Complementary Medicine & Fertile Wellness

Stop Smoking - Get Pregnant!

The health risks of tobacco smoking are well known with regard to diseases of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Substantial harmful effects of cigarette smoke on fertility have become apparent, but are not generally appreciated. Cigarette smoking has a negative impact on the ability to become pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term. Impact of cigarette smoking on reproduction in women: Virtually all scientific studies support the conclusion that smoking has an adverse impact on fertility.

The prevalence of infertility is higher, and the time it takes to conceive is longer, in smokers compared to nonsmokers. Active smoking by either partner has adverse effects, and the impact of passive cigarette smoke exposure is only slightly smaller than for active smoking.

Research indicates that cigarette smoking is harmful to a woman’s ovaries and the degree of harm is dependent upon the amount and the period of time a woman smokes.

Smoking appears to accelerate the loss of eggs and reproductive function and may advance the time of menopause by several years. Components in cigarette smoke have been shown to interfere with the ability of cells in the ovary to make estrogen and to cause a woman’s eggs (oocytes) to be more prone to genetic abnormalities.

Smoking is strongly associated with an increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage and possibly ectopic pregnancy as well. Pregnant smokers are more likely to have low birth weight babies and premature birth. The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) also increases in households where someone smokes.

Impact of cigarette smoking on assisted reproductive therapy outcomes: Nearly twice as many in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempts are required to conceive in smokers than in nonsmokers.

Studies of IVF have reported that female smokers require higher doses of gonadotropins to stimulate their ovaries, have lower peak estradiol levels, fewer oocytes obtained, and more canceled cycles, lower implantation rates, and undergo more cycles with failed fertilization than nonsmokers.

Miscarriage rates are also increased. The adverse effect of cigarette smoking is more noticeable in older women. Overall, the reaction in natural fertility associated with smoking may not be overcome by assisted reproductive technologies.

Impact of cigarette smoking on reproduction in men: Men who smoke cigarettes have a lower sperm count and motility and increased abnormalities in sperm shape and function. The effect of smoking on male fertility, however, is more difficult to discern because it is difficult to create studies to address that question. Although the effects of cigarette smoking on male fertility remain inconclusive, the harmful effect of passive smoke on the fertility of female partners and the evidence that smoking adversely affects sperm quality suggest that smoking in men should be regarded as an infertility risk factor.

Smoking cessation as a treatment issue in couples undergoing fertility therapy: One important investigation showed that cessation of smoking for at least two months before attempting IVF significantly improved chances for conception. Although long-term cigarette smoking can have an irreversible effect on ovarian function, the harmful effect on treatment outcome may, in part, be reversed if smoking is discontinued prior to entering into fertility therapy.

Summary: The best available scientific data indicate that cigarette smoking strongly contributes to infertility. Smoking should be discouraged for both male and female partners in couples with a history of infertility or recurrent miscarriage. Smoking cessation may improve natural fertility and success rates with infertility treatment.

At the Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness we have a smoking-cessation program set up which encompasses acupuncture, herbal medicine and life-style counseling. And, it really works! Increase your fertility by Putting Down the Stogies Now!

Lose Weight, Increase Fertile Wellness

Encourage Healthy BMI in Patients Before IVF
Study of 5,800 IVF cycles shows a trend toward decreasing success rates with increasing BMIs.

PHILADELPHIA

— Patients considering in vitro fertilization should be encouraged to aim for a healthy body mass index before they start treatment, results of a large retrospective study suggest.

“There was a trend toward decreasing success rates with increasing BMIs,” reported lead investigator David Ryley, M.D., of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, and Boston IVF, a private fertility clinic.

The study reviewed more than 5,800 fresh, non-donor in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles at Boston IVF in which the patient's BMI had been recorded, he reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Patients were divided into five groups according to BMI: under 20 kg/m², 20-24.9 kg/m², 25-29.9 kg/m², 30-34.9 kg/m², and more than 35 kg/m². Women with a BMI of more than 40 kg/m² are not allowed to undergo IVF at the center, he said.

There was no difference between the groups with respect to the number of mature follicles, number of oocytes retrieved, number of mature oocytes, the number of cycles per patient, and the number of embryos transferred. Still, patients in the highest BMI category had a significantly lower implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate, compared with the other BMI groups.

