The AFA Blog

The Royal Surgery

by Corey Whelan

You guys may remember the blog post I wrote, recapping my experiences at a Congressional briefing on toxins and reproductive health.  To tell you the truth, I, um, left out a minor detail about that day.  It was gorgeous weather wise, first real feeling of Spring I had experienced this year and i wanted to walk around the Capital.  After all, the cherry blossoms were in bloom, I had no choice, the air smelled so good!  I wasn't dissuaded by my five inch heels, even though I had been having some nagging pain in my right knee for quite some time.  About two blocks away from Union Station on my way home something in the back of said knee gave way and long story short, last week had to be surgically repaired.  

I watched much of the Royal Wedding that day from the recovery room.  The non profit teaching hospital I chose for the occasion was smack in the middle of China Town.  I now know the Chinese word for either Queen, or yellow, not sure which.  Had an amazing experience with wonderful docs and nurses, and really cool patients who managed to form a community, without language, for a couple hours.  My comic relief?  The guy to the bed next to me let out of prison for his surgery, lying there with leg irons and handcuffs.  Only in New York!  Anyway, that was nine days ago, and I'm now up and about, "running" errands and sashaying (yeah, right) through the streets of Brooklyn with a cane that I have in my hand more for emotional support than for physical stability. 

Now, I'm physically active by nature and a lover of movement.  Running, dancing, recently Zumba, all of it.  Coupled with a commitment to eat intelligently, this ideology has served me really well.  And I still stand by it, despite my current boo boo.  All things being equal, I would rather need to repair a knee than a clogged artery, and recognize that this is only a temporary situation.

You guys know that, along with the rest of my colleagues at The AFA, we believe in bringing health conscious messages to the fore because we know that health and fitness support fertility and the birth of healthy babies.  We care enough about all of you to tell you the truth about this stuff.  So I waffled about sharing my current situation, because I didn't want to frighten anyone off of an exercise plan that they may be starting.  But I had to share this story with you for a few reasons.

While i was in the now famous recovery room, two nurses came to talk to me privately.  Each of them had a friend grappling with infertility.  One friend was in her forties and looking at egg donor options.  The other was a young woman with endometriosis.  Even post surgery, I was able to give to these women, who were giving to me, and I swear that felt so good it aided my recovery that day.  Coupled with the fact that my doctor said my over all fitness level, due to my healthy lifestyle, is comparable to a 36 year old (I'm fifty five), I know that I am on the right track.  Stuff happens, and if I look back and tell myself the truth, I know that I probably should have been changing sneakers more often, and stretching more, but working out is a good thing and nothing about my current situation has changed my mind about that.   

So hang in there with me folks.  I am going to be chronicling my recuperation on this blog page, similar to what Stephanie Himel-Nelson did over at the Attain blog page, so that you can keep up with me.  I would love to hear about your own exercise programs during this time, your ups and downs, so please post often on the blog page.

Oh, and by the way.  I will be running my beloved race, the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Firefighter's Memorial Race on September 25th for the fourth year in a row.  I invite everyone to join me every year, but especially this year.  I have 343 very good reasons to make this request of you, plus one more.  You.  Your health, your fitness, your wellness, your future.

Here's to the future.  May it bring health, happiness, fitness and peace for all of us.

 

 

Please exercise

by Fred Licciardi, M.D.

Please exercise.

In the preceding centuries, tremendous physical activity was required for human survival, and yet, reproduction carried on. Imagine the exhaustion and stress if we had to spend one week hunting or farming with few tools or resources. Yet probably, under these conditions, most women would be able to get pregnant.

Excessive extreme exercise causing weight loss will cause ovulation to stop because the body figures that there are not enough nutrients stored for both the woman and a fetus. If she can just barely feed herself, she can’t feed the growing baby. The same is true for an anorectic. But here we are talking about extreme extreme. Moderate exercise is fine.

Surprising to me, I did come across a paper from Harvard showing that women who underwent moderate levels of exercise had lower pregnancy rates that those who did not. Like we always say, it’s just one paper. I do not really believe it. The Harvard doctors that I know do not restrict moderate exercise.

Exercise is bad if you are taking fertility drugs because the medications make the ovaries grow. Normally the ovaries are about the size of a walnut, and the drugs increase the number of follicles, therefore the ovarian size increases. Sometimes the ovaries can get to the size of plums or even oranges. They hang inside the pelvis. As they become heavier, they become more likely to twist, and this is called torsion. Here the twisting cuts off the blood supply and causes the ovary to choke. This really hurts, and is treated by laparoscopy. Exercise will increase the odds of this twisting. So in this case, exercise is not good.

Exercise increases blood flow to all areas of the body. The uterus and ovaries are organs that would love to get as much blood flow as they could.

Exercise clears your head. Yes, endorphins are released with strenuous activity, and these can help us fell better, but I think it’s more than that. My theory is that it’s not just about increasing the good chemicals; it’s about getting rid of the bad. Increased blood flow flushes away the old stale thought chemicals that are just hanging around causing trouble. Get rid of them.

Even better, do exercise that requires tremendous concentration. This really clears you head. Any sport will do: sailing, golf, soccer, basketball, biking, you name it. Some are more strenuous than others, but they all work. Same thing; flood your brain with fresh blood and new thoughts, lose the waste products.

Exercise builds muscle mass. This is also good. It just makes you feel better if you have a little tone. Even if you think you are fat, the tone goes a long way. It’s healthier to have some tone and muscle. It helps with balance and lowers you chances of getting injured during an accident (falling, for example).

And people with a little tone just age better.

