FertileMind

https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/fertility-decline-crisis-spermageddon

(Note that scientists are now considering blue light from devices as an endocrine disruptor).

The hidden truth behind Earth’s ‘spermaggdeon’ crisis Infertility seems to be increasing around the world. So are we killing ourselves off with microplastic? Here's what the experts say.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/30036999/man-city-erling-haaland-red-light-therapy-bed/

No, you don't need to fork out 15K for red light therapy. But if you're a professional athlete 15K might not be a stretch to keep you at the top of your game.

Man City star Erling Haaland splashes out £15,000 on red-light therapy bed MANCHESTER City star Erling Haaland appears to be switching sides — by trying out a £15,000 red-light therapy bed. The goal machine, who already uses blue light glasses to counter the effects of ph…

Day 1 of PBM 2024 - the largest Photobiomodulation conference in the world. So many important sessions on using these tools to improve women’s health and only 1 me 😄

There is a lot of hype about red light therapy and a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings of how it works and how it can help so many challenges faced by women today. The research is being published at an astounding rate thankfully.

In a nutshell - our cells lose ‘power’ through illness, aging and our lifestyles (sedentary, minimal exercise, minimal sunlight and nutrition).

We can give the mitochondria within our cells (energy producers and processors) back that power to accelerate healing, modulate inflammation, reduce pain etc etc just by shining specific wavelengths of light on our skin (and in some cases in the eyes). It’s safe and non invasive and currently being used in several UK Trusts to treat the side effects of cancer treatments (NICE guidelines recommends it).

My blog had tons of articles on women’s health - happy reading!

More to come!

And yes - it can help with that issue. 🙌
You don’t even have to ask the question.

I want to introduce you to another brilliant Irish woman in the Femtech space - Grainne Byrne from 'Feeling Norma'

Grainne is pushing boundaries and helping to normalise women and girls intimate health education. There is still so much stigma and unnecessary shame associated with the female body. It's time we moved past this so we can give all women compassionate, evidence based information and support.

It's well known that psychos*xual issues, such as vaginismus and painful s*x, have a significant impact on women's mental health and self-esteem.

Postpartum changes our body - telling us we need to just 'have a glass of wine' before s*x is unacceptable. (Check out Feel Norma's online workshops for postpartum health).

Healthcare professionals often lack training and education on psychos*xual issues. There is a need for more comprehensive education in this area.

Conditions like ADHD can impact s*xual functioning and relationships, and it is important to address these issues in an inclusive and supportive manner.

Open conversations, destigmatization, and inclusive healthcare practices are essential for supporting women's s*xual well-being.

Breaking the Silence: The Importance of Intimate Health Education for Women and Girls In this episode, Tracy Donegan speaks with Grainne Byrne, Founder of Feel Norma, an online resource for women experiencing intimate health challenges such as...

Very excited to have an opportunity to attend PBM 2024 in London this weekend to catch up on the latest research on photobiomodulation. while I’m in Ireland.

There is a fantastic line up of speakers on PBM for fertility, pain management (acute & chronic) wound healing and more ❤️‍🩹 Looking forward to geeking out on all the new studies and connecting with the experts in this fascinating field of science 📚

If you haven’t heard of PBM for women’s health my blog is a good place to start.

https://blog.tracydonegan.org

PBM 2024

The hype for photobiomodulation and fertility is huge...the anecdotal stories of success are hopeful - so why are women experiencing different results?

Let's take a look at some of the variables that may impact how well PBM works for you on your fertility journey.

Reasons Red Light Therapy Might Not Seem to Be Working for Fertility — Tracy Donegan Blog “I used RLT for my last cycle and it didn’t work”. What's the deal? When everyone is hyped up for PBM - the stories of success are exciting and hope is high BUT you don't feel like it's working for you - or it seems to be creating issues instead of fixing them. What's going on? We all know thi...

It's about time. Now we can help support moms and babies earlier in pregnancy with simple nutritional and lifestyle adaptations.

If you're TTCing - it's really important to get your A1c levels as raised blood glucose increases the risk of miscarriage and congenital abnormalities.