Although the clinical pregnancy rate ranged from about 27% to almost 33% in the lower BMI categories, it was not quite 22% in the highest BMI category.

Similarly, the implantation rate ranged from 18% to 20% in the lower BMI categories, but it was only 13% in the highest BMI category.

Unlike previous published studies on this topic, the current study did not find an association between extremely low BMI and poor IVF success rates, Dr. Ryley said.

“The best data in the literature suggest that severely low BMIs under 20, or under 18, affect the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, such that patients have irregular menstrual cycles and, therefore, have an impaired chance of fertility,” he told this newspaper. “But in our study the patients with the lowest BMIs actually had the highest pregnancy rates—although the difference was only significant when compared with the highest BMI category.”

The study's findings are consistent with other reports of how excess weight can impact hormonal balance and the quality of oocytes and embryos, he said. Weight loss can often correct problems such as hyperinsulinemia and polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can in turn increase fertility.

But physicians should also know how to manage an IVF cycle in an overweight patient who has not lost weight.

“We know that patients with high BMIs require higher doses of medications, particularly gonadotropins, to stimulate folliculogenesis, and they often require longer cycles,” Dr. Ryley said. “By increasing the doses of these medications, you can often get an adequate number of oocytes. However, in many of these patients, hormonal imbalances may have a deleterious effect on the quality of oocytes you get.”

To find out more about lowering your BMI,  Find Out How To Lose Weight!

Autoimmune Causes of Infertility

Auto-immune & Blood Clotting Disorders Contributing to Infertility & Recurrent Miscarriage

We  have 30 different types of white blood cells as part of our immune system. In a reproductive immunophenoptype panel, eight of the most important ones are tested.

Disorders in any of these eight are prognosticators for a future pregnancy loss regardless of how the conception was achieved.

Listed below are an explanation of some of these cells, representative tests and their significance.

1. CD-3 cells. Normal range: 63 - 86%

These are the most important cells in the immune system. They are low when the immune system is poorly functioning (suppressed) and normal when the immune function is normal. Infertile patients and those with repeated pregnancy loss have values in the high normal range. These individuals have immune systems that are very strong or overactive. An overactive immune function is frequently associated with a 5% incidence of autoimmune disease including but not limited to thyroiditis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

2. CD-4 (T – helper cells). Normal range:  31 – 53%

These cells direct the action of other lymphocytes.  In women with infertility or  miscarriage these cells are high because they are helping CD3 cells.

3. CD – 8 (T – cytotoxic suppressors). Normal range: 17-35%

These cells coordinate how strongly or how weakly the immune system reacts. They are like referees.  In women with repeated miscarriage or infertility, these cells are frequently low as they become exhausted negotiating the hyperactive CD – 3 cells and CD – 4 helper cells.

4. CD -19 (B cells). Normal range: 3-8%

These cells are plasma cells (white blood cells called B cells that have been triggered to make antibodies). IgM is the first antibody produced to fight anything that enters our body that shouldn’t.   This antibody stays in the blood and then, as the immune response progresses it produces IgG (gamma globulin G) and resides in the lymph system.  IgA, (gamma globulin A), is the last antibody made in an immune response. It resides in and protects the organs, skin and GI tract. When this antibody appears, it means that the immune response is completed and cannot go any further.

When IgA responses (organ immunity) are present in any test for reproductive failure it usually means that the patient has an autoimmune process such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or other disorders.

CD- 19 B cells are almost always high-normal or very elevated in women with an immune cause for their infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss.  There is frequently a greater than 12% elevation. This is a very important indicator that the immune system is being over-worked. Endometriosis also provokes CD -19 activity.

Immune and/or blood clotting pathologies are responsible for approximately 30% of repeated pregnancy loss.

Antiphospholipid antibodies
Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) have been linked to poor reproductive performance including infertility and repeated pregnancy loss. The typical treatment for this disorder is heparin or lovenox and baby aspirin.

