This Might Not Heal You – Details, episodes & analysis

In today's episode, Katy discusses the small but mighty nutrient iodine. She reveals the system in the body that completely relies upon this mineral, and why getting the balance right is SO important, particularly for people with Hashimotos.

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

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https://katybradburyhealthltd.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1130954/?action=signup

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Email:

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Today, Katy makes some reflections on the podcast and her current practice, and discusses how widening out her focus to Women's Health can better serve YOU. During the episode she reveals her brand new comprehensive fertility service, which is designed to be a one-stop shop for fertility support, supporting you to reach your goal sooner than ever.

00:00

Hello, I am Katie Bradbury, a registered nurse, and nutritional therapist. Today's podcast episode is called, why I'm branching away from fertility, and how I can still help you.

00:27

So hello, hello. Welcome to today's episode, I'm really happy to be back for the second week on the trot after having a bit of an extensive period where I was getting quite sporadic with my podcast episodes, and what I wanted to do today, as I alluded to last week is just to come and chat to you, I guess a bit of a behind the scenes chat to just fill you in. Because I know that I've got a number of listeners who are really regular listeners to the show and who really enjoy it. I've had quite a few people get in touch to kind of ask about the absence of episodes when things had slowed down a bit. And I think what I realised is that part of the reason that I hadn't been coming to record the podcast every week is because I was just I don't know, I was finding that there was a resistance there. And usually, when we find some resistance in our lives, it's really worth actually sitting down with that and exploring it a little bit and hadn't had the chance to do that I was just it was just coming under the kind of the excuse, I guess of like, Oh, I've just been really busy. As you know, the summer has been really busy. But then, of course, the summer came and went and I was still putting off doing the podcast whereas actually, it used to be something that really lit me up. It used to be something that I used to really look forward to coming and doing. And I do, I enjoy coming into the studio at the bottom of the garden and making myself a cup of tea and coming and chat chatting to all of you, I really do. And so I was a bit puzzled as to why I was putting things off. And so this is what I'm here to talk to you about today. And I'm going to spend the episode just having a little chat through where I'm at at the moment. So it's a bit of a self-indulgent episode but hopefully, I'll just help you to make sense of things for where I'm at just now. And what it's made me realise is that I need to switch up the way of doing things a little bit. So what I've come to tell you today is just a little bit more info on where I'm going to be going next in terms of the services that I'm offering to you. So don't feel disheartened. Please, please listen on, I'm not saying that I'm packing in my fertility work at all. Very, very different to that. In fact, I'm figuring out a way to make it more comprehensive than it's ever been. But do stick around and listen to the episode I hope that you can join me today in whatever you're doing whether you're out for a walk or cooking or you know walking the dog or doing some chores or in the car or on your commute. Just settle in and have a little listen because I realised actually that I'm coming up to my two-year anniversary of when I set up my limited company Katie Bradbury Health. And although I was practising before that the birth of Katie Bradbury Health was really when I started to put my energy into supporting people in my private practice as opposed to anything else. So um, so that's kind of what my main focus has been for the last two years now.

04:26

My when back then in November 2020. My own fertility journey was still so raw, then actually and I'd, I'd not long had had my second child who I'm, you know, extremely blessed to have had. So she was born in June 2020. And then in November so when I set up as Katy Bradbury Health as I say my own fertility was just really still quite raw in. And for anyone who doesn't know about my own fertility journey that there is a previous episode, I can't remember what number it is off the top of my head, but I'll link to it in the show notes. So if anyone just want to go back and listen to my story, who doesn't already know it do, do go back and listen to that, because I go into the backstory a bit there. So if you're interested, you can do that.

