Friends

Hi Lisa, Greetings from San Francisco. Thinking of you and wondering how you're doing? When you find a moment, let me know how you're getting on. Are you going to the Fertility Show in London this weekend? Was it just last year that we were there and met in person for lunch? X Karin

Please check out my newest article for Mindful Mum. If you have a friend having IVF and don't know how to talk about it, OR if you are having IVF yourself and think this may guide your friends and family in how to (and NOT to) talk about it: http://www.mindfulmum.co.uk/2011/07/my-friend-is-having-ivf-how-can-i-help/

Stepmums can be denied NHS fertility treatment http://bit.ly/pCRzlY
Some Primary Care Trusts are denying IVF to women whose partners have children from a previous relationship, even if the stepmum has had no part in their upbringing. Susi Henson of Nottingham was denied IVF because her husband has a 20-year old son who Susi has never met.

Please visit the Wellbeing in Conceiving page of the new website www.mindfulmum.co.uk to read my recent articles on Male Fertility, the IVF Lottery and Multiple Births.

You know about the National Lottery and Euromillions, but have you heard of the IVF Lottery? The UK charity, To Hatch, has just been granted a license by the Gambling Commission, allowing it to sell lottery tickets to a new game online, in which the monthly prize is £25,000 of fertility treatment at one of the UK’s top clinics. http://ht.ly/1dFsUZ

Is anyone going to Destination Health, the Health & Medical Tourism Show at London, Olympia this weekend? Fertility Road has created a fertility show as part of it, with exhibitors covering many aspects of assisted reproduction. I'm hoping to get there on Saturday, so if you are going and want to meet for a cup of coffee at the show, contact me today or tomorrow to arange it. Email lisa@yourgreatlife.co.uk or phone 0777 909 1466. Lisa

I have a new article published yesterday in The Jewish News (www.totallyjewish.com) about infertility in the Jewish community. Two real-life stories of infertile couples and their family-building journeys, as well as information about the Chana charity , which was started by a group of infertile Orthodox Jewish women and now serves the wider Jewish community. Pick up a free copy around London and South Herts or go to http://bit.ly/e3AQ7E and "turn the pages" until you get to pg 9 "An Inconceivable Sorrow." Please feel free to leave feedback here or via the newspaper.

I have a new blog post up "Smiling on the outside; healing on the inside." http://bit.ly/fto3N1 #pregnancyloss #babyloss #AmandaHolden

Here's what's being said by listeners of my talk "Creating an Effective Support Network Can Make All the Difference When Trying to Conceive" on the Fertility Focus Telesummit. http://bit.ly/gsa1eL If you haven't already joined in, there is still time to listen to the remaining presenters for FREE, or, if you want the recording of all 15 speakers, approximately 1 hour each, to download to your computer or IPod via MP3, you can upgrade for an incredibly reasonable $67 while the Telesummit is still running (until the 27th of March).

Also, I have created a Free Bonus to go with my presentation, which is a comprehensive Worksheet to help you create the support network for your unique needs. Don't miss out on it. Lisa

I'm listening in to Sarah Holland's introduction to the Fertility Focus Telesummit right now and it sounds fantastic! I hope you have already registered to hear 17 audio presentations for FREE, including me, Sarah, Zita West, Dr Marion Glenville, Nicola Smuts. Kristin Hayward and others, but if you haven't done it yet, please go NOW to http://yourgreatlife.typepad.com to grab your free place. If you are quick, you may even get to hear the rest of Sarah's Intro!