Aspirin prevents intravascular thrombosis (blood clotting) from occurring in the early utero-placental vasculature. There are many herbs including but not limited to *dan shen, chuan xiong, tao ren, yi mu cao, hong hua and wang bu liu xing which do the same thing that aspirin does in the APA+ patient. The difference however, is that the herbs in combination with acupuncture do not cause stomach problems or bleeding problems or ulcers. Additionally, herbs are given in formulas which usually address both the cause and the manifestation of a pathology whereas aspirin treats only the manifestation.

I am not suggesting that you do not take aspirin if it is recommended by your reproductive endocrinologist; only that you consider getting treated with acupuncture and herbs simultaneously as this type of therapy is synergistic, complementary, and potentiating of the Western regimen.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used for immunoregulation and blood clotting causes of infertility and/or repeated pregnancy loss for millennia. 

My clinical experience has shown that when combining acupuncture and herbs with the appropriate immunosuppressants such as dexamethasone or IVIG the effect is more pronounced then when using one of these therapies alone.  We have seen, for example, many patients who underwent immunosuppressive and/or anticoagulant therapy whereupon pregnancy was not achieved or, pregnancy was attained only to end in miscarriage. Subsequent cycles which included acupuncture and herbs resulted in increased numbers of take-home baby’s. Obviously this is not the case with each and every cycle but we have seen success enough times with the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs where success was not previously manifest that experientially we can conclude that the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs significantly improves the desired outcome.

A combined approach is recommended because Western immunosuppressive therapies though efficacious, treat the manifestation of the problem and not the underlying cause which means that your chances of conceiving this time will improve but once you stop taking the medicine, the effects will cease. Acupuncture and herbs strive to reach deeply into ones system and strongly alter the causation or etiology of infertility and repeated pregnancy loss; for good.

Acupuncture and herbs function to enhance and regulate the immune function and, offers a longer term solution. Drug therapies such as dexamethasone, prednisone and IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin therapy) are much stronger than acupuncture and herbs and therefore,  have a more immediate effect. But acupuncture and herbs have a gentle, constant and longer term effect. Therefore, combining both therapeutic models will serve to 1) alleviate the immediate cause of infertility and/or repeated pregnancy loss and 2) strengthen and regulate the immune system to make you stronger and help balance and normalize your immune function so that you can increase your future fertility potential.

Natural Killer Cell Activity (cytotoxicity)
NK cells are lymphocytes that are present in endometrium and in the decidua during pregnancy.

Women with recurrent pregnancy loss, endometriosis and primary autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosis), have been found to demonstrate elevated levels of NK cells, resulting in failed implantation.

Immunoglobulin (IVIG) has an ability to down-regulate and deactivate NKa cells.  Though IVIG has been shown to be effective, its effect is manifest only during the treatment and for a short period of time thereafter.  Including acupuncture and herbs in the treatment protocol not only enhances the effect of immunomodulation but, by regulating the immune response, has been shown to have longer lasting effect. 

While it is true that we have not conducted formal studies on the effect of acupuncture and herbs in the suppression of NK activation, we can report success based on clinical experience.

Certain acupuncture points such as Stomach 36, Spleen 6, Ren17, and Ren 6, along with certain herbs including but not limited to *huang qi, shan yao, bai zhu, shu di, dang gui and lu rong have been used to successfully complement IVIG therapy via their immunoregulatory activity.

www.berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

My Great Trip to Los Angeles

I just returned from Los Angeles where I conducted a two day seminar entitled East Meets West in Reproductive Medicine to 90 acupuncturists. I am amazed at the enthusiasm of these wonderful practitoners who show a burning desire to learn as much as about infertility and its treatment from both the Western medical as well as the Chinese medical models.

I had the pleasure of having dinner with Dr. Ray Rubio, a wonderful acupuncturist and herbalist who also has the distinction of being the founder of the ABORM. The ABORM (www.aborm.org) is the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine. The purpose of this Board is to set educational standards and learning opportunities for acupuncturists specifically interested in treating pathologies which cause infertility and repeated pregnancy loss.  The ABORM will become the go-to place for prospective patients and Reproductive Endocrinologists who are interested in finding acupuncturists who have a good foundation in reproductive disorders and how to treat them.

I also had a wonderful dinner (the restaurant is called 'Grace') with Dr. Brandon Horn and his lovely wife, Dr. Wendy Yu. They too are involved in the ABORM and specialize in treating reproductive disorders.

