the mind-body connection

[Tandy]

i am wondering what anyone thinks about this:

http://www.niravi.com/index.html

i think it raises an important issue....and am wondering if anyone here has pursued the possibility of infertility being a (part or whole) mind issue instead of just a body one....

[fierrbugg]

Absolutely I have. I do believe that our (mine and dh's) infertility has been partially a mind issue. Granted it's also a very real physical/hormonal issue for us too.

Anecdotally - after my mc in '00 I was so certain that another mc would just kill me that even though we were ttc, I completely closed my mind to the possibility of another mc, w/o realizing that for me that meant also closing my mind to getting pg too. When I realized that at the heart of the matter, I was just completely terrified of getting pg again because it could mean a possible mc again, I was flabbergasted. So, I started doing visualizations and trying to let my body know that it was ok to get pg again, whatever the outcome. I found affirmations online (My body knows how to grow a healthy baby, Our life is ready for a baby, etc.) and started saying them. The result for us was that I got pg in late 2006 - and at the time I just knew that I was pg. Hard to explain. In early Jan '07 I took a hpt and it was a bfp. Sadly within 24 hours I started to bleed and the pg ended in a mc. BUT the experience taught me alot about how my thoughts affect what my body does.

[ashesofyou]

I dislike this concept. Partly because I've not been able to meditate myself pregnant in six years.

I think it's all just too close to the mentality that violence victims provoked their attackers.

Some things are just out of your control, physical control AND metaphysical control.

Trust me, no matter how many times you converse with sperm, egg, cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and/or possible zygote, they will not always listen.

Yah. Do you really want to know how I came to that conclusion? :

[LisaG]

I am a huge believer in the mind/body connection. And I personally haven't reconciled the mind/body connection piece when it comes to infertility. Do I think the mind and stress play a role? I'm sure it can. Do I know stressed women who have conceived and carried to term? Yep.

And I also think it's an absolute mind screw for a pregnant/infertile woman to think that every thought she has is being tallied and if there's too many stressful thoughts they'll cause the pregnancy to end or harm their baby or not get pregnant. It's like telling someone not to think of an elephant.

I do the best I can to be conscious of my thoughts and emotions. And after 2 m/c and 1 recent chemical pregnancy, I know I will be thrilled to be pregnant, I will be hopeful, and at times I'll probably experience some anxiety and concern. However it was extremely not helpful to me to have someone (who is a professional counselor, but not mine) tell me after my 2nd m/c that maybe I was too focused on the pregnancy and maybe if I had meditated 20 minutes a day twice a day I wouldn't have miscarried. Not helpful in the slightest.

I think to say any condition is solely a result of x or y or z is oversimplifying things. There's so many pieces to the puzzle and while in a way it would be great if my thoughts and emotions were the only pieces and I had total control over it, but if I've learned anything during this process it's that control is an illusion. You do your best, you influence what you can, but in the end, as far as I'm concerned, it's still a big mystery.

[barose]

Originally Posted by LisaG

I think to say any condition is solely a result of x or y or z is oversimplifying things. There's so many pieces to the puzzle and while in a way it would be great if my thoughts and emotions were the only pieces and I had total control over it, but if I've learned anything during this process it's that control is an illusion. You do your best, you influence what you can, but in the end, as far as I'm concerned, it's still a big mystery.

I totally agree. For me, I believe its a combo of a lot of different factors - not just one. (Which is one reason why fertility drugs never worked for me)

[Tandy]

has anyone taken a look at the website? i am curious...

i ordered the book and am going to explore...

i believe that part of our fertility issue lies in unconscious beliefs due to early childhood experiences...

i also believe that another part of it is physical (we are both overweight)...

what i am curious about is that if we explore and deal with the psychological issues, will that change our other physical issues ....for example, maybe we overeat because of these unresolved issues...

stress plays a part...i think i have ptsd from a traumatic childhood...so i am sure that influences my physiology...and my reproductive organs...

see what i mean?

i agree that it is all a big mystery to some extent...

but am also curious about what i CAN control...i think it is going to end up being more than most people believe....i get a sense about it sometimes...