quick background, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormone dysfunction. It effects approximately 1 in 10 women, and is most often never diagnosed unless there is a specific problem pertaining to trying to get pregnant. We don’t know the cause, nor do we have a pharmaceutical cure. PCOS symptoms vary to a large degree, but include not so fun things such as menstruation irregularity and anovulation, insulin-resistance and being overweight, male-pattern excess hair growth or loss (depending on location), depression and a few other wonderful traits.

Essentially, PCOS is a hormone inbalance. From my tons of research, I’ve uncovered the fact that we really don’t know which is the first “domino” to fall, but our cycles are completely out of whack. In a normal cycle, we have a hormonal feedback loop that starts with the Hypothalamus sending GnRH to the Pituitary which sends out LH and FSH in increasing amounts to the ovaries which in turn send estrogen back to the pituitary in increasing amounts to reduce the LH and FSH (and surge LH around ovulation)…and then progesterone enters the picture. Everything works in order to effect the menstrual cycle. With PCOS, there is either not enough estrogen (or too much andogens/testorone in relative figures), not enough LH or FSH (or too much of either of them) or not enough or too much progesterone. The cycle breaks down and can’t recover itself.

I was diagnosed with PCOS as a late teen – probably because I had a great OBGYN and a few symptoms such as irregular cycles. I had trouble with conception not so much with our first, but most definitely with our second child.

All this research has been bouncing around like a tennis balls in my head.  I am now convinced that we need to get our cycles back on track. Simple as that. If at some point the cycle broke down at one point AND our natural state is balance, then we can find the right feedback loop again. Our brain-body communication can do this, I’m convinced of it.  How?  A daily guided visualization to get the body back on track.

I think anyone with PCOS trying to get pregnant can benefit from our daily Natural Cycle program to help the hormones find balance, and then we are set out to create supplemental programs to be listened to every other day – one for insulin and weight loss, one for male-patterned issues, one for depression.  Anovulation and cycle irregularity will fix itself by virtue of the Natural Cycle program which focuses on hormonal changes and balance as you proceed through the cycle.

We sent out a tweet about 5 days ago asking for beta testers, and was overwhelmed with the response. As a fellow “cyster,” I know the frustration and contradictory information and the fact that there is no cure at this point. We are set to change that. Stay tuned.

We are constantly on the hunt here at Circle+Bloom to ensure that our product descriptions and overall company messaging gets to the point and the maximum number of people understand what we are all about.

Among other things, we’ve been focusing lately on the “cliff-notes” or short-hand way of describing our programs.

Historically we have been using “Mind-Body Programs.” Given feedback and various discussions we have had we feel that this description might be causing more confusion and not helping people understand our programs:

Enter the brain.

What is the true difference between the mind and the brain?  Our mind is our emotional-being, our existence beyond the physical make-up of our bodies – or better described as our souls.  On the other hand, we have our brains. Where we think. Where we analyze and make decisions. Where we direct our bodies (BOTH consciously and unconsciously) to do things. The brain works in complete harmony and in tandem with our bodies on a constant basis. Our thoughts and images communicates with and instructs the body – and then the body communicates back with our brain. When we think of our brains, we think of a specific area of our body, where our intelligence resides.

What it boils down to is the perceived value or the words that best describe and convey our program descriptions. We are using our BRAINS to visualize and think and therefore enable our BODIES to improve our own reproductive ability.  Hence we have been using such descriptions as the Brain-Fertility Connection, the Brain-Body, and Brain-Health.  Our programs use our brains in a new way to make our bodies do what we want it to do.

What do you think of when you hear “Mind-Body” or the difference between the Brain and Mind?  How would you go about describing our programs?

This is an actual email we received from a customer earlier this week regarding our Energy Program. Thought we would share it, because she goes to great lengths to connect it back to her life and her meditation practice. Keep these emails coming, folks! It makes our day, our week, our month!

Just wanted to send you this email and tell you about my experience using your new Energy program. I truly love the program! I’ve listened to all sessions several times now and have felt a remarkable difference–especially in my quality of sleep!

Joanne has a wonderfully soothing and calming voice that makes settling down with the program a pleasure that I really look forward to. I find the visualizations vivid and effortless to practice. For me, listening to the sessions has been like taking a mini vacation from the frenzy of my normal day.

For the last few years I have been meditating on a daily basis. Recently, though, since my work schedule has gotten a bit out of my control, I have not been as routine in my meditation schedule as I had been previously.