I am currently planning on doing a four day presentation in the Boca/West Plam Beach area in lovely Florida. I will lecture for two days and then, there will be a one day lecture by a Reproductive Endocrinologist and on the fourth day I will do case reviews and perhaps perform several intakes on actual patients.

I am also thinking about opening 'Berkley Centers' around the country.

In any event, I want to thank Brandon Horn, Wendy Yu and Ray Rubio for making my LA trip a joyous one. I also want to thank Gilli Stuppel, a talented acupuncturist there who helped me in so many ways. What a great bunch of people!

I'm signing off now.

Love to all of you!

Dr. Berkley

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

www.berkleycenter.com 

Teaching Acupuncturists

February 8th, 2007, 8:21pm.

I am finally home after another thirteen hour day. I think that I treated 23 patients today. Several with PCOS, one with bilateral tubal blockage, one low sperm count, one elevated fsh, one idiopathic (no known cause) and many others with many other pathomechanisms.  I feel so empowered because I have the opportunity to empower my patients by educating them as to the best way to traverse this most arduous of journies.  Though I recommend that patients get various tests including the typical hormone panels to the more sophisticated immunological tests, they can only do so much with the results garnered from these tests. I give them herbs, do acupuncture, and hope that their reproductive endocrinologists treat appropriately and not just perform a 'cookie-cutter' treatment.

I figure that a great way to help patients thoughout the country is to try and educate the acupuncturists who are treating Them. If I can make them more effective clinicians, then patients will get superior care.

I am travelling to Los Angeles next week to do a two day lecture entitled 'East Meets West in Reproductive Medicine'. The lecture is for acupuncturists and herbalists who treat patients suffering with this most difficult of afflictions: infertility.

I believe that the acupuncturists treating this disorder have huge hearts and mean well and are so sincere in their desire to help. The problem is that most of them don't understand much about the Western medical mechanisms of action of infertility and thus treat solely on the Chinese medicine modality. Traditional Chinese medicine offers an entire compendium of effective treatment strategies for the infertile couple but, when combined with Western medical knowledge the treatment approach, in my opinion, is broadened.  Let me provide a clinical  example: I will speak herewith in Chinese medicine terms. If a patient has no signs of stasis of blood and stagnation of qi does that mean that they do not have stagnation of qi and stasis of blood? No! If the acupuncturist knew to inquire about endometriosis and found that the patient did in fact have endometriosis, then the acupuncturist could safely diagnose this patient with stagnation of qi and stasis of blood even without signs or symptoms indicative of this Chinese medicine diagnosis.  There is another diagnosis in Chinese medicne known as heat-toxin. If a patient has no signs or symptoms of heat toxin can we be sure that they do not have this disorder?  No. We can only be sure if we inquire about the tubal status of the patient. For example, if the patient has a hydrosalpynx then in fact they do have heat-toxin in the liver channel as their diagnosis.

Part of my mission is to help educate acupuncturists so that they understand the importance of learning Western pathomechanisms of infertility so that they may include these findings in their evaluation and diagnosis. In Spanish there is an expression: 'Saber es Poder'. It means 'knowledge is power'.

I am thrilled to report that I have 75 acupuncturists signed up for my Los Angeles lecture next weekend. I feel blessed that I will have the opportunity to help make them better doctors so that they will be more effective in helping infertile couples achieve their goal of a full term pregnancy!

Thanks for reading.

mike berkley, L.Ac., Doctor of Acupuncture (RI)

Director, The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness

www.berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

Christmas Day, 2006

I am sitting here in our friend's living room in their magnificant home in Tuxedo, New York at 8:27 pm, December 25, 2006 thinking about my lifes work of helping those who are expriencing difficulty conceiving.  While lounging in front of the fire place, with logs crackling and the flames licking upwards I realize how lucky I am.

I have been allowed by so any couples to accompany them on their life's most important journey; the journey to conception.  I have so many patients with so many impediments to conception that I have helped that I really belive that God has given me a gift and a responsibility to utilize this gift to help couples achieve their dream of creating their family!

