Mindful meditation for your fertility

Some of the top complaints of our fertility patients are:  

- Anxiety  
- Depression  
- Sexual dysfunction  

And we discuss with our patients the value of incorporating a practice of mindful meditation to address these specific complaints and to improve the state of mind when struggling in their fertility journey.  Recent research has revealed the efficacy of psychological interventions to manage the stress of infertility is associated with significant increases in pregnancy rates (1). 

Research shows that a consistent meditation practice can reprogram neural pathways in the brain to improve our ability to regulate emotions – thus easing anxiety (2). Studies have also shown that incorporating a mindfulness-based practice for infertility and women in their first in vitro cycle has shown:  

⬆️ self-compassion  

⬆️ quality of life  

⬇️ emotional regulation difficulties  

⬇️ depressive symptoms  

⬇️ internal/external shame, entrapment, defeat (3), (4) 

To sit, even for just a few minutes every day to quiet the mind and invoke the energy you wish to receive and move forward with can be a powerful event for your fertility journey.  Incorporating sound can be beneficial to your meditation practice as it is believed that each chakra has a particular vibration and that certain mantras can resonate and harmonize that energy.  A mantra is a short sound, word or phrase used in meditation.  Some believe a mantra is a much more complex concept than a mere chant uniting sound, body, and mind in a deeply philosophical experience.   

While you may not have traditional Sanskrit mantras on the tip of our tongue to repeat, we believe that you can chant positive affirmations in a mantra-like way to invoke this energy you wish to channel in  

for the next moment in your day or for your fertility journey.  

Your chakras will still benefit. It is a tool that will serve you now and down the road.  Below are a few affirmations to try in your practice.  You are not bound to these – do what feels right to you.   

If you've made it this far, you are one step closer to our free mindful meditations from our mindfulness master Bex Urban who created some amazing fertility meditations for you.  Find the SOOTHE page in the ABOUT section to listen now. 

"My mind is brilliant.  My body is healthy.  My spirit is tranquil." 

"My positive thought guide me to new heights." 

"I create my own path and walk it with joy." 

"My body is a temple.  I keep my temple clean." 

"My potential is limitless, and I choose where to spend my energy." 

"My commitment to myself is unbreakable." 

_____________________________

References: 

1). Rooney KL, Domar AD. The relationship between stress and infertility. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018;20(1):41-47. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.1/klrooney 

2). Krishnakumar D, Hamblin MR, Lakshmanan S. Meditation and Yoga can Modulate Brain Mechanisms that affect Behavior and Anxiety-A Modern Scientific Perspective. Anc Sci. 2015;2(1):13-19. doi:10.14259/as.v2i1.171 

3) Galhardo A, Cunha M, Pinto-Gouveia J.  Mindfulness-Based Program for Infertility: efficacy study. ASRM Fertility and Sterility. 2013;100(4):1059-1067. Doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.05.036 

4) Chan, C.H.Y., Chan, C.L.W., Ng, E.H.Y., Ho, P.C., Chan, T.H.Y., Lee, G.L. and Hui, W.H.C. (2012), Incorporating spirituality in psychosocial group intervention for women undergoing in vitro fertilization: A prospective randomized controlled study. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 85: 356-373. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8341.2011.02040.x