As a result, my energy reserves along with my patience and state of mind has suffered. The most surprising benefit of the C & B program has been that my daily mediation routine was rejuvenated immediately, and the quality of my meditations has improved significantly.

My daily meditations have become so much deeper since I began using the program! It’s been remarkable.

I don’t understand why, but the effect was immediate and dramatic!

Thanks for putting this out there. I hope more women take advantage of this great program. It will certainly make for happier moms, and families too!

- Cheryl in Massachusetts, via email

I was interviewed by Emily Kruckemyer, Senior Editor of Conceive Magazine. It is a fun and engaging portrait of not only how Circle+Bloom became to be, but real information and suggestions to really get started on your own brain fitness journey to improve fertility.

Listen to our podcast:

Click here to begin listening immediately.

From the start, Conceive Magazine has been very interested in the progress of Circle+Bloom and our unique approach to managing and improving the ability to conceive. At this point in our relationship, it was very exciting to a host on their show that has a tremendous following.

Not only that, but towards the end, Heather (aka FertilityChick on Twitter) from the popular blog “He Said, She Said” joins us to discuss her “life-changing” experience using our programs. She bravely tells us her incredibly moving story of strength and determination and we are thrilled to be a part of that journey in a small way. By the way, she sounds as cute as she looks…

This is a series of our Podcasts that are being published within iTunes. Please subscribe today…I promise we will post only interesting and knowledgeable information that we can all learn from.

We decided to do something a little different with our contests and giveaways. We have been on a crusade lately to raise awareness of both how we can all use our mind-body connection for greater health, vitality and fertility – as well as improving the dialogue around infertility itself. We wanted to get you excited as well, and thought that with the incentive of an ultra-cool Apple iPad, it might just be a big enough incentive to get you started.

Announcing the “Why I Love Circle+Bloom” contest with all kinds of fun ways to win. It’s time to get creative!Click here to learn more and to enter. Watch this quick video to get a better understanding of the “why” behind the contest:

Please join us in this fun contest and with a very cool “carrot” to get all of you to do what we want – which is spread the word!! LOOK at how amazing this device is – and of course you can load it up with all of our very exciting mind-body programs!

I have had an amazing couple of weeks, a beginning of a life style change that I know will help me live my life to the fullest. I joined Joanne at Circle + Bloom because I wanted to make more of a difference in the world. That might seem odd, but something stirred within me as I thought about helping women struggling with infertility, an incredibly painful health issue, with an approach that might not only help with fertility but could also positively change how they approach their health and well-being. About a month ago, Joanne and I started to think about our next program and this desire to make a larger impact was front and center. How great would it be if our next program could offer additional help to women TTC, but also anyone in the world…..and our Energy for Empowerment program was born.

In order to inspire you to take the first steps to take control of your health and well-being I decided it would be fun to share a few highlights from my experience of using the new program. I also hope you will have a few laughs at my expense.

• It will not surprise anyone who knows me that my initial reaction was 20 minutes per a session was way too long. I was nervous that I would get bored listening to each session, and that my “to-do” list would never get done if I took 20 minutes out of my day. But on the first day, I plopped myself down on the couch and started to listen and was very surprised when I heard Joanne’s voice say, “This concludes session A”.   I was downright pissed…what do you mean concludes, I am not ready to conclude, keep going!

• The first day I started to use the program my teenage son barged into the room looking for clean clothes. You would have thought he caught me having sex based on his initial reaction of seeing his mother looking all relaxed lying on a couch with an i-pod and headphones. He eventually recovered and said, “Mom you are so weird, get a life.”

• Completely exhausted one afternoon, all I could think about was taking a nap. I realized I should give C+B a chance, if I was going to tell people to buy the program to help with energy then I should use it when I needed energy. To be honest I was also thinking I could still sneak in a nap after I listened. After I finished listening to TWO sessions I told my husband “I feel light, refreshed, and my unmade bed will be ready for me tonight at 11:30 after I watch the last episode of Lost.” BTW I loved the ending of Lost.

• In one of the sessions Joanne asks you to think about any emotions that might be zapping your energy and finding a way to let them go. I immediately had a vision of juggling and all these balls were falling towards me from every direction – each of those balls represented a different responsibility; buying a house, selling a house, mother to a 4 and 15 year old, wife, disciplining my kids so they are not spoiled brats, giving everything I have to my kids so they feel my love…… Joanne then said to let go and I visualized catching each ball and throwing them into a lake. I am not sure why a lake, but that is where they went, and that is where they stayed. It was very liberating.