Though I am fully supportive of Western medical interventions when fighting against the barriers to conception, acupuncture and herbal medicine have again and again proven themselves so useful in this arduous battle where Western protocols have failed. 

It amazes me that every single "infertile" patient is not receiving acupuncture and herbs as part of their ferility protocol.  I am constantly reminded of every couple that has conceived at our Center when all their IUI's, IVF's and donor-egg transfers have failed.  I don't write this to express my lack of confidence in Western medicine for it is truly amazing but only to illustrate the effectiveness of the ancient medicine which is, to this day, used by three-quarters of the world's population.

I have had case after case of successful conceptions and take-home baby couples where all other means have failed.  I have also seen that by combining acupuncture, herbs and Western intervention that the take-home baby rates are superior to those when either modality is used alone.

What can I do to spread the word on the efficaciousness of this miraculous medicine?  I lecture, I write, I blog, I network and, though I am aware that more patients than ever before are embracing traditional Chinese medicine, I am still at a loss as to why more couples do not.

One of the few clinics that fully supports the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs in the fight against infertility is the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine.  I must say that patients listen to their reproductive endocrinologists and when their R. E.'s say that acupuncture "can't hurt" and that herbs "can be dangerous" they are doing their patients a disservice.  SIRM-New York (www.haveababy.com) has been so supportive of my practive and of traditional Chinese medicine; a real sign of their open-minded approach to fertile-wellness.  As time goes on and more R.E.'s embrace, support, and recommend traditional Chinese medicine to their patients, conception rates will increase substantially.

As doctors we have to remember that it is the welfare of our patients that matters most and not our own need to protect and guard the type of medicine that we have so diligently strived to learn. 

There is really only one medicine; it is the utilization of all knowledge that profers benefit to the patient.

I am eagerly looking forward to 2007, to every Sunday night with the anticipation of running into my office on Monday morning to intercede on my patient's behalf, to help couples start families, to help families grow and to give thanks to those whom entrust their care to me.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, God Bless and never quit.

With love and respect.

mike berkley, L.Ac., Doctor of Acupuncture (RI)

Director, The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness

www.berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Case report Ovulation After Acupuncture In PCOS Patient EXETER, ENGLAND — A course of acupuncture was followed by ovulation in a 32-year-old woman with oligomenorrhea and primary infertility of 6 years' duration, Dr. Jin Xu said at a health care symposium sponsored by the University of Exeter. Before undergoing acupuncture, the patient had “very infrequent” menstrual periods, and transvaginal ultrasound revealed polycystic ovaries. The patient's luteinizing hormone to follicle-stimulating hormone ratio exceeded 3:1, as is typical in polycystic ovary syndrome, and her testosterone level was elevated at 3.7 nmol/L. Five daily sessions of electroacupuncture were performed on acupoints Guanyuan (Ren 4), Zhongji (Ren 3), Zigong (Extra 16), and Sanyinjiao (Sp 6), said Dr. Xu of the University of Oxford (England). Each acupuncture session lasted 25 minutes. After the course of acupuncture, endometrial thickness increased from 4.5 mm to 8 mm by day 16, and a menstrual bleed was induced, Dr. Xu said. Treatment was repeated in the next menstrual cycle, and the patient subsequently began to have regular periods. Three months later, she conceived and delivered a healthy baby girl at term, Dr. Xu said. “It is likely that the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis is involved in acupuncture-driven ovulation induction, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear,” he said. Limited research has been conducted in this area, and it is unclear whether an actual effect on ovulation exists, Dr. Xu cautioned, adding that a clear need exists for randomized, controlled trials. For more information on infertility, acupuncture and herbal medicine, visit berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

Clinical Counseling/Hypnotherapy

It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as part of the holistic approach to infertility provided at the Berkley Center. 

I am Helen Adrienne, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Practitioner of Mind Body Medicine.  I have 27 years of experience working with the emotional component of reproductive care and it has been a very rewarding career.  I have had the pleasure of rejoicing with the vast majority of  couples who successfully navigate the infertility minefield.

