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Health Q&A: how can I ease period pain? →

April 24, 2014 Melanie Brown

In STELLA Tags menstruation, periods, period pain, PMS

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So surprise surprise diet drinks aren’t good for you, well women anyway, not sure why not good for men either! It has been known for ages that artificial sweeteners are just total crap for you. And now we know they might just give you a stroke, oh great! 😳. And artificial sweeteners are not just in diet drinks; they’re in so many foods labelled low sugar, sugar-free, diet, lite/light. Aspartame is the king of the devils here, linked with depression (it interferes with our feel-good brain chemical serotonin) and may contribute to inflammation of the gastro-intestinal lining causing gastritis. All of these side effects impact fertility. Read labels; if it tastes sweet and is “low calorie” and doesn’t have sugar in it then what is in it? No more chemicals! #ivfwithicsi #ivf #fertility #infertility #fertilityjourney #sugarfree #aspartame #aspartamefree #artificialsweeteners #artificialsweetenerfree #artificialsweetener #artificialsweeteners #artificialsweetenersfree #dietdrinks #dietsodas #serotonin #chemicalfree #chemicalfreefood #serotonin #gastritis

So surprise surprise diet drinks aren’t good for you, well women anyway, not sure why not good for men either! It has been known for ages that artificial sweeteners are just total crap for you. And now we know they might just give you a stroke, oh great! 😳. And artificial sweeteners are not just in diet drinks; they’re in so many foods labelled low sugar, sugar-free, diet, lite/light. Aspartame is the king of the devils here, linked with depression (it interferes with our feel-good brain chemical serotonin) and may contribute to inflammation of the gastro-intestinal lining causing gastritis. All of these side effects impact fertility. Read labels; if it tastes sweet and is “low calorie” and doesn’t have sugar in it then what is in it? No more chemicals! #ivfwithicsi #ivf #fertility #infertility #fertilityjourney #sugarfree #aspartame #aspartamefree #artificialsweeteners #artificialsweetenerfree #artificialsweetener #artificialsweeteners #artificialsweetenersfree #dietdrinks #dietsodas #serotonin #chemicalfree #chemicalfreefood #serotonin #gastritis

Love these quick cook grains, this company makes fantastic organic foods. When you’re home late after a long day you want fast! Boiling water, stock cube/powder/gel in the water gives a delicious flavour, sometimes I add a clear spring miso soup or fry up onion garlic ginger and chilli first and water and grains. With salmon or chicken, tofu, nuts, prawns, and some greens and a drizzle of olive oil or butter. Anything goes and it really is fast #fertility #infertility #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet #mediterraneandiet #quickcook #quickcooking #healthyfood #healthyfoodrecipes #vegan #veganfoods #veganrecipes #organic #organicfood #organicfoods

Love these quick cook grains, this company makes fantastic organic foods. When you’re home late after a long day you want fast! Boiling water, stock cube/powder/gel in the water gives a delicious flavour, sometimes I add a clear spring miso soup or fry up onion garlic ginger and chilli first and water and grains. With salmon or chicken, tofu, nuts, prawns, and some greens and a drizzle of olive oil or butter. Anything goes and it really is fast #fertility #infertility #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet #mediterraneandiet #quickcook #quickcooking #healthyfood #healthyfoodrecipes #vegan #veganfoods #veganrecipes #organic #organicfood #organicfoods

I am not a soya hater for fertility, at least in small quantities.But I do think it should be organic. In fact there is very interesting research on its beneficial effects during IVF as it’s believed to block the negative effects of the dreaded BPA. But that’s another post! So as part of a plant based diet, and for vegans, tofu is a very useful food but it does need a bit of zinging up and I think this looks delicious! #fertility #fertilityjourney #fertilitydiet #infertility #infertilitydiet #ivf #ivfdiet #ivfwithicsi #ivficsi #tofu #tofurecipes #organic #organicfood #organicfoods #bpa #vegan #veganfood #veganfoodshare #vegetarianrecipes #meatfree #veganrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #tofuscramble