05:33

But I so really still quite raw from my own fertility journey. And what I was determined to do then was help as many people as I could. And so I was at the end of embarking in a year-long programme that specialised or that taught me exclusively about fertility nutrition. So it was really so I was already you know, a nurse, I was already a nutritional therapist, I already specialised in women's health, I'd already got, you know, eight years of clinical experience by then, but this additional year's training was solely on fertility, male and female side, you know, fertility is a is an all-encompassing topic and looking at the underlying causes. And I was really determined, to specialise in fertility and to help as many people as I could, what I didn't realise two years on, is that I would end up holding the space for quite as many people, as I do, and that's an amazing thing, right? You know, I'm, I'm doing what I set out to do, which is helping as many people as I could. But what's happened recently is I've been feeling a little bit depleted. And I think that part of it seasonal, you know, of course, I think as we move away from the summer, that it's natural at this time of year, isn't it for your energy to shift. But part of it is because and this is, this might sound a little bit dramatic, but, hopefully, you can understand and, I will explain a bit further. But part of it is because for every person that I speak to who is struggling with their fertility, and whether that's, you know, an intensive one-to-one client, whether it's people who are in my membership, and that I support as a group, whether it's people in my Facebook group, whether it's people that reach out to me on the DM'S and Instagram, whether it's people who I speak to in this podcast, whether it's people who I indirectly work with, through a company in the states who I do some clinical mentorship for, it's, you know, there's a lot of people out there, and for each of those, and this is I don't mean for this to sound dramatic, but this is just the impact in me. But for a little, for each of those people, a little piece of me goes with them. And it's because it's a topic that I care so much about. It's very, very difficult to be really boundaries and to just leave that behind at the door, right? And so, what happened recently a couple of weeks ago, is I was at a bit of a crescendo, I guess, with quite a few people, you know, these journeys, of course, they ebb and flow, right? And so, sometimes you're up sometimes you're down. And the thing is, it's such a long journey, in a lot of cases, because lots of the people who come to me have actually got some really complex stuff going on. And it's not instantaneous, you know, it takes, can take time. And so the journey can last quite a long time. And then even when, you know, if a pregnancy does occur, it's not always all sunshine and roses, it's then Oh, hang on, we need to wait at least three months now before we can actually relax and then even then it can feel worrisome. So as I say, it's difficult to kind of be boundaries and leave that behind. And whilst I have got a lot better with my boundaries, in terms of I don't know, you know, being very clear in the way that I respond to people. It doesn't, you can't just leave, leave the emotional aspect of that out and so what happened a few weeks ago, is a few, I had a few people in my world who had you know, were coming to a bit of a kind of a crescendo whether that's, you know, they had IVF going on, or they've been pregnant, you know, they got pregnant, but that had a history of miscarriage and you know, there were quite a few people that I was talking to and it was quite intense and I was quite anxious for all of these people and I started in one of my journaling practices, I started writing out a prayer. And I started writing out a prayer for and it started just fit for each of these, I think there were about five people who one of them is a close friend.

10:16

And, you know, it's, it's I, as I said, one of them was like, in and out of hospital whos a client. And so I started writing about this prayer. And in this prayer, I, you know, I was asking for each of these people to get what they say, wanted, I was asking that, you know, that these, these IVF cycles would be successful, or that they, these pregnancies would work out. And I wrote, I wrote quite detailed messages in this in this letter, in this prayer. And then it all started spilling out. And I ended up then starting to think about other people who weren't kind of in this it sense of immediacy, you know, who didn't actively have this stuff going on, but who were still in my world and that I was supporting. And so I just carried on writing. And I carried on writing and writing and writing and pages later. And lots of names and lots of hopes and wishes and prayers later, I and I hadn't even stopped you know, I was full flow and I just realised my goodness, no wonder I'm feeling a bit on edge recently, because I'm holding this, right? And this isn't me being dramatic, by the way, because I have every, I completely know that it's far, far more intense for you than it ever could be for me. But a lot of it is, there's an element of kind of, and again, this sounds very dramatic, but it's just me being completely open, there's an element of, of re-traumatising there, because it's so close to my own heart in that I went through this myself, even though I'm so blessed and thankful to be on the other side of that. These are all feelings that I hold inside me because I've seen them and I felt them. And so I wrote out this prayer, I just realised like, gosh, okay, I'm holding this for a lot of people. And I realised in writing out this prayer that I can't actually keep going in the same way that I am, I can't, I can't keep going like this, because I really want the people who I am committed to, to get the absolute best of me. And that's not just my clients, and, the people that I speak to about their fertility journeys. But my family, my friends, and of course me, you know, I want me to get the best of me too. And then also very recently, sadly, my neighbour died. And it was really sad. He was, you know, any death is sad, of course. But he, you know, he left behind a wife and two twin boys, not young boys, not young at all, you know, they're at university now, but it's still really a really, really tragic loss. And it just, losses that are so close to home, really, really do make you reflect on how short and how precious life is. And so, you know, I want as I say, I want everyone in my world to get the best of me and I want me to get the best of me I want to be the best, the best I can be for everyone. And so I realised this is very self-indulgent podcast. But as I say, I think it's really important that I speak about this because this is the reality.

