Vicious cycle AMY PACKER
COVID-19 HAS DEALT A CRUEL BLOW TO COUPLES AWAITING IVF, BUT USE THE TIME WISELY AND YOU COULD BOOST YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS, SAYS
GOING through fertility treatment is stressful at the best of times, but for those who have lost months of precious time to the Covid-19 pandemic, the strain has been unbearable.
A new survey by online IVF information portal Fertility Help Hub found that 100% of those in suspended IVF programmes say they have been mentally traumatised by continued setbacks.
Additionally, 68% of those on waiting lists admit to losing motivation to eat healthily and 61% have been exercising less. This is a Catch-22 because letting things go could ultimately reduce the success of treatment when it comes.
Leading conception and pregnancy expert Zita West says: “It’s tough for both men and women to feel motivated, especially through this third lockdown. Many have gained weight, are not doing as much exercise and anxiety levels are up.
“Lifestyle has an important role to play in preparation for IVF and good nutrition plays a pivotal role, laying the foundations for egg and sperm development and improving any chance of success.”
Holly Brooks, 34, from Essex, was awaiting her fourth round of IVF last March. “Then lockdown hit and with every setback my motivation disappeared. All my bad habits came back – snacking and ordering takeaways. It just spiralled,” she says. “It feels like we lost a year of getting closer to our dream. Now I need to get back to living my healthiest life so I don’t waste my shot when it comes.” So which good habits should you be making if hoping to conceive?
SWITCH OFF:
We live in a 24/7 world and the boundaries between home and work are increasingly blurred. “When stressed, your body goes into survival mode, shutting down non-essential processes such as reproduction,” explains Zita.
“Nutrient absorption is hampered, hormones become imbalanced and your body is in a state of high alert. Also, switch off email alerts when you finish working. Even better, turn your phone off altogether.”
POSITIVE THINKING:
Mindset plays a big role in preparing for IVF. “Breathing and guided visualisations will help calm the nervous system and reduce stress hormones,” says Zita.
“Meditation and yoga are powerful tools. Start small and be consistent. Just 20 minutes a day can change your outlook completely.”
GO LOW:
Recent studies suggest low-impact, moderate exercise for short periods of time optimises the chances of IVF success.
“Avoid running or impact sports and opt for walking, swimming or gentle yoga,” says Zita.
“Between 20 minutes and an hour, two or three times a week is plenty.”
STEP OUTSIDE:
Studies show bright light increases serotonin, the happy hormone. “A stroll or simply sitting in the open air will have positive effects on your mood. Plus, we need sunlight to make vitamin D, which is significant for ovarian health.”
JUST SAY NO:
“Cut down on smoking and alcohol which are nutrient thieves,” says Zita. “Avoid them entirely throughout your treatment and beyond.”
FIND THE BALANCE:
“If your diet contains too many trans fats, refined sugars or excess additives – or is depleted of nutrients – fertility can be significantly affected,” says Zita.
“Meat, fish and plant proteins help hormone, egg and sperm production. Essential fatty acids in fish, nuts and seeds aid hormones.
“B vitamins and folate in green veg are essential for cell division, while fruit and veg protect against free radical damage, to which eggs and sperm are sensitive.
“Stick to the Mediterranean diet and you won’t go far wrong.”
■ Fertility Help Hub (fertilityhelphub.com) offers help and advice for anyone trying to conceive, including nutritional guidance from Zita West
PARENTS all over the country are breathing a sigh of relief as their children prepare to go back to school after a difficult few months. The classroom is the best place for children to be, as face-to-face learning gives them a secure routine and normality, and helps with their socialisation, motivation and mental wellbeing.
Schools and colleges are now fully reopening, welcoming back all pupils, and their health and wellbeing are a priority. Schools are well prepared, with protective measures in place, including bubbles, increased hygiene, staggered breaks and ventilation.
Staff and pupils in secondary schools and colleges are also being advised to wear face coverings where social distancing cannot be maintained. Students will be tested twice a week, receiving three initial rapid tests at school or college before transitioning to twiceweekly home testing. Schools have been open to vulnerable pupils and children of key workers during lockdown; staff have worked hard to make sure the wider return goes smoothly and schools are as safe as possible. And they are passionate about closing the education and wellbeing gap. The Government is supporting the return and education catch-up through various programmes (see below).