I am not a soya hater for fertility, at least in small quantities.But I do think it should be organic. In fact there is very interesting research on its beneficial effects during IVF as it’s believed to block the negative effects of the dreaded BPA. But that’s another post! So as part of a plant based diet, and for vegans, tofu is a very useful food but it does need a bit of zinging up and I think this looks delicious! #fertility #fertilityjourney #fertilitydiet #infertility #infertilitydiet #ivf #ivfdiet #ivfwithicsi #ivficsi #tofu #tofurecipes #organic #organicfood #organicfoods #bpa #vegan #veganfood #veganfoodshare #vegetarianrecipes #meatfree #veganrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #tofuscramble

Another dairy product for the non cow people. For some the protein structure in cows milk is difficult to digest and appears to be more related to allergies. Many people find goats and sheep products much more tolerable. And fermented things like kefir are so good for our gut bacteria who basically slave away producing anti inflammatory substances. They love a bit of kefir! #noncowmilk #goatsmilk #goatkefir #goatsmilkkefir #gutbactetia #microbiome #microbiomehealth #microbiota #allergies #ivf #ivfjourney #ivficsi #fertility #infertility #infertilitydiet #fertilitydiet #antiinflammatoryfood #antiinflammation

Another dairy product for the non cow people. For some the protein structure in cows milk is difficult to digest and appears to be more related to allergies. Many people find goats and sheep products much more tolerable. And fermented things like kefir are so good for our gut bacteria who basically slave away producing anti inflammatory substances. They love a bit of kefir! #noncowmilk #goatsmilk #goatkefir #goatsmilkkefir #gutbactetia #microbiome #microbiomehealth #microbiota #allergies #ivf #ivfjourney #ivficsi #fertility #infertility #infertilitydiet #fertilitydiet #antiinflammatoryfood #antiinflammation

This looks like a good alternative whey protein powder for IVF if you can’t drink cows milk. I do usually recommend a little extra whey protein for the stimulation part of the cycle as protein helps to support the production of all those extra eggs. And research appears to support full fat dairy milk during IVF too. It may be the easily used protein, the fat soluble vitamins in whole milk or the growth factors in milk. After all milk is for growing baby animals bigger and so perhaps helps grow follicles and eggs. So go for cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, camel - whatever does it for you, grass fed and if possible organic. #protein #ivf #ivficsi #ivfstims #ivfprotein #proteinpowder #fertility #infertility #infertilitysupport #noncowmilk #ivfdiet #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet

This looks like a good alternative whey protein powder for IVF if you can’t drink cows milk. I do usually recommend a little extra whey protein for the stimulation part of the cycle as protein helps to support the production of all those extra eggs. And research appears to support full fat dairy milk during IVF too. It may be the easily used protein, the fat soluble vitamins in whole milk or the growth factors in milk. After all milk is for growing baby animals bigger and so perhaps helps grow follicles and eggs. So go for cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, camel - whatever does it for you, grass fed and if possible organic. #protein #ivf #ivficsi #ivfstims #ivfprotein #proteinpowder #fertility #infertility #infertilitysupport #noncowmilk #ivfdiet #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet

6.30am and I’m up and at it with my light lamp on my desk. I’ll do 30 minutes until it gets light outside. I’m especially interested in the circadian control of ovulation and the influence of dysregulated sleep and the potential stress associated with that on NK cells and inflammatory cytokine release. Studies suggest that IVF success rates are higher in Spring and Summer. Maybe Winter darkness is a factor? Am I obsessed with sleep, circadian rhythms and light exposure? Well yes, I get low from time to time and I still have the odd knackered hormone left myself! #hormones #ivfwithicsi #seasonalaffectivedisorderisreal #depression #sadlamps #fertility #fertilityjourney #wintersadness #winterdepression #wintermood #infertility #infertilitysucks #infertilityawareness #lightexposure #daylight #ovulation #lhsurge #ivfsuccess #ivfsupport #lackofsleep #lightandexposure #fertilityhelp