14:13

So what I found naturally recently over the last few months is that I've started attracting people coming to me for supporting me with other aspects of women's health, not just fertility. So I've had people coming to me to support them with the hormonal roller coaster, that's perimenopause. And even you know, lots of my, some of my current and former clients are also navigating peri-menopause. So it's kind of been an area that I've been quite interested in. And, also I've had some people coming to me for help with their Hormonal Health, or their women's health issues who aren't actually trying to conceive it's, it's just they just want to, they want to help regulate their cycles and to just feel as good as they possibly can. And as I say, for people who are coming to me for things around their Hormonal Health, it is about helping them to feel as good as they possibly can and to help them enjoy their lives and to do what they want to do with flow and with joy. And helping people like that as like a bit of a balance, it really helps to restore my battery as a practitioner and as a person, because the focus isn't entirely dependent on this thing happening, that they're so desperate for, and that I can remember so clearly and vividly how desperate it feels. So it's helped me to feel that bit more balanced. And when I've reflected on this, what I realised is that actually, what I do is the same regardless, because, in terms of my approach, there's no, there's no fertility, you know, there's no magic approach that's specialist to fertility. And then another approach that specialists for people who are struggling with their hormones that don't want to conceive. There's no you know, there's no different approach for people who want help with their perimenopause, for example, or their post-menopause. You it's all the same? Well, it's not all the same, because it's, the point is, it's different for everybody. But what is the same is investigating the underlying drivers. And that's different for everybody. So what is the same is that you know, someone comes to me with X, Y, Z. And typically, the thing with our hormones and our reproductive system is that it is essentially it's like an extra vital sign, right? Because our reproductive health is often a reflection of what is going on with the rest of our health. And of course, some things are unavoidable, you know, there is no stopping the menopause. Of course, it looks different for everybody, and it happens at a different time for everybody. But in essence, there are fundamental things that are the same regardless. And so reproductive health in general, is, is really what I'm passionate about. And that that's, you know, that's not, that's not bound by just being fertility or just being perimenopause or anything like that. So it's, it's made me realise that I just need to have that little bit of balance. And this, what I'm about to say is why you don't need to worry. Because if you're listening to this thinking, Oh, my goodness, you know, it, especially if you're a current client or someone who's in my world, at the moment, it doesn't mean that I'm gonna dump you don't worry. It just means that I'm going to be changing the way that I work a little bit. And so if you are already a client, that absolutely we will carry on working together in the same way that we have that will not change. But in terms of the way that I do things now. I'm going to be changing slightly and particularly for fertility clients. What I've been reflecting on as well is how, not reflecting on but thinking hard about is how I can really, really accelerate people's results and maximise their chances of success. Because I'm, I'm at the end of the day, I'm a lone practitioner, right? And without tooting my own horn, I'm a good practitioner, I'm comprehensive, I'm very well informed, I'm well educated, I've got good clinical experience, etc, etc. So, as far as practitioners go, I, you know, I know that I'm a good practitioner, but I'm only one person. And what I know and what I teach, of course, if you've been in my world a little while, you'll know this, is it can't just be one thing, right? So if we're just focusing on nutrition alone and nothing else, it's not going to be anywhere near as effective as if we do things in a really comprehensive way.

19:41

So if we were combining the nutrition piece, with the investigations into underlying causes, which again, it's another big part of the way I work in my one-to-one practice, but you know not everyone I work with does get that kind of really digging into the underlying causes. And that's, that's either because, you know, they don't want to, or they don't have the funds to look at that. But certainly, the people that I support on a group level, don't get that, because it's so it's general support is not personalised. But then, so there's the nutrition piece, there's the investigations piece, there's, but then there are these whole two other pieces, which are really significant, which is movement, which is huge, you know, really really important. And then there's the stress side, okay. Now, I do talk about movement, a lot, I advise on movement. But at the end of the day, I'm not a qualified personal trainer, I'm not qualified in any kind of physical therapy at all right, or movement. So I can advise, you know, and my advice is, usually make sure you are moving, and you know, do something you love, you know, doing anything that you love is better than doing nothing in the movement front. I often advocate strength training as well. But I can't go away and give you a strength workout to do, because I'm not qualified to do that. And the other side is stress. And again, I do everything I can to help buffer people's stress levels, I try my best to create a really nurturing and supportive environment. So my sessions are, my one-to-one sessions are, I'd like to think quite therapeutic. And I have my membership for that group-level peer support. And I have my Facebook group. And I have people within my online programmes, I have a number of tools, videos, workshops, etc, that can help with the stress side. But again, I'm not qualified in any additional modalities that help with the stress piece. So what I am really blessed with over the last few years is that I've really built up an incredible network. And I've been fortunate to meet some amazing practitioners on my journey. And so what I want to do now, in terms of the fertility package that I offer, for one-to-one work is to bring it all together into a really comprehensive package. And what that will look like is essentially I'm going to be getting a team of people together, to help me to actually carry out this really important work in the most effective, and the best possible way where you're getting everything all together in like a really nourishing and nurturing package. So I've spoken to a number of practitioners, and I got some incredible people on board. And so what I want to be offering now, moving forward for my one-to-one work, yes, for my, for my one-to-one work is you will be seeing one of my team, one of my fertility nutritionists who have got the exact same fertility, nutrition training as I have and who have been seeing clients in the same way that I do, because there is a group of us. And we're all amazing, even if I do say so myself. So you will be seeing one of my team of amazing fertility nutritionists. For your nutrition support, you will be getting included, so rather than having all of the testing done separately, the tests that you need will be included in the package. So everyone that comes on board will have these tests done, that will start to look into the underlying causes, because the way I describe the fertility of the reproductive health piece, is that you need it.

