If you’re on this journey of fertility struggling with getting pregnant, these will all be familiar. My intention is not so much to give information that you might already know. My hope is that this can give a sense of connection and counter-isolation, which is a big part of the fertility journey. So, here are some fertility facts.
- The World Health Organisation’s World Report on Disabilities ranked infertility as the fifth largest serious global disability.
- Infertility affects about 25% of couples in industrialised countries and the numbers are rising.
- Male factor infertility is a sole or contributing factor in about 40 or 50% of couples.
- 10 to 20% of infertility is undiagnosed.
- Success rates of artificial reproductive technology (ART) range from 15 to 60%. That is a huge range and so there are so many different things that factor into it (i.e., the age of the woman and the treatment being used are the ones that have the biggest impact on that percentage).
My guiding principle in teaching yoga for fertility
For me these numbers are quite significant and even shocking. Especially because we don’t necessarily hear about people’s struggled with fertility. This can be very traumatic time and it’s definitely a major life stress that people mostly go through on their own.
The psychological impact of fertility issues has been shown to be as dramatic as diagnosis of cancer, HIV, and heart disease. The infertility cycle of worry and waiting followed by the devastating loss every time you start your period leads to chronic stress, anxiety, grief, and depression. It’s this cycle that can feel like it’s never-ending when you’re in it. If you are going through medicalised conception, there can be financial stress. In all cases there can be marital stress and a loss of sexual desire.
And I believe that yoga for fertility is much more than just working on the physical level with the body’s resources to conceive.
The aim of yoga for fertility
- Calm the nervous system to reduce stress and anxiety
- Releasing physical tension and getting energy flowing, especially in the pelvis. This will helps to optimise the body for fertility as the more energy and flow we can have around our reproductive organs, the better.
- Helping us reconnect with our bodies and promoting a sense of awareness
- Allowing us to foster positivity, hope, agency, and acceptance.
- Supporting the grieving process and allowing us to feel what we’re feeling, fully and completely.
- Promote self-acceptance, self-love, and self-care.
- Nurturing sensuality, connection, intimacy, and our feminine wellness and reconnecting us with a sense of feeling whole
Yoga for fertility can help whether you’re just starting to think about having a child or if you’re deep in this journey of fertility, if you’ve got male factor infertility, if you’re working with artificial reproductive technology, even if you’re considering adoption, yoga for fertility’s tools and practices will be helpful for you no matter where you are.
Related articles:
Love Hormone Hacks: Can Oxytocin Help Unlock Your Fertility?
Bodies in emergency: How does stress affect your fertility
Fertility yoga – frequently asked questions
Photo by Patrik László on Unsplash