6.30am and I’m up and at it with my light lamp on my desk. I’ll do 30 minutes until it gets light outside. I’m especially interested in the circadian control of ovulation and the influence of dysregulated sleep and the potential stress associated with that on NK cells and inflammatory cytokine release. Studies suggest that IVF success rates are higher in Spring and Summer. Maybe Winter darkness is a factor? Am I obsessed with sleep, circadian rhythms and light exposure? Well yes, I get low from time to time and I still have the odd knackered hormone left myself! #hormones #ivfwithicsi #seasonalaffectivedisorderisreal #depression #sadlamps #fertility #fertilityjourney #wintersadness #winterdepression #wintermood #infertility #infertilitysucks #infertilityawareness #lightexposure #daylight #ovulation #lhsurge #ivfsuccess #ivfsupport #lackofsleep #lightandexposure #fertilityhelp

If I’m not banging on about BPA my other favourite topic for my poor clients is sleep and circadian rhythms. Yesterday I went to an excellent conference called Women and Sleep at the Royal Society of Medicine and yes, sleep and sticking to our natural light/dark influenced body clock is essential for fertility. For example, LH, the hormone that surges mid-cycle for ovulation is under circadian control and stress induced by lack of sleep influences both uterine receptivity and NK cell/cytokines release. The most critical thing is getting enough natural light in the early part of the day, being outside or using a SAD blue light lamp either to wake up with or on your desk for 20minutes (like Lumie) and reducing bright light and blue screen light in the evening, no screens in the bedroom 2 hours before bed. And getting enough sleep - 7-8 hours so if you wake up in the night then you have to go to bed earlier. But it’s true that you can get sleep catch up at the weekend. And ‘sleep hygiene’ is essential, a routine that tells your body it’s soon time to sleep, like a warm bath. And bedrooms are for sleep and sex ONLY! Apparently light and noise are our biggest environmental enemies so blackout blinds, earplugs, eye mask, noise cancelling ear buds (Bose do these) and have a warm bed but no heating on. We evolved to sleep in colder night air. And some kind of meditation technique to rest your mind. My favourite is imagining I’ve won the Euro Lottery (this week it’s £112 million!) So I drift off spending it, houses for everyone I know, charities and trusts for this and that and shall I have a chateau in France or an apartment in New York - or both 😂and so far I’ve fallen asleep before I’ve spent it all! #sleep #sleephygiene #insomnia #insomniaproblems #lackofsleep #circadianrhythm #circadianrhythms #bodyclock #ovulationtest #ovulation #lhsurge #nkcells #infertility #fertility #infertilityawareness #infertilitysucks

If I’m not banging on about BPA my other favourite topic for my poor clients is sleep and circadian rhythms. Yesterday I went to an excellent conference called Women and Sleep at the Royal Society of Medicine and yes, sleep and sticking to our natural light/dark influenced body clock is essential for fertility. For example, LH, the hormone that surges mid-cycle for ovulation is under circadian control and stress induced by lack of sleep influences both uterine receptivity and NK cell/cytokines release. The most critical thing is getting enough natural light in the early part of the day, being outside or using a SAD blue light lamp either to wake up with or on your desk for 20minutes (like Lumie) and reducing bright light and blue screen light in the evening, no screens in the bedroom 2 hours before bed. And getting enough sleep - 7-8 hours so if you wake up in the night then you have to go to bed earlier. But it’s true that you can get sleep catch up at the weekend. And ‘sleep hygiene’ is essential, a routine that tells your body it’s soon time to sleep, like a warm bath. And bedrooms are for sleep and sex ONLY! Apparently light and noise are our biggest environmental enemies so blackout blinds, earplugs, eye mask, noise cancelling ear buds (Bose do these) and have a warm bed but no heating on. We evolved to sleep in colder night air. And some kind of meditation technique to rest your mind. My favourite is imagining I’ve won the Euro Lottery (this week it’s £112 million!) So I drift off spending it, houses for everyone I know, charities and trusts for this and that and shall I have a chateau in France or an apartment in New York - or both 😂and so far I’ve fallen asleep before I’ve spent it all! #sleep #sleephygiene #insomnia #insomniaproblems #lackofsleep #circadianrhythm #circadianrhythms #bodyclock #ovulationtest #ovulation #lhsurge #nkcells #infertility #fertility #infertilityawareness #infertilitysucks