Early pregnancy HbA1c test allows effective screening for high risk mothers: Study A new study found that early pregnancy HbA1c to be an effective screening test for high risk mothers and allows early intervention and reduce the need for oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The...

Sugar ages our tissues and organs prematurely through glycation - that includes reproductive organs. It sticks to collagen causing premature aging in the skin too.

If you're planning a pregnancy or are already pregnant, eliminating sugar is a fundamental first step to reduce your risk of developing Gestational Diabetes and other metabolic complications. Going cold turkey can be hard but it's doable or set a goal and taper off gradually.

Start by getting it out of the house and yes start reading the boring food labels in your supermarket trolley - it's surprising to see how many products have added sugar. Don't be fooled by the 'sugar free' in drinks or 'natural sugars'...they will still impact your insulin levels.

Every cell in your body and brain will thank you!

Healthy Diets with Low Sugar Slow Biological Aging - Neuroscience News A new study links diets rich in vitamins and minerals, with low added sugar, to younger biological age.

A big thank you to PTI Light Brigade for inviting me to present on the incredible benefits of photobiomodulation - especially around fertility, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. It was an honor to share insights and connect with such a passionate community. Together, we're illuminating the path to healthier journeys for more moms to be.

It's such an exciting time for research as the evidence for photobiomodulation continues to expand. Are you using light as a therapy for yourself or with clients?

Shepherd University researchers' innovative opioid study accepted for publication A groundbreaking pilot study by Shepherd University researchers has been accepted for publication.

New research on the benefits of Mindful Self Compassion for IVF.

Researchers conducted a two-arm double-blind parallel randomized controlled trial to see how Mindful Self Compassion impacts women going through IVF.

Here's the highlights:

Less Hopelessness: Women who practiced MSC reported significantly less hopelessness compared to those who didn’t.

Reduced Anger and Hostility: MSC helped in lowering feelings of anger and hostility.

Lower Anxiety: Participants experienced a noticeable drop in anxiety levels.

Improved Interpersonal Sensitivity: MSC made it easier to manage sensitivity in social interactions.

Decreased Depression: There was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.

What do all of these changes have in common?

Reduced stress hormones flooding your body keeping it in a fight/flight state - not optimal for conception. Mindful Self Compassion helps you to recognize when mental habits of thought are adding to your stress instead of soothing it. My FertileMind app supports mental health and emotional wellness during the challenges of fertility issues.

Nurture Your Mental Wellbeing During IVF Mindfully — FertileMind Trying to conceive when it’s just not happening can be emotionally draining and going through IVF is no walk in the park. It’s an emotional rollercoaster filled with hope, anxiety, and everything in between. But here’s some uplifting news: a recent study shows that practicing mindful self-comp...

Thrilled to have an opportunity to discuss red light therapy (photobiomodulation), photopuncture and women's health with PBM expert Kay Aubrey-Chimene from Photonic Therapy Institute.

Also, if you're a horsey person you'll find Kay's personal experiences with red light therapy fascinating.

Note: after this episode was recorded I found several studies on the safe use of red light therapy in pregnancy (there's lots already for fertility). I'll link to some of my blogs on red light therapy in pregnancy.

Light it Up! Red Light Therapy and Women's Health - A Conversation with Kay Aubrey-Chimene Kay Aubrey-Chimene, is the Founder of the Photonic Therapy Institute and is also known as the 'Light Lady'. In this episode we discuss the benefits of photo...

Does this sound familiar?

You sit and look at the pregnancy test...trying to distract yourself...is that a second line??? It looks so faint, so you're 99% sure you're not pregnant this time. But that 1% of hope sends you back to the bathroom to fish it out of the trash an hour later...just to be really sure...it's still negative.

If you've been there and have that T-shirt I hope this is helpful for you.

Coping After a Negative Pregnancy Test — FertileMind Nurturing Your Heart After a Negative Test If you’ve just had a negative pregnancy test, please know that you are not alone in this journey. Millions of women have been there and felt that pain. (And yes we’ve all reached into the bathroom trash can several times - hoping that 2nd line will appe...

Mindfulness can be a nurturing companion after pregnancy loss.