• Over the course of the last two weeks I found my mind wondered less while I listened and the visualization exercises became easier. One of my most bizarre visualizations was when my mind went to my “youthful, bar hoping days” when I felt like I could dance all night. I started to visualize my circulation system having a great time on the dance floor. I changed the image of “slobbering drunk dancer” – which I have to admit was me back in those days – to “sophisticated sexy dancer” – which I will never be, but hey that is the beauty of this mind-body thing, you can create what ever you want!

One night my husband and I listened to the sleep session together right before bed, it was a fun thing to do together, and the note he left me as he slipped out the door at 6:00 AM says it all.

Over the last couple of weeks I have seen positive changes. I have been able to get through the day with just one ice coffee, not my typical two. Yoga class seems to be easier, I am able to stay in the mediations a bit better and hold the poses slightly longer than normal. I have slept through the night much more often and that knot right below my shoulder blade – gone!

I know I am biased, but I absolutely love this program, it is the beginning of a life style change for me, incorporating the powerful mind-body connection daily. It makes me feel refreshed, energized and puts a smile on my face as I do the visualization exercises.

I hope you will give the program a try, make sure to try the different sessions, listen to them at different times of the day, and in different relaxed positions and you will begin to find what works best for you. Enjoy, and please share your experiences with us!

And we just released the program! Click here to get started…

I’d like to boast a tiny bit – and maybe you will indulge me. Having launched Circle+Bloom less than a year ago, we have created an unbelievable groundswell of enthusiasm and support and not just across the United States – but from all around the world. Just take a little glimpse at this image from our Google Analytics page that shows where our reach has extended – everywhere that is green…and the darker the green, the greater the intensity on a relative basis (the U.S. looks almost black…). We have had visitors from approximately 78 countries as of June. From South Africa to Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, Japan and Chile – and others in between. Amazing.

It’s clear that women all around the world are looking for answers to their reproductive challenges and our message of hope in being able to be more proactive with your own body has sparked something that has resonated.

We’ll have to start welcoming people like the website Flickr does – with a way to say “hello” in all of the many languages across the world….like Guten Tag!, G-Day!, Hoi!, Jambo!, Bonjour!, Fáilte! Namaste! Ciao! Konnichiwa!….

From time to time I would like to share with you stories on why I decided to start Circle + Bloom. There is no greater feeling than when our customers tell us our Mind + Body Fertility Program is making a difference, and hearing their stories has made this one incredible and emotional journey for me. The last 24 hours have been especially emotional because we received many comments from customers about how our program is making a difference, and three people let us know that they were pregnant and could not thank me enough for creating Circle + Bloom. I thought it would be nice to share one e-mail from a women who had unexplained infertility and decided to take a break from her “fertility program” except for using Circle + Bloom. I share this as one example of the power of the mind and body connection. I hope you enjoy!

Hi Sue and Joanne!

I just found out that I was pregnant yesterday afternoon (a few hours after you sent this email) and am still trying to wrap my head around all of this! You can use my story on your website if you wish.

Our story goes like this – my husband and I started trying December 2008, using fertility charts, ovulation predictor kits, everything. At the end of our 11th cycle (October) we started going through the infertility workup. We were told by our gynecologist that we were unexplained infertility with possible cervical factor (he wasn’t sure if the sperm were actually making it up into my uterus). We started medication in November, and did our first IUI in December. In January 2010, we saw a reproductive endocrinologist who found out that I had borderline premature ovarian failure. At 25, I was running out of eggs. We weren’t sad, but we were glad to finally have an answer. We were told to stay on that medication for that cycle.

When February came (cycle 16), I had enough of all the doctor appointments and medicines (considering I rarely take Tylenol) and we stopped everything – no charting, no tracking ovulation, no taking temperatures. The only thing fertility related was your program – I had seen other bloggers talk about your program for a while and was interested. I loved how it put me in a better state of mind. My blog readers even commented on how much more at ease and relaxed I sounded. It was a great way to ease into “going cold turkey” from fertility treatments, and we were stunned when the pregnancy test showed two lines!

Ironically, earlier in the day before I read this email, I was thinking “If I take this test and it shows that I’m pregnant, how does my C+B thing work now since there’s already a baby in there?” hahaha.

Thanks so much!
Jinette

Thank YOU Jinette for showing others how important mind body and relaxation is to fertility. All the best to you, Jinette!