Dean Buckley, principal of Kirk Balk Academy, a secondary school in Hoyland, South Yorkshire, can’t wait to welcome students back.
“It’s essential that students return to school as quickly as is safely possible,” he says. “Despite live-streaming of all of the lessons, our students have missed out on so many of the positive experiences of school. They’ve been affected by not being able to see friends, play sport and interact with each other.
We can’t wait for them to be back where they can learn and flourish.
“Our students really do thrive on the strong routines and the positive praise culture that we have, and we’re really excited about picking up where we left off, and doing all that we can to make sure we reconnect with a sense of normality and purpose towards enjoying learning and succeeding.”
Kirk Balk, a Northern Education Trust academy, has had around 120
students in school during lockdown and has supported those at home with a full programme of learning. Having some students on site means teachers already have a system for regular testing, which they will roll out to those who return on March 8. Students will then start testing themselves at home.
The Government is making twice-weekly testing using rapid lateral-flow tests available free to all adults in households with school and collegeaged children and young people (including childcare and support bubbles), to help find more Covid-19 cases and break chains of transmission. Twice-weekly testing will also be offered to adults working in the wider school community, including bus drivers and after-school-club leaders. Kirk Balk benefits from being a large site with entrances and exits for each year group and there’ll be protective measures such as hand sanitiser stations, bubbles and split breaks and lunchtimes. “Parents will want their children back to school, with the strong routines we have,” says Dean. “Being back in organised groups can help mental health. The routines create a positive focus, and can help with feelings of isolation some students might have experienced.” For more information, visit gov.uk/backtoschool or speak to your child’s school or college.
I THINK that has probably been the longest winter we have ever had, with such sad news every day and the pandemic, seemingly, going on for ever.
But there are signs of recovery and it’s fitting that these encouraging signs are coming as the signs of spring begin to appear.
A lot of people have told me that lockdown was easier to negotiate in spring and summer, so we are back in spring and colour and hope is popping up everywhere.
The birds are singing loudly in the trees and we have had snowdrops poking through the mud for a couple of weeks now.
We have a couple in our garden but in a nearby wood there is a field of these wonderful tiny, nodding white flowers.
In fact, you might be lucky enough to have a ‘snowdrop valley’ where you live.
Snowdrops offer a vital source of food for insects that have emerged early in milder springs and they are around most of this month until other plants take their place.
I am also excited to see the green shoots that will eventually bring bluebells back to our village.
We are lucky because we have woodland creating perfect shady conditions for this iconic spring flower.
So in the coming month we will have huge carpets of bluebells, again providing food for more and more insects as the weather warms.
Again, following the spring pattern, bluebells have wonderful nodding heads. They have dark green leaves and blue bell-shaped heads.
Native bluebells are easy to spot because their heavy heads, with flowers all on one side, do bend the flower stems over.
They are only around for a couple of months enjoying the sun shining through the newly leafy trees until the canopy gets too thick for the sun and they vanish back underground.
Many millions of bulbs may exist under a woodland carpet.
You may have seen daffodils growing around your roads and parks, but these are likely to be escapees from gardens.
Wild daffodils still grow in the Lake District in ancient woodland according to the experts but we know they also grow in North Lancashire, around Silverdale.
The wild daffodil is short and grows in clumps, it has pale yellow flowers surrounding a darker yellow trumpet giving it a two-tone look.
One of my favourite early spring flowers is the primrose, which appears in woodland clearings, hedgerows and grasslands and once again provides a vitally important source of food for early insects.
With rough, tongue-like leaves that grow in a rosette you can spot them early until their large and creamy flowers, with deep yellow centres, appear as a focus for those bees and other flying bugs.
There are many other flowers that provide our vital insects with food and pollen. Insects numbers are down dramatically across the world so it is important we do all we can to help them.
We can do this by planting a variety of flowers for the whole year round. »●You can find more information on our website www.lancswt. org.uk and search for Action for Insects and My Wild City.