Mindful Healing: Soothing Pregnancy Loss Heartache — FertileMind If you've ever been through the heartache of recurrent pregnancy loss, you know the stress and emotional toll it can take. Nothing can prepare you to get that news. But there's some hopeful news on the horizon, and it's about my favorite strategy for those HARD moments when life just won’t cut you

https://www.healthday.com/healthpro-news/mental-health/single-mindfulness-compassion-session-aids-mental-health

Single Mindfulness + Compassion Session Aids Mental Health FRIDAY, March 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A single-session mindfulness and compassion intervention may lead to meaningful reductions in perceived stress and sy

This week I sit down with Lily Nichols to discuss her new book for fertility, the policing of women's nutrition and more.

If you're TTCing - get your hands on Lily Nichols, RDN new book. As always, Lily knocks it out of the park when it comes to nutritional resources and evidence based recommendations for women.

Lily Nichols - Real Food For Fertility In today's episode, Tracy Donegan interviews Lily Nichols about her work in the birth world and her focus on prenatal nutrition. They discuss the misinformat...

Did you know unmanaged stress in the preconception period can increase pregnancy complications (in women having fertility treatments).

Hyperglycemia may be preventing you from conceiving AND continuing a healthy pregnancy.

Preconception Stress Induced High Blood Glucose and Pregnancy Complications — FertileMind Preconception stress during the infertility process may spell glycemic woes for women during pregnancy, according to researchers. Stable blood sugars while TTCing supports your body and mind while reducing inflammation that makes conceiving even more challenging. (Women with severe PMS symptoms ha

Did you know Lily Nichols, RDN has a new book coming out next month for fertility.

You might know Lily from her other fantastic books - Real Food for Gestational Diabetes and Real Food for Pregnancy. I've just spent the last hour chatting to Lily for my podcast about her work so if you're trying to conceive THIS is going to be your go to resource for nutrition! (In fact even if you're not TTCing - it will be relevant for women's health in general).

Lily's new book drops on Feb 14 on Amazon.

Choosing the Right Obstetrician: Know the Facts! 🤰📊 Hospitals' cesarean rates often exceed 30%, while WHO recommends 15%. Make informed choices for your birth plan. 🌟👶

Prevention begins with preconception care AND perinatal care - after birth we're playing catch up. The environment shapes our unborn baby's brain - but that environment isn't always supporting optimal growth. It comes back to the skill of emotion regulation - what happens to us is usually out of our control, but we can always control how we respond to a stressor and for how long we respond.

Spend some time today Birth Basking - marinate your baby in the the hormones of growth, love and connection (oxytocin) by intentionally bringing up positive memories (google birth basking for full instructions).

Discrimination during pregnancy can affect infant's brain circuitry Experiences of discrimination and acculturation are known to have a detrimental effect on a person's health. For pregnant women, these painful experiences can also affect the brain circuitry of their children, a new study finds. These effects, the researchers say, are separate from those caused by g...

https://www.femtechworld.co.uk/news/fertility-news/fertility-clinics-under-pressure-to-pause-price-rises-as-cost-of-living-crisis-forces-patients-into-debt/

A crisis on top of a crisis - how are you managing your emotional wellness with yet another barrier to parenthood.

Fertility clinics under pressure to pause price rises, as cost of living crisis forces patients into debt - FemTech World UK fertility clinics have come under pressure to pause price rises, as growing numbers of patients are getting into debt to pay for treatment.

Learn more about mindfulness and it's impact on fertility and fertility related stress in my article from the December issue of Female Health and Fertility.

December Issue - Female Health & Fertility Welcome to the December issue - Female Heath & Fertility. For December, we're capping off the year with high spirits on our path to parenthood!

Navigate this holiday season with tranquility and strength. 🌟 Embrace micro meditation to balance emotions and connect with a global community seeking peace. You're not journeying alone. Explore more on the Fertile Mind app for additional tools and insights.

Unlock the healing power of reflexology! 🌟👣👐 Explore different types for total wellness. 🌿🙏

Safe Essential Oil Use While TTC 🌿🔍 🍃🤰

Copy: Exploring Samhain: Ancient rituals, fertility, and the origins of Halloween 🌙🔥🎭🌾🧚