Yesterday’s Mirror newspaper highlighting sperm. The more awareness raised the better. Even before trying to conceive men should just look at some basics like stopping smoking, losing weight, wearing boxers, stopping marathon cycling, reducing alcohol and caffeine and starting to eat a good Mediterranean diet, get some exercise and sleep. #malefertility #malefertilitysupport #maleinfertility #maleinfertilityawareness #malefactorinfertility #sperm #mediterraneandiet #healthysperm #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet #bpa #hormonedisruptors #endocrinedisruptors

Yesterday’s Mirror newspaper highlighting sperm. The more awareness raised the better. Even before trying to conceive men should just look at some basics like stopping smoking, losing weight, wearing boxers, stopping marathon cycling, reducing alcohol and caffeine and starting to eat a good Mediterranean diet, get some exercise and sleep. #malefertility #malefertilitysupport #maleinfertility #maleinfertilityawareness #malefactorinfertility #sperm #mediterraneandiet #healthysperm #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet #bpa #hormonedisruptors #endocrinedisruptors

So surprise surprise diet drinks aren’t good for you, well women anyway, not sure why not good for men either! It has been known for ages that artificial sweeteners are just total crap for you. And now we know they might just give you a stroke, oh great! 😳. And artificial sweeteners are not just in diet drinks; they’re in so many foods labelled low sugar, sugar-free, diet, lite/light. Aspartame is the king of the devils here, linked with depression (it interferes with our feel-good brain chemical serotonin) and may contribute to inflammation of the gastro-intestinal lining causing gastritis. All of these side effects impact fertility. Read labels; if it tastes sweet and is “low calorie” and doesn’t have sugar in it then what is in it? No more chemicals! #ivfwithicsi #ivf #fertility #infertility #fertilityjourney #sugarfree #aspartame #aspartamefree #artificialsweeteners #artificialsweetenerfree #artificialsweetener #artificialsweeteners #artificialsweetenersfree #dietdrinks #dietsodas #serotonin #chemicalfree #chemicalfreefood #serotonin #gastritis

Love these quick cook grains, this company makes fantastic organic foods. When you’re home late after a long day you want fast! Boiling water, stock cube/powder/gel in the water gives a delicious flavour, sometimes I add a clear spring miso soup or fry up onion garlic ginger and chilli first and water and grains. With salmon or chicken, tofu, nuts, prawns, and some greens and a drizzle of olive oil or butter. Anything goes and it really is fast #fertility #infertility #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet #mediterraneandiet #quickcook #quickcooking #healthyfood #healthyfoodrecipes #vegan #veganfoods #veganrecipes #organic #organicfood #organicfoods

I am not a soya hater for fertility, at least in small quantities.But I do think it should be organic. In fact there is very interesting research on its beneficial effects during IVF as it’s believed to block the negative effects of the dreaded BPA. But that’s another post! So as part of a plant based diet, and for vegans, tofu is a very useful food but it does need a bit of zinging up and I think this looks delicious! #fertility #fertilityjourney #fertilitydiet #infertility #infertilitydiet #ivf #ivfdiet #ivfwithicsi #ivficsi #tofu #tofurecipes #organic #organicfood #organicfoods #bpa #vegan #veganfood #veganfoodshare #vegetarianrecipes #meatfree #veganrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #tofuscramble

Another dairy product for the non cow people. For some the protein structure in cows milk is difficult to digest and appears to be more related to allergies. Many people find goats and sheep products much more tolerable. And fermented things like kefir are so good for our gut bacteria who basically slave away producing anti inflammatory substances. They love a bit of kefir! #noncowmilk #goatsmilk #goatkefir #goatsmilkkefir #gutbactetia #microbiome #microbiomehealth #microbiota #allergies #ivf #ivfjourney #ivficsi #fertility #infertility #infertilitydiet #fertilitydiet #antiinflammatoryfood #antiinflammation

This looks like a good alternative whey protein powder for IVF if you can’t drink cows milk. I do usually recommend a little extra whey protein for the stimulation part of the cycle as protein helps to support the production of all those extra eggs. And research appears to support full fat dairy milk during IVF too. It may be the easily used protein, the fat soluble vitamins in whole milk or the growth factors in milk. After all milk is for growing baby animals bigger and so perhaps helps grow follicles and eggs. So go for cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, camel - whatever does it for you, grass fed and if possible organic. #protein #ivf #ivficsi #ivfstims #ivfprotein #proteinpowder #fertility #infertility #infertilitysupport #noncowmilk #ivfdiet #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet

6.30am and I’m up and at it with my light lamp on my desk. I’ll do 30 minutes until it gets light outside. I’m especially interested in the circadian control of ovulation and the influence of dysregulated sleep and the potential stress associated with that on NK cells and inflammatory cytokine release. Studies suggest that IVF success rates are higher in Spring and Summer. Maybe Winter darkness is a factor? Am I obsessed with sleep, circadian rhythms and light exposure? Well yes, I get low from time to time and I still have the odd knackered hormone left myself! #hormones #ivfwithicsi #seasonalaffectivedisorderisreal #depression #sadlamps #fertility #fertilityjourney #wintersadness #winterdepression #wintermood #infertility #infertilitysucks #infertilityawareness #lightexposure #daylight #ovulation #lhsurge #ivfsuccess #ivfsupport #lackofsleep #lightandexposure #fertilityhelp

If I’m not banging on about BPA my other favourite topic for my poor clients is sleep and circadian rhythms. Yesterday I went to an excellent conference called Women and Sleep at the Royal Society of Medicine and yes, sleep and sticking to our natural light/dark influenced body clock is essential for fertility. For example, LH, the hormone that surges mid-cycle for ovulation is under circadian control and stress induced by lack of sleep influences both uterine receptivity and NK cell/cytokines release. The most critical thing is getting enough natural light in the early part of the day, being outside or using a SAD blue light lamp either to wake up with or on your desk for 20minutes (like Lumie) and reducing bright light and blue screen light in the evening, no screens in the bedroom 2 hours before bed. And getting enough sleep - 7-8 hours so if you wake up in the night then you have to go to bed earlier. But it’s true that you can get sleep catch up at the weekend. And ‘sleep hygiene’ is essential, a routine that tells your body it’s soon time to sleep, like a warm bath. And bedrooms are for sleep and sex ONLY! Apparently light and noise are our biggest environmental enemies so blackout blinds, earplugs, eye mask, noise cancelling ear buds (Bose do these) and have a warm bed but no heating on. We evolved to sleep in colder night air. And some kind of meditation technique to rest your mind. My favourite is imagining I’ve won the Euro Lottery (this week it’s £112 million!) So I drift off spending it, houses for everyone I know, charities and trusts for this and that and shall I have a chateau in France or an apartment in New York - or both 😂and so far I’ve fallen asleep before I’ve spent it all! #sleep #sleephygiene #insomnia #insomniaproblems #lackofsleep #circadianrhythm #circadianrhythms #bodyclock #ovulationtest #ovulation #lhsurge #nkcells #infertility #fertility #infertilityawareness #infertilitysucks

Yesterday’s Mirror newspaper highlighting sperm. The more awareness raised the better. Even before trying to conceive men should just look at some basics like stopping smoking, losing weight, wearing boxers, stopping marathon cycling, reducing alcohol and caffeine and starting to eat a good Mediterranean diet, get some exercise and sleep. #malefertility #malefertilitysupport #maleinfertility #maleinfertilityawareness #malefactorinfertility #sperm #mediterraneandiet #healthysperm #fertilitydiet #infertilitydiet #bpa #hormonedisruptors #endocrinedisruptors

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Melanie Brown

A guide to Fertility-Friendly Holiday Packing on my new website https://t.co/gsedoibmgv #fertiliy #nutrition… https://t.co/GtTYc9AZm8
about 6 months ago
Melanie Brown

One day I will make this Christmas wreath, so beautiful. https://t.co/sjnEaQBCFT
about a year ago
Melanie Brown

For anyone going through IVF, you are not alone, see this funny, sweet and useful https://t.co/EiaBBrEo3i
about a year ago
Melanie Brown

Recent headlines of falling #sperm counts will raise awareness that #infertility is about men too so get checked out before turning to #IVF
about a year ago
Melanie Brown

I love everything about this brand; forget soggy berries in Winter https://t.co/8Ejq7s5CO5 Lovely recipes too https://t.co/DVCFD3KxOB
about 2 years ago

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