I'm really excited to be speaking at the Fertility Focus Telesummit. You can phone in or use your computer to join the telesummit to find out how Creating An Effective Support Network Can Make All the Difference When Trying to Conceive, on the 21st of March at 1pm Pacific | 6pm Eastern | 10pm UK time. The Fertility Focus Telesummit is free and has 15 guest speakers over the course of the week. You can find out more about my talk on my website, http://yourgreatlife.typepad.com

The blog piece I wrote for the American Fertility Association about Chana's International Medical Conference is online at: http://theafa.typepad.com/theafablog/2011/03/a-london-fertility-charity-chana-provides-a-lifeline-to-the-orthodox-jewish-community.html

My heart goes out to Amanda Holden and Chris Hughes who have tragically lost a second baby http://bit.ly/fEEVTR I blogged a few weeks ago about their decision to keep the pregnancy a private matter until her 6th month. Now, it seems that even in being super-cautious, nothing could predict, and thus prevent, this tragic event. #stillbirth #miscarriage

I would like to interview a Jewish couple from the London area for an article I am writing, to find out what part their religious beliefs/culture played in their decision to undergo fertility treatment in order to conceive, if at all. If you are willing to speak to me, please email or message me. Lisa

Chana, a Jewish charitable organisation in North London, is presenting its 1st International Medical Conference on the 31st of January, 2011. I will be there with two intentions: 1) to report about the Conference on my blog and in other media and 2) to further my understanding of Jewish legal and cultural perspective toward fertility treatment, so I can better serve the Jewish community through fertility coaching. For more information: http://bit.ly/eTZOLD

I've been watching the Biggest Loser on TV. It's not pretty to watch, as several "couples" wearing shorts and not much more, are put through punishing exercise routines and other physical challenges, while they compete with each other to lose the most weight. There are sweaty faces, minor injuries, some back-stabbling behaviour, some good support and some home truths for the contestants. This programme hits home for many of us who are sitting on our sofas too. We may not be 20 stone (280 lbs) like some of the people on TV, but obesity is a major problem for big portions of the population. If this is you, then you may sit in front of The Biggest Loser, wavering between being judgmental and being self-loathing. How did it get this bad? If you want to lose weight as part of your plan to conceive, there is no time like the present. It is still early enough in the New Year to take advantage of the momentum of the fresh beginning. I would caution you, however, not to try to lose weight quickly and drastically through meal replacement shakes and bars. You need to keep your nutrients feeding your system, not allowyourself to deplete nutrients. What you eat can make a difference to conception and pregnancy. I'm not trying to conceive, but I have to worry about bone strength, cholestrol and blood pressure, so my weight loss plan involves eating real food, mostly cooked by me in my home, so I kow exactly what goes into it. My biggest challenge is portion control, so I have adopted the "1-plate, no 2nds" rule for myself. I do find myself feeling hungry between meals, so I have snacks built into my food plan..bananas, apples, clementines, ryvita crackers with hummous and cucumber, even a bowl of bran flakes and skimmed milk. No, it's not as exciting as a chocolate bar, but being considerably overweight is not too exciting either. I'm not perfect, and I have failed at many diets in the past. I get bored, fed up, or self-indulgent. I'm planning for a different outcome this time though. I have lost 5 pounds since the beginning of the year and it doesn't even show yet, so no way am I going to quit. If you would like to buddy up on a diet plan and give/receive mutual support, send me a message. We could have an FP slimmer's club! http://bit.ly/gv9RRz

Amanda Holden's announcement of her #pregnancy; and yours. http://bit.ly/ifai3V #fertility #miscarriage When is the right time?

I'm being interviewed next week for a documentary about how couples make the shift from IVF to adoption. If you have anything you can share with me about your own personal thought process in regard to IVF v. adoption, I would love to hear from you. Please message me here on FP. Thanks,
Lisa

I have a new blog post up at www.uk-fertility.co.uk; Information about possible birth defect risks from assisted reproductive techniques; scare tactics or essential disclosure? http://bit.ly/i4O8KO

The NLondon #Miscarriage Support Group meets this Tues 11/01 at Spire Bushey Hospital, Bushey Herts. Closest to the Stanmore Tube station (Jubilee Line) 8 p.m. Call the Miscarriage Associaton on 01924 200799, me directly at 0777 909 1466 or message me for details. Free, friendly, supportive.