Not to mention all of the obvious benefits of upping your cardio-vascular reserve.

I am not an expert in Yoga, although I have happily done it a few times. It's very good alternative.

So you don’t have time for exercise? Yes you do, make time. If you are tired, go to gym tired, it works just as well. You will sleep better.

If you do decide to take my advice (and the advice of others), go all out. A little exercise once a week is better than nothing, but more is better. You need at least 2 sessions per week of vigorous activity to really make a difference. Don’t start on any aggressive workout without checking with our doctor first, and consider a trainer at least initially.

A world on fire.

  by Corey Whelan

It feels like the whole world is on fire right now.  Civil unrest and natural disasters have been nudging the stressometer up notch by notch in our collective unconsciousness for awhile now, I think.  I remember reading newspaper articles years ago about the Cold War and how constant anxiety about the bomb was increasing the daily stress that Americans (and I'm sure Russians too) lived with, like a sort of  low level whirring sound in the brain that you forget is there, but that never really recedes.  

Headlines this weekend about that fool, that monster, that idiot in Florida and the violence that has ensued since he burned the Koran pumped up the jam just enough to flip me out completely.  It just feels like open season now, not just on Americans world wide, but on the whole species Human Being.  As it has always been, I guess.

I thought about all this while I was running this morning.  Three miles in and I started to think about stocking up on bottled water.  Five miles in and I started to think about the talk I need to have with my children about all this and how I don't want to.  Seven miles in and I remembered the reason why I started running in the first place.

Many of you who haven't known me for forever find it hard to believe that once upon a time I weighed around 50 pounds more than I do now.  Pregnancy with multiples, and a marriage that was shredding itself to bits turned into a lust for bagels, maple syrup and low fat dulce la leche frozen yogurt that I deluded myself into thinking was ok for me to eat on a daily basis.  And then 9/11 happened.

My babies were small then.  I remember thinking, if I have to run out of a burning building with one kid under each arm, would I be able to do it?

And the answer was no.  I was too overweight and out of shape to run and get my babies and myself to safety if I ever needed to.

So I went for a walk.  A very long walk.  And a few days later I went for a run.  A very short run.  And I threw out the bagels and all the high carb crap I had let my PCOS insulin resistant body get addicted to and I slowly became my old, healthy-weight self again.  Strong, thin, and robust.  My own personal best for my own physical self.

People, look.  I don't know what's coming next, none of us do.  But I do know that no matter what comes, and also no matter what doesn't come, the species human being, all of us, deserve the right to be our own personal best.  For me it's being a runner who weighs 115 lbs.  For you it may mean being a walker or a tennis player who weighs 135 lbs.  But whatever your own personal health best is, I urge you to acheive it.  It is better for your fertility.  It will be better for your pregnancy and your baby, God willing.  It will be better for you no matter what life brings.  Really.  

Think about maybe joining in and doing what The AFA staff will be doing for NIAW.  Think about doing a Fertility Bootcamp, if that feels like a fit for you.  Think about doing something.  And then just do it.  

I don't know what's coming next.     

The AFA Launches Zumba® for Fertility for NIAW®

The American Fertility Association (The AFA), a national non-profit family building organization, is excited to announce its 1st annual Zumbathon® for Fertility, to take place during National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW).   The first event will be on Wednesday, April 27th at William Alexander Middle School (M.S. 51) 350 Fifth Avenue Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY at 7:30 p.m.

The AFA is committed to supporting men and women to be their healthiest, not only when they are trying to conceive, but for their entire lives.  More importantly, The AFA wants all women to get pregnant safely, and to give birth to healthy babies.  It was through this heartfelt ideology, shared by the entire AFA staff and board of directors, that Zumba® for Fertility was born.

Multiple studies show that fertility potential can be enhanced through healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating right and exercising regularly. Exercise has also been proven to support stress reduction, a common side effect of infertility treatment.  Additionally, highbody mass index (BMI) has been definitively correlated with increased risk of complications during pregnancy, and even fetal death.    

The AFA's staff is comprised of five members, residing in four states.  The organization represents different regions of the United States, yet share a common health conscious ideology that transcends borders.   Zumba® for Fertility was born out of our passion for the staff’s personal health, and because they’re passionate about bringing healthy messages to all individuals who are currently trying to create their own families. 

Zumba® for Fertility will take place in the hometowns of the staff’s residence; Brooklyn, NY, New London, NH, Charlotte, NC, and Phoenix, AZ.  Tickets are $20 and tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. 

Health conscious reproductive endocrinologist, Richard Grazi, M.D.  of Genesis Fertility and Reproductive Medicine in Brooklyn has enthusiastically signed on as the first sponsor.

Long time AFA staff members and Brooklyn residents Corey Whelan and Melinda Micciola are excited for the first event in their hometown.  Whelan says, “Women who are trying to conceive often disassociate from their bodies during the seemingly unending process of infertility treatments.  Zumba®, as well as other forms of exercise, can help women to not only reconnect with their physical selves but to also have fun in the process.  And fun, for men and women going through this predicament, is a goal unto itself.”

“We commend RESOLVE for drawing attention to the challenges of those facing infertility during National Infertility Awareness Week®,” states Ken Mosesian, Executive Director of The AFA. “The AFA continuously works to normalize the conversation about infertility in the mainstream, and is confident that our Zumba® events will further that goal.”

 

About The AFA

The American Fertility Association, a 501 (c) (3) national non-profit organization, is a resource for infertility prevention, reproductive health and family building. The AFA's services are provided to consumers and are available to everyone. These include an extensive online library, daily fertility news, a toll-free support line, and education outreach events.

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