24:31

In order to make a healthy baby. It's like a chain of events has to happen, okay? And this chain of events is quite comprehensive. And there's a lot that has to go right in order for a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby to come out the other side of that. So what we're doing is within this chain of events through doing this testing and through investigating the underlying drivers for you as an individual is we are looking for any gaps across that chain? Okay? Because it is a game of odds at the end of the day. And so if we can find where your gaps are in the chain that is your life and your health and all of the systems in your body that are connected, then we can, we can then plug those gaps, we can find what your unique gaps are, we plug each of those gaps, and then we can move forward. And so each gap that you're plugging is increasing your chances of things going, right? Okay? So, um, so it's going to include the testing, it's going to include the nutrition side, and the personalised supplements that will help, be helping to plug those gaps. But then you will also be working with a fertility specialist personal trainer, who will be so so she works on an app. And so she will get you onto her app, and then you get regular fertility-focused exercise routines, just for you to do you get interactions with her, there's a little community on there as well. So you get the movement side incorporated into your programme as well. You also get so, also onboard is a wonderful hypnotherapist that I've been doing some work with, um, I'm not giving any names out at the moment because we're still in the final, the final stages of planning here. But I'm just letting you know what will be involved. So you will also then get a package of hypnotherapy with this fertility-focused hypnotherapist and that can be focused around natural conception and also that it can have some focus on IVF if you're on that journey. And so that then is an incredibly powerful combination, because we're doing the investigations. So we're doing the digging to look at you and the messages that your body is giving us so that we can then plug those gaps. You've got a specialist nutritionist that's giving you your tailored protocols and your tailored advice and supporting you through actually making the changes to your nutrition and lifestyle that will help to plug those gaps that we find. You've got the movement, so you've got this support from a personal trainer who is very well notified in fertility. So you've got support from her as well to get the movement side in. And then you've got this hypnotherapy support as well, which is really then focusing in not just on the stress piece, but on that subconscious piece as well. And working through some of that. So it's going to be really, really comprehensive programme. And far, far more than the sum of its parts, okay? So this is what I'm going to be delivering now. And it's you know, that is what is going to be available for people coming to me, as you know, the top level of support that we can offer. So you know, there can be varieties of this as well. But this is what I want to offer people so that we are really doing everything we can to maximise the chances of this healthy pregnancy happening, which is ultimately what you're wanting if you're listening to this. So as for this podcast, I did talk at the beginning about the podcast and kind of how all of this was started by me reflecting on why I'd been a bit resistant to recording some of the podcast episodes.

28:58

What I'm likely to do is continue recording for the rest of this year, for the rest of 2022 and finish the micronutrient series that I've been involved in quite a few of you have been enjoying that so far. So I'm really glad about that, that you've been finding that helpful. But for 2023, I'm going to butterfly out a bit. So I'm going to start talking about I'm going probably actually change the fertility in the first 1000 days podcast, I'm probably going to actually start a new podcast with a different title. And this will still be here, don't worry, all of these episodes will still be here and I can still direct people back to particular episodes that will be helpful for them. So this will always be here as a resource for you. But I'm going to probably talk, start a new podcast that's talking about women's health more broadly. Because as I say there is so much the same when it comes to women's health in terms of addressing the underlying causes. So what I don't want to do because my passion really is women's health and family health across the board. I don't want to alienate anyone or leave anyone out by just focusing on fertility. And especially because lots of the people who have been my clients who have, have needed help with their fertility and then, like me have come out of the other side of that journey. Lots of people actually then want ongoing support. They want the support with navigating their pregnancies. They then want support with like the crazy ride, that is parenthood, they want the support with perimenopause. And so I'm really here for all of that. And so, as I say, I'm probably going to be branching out to talk a little bit more about women's health in general, and the other thing, of course, is that if you are on a fertility journey, yes, of course, that is like your massive focus, and it can be really difficult to find anything else. But such a significant part of that journey for me, and what made it so traumatic, is because I was focused on that, above anything else. And I was not putting myself first, I was not thinking about all of the things that I could be enjoying, and feeling, gratitude and love towards in my own life, all I could do was everything on this thing that wasn't happening. And so lots of what I talk about in my group is around that is around, finding you, again, actually, and who you are, as a person, as a woman. And the things, you know, focusing in on the things that do light you up. And so I really do want to explore that side of things a little bit more within, within the things that I talked about in the in the show, as well. So that is my plan. If you have listened all the way to the end, thank you so much for sticking with me. I know I've wittered on. But I'm very, very excited about my slightly new way of working, I'm really excited about this new package that I'm going to be offering for one-to-one clients, that is going to be just so comprehensive. And really just trying to you know, move through this process as quickly as you can and actually get your baby you know, as quick as we can. And of course, as I say it's for some people, it is a slow process. And there's nothing we can do about that. But I'm really confident that this new package is going to be helping people in the most comprehensive way. So that's it for me today. Thank you for listening. I'd love to know if you've got any thoughts. Excuse me, please do share. drop me an email. I love hearing from people listeners of the show, drop me an email on support@KatyBradbury.com. If you are listening, and you're thinking actually, yes, that programme does absolutely sound like a bit of what I need right now. Please do get in touch. I'm not taking bookings for it at the moment. But hopefully, we'll be up and running with this new programme imminently. So if you want to be one of the first people to actually benefit from that, then do drop me an email at support@KatyBradbury.com as for my other offerings. I still do have my Facebook group fertility in the first 1000 days. So if you want to come along and join that, please do and I also have what else do I have? I also have my membership in which we meet every Wednesday at 5 pm UK time. And so if you want to come and really get involved in that peer support, then you know, please, please do drop me an email and I can tell you a bit more about that as well.