Infertility is a stressor which has been shown to be on a par with a diagnosis of cancer or HIV/AIDS and it is because of this intensity that the opportunity to learn to keep your sights on the goal can be the most rewarding challenge you'll ever take.  In the process, you are called upon to come to a better understanding of who you are as individuals and as couples and how you can grow to meet the challenge of staying steady while riding a roller coaster that is also an endurance test. 

Women, men and couples most of whom have brought a drive and determination to the task simultaneous with the devastation of the diagnosis,  have used me to gain clarity vis-a-vis the multitude of confusing twists and turns  along the way: evaluating if your medical care resonates with you;  evaluating where and how to expand your horizons to complementary enhancements such as acupuncture or nutrition, for example; facing the challenges that come up between you and your spouse pertaining to being on the same page, shifting to another approach, dealing with marital pot holes, etc.; identifying and clearing events from the past which exacerbate the infertility experience; arriving at a mutually acceptable decision about when and if to embrace donor ovum or sperm, surrogacy, or adoption;  and most important, learning how to reverse the physiology of stress so as to literally "take a breather".

I feel privileged  to have been allowed to participate in giving infertility patients the opportunity to feel understood.  This sounds simple, but you are surrounded by a largely fertile population who mostly means well, but is ill-equipped to understand what you are going through. 

Giving vent to your frustrations  in a safe environment is important and healthy.  Beyond that, my training allows me to offer you myriad approaches to getting back in your skin at this difficult time.

Helen Adrienne, LCSW, BCD
212-685-0985

www.berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

Yoga & Infertility

Yoga is a practice about connecting with yourself. It is about clearing the space- physically and mentally- to experience the "prana" or life force already present within you. Yogis believe that illness and suffering (douka) is in part caused by obstructions in our bodies and minds. Happiness (souka), on the other hand, is literally translated as "unobstructed space".

A Hatha yoga practice with the intention of increasing fertility focuses on clearing space in the reproductive environment so that more prana and breath- and oxygenated blood- can move into the system.

Hatha yoga is the physical path of yoga and includes the postures (asana), breathing (pranayama), meditation (dhyana), cleansing (kriyas) and relaxation (yoga nidra). My fertility yoga sessions highlight all of these areas, with the exception of the cleansing practices. Here's how they address infertility:

Asansa
Highlighted postures include ones that strengthen and stimulate the endocrine system and the reproductive system. Poses that open the hips and soften the low belly help to create a receptive, open environment. The practice of the postures with dynamic alignment and muscle engagement help to bring awareness to held tension throughout the body and allow for more efficient use of energy.

Pranayama
In my opinion, breath work and control is the most powerful aspect of a yoga practice. By simply bringing awareness to the breath, we are more present. By deepening the breath we bring more prana to the system, we increse blood flow, we support our movement and postures and we feel our emotions- our experience- more fully.

Meditation
Addressing infertility is a very stressful and emotional process. So much time is spent thinking about treatments and costs, feelings of disappointment, failure, loss and anger are at the forefront. It is all too easy to get wrapped up in these negative thoughts, feelings, worries about appointments and procedures and difficult and emotional conversations. Often there is a loss of perspective and you are completely immersed in being "infertile". The practice of meditation helps to refocus the busy mind, to practice presence in the moment, to experience the fluctuations of our thoughts and feelings. Most importantly, meditation can help you to feel more in control. Yoga and meditation remind you that you are so much more than your thoughts and pathology.

Relaxation
When we feel stress the body goes into "flight or fight" mode. The sympathetic nervous system is in full gear, preparing out bodies for danger. Other systems of the body slow down or shut down altogether- which is why constant and unrelieved stress is largely believed to be a huge factor in illness. The good news is our bodies have a natural mechanism to counteract the stress response. We have a relaxation response- the parasympathetic nervous sytem- and we have the ability to "hook" into it by breathing and relaxing the body. Every fertility yoga session ends with time to relax, release, to allow the body time to go into it's natural restorative state where it can heal.

The best part of yoga for fertiility- having a positive experience in your amazing body. Spend time honoring your body for what it can do and for the wisdom it contains within!

Leslie Daly, MS ADTR LCAT RYT

www.berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com

A Power Point Presentation on The Berkley Center For Reproductive Wellnes & Women's Health

Download patient_powerpoint_presentation.ppt

www.berkleycenter.com

mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com