Trying for a baby can be exciting, nerve-wracking, stressful and isolating. It is also a deeply personal – and unpredictable – journey. At Thrive we are here to support you through every step…
For some women becoming pregnant may happen straight away, but for others it could take longer than expected or involve months or even years of tests, uncertainty and fertility treatments.
Many women are surprised to discover that infertility affects about 1 in 6 people globally at some point in their lives (1), so having trusted infertility support in place is essential.
Thrive Journey was set up to care for women through their fertility journey and offers compassionate and holistic support, so you can feel informed and more connected to your body.
So, wherever you are on your journey, Thrive is here to offer fertility support and help give you the best chance for a healthy conception and pregnancy.
Why Fertility Support Matters for Physical and Emotional Wellbeing
Feeling supported, means feeling safe – and when we feel safe, we are more likely to feel relaxed and calm. This is the best environment to help support hormonal balance, conception and fertility health.
General stress as well as the stress of trying to conceive can affect our daily life, our relationships and self-confidence. And dealing with infertility can feel isolating and overwhelming. Research has shown that women experiencing infertility report significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety and emotional distress compared with the general population (2).
By reaching out and accepting support – from our partner, friends, family and other resources such as health professionals and Thrive Journey, you are more likely to feel empowered and able to cope with the highs and lows of the fertility journey.
At Thrive we have a dedicated Reproductive and Fertility Nurse, Marie Otsuka, who has helped craft our On Demand online courses.
Marie says: “Thrive was founded more than a decade ago with a mission and vision to support women throughout their journey towards parenthood.”
She adds: “Recognising the emotional anxiety and challenges associated with fertility diagnosis and treatment has led to the development of our comprehensive online wellness programs designed to provide couples fertility journey support.”
Marie explains this holistic fertility support is tailored to meet the diverse needs of individuals and couples incorporating nutrition, exercise, yoga, meditation and other wellness practices to promote overall physical and emotional wellbeing.
The Mind-Body Connection During the Fertility Journey
Feeling calm and grounded in our mind, means we are more likely to be in our parasympathetic nervous system – where our body is in a healing and nourishing state.
But if we are dealing with constant and ongoing stress, this can negatively impact our overall wellbeing. Our body’s stress-response system – the HPA (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) axis – is likely to remain activated which can influence the hormones involved in our menstrual cycle and reproduction.
In extreme cases this stress can lead to changes in ovulation, the regularity of our menstrual cycle and wellbeing.
Stress also impacts our day-to-day living and wellbeing such as leading to poor or interrupted sleep, diminishing appetite or making us want to reach for quick sugar-fix foods and this will also mean both our mood and energy levels are likely to be lower.
Finding ways to manage stress can help to promote overall physical and emotional health, hormonal balance and fertility wellbeing.
Holistic Fertility Support Through Yoga, Mindfulness and Ayurveda
A holistic approach to fertility means looking beyond reproductive health to the whole person as fertility will be influenced by your emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.
Yoga for Fertility and Nervous System Support
Yoga is a fabulous way to promote balance. Gentle hip and belly-opening yoga flows, restorative yoga and yin yoga may help support circulation and lymphatic flow around the pelvic region as well as
nourish and nurture your nervous system and gently relinquish stress and tension.
A study published in the International Journal of Yoga concluded that yoga supports stress reduction, emotional wellbeing and nervous system regulation through its integrated mind-body approach (3).
Aim for gentle movement rather than intense exercise which supports relaxation and body awareness.
This helps to create moments of calm and clarity throughout your day and promotes better sleep and rest.
Mindfulness During Fertility Challenges
If you are constantly in your head – worrying about what’s happening and what might not even happen! then you risk overloading your mind and putting your system under unnecessary stress.
Mindfulness-based interventions may help reduce anxiety, depression and provide emotional support for infertility.
Start to pay attention to your thought patterns and invite yourself back into the present moment. Notice your senses and what you can hear, feel, see, touch and taste.
Breathing practices and restorative yoga can help with mindfulness for fertility and help to support natural hormonal patterns and emotional regulation and create space for self-compassion. We have a range of live yoga classes at times and days that can fit into your schedule.
How Ayurveda Supports Women Trying to Conceive
Ayurveda is known as the science of life and is about supporting the whole person rather than focusing solely on outcomes.
Ayurveda for fertility is about focusing on your diet, lifestyle and promoting greater balance in everyday life by focusing on specific tailored-for-your-dosha diet, sleep, lifestyle and incorporating health routines and rituals such as journalling, self-massage with oil (Abhyanga), fertility self-care and gentle movement.
How Thrive Journey Supports Women Experiencing Fertility Challenges
Thrive journey’s roots are started in fertility support nearly two decades ago. It began with founder, Adrian Chen’s wish to help his father, IVF pioneer, Professor Christopher Chen offered patients holistic support to complement their medical care.
From this, the BeNatural program was created which later became Thrive Journey.
Thrive’s Fertility Nurse, Marie Otsuka has been an intrinsic part of this support from the beginning – spending nearly two decades supporting and assisting patients to navigate their fertility journey. Her role has included patient orientation, helping women understand the fertility options and treatments and navigating what can be an emotionally challenging experience.
Marie has provided guidance for Thrive’s On Demand fertility courses including both the Hormone Rebalance for Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) and Hormone Rebalance for IVF programs.
Thrive focuses on supporting women’s fertility wellness and empowering women to understand their cycle and reproductive system, offering personalised wellbeing pathways, which help women to feel more informed and part of a compassionate community.
Conclusion
Thrive Journey’s compassionate and holistic approach is like offering a soft blanket on a cold day. Everyone on the Thrive team understands each woman’s experience of fertility is unique and deeply personal.
Wherever you are at on your road to conception, Thrive has a range of classes, insights and supports to help you.
From live and specialised Yoga for Fertility classes, where you will be guided by our expert teachers and connecting with other women on the same journey. To doingfFertility relaxations or discovering about the different fertility options available.
All this fertility support from the comfort and convenience of your home.
Resources:
1: World Health Organization Fact Sheets
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infertility
2: Rooney KL, Domar AD. The relationship between stress and infertility. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018 Mar;20(1):41-47. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.1/klrooney. PMID: 29946210; PMCID: PMC6016043.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6016043
3: Khajuria A, Kumar A, Joshi D, Kumaran SS. Reducing Stress with Yoga: A Systematic Review Based on Multimodal Biosignals. Int J Yoga. 2023 Sep-Dec;16(3):156-170. doi: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_218_23. Epub 2024 Feb 9. PMID: 38463652; PMCID: PMC10919405.
