AssistedConception.org

The mind records all of our life events and feelings. Even though we may feel that we forget about them if we push them to the back of our minds – they are still there and if not dealt with can continue to surface in subtle ways and conscientiously and unconscientiously cause us stress. Every single thing that ever happens to us is there in our mind, locked somewhere in our memory. In a sense, we have a whole personal history book inside our heads. There is a constant “dialogue” between our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings that produce chemical, hormonal, neurological and muscular changes. These changes can throw off the delicately balanced hormonal system involved in reproduction.
Hormones released in response to emotional upset, tension or anxiety disrupt the natural flow of important pituitary gland secretions necessary to produce and release luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). With this disruption, menstruation may become irregular or ovulation may be suppressed altogether (anovulation). Nerve fibres travelling through the spinal cord also link the brain directly to the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes. In men, because of similar links between the brain and the reproductive organs, tension can reduce sex drive.
The pituitary gland which is responsible for controlling hormones which are produced in reaction to stress, and cause the ‘fight or flight’ response, is the same gland which is responsible for producing the reproductive hormones. Constant stress, both psychological and physical cause this gland to be active more than it should be, which not only affects fertility, but can also cause other long terms health problems.
By learning mind body skills which focus on eliciting the relaxation response, you can actively control the effects of the gland. Therefore when you become aware of a stressed situation, instead of activating the ‘fight or flight’ response you can use these skills to elicit the relaxation response which prevents damage to the reproductive organs and allows you to remain calm, controlled and able to make clear and rational decisions. The programme uses a therapeutic model know as ‘positive cognitive restructuring’, which aims to helps teach you how to restructure negative and irrational thoughts, and learn how and where these thoughts originally come from.
The 2nd Programme is due to start in mid to late May 2007 at the David Lloyd Centres in Renfrew and is held on a Thursday evening between 6.30-9pm for 10 weeks. Please email us at info@mindbodyfertility.co.uk or call Seeta 07818001995