33:58

All right, have a lovely, lovely week everyone. I will be back next time to carry on with the micronutrient mini-series and continue to talk to you about the minerals that are really important for reproductive health. Take care bye bye.

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
https://katybradbury.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

Love the show? Don't forget to leave a star rating and a review to share the love and help it reach others who need to hear this!

00:01

Hello, you are listening to Katy Bradbury, a registered nurse and nutritional therapist. Today's podcast episode is called The Micronutrients Series, Fat Soluble Vitamins Part 4.

00:15

So Hello, good evening, or at least it's evening, as I'm recording this on a Sunday night as ever here in the UK. I am continuing the talk this week, and I've been shining over the last three episodes, the light; I've been shining the light on a few of the micronutrients. So I've been starting with vitamins as they relate to fertility, so been giving a little bit of background, what they found in various facts about them and the things that can impact the status of those vitamins. Now, you may hear, especially if you're a regular listener, that my voice sounds a bit strange today; I do have a bit of a cold going on. I wondered whether it might be COVID. Actually, I did a COVID test yesterday. Here in the UK, at the moment, COVID is definitely on the rise again. I think it's about one in 40 people have it; we've got a variant of Omicron going around that it's like super duper transmissible. So loads and loads of people are getting it or getting it again at the moment. But I didn't actually test positive, so I think it might just be a run-of-the-mill cold. But in any case, I am grateful for your sake as well as mine that today is going to be a relatively short episode because vitamin K, which is the final vitamin in the fat soluble group of vitamins, which covers the A, D, E and K group of vitamins that I've already spoken about. So vitamin K, there's not a huge amount to say about vitamin K. That doesn't mean it's not really important. It is important, and I will run through some of the reasons for that today. But it's not one that I have to go into a huge amount of detail about.

02:33

So I have already covered in the last three episodes some information about fat soluble vitamins, genuinely the things that can impact the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. So do go back and listen to those episodes if you haven't already. If you are a new listener to the show, then perhaps today might not be the best episode to start with. Welcome if you are a new listener. I'm really, really glad to have you here, but starting with a spotlight on vitamin K perhaps isn't the best introduction to me and to my podcast. So do go back and have a listen to perhaps something that is a little bit more relevant to where you're at on your fertility journey. There are plenty of episodes to choose from. I think we're on episode number, oh gosh, 65, 66 now, so there's lots of stuff. I'm sure you'll find something that's pertinent to you and your situation, and then once you've gone and listened to some previous episodes and you're familiar with me and the way I talk and the way I operate, then you know, come to you come back and listen to these this micronutrient mini-series that I'm doing because it is important. I'm just going to pause to do a cheeky sneeze.

03:53

Hello, I just gulped down a cup of steaming hot lemon and ginger tea before I started recording the episode in the hopes that it might help my voice of it, but I don't think it has, so I will spare you having to listen to me for too long because people normally say I've got a soothing voice, but I think today I sound more like a, I don't know a crocodile.

04:22

So vitamin K. So really, there are two main things that we associate with vitamin K, and you might listen to these two things and think this has got nothing to do with fertility. Why am I even bothering? But the truth is Vitamin K is an important nutrient for fertility, just as every single vitamin is important for fertility. The reason for that is because vitamins, by their very nature, are essential micronutrients, and an essential micronutrient means that we do not produce enough of that nutrient within our own bodies without any help from an external setting, so we need to get it externally in order to actually get enough of it.

05:15

So, with that in mind with that principle in mind, every single micronutrient that I talk about here, every single vitamin that I speak about in this mini-series, is essential. It's really important for the general functioning of our body and, thus, fertility.

05:32

So the main thing that we think about when we think about vitamin K, and you may be aware of this already, is clotting. So vitamin K helps our blood to clot, and we often think about blood clotting as being a bad thing. So blood clots are often thought of as a negative thing. If you're listening to this for fertility, which you probably are, then you might think of blood clots in terms of your menstrual cycle in getting lots of clotting. So you might think, Oh, actually, I already get a clot. So I don't want any more of those things. Or you might be thinking about it in terms of cardiovascular disease and thinking about how blood clotting is a risk factor. And that's absolutely right. It is a risk factor for serious life-threatening diseases. But it's also life-saving. So just like everything, if you've listened to me for quite a while now, then you probably have caught the gist of that. Just because too much of one thing is bad doesn't mean that too little of it is good. It has to be somewhere in the middle. So blood clotting, what would happen if our blood didn't clot, and we got a paper cut, for example, or we nicked ourselves shaving, then our blood might not have the clotting factors, it needs to actually stop that bleed. And so we could, you know, we could end up bleeding out for something really simple, like having a cut. So in that respect, blood clotting is there for a reason. We need our blood to clot in those situations. So blood clotting is really important. And you may be aware of the role of vitamin K in newborn infants as well. So if you're listening to this podcast, and you are pregnant already, or you know you've been working with me, and you're pregnant, or you've had a child already, and you've got secondary infertility, then you may well be aware that most infants, well all infants really in the UK, are offered a vitamin K injection at birth, or a Vitamin K oral solution at birth. And the reason for that is because a small percentage of, it's a public health drive, so a small percentage of babies are thought to have depleted stores of vitamin K. And so as a prophylactic measure is a preventative measure to stop them from or to help prevent those small percentage of babies from having a haemorrhage or being at risk of having a haemorrhage, then the Vitamin K is offered, so it's really quite a potent medication.

08:33

Now, really important to note here the vitamin K because of this, this link with blood clotting, is a vitamin that is that does have interactions with medications and potentially supplements as well. So, for example, lots of people that I work with are taking fish oils, and fish oils are a natural anticoagulant, which means it's a blood thinner. Lots of people, not many of my clients, but lots of people in the UK, in the United States, and in the western world, are on anticoagulant blood-thinning medications. So if that is you, please bear in mind that there can be interactions here, and please always speak to your health care provider if you're concerned about any of this. Always be sure before you supplement with any, even over-the-counter, supplements. Please always make sure that they are safe and suitable for you. So really important for blood clotting. But just in that respect, really important for foetal development as well. So we want our blood flow to be as normalised as possible during pregnancy because there is one way in, one way out in terms of via the placenta and how we actually how our blood supply reaches our unborn child during pregnancy. And so really important during pregnancy and foetal development that our blood is as normalised as possible in terms of how it's made up in terms of its constitution.

10:27

Blood clotting is the main thing that we think of with vitamin K, and the other thing is bone health. And bone health, again, you might be thinking, what has bone health got to do with me? Well, first of all, bone health, again, has got a lot to do with a growing foetus, right. So when you're growing a baby, when you're growing a baby from scratch, you're growing bones from scratch. So we need to make sure that there are enough of all of the nutrients that are helpful for bone health and bone development. Vitamin K is one of those. So certainly, although vitamin K might not directly be associated with egg health and sperm health and all of those other things, the repercussions for newborn babies for foetal development are significant. So we want to be thinking about this stuff now and wanting to be making sure that we are getting an adequate intake of all of these essential nutrients.

11:36

So involved in bone support, vitamin K is linked to our bone mineral density. So lots of people get that done as a reading. They get their bone mineral density measured. And whilst it's true that people, particularly women in their later years, are more susceptible to lower bone mineral density and therefore at higher risk for breaks, fractures, etc. There are certain people in the pre-menopausal years who are also at risk of frequent fractures and bone breaks, etc. So vitamin K may be worth thinking about in those situations.

12:24

The other thing, of course, that we linked to bone mineral density is that it tends to deplete in the postmenopausal years and because it links in with our Hormonal Health, right. So lots of people who struggle with infertility struggle because they have suffered from POI, so premature ovarian insufficiency, or anyone who has been told that they are at risk of going into menopause early. This is certainly something to be thinking about just in terms of your long-term health. So definitely something to consider, as I say no direct links to fertility as such, but plenty of things around foetal development and general health.

13:22

Now, the final thing I want to say about Vitamin K is that, before I talk about the different sources and how we actually get it, is that it can also be linked to our vitamin D status. So vitamin K is thought to help vitamin D to absorb. Now, if you actually look into the mechanisms of this, it is really, really super-duper complicated. And it's not in the same way that, for example, vitamin D helps to absorb calcium. Although it is in a similar thread to that, it is a lot more complicated. However, some people do choose to have a vitamin D supplement with a K2 supplement alongside it to help the absorption. So oftentimes, if you're taking a vitamin D supplement, some people may look at the bottle and say, oh right, yeah, it is. It's often labelled as like D3 K2. So vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 that is the typical kind of presentation. Now I'm not going to tell you whether that's right or wrong because, as you know, as one of my listeners, I do not give supplement advice on the podcast. It would not be safe for me to do so. So I'm just advising you have what is out there.

14:51

So, where do we actually find vitamin K? Well, actually, really, really easy to remember. And it's kale. So vitamin K we can often think of as Vitamin Kale because by far the densest concentration of vitamin K in food form is found in kale. So a cup of kale has over a gramme of vitamin K in it.

15:22

But there are lots and lots of rich sources of vitamin K out there as well. So all of your dark green leafy vegetables are fantastic for vitamin K. So your spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard, all of those. And then things like Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and parsley, are all really good forms of vitamin K. Even lettuce like romaine lettuce, asparagus, cabbage, bok choy, celery, basil, so just really thinking of those lovely green vegetables in the plant world, but also things like green beans, cauliflower, even to some extent cucumber, tomatoes, green peas, blueberries, so all of those foods have got some vitamin K in them. Also, things like grapes, carrots, squash, and chillies. So lots of different foods do contain some vitamin K, even things like aubergines, plums, melons, peppers, cranberries, and pears. So lots of sources out there.

16:37

Now worth understanding that there are three different forms of vitamin K. There is, so I just mentioned before the supplement that might contain K2. Most of the sources that I just recommended are sources of vitamin K1 and K1. Now can I remember what K1 stands for? So K1 is, they've all got like really long and complicated names, and I can't remember what K1 stands for, which is why I'm just stalling while I look up the name. Where are we, vitamin K? I've actually got some of my old nutrition college notes up here. I was inspired last week when I spoke about vitamin E, and I found, if you listened to the episode last week, you remember that I found one of my old college essays on vitamin K. And so I just remembered that I have all of these outcome old notes for most studies. And I thought I'd bring that up today. Anyway, that stalling has helped me find what I was looking for, so and to be honest, you really don't need to know this. I'm just showing off, but phylloquinone is Vitamin K1, and that is the normal dietary source, which is found in most leafy vegetables, and other plant foods that I've listed. Menaquinones is K2. Now very, very interesting here, which because we often think about food being our primary sources of certain nutrients, with the exception, of course, being vitamin D, which I spoke about a couple of episodes ago, which we tend to synthesise ourselves from sunlight. But vitamin K2 so menaquinones, I'd love to know if you already know this, because it's actually really fascinating, are actually synthesised largely not from the foods we eat, not from the sunlight that we absorb for our skin, but through our gut bacteria. So it's actually, so I always talk about the gut, and I did a mini-series just like this one within the podcast a couple of months ago now about digestion. And so if you go back and listen to that mini-series, if you haven't already, because really, really important stuff in there and digestive health and gastrointestinal health is super duper important for fertility. And if you don't know that already, then please do go back and listen because it's integral to the way that I operate with any of my clients; we always look at the gut first. Now, what is really interesting is that K2 is synthesised by bacteria in our large intestine. So again, it's a testament to us needing to have the right kind of bacteria in our gut needed to have that great gut health in order for our gut microbiome to do what it does best and produce some of those compounds and other things, I had a mind blank there, other things that our body really needs to reduce inflammation, for homeostasis to take place, for normal hormone production to take place and for inflammation to be reduced. So it's really important to get that gut health in gear. There is a k3 as well. Mostly the K3 is synthetic, and that would then be metabolised in the body to that K1 form.

20:38

So really interesting stuff. I think that there's a bit of a gap there, there could be more evidence, or there could be more research done on Vitamin K. To be honest, there is some out there, but I would really love there to be a bit more about how the menaquinones, the vitamin K3 that is synthesised by a gut microbiome. I'd love to see a bit more research into how that is actually uptaken and how that is actually used by the body because it's just fascinating stuff. But if you're not a geek like me, you might not be as fascinated by that. But hopefully, you've at least found it interesting to hear that that's where some of our vitamin K2 comes from.

21:19

So that's it for me today. Thank you for putting up with my croaky voice if you've listened to it all the way to the end. I did want to send a little reminder as well. If you are a regular listener to the podcast, or if you've listened to this episode and enjoyed it, please do go and give me a star rating on whichever platform you listen to. Please do give me a review of the show. Let me know what you think. And I will be back to speak to you again next week. Take care

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

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12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

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00:01

Hello, hello, you're listening to Katy Bradbury, nutritional therapist and registered nurse. Today's podcast episode is called the micronutrient series, fat soluble vitamins part three.

00:29

So hello, and welcome to this week's episode. If you have been following the show over the last few episodes, you will know that today, or in the last few weeks, I have decided to focus back really intricately on nutrition within the podcast. And part of the reason for that is because I really felt as though the spotlight really deserved to be shone on each individual vitamin and mineral as it relates to fertility. So I thought I'd work my way through, really starting off with vitamins and then continuing on to talk about some of my favourite minerals with regards to fertility. And I guess this is really to highlight, ultimately, the fact that a balanced, varied whole foods diet trumps anything else, and if you are getting a balanced, varied whole foods diet, and as I've mentioned time and time again, as a general principle, the Mediterranean diet is the best researched diet for fertility. It's not only because of the macronutrient balance, the proteins, fats and carbohydrate balance within the Mediterranean diet that makes it favourable for fertility. I'm hoping that by shining the spotlight on each of these vitamins and minerals, it can really help you as my listeners to understand some of the real reasons why I might be telling you, like why I bang on about flaxseeds all the time, for example. And you know why there are certain things which I will sound like a broken record about when it comes to making suggestions. And a lot of that is because, through the suggestions that I make through the diet and lifestyle recommendations that I advocate, you are getting the full spectrum of these vitamins and minerals. So I'm starting off with vitamins, and within the vitamins, I'm starting off with the fat soluble vitamins. And this is the third episode. So today, I'm going to be covering vitamin E. There's only one more left of the fat soluble after this. So they are vitamins A and vitamin D, which I covered in the last two episodes. Today we're going to talk about vitamin E, which I'm really excited about. Next week, we'll cover vitamin K, and then I will move on to the water soluble vitamins, which will be the B vitamins and vitamin C, before going on to talk about the minerals. So I'm really excited about this, and it might seem like a boring topic, but I hope it's not. I hope that I've managed to present it in a way that is interesting and relevant for you and where you're at in your fertility journey because I am thinking about these all of these as they relate specifically to fertility and also pregnancy having a healthy pregnancy.

04:00

So vitamin E,  I actually, when I was thinking about what to talk to you about with regards to vitamin E, I had a memory, and I remembered back in my nutrition college days. I wish I had a date for this assignment. I don't know, but it was quite a few years ago, and all of the references that I've used are quite old because I wish I knew when it was, but it was years ago anyway. And I did. We had an assignment in college where we had to create a fact sheet about we had to choose four. We had to choose two vitamins and two minerals, and I suddenly had a flashback to this assignment that I did back in the back in nutrition college, and I was like, I wonder if I can find that assignment anywhere, and I did. I managed to dig it out. And it was really interesting for me to look at this because this was, you know, really at the very start of my nutrition. I mean, I trained in nutrition for three years. And I would say that really it despite that, and I learned so much, I found it incredible, just absolutely incredible. It blew my mind.

05:24

But despite that, it's really only in the years since qualifying in nutrition that I've really learned, like, half as much as what I know now. So if that even makes sense, it's Sunday evening. Forgive me, forgive my ramblings. Anyway, the point being, I was interested to look back at this assignment on what I'd written about vitamin E. Back, I guess, in my really early days, because of this, this was one of the early assignments as well back in the early days of my nutrition studies. Anyway, like it was pretty alright, you know, I gave myself a little pat on the back because it was quite interesting. And one of the really, bear in mind this is before I was really on a fertility journey of my own as well, so I was reading through this, and some of the things that I've highlighted in this sheet are that so that vitamin E, as I've said, already fat soluble micronutrients, its essential. And essential means not that it's essential for life although it is, it's essential in that the body cannot produce enough Vitamin E of its own. So we have to get it from elsewhere; we have to obtain it externally. And so fat soluble, so I've already mentioned just to reiterate, again, the fact that fat soluble vitamins require adequate fat in the diet to actually be transported properly and to be absorbed properly. But also we need to be able to digestively absorb the fats in order to also absorb and transport the fat soluble nutrients, so so really important that if there is any level of fat malabsorption going on in the body, then that that really does need to be addressed. So do go back, and if you haven't already listened to my episodes, my mini-series on digestive health or digestion, please, please do go back and listen to that. Digestion might seem unrelated to fertility, but it's not; it is the backbone of fertility because if you have all of these nutrients in your diet, but you're not absorbing them right, then it's pointless; they're not going to be doing their job correctly.

07:56

So I'm coming back to vitamin E, and it is, so it's got like four or eight actually different components, different types of isomers, they call it in terms of its chemical structure. And it's broken down into two. So you've got tocopherols and tocotrienols, and tocopherols are genuinely the better absorbed in the body. So when we're thinking about vitamin E, generally, then tocopherols are better absorbed than tocotrienols. And when we're thinking about vitamin E, the really the thing that we're really thinking about is antioxidant. And there are a number of antioxidants. Vitamin C is an antioxidant. I will talk about that another time. There are lots and lots of antioxidants. But Vitamin E is one of them. And vitamin E is an important antioxidant because it is a lipid antioxidant. It's a fat antioxidant. So what that means, and the way I like to explain this is that on a cellular level in our bodies, each and every one of our cells, every single cell of the millions and millions of cells that we've got in our body, it is held together by a lipid membrane, and so it's the wall of the cell its the lipid membrane. And lipid means fat, fat and lipid are interchangeable. So we have these lipid membranes in every cell in our body, and the health of our lipid membranes is so important for the rest of our body because that is how everything is transported in and out of the cell all of the time. And that's whether we're talking about units of energy, whether we're talking about electrolytes, whether we're talking about vitamins, whether you're whether we're talking about nutrients. And these transactions are constantly happening, this exchange of things coming in and out of the cell. And it's all via the lipid membrane. And so, we need our lipid membranes to be functioning as optimally as possible. But unfortunately, cells are pretty small, and they're pretty delicate. The lipid membranes can be subject to oxidative damage. And the way I like to think about that is if we think about fats and oils, sometimes you might open a bottle of oil that has maybe been in the cupboard or maybe even left outside of the cupboard for some time, maybe had a lot of exposure to direct sunlight and heat. Maybe you've been open for a long time, and you open that bottle, it's like, oh, like a rancid smell comes out of it. Right. And that is that means that that fat has oxidised that oil has been subjected to oxidation. And it's the same in our lipid membranes. Our lipid membranes can be subject to oxidative stress to damage. Antioxidants, so the fat soluble antioxidants like vitamin E,  like coq10, are great for helping to repair and mop up some of that free radical damage, which, if I'm using terminology that you're not comfortable or not familiar with here, please see it very simply as damage, right damage, and this is helping to mop up some of that damage. So really important, and really important in the context of cholesterol, as well. So again, vitamