Don't Tell Me To RELAX- Your Fertility Podcast

This week I am joined by Dr Helen O'Neil, CEO and Founder of Hertility, a company providing at home hormone and fertility tests for women. With Hertility as well as the at home blood testing you also get access reproductive specialist consultations and fast-tracked pelvic ultrasound scan referrals. Given how many people get in touch with us to ask about testing and struggle to get what they wa...

This is a well timed episode on the back of the recent Channel 4 documentary "Celebrity Save Our Sperm" Which I can highly recommend if you haven't already watched it. It really does highlight the importance and the impact of lifestyle and nutrition on sperm. So for this episode I am joined by Pilar Manzanaro, a registered Nutritional Therapist and certified Functional Medicine Pract...

Endometriosis is the name given to the condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb are found elsewhere in the body. For many people this condition can have a huge impact on fertility. It is estimated that 30 to 50% of people with Endo will experience fertility problems. To discuss this in more detail I am joined this week by Louise Collyer , a highly experienced TCM acupunc...

This week I am joined by Farzanah Nasser, a thyroid health expert, nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner. Thyroid health is important for so many functions in the body, including fertility, menstrual cycles and pregnancy. We discuss what is the difference between nutrition and functional medicine  what is the thyroid and why is it so important the difference between hypo and hyperthyro...

I decided we couldn't do episodes on testing without a dedicated one to the men. So Ian Stones from TestHim kindly joins me this week to look at where we're at with male fertility testing and why we need to be doing more. In this episode we discuss: Why male fertility testing is so over looked What current standard male testing does and why it is limited What can be the knock on effects of...

This week, I'm super excited to have Dr Amanda Chisholm on the podcast. She's a GP and a lifestyle medicine practitioner who's all about the holistic approach to care. We're going to dive into fertility testing from the perspective of an NHS GP and share insight to make sure you get the right testing and investigations to support your fertility and have a healthy pregnancy. In this...

We think that testing and investigating your fertility should be encouraged more and done sooner. So in this week's episode we look at what the current situation is around testing, what's available from the NHS, what the guidelines say and what tests we would recommend as first step investigations into your fertility. We discuss The range of tests for men and women The limitations of testi...

Katy is back and we're talking all things irregular cycles. There are many reasons you may be experiencing irregular cycles and these range from life style influences to hormonal imbalances to medical issues like thyroid problems or pelvic inflammatory disease. It's important to get irregularities investigated and make a proper assessment of what lifestyle factors could be having an impact...

How can working on your mindset help when you're going through fertility problems? This week I am joined by Alice Rose , who is a Fertility Mindset Mentor and Transformation coach, working to support people through her membership and courses. This isn't about thinking positive, this is about feeling safe to sit with how you're actually feeling, rather than feeling you have to stay posi...

I am joined this week by Lauren, London Wellness Coach and we're discussing PCOS and specifically TTC with PCOS. Lauren was told at a young age that she had PCOS and that she would have fertility problems. We discuss the impact of this and how she sought to understand and learn about PCOS, retrain in nutrition and address her PCOS herself, which led to Lauren conceiving naturally. We discuss:...

Reflexology is a popular therapy used to support women's health, fertility and pregnancy and this week we have lovely Katy (reflexologist, fertility awareness teacher and regular co-host on this podcast) talking to us all her about her love for reflexology. We discuss: How Katy found reflexology What reflexology is What training is involved The benefits of treatment Why it's so popular for...

If you have followed me on instagram or ever been to clinic, you'll know we talk a lot about Vaginal Health. There is a link between a healthy vaginal microbiome and positive fertility outcomes. So this week I am joined by Alison Hall , a fertility nutritionist who has a lot of experience and knowledge to share around this topic. In this episode we discuss: what is the microbiome and what is a...

Episode 12 is all about STRESS!!!! I'm joined by Carly Garrett , who is a reflexologist and a fertility coach and creator of our two online courses we offer The Two Week Wait and The Pocket Hug. Does stress cause fertility problems? It's a question we are asked a lot and it's very common for people to feel stressed about their stress. So in this episode we unpick this and look at ways...

This week I am joined by Hollie from the Bump Plan to talk about exercise while you're trying to conceive, either naturally or through assisted conception. Hollie is a PT and founder of The Bump Plan, which aims to support people with their physical activity through every stage, from TTC, to pregnancy, to post natally. We discuss: What we mean by exercise and by physical activity and what the...

Back this week with the ever lovely Katy Ewen aka Reflex East 😍 There are many ways to track your cycle and a good one that people use is by taking your Basal Body Temperature. This week we discuss: What basal body temperature charting is, what it's recording and why it happens When to take and what you'll need. How it can confirm ovulation Which thermometer is best- we like this one . Wh...

A diagnosis of low AMH can often cause stress and anxiety, but does low AMH always mean your fertility is declining and this is why you're struggling to conceive? I know I say it a lot, but this really is a cracker. If you have been told you have low AMH then this is for you 💛 In this episode I talk to Alex O'Connor , a Fertility Support Trained Acupuncturist , AMH researcher and writer o...

This is our final episode in Series 1 and we cover: early peri-menopause and how to support follicular development as much as possible  cervical position and how to know the difference between open and closed top 4 tips for sperm health conceiving over 40 progesterone support in the luteal phase cycle tracking (of course!) where to find a fertility reflexologist and fertility acupuncturist For mor...

We couldn't do a series on the menstrual cycle and not mention PMS. In this episode we discuss: Our own experiences of it The lack of research into it Possible explanations for why it happens Ways to manage and alleviate it Why it's even tougher when you're TTC And finally we put out a question for next weeks episode (the last in the series) ASK US ANYTHING......please send in any cycl...

Cycle Tracking We are big fans and thought that as we have mentioned cycle tracking in pretty much every episode so far it was important enough to warrant it's very own episode. So in this episode dedicated to the joys of tracking we discuss: our personal experiences of tracking cervical mucus and why this is helpful cervical mucus in the follicular phase and the luteal phase and how it differ...

Luteal Phase and Progesterone I know we keep talking about each stage of the cycle being important for fertility! But this one really is VERY important!  We take a deep dive into the Luteal Phase and the role of progesterone. We discuss: Problems that can arise in this phase Why it's so important for fertility Progesterone and what it does Signs of low progesterone Day 21 testing and why this...

Episode 4 is all about the Follicular Phase of your menstrual cycle. All phases are important for fertility, but this one in particular is vital to understand. It's the part of your menstrual cycle where the follicle is growing and maturing the egg, ready for release and hopefully ready for conception (if you're TTC). So we discuss: why is it called the follicular phase and what is happeni...

Your period has the potential to tell you a lot about your fertility. We think that knowing what IS and ISN'T normal when it comes to periods can help you at all stages of life, not just when you're Trying To Conceive. So in this episode we talk about: the different names for your period what a period is and how it starts period poos 💩 period flow period pain period regularity and where t...

In this episode we look at why understanding your menstrual cycle is vital at every stage of your life. We discuss female reproductive biology vagina/ vulva and why we struggle to use them menstrual cycle facts and figures how menstrual cycles influence all aspects of health issues with the pill to address menstrual cycle problems what is an optimal cycle For more Fertility Support & Care: 💛⁠...

In this first episode myself and Katy discuss what our experiences were of fertility education and how bloody unhelpful this was. We discuss you don't always get pregnant when you have unprotected sex where do you go for guidance, advice and information when you're trying to conceive what is fertility awareness why this can increase your chances and time to conception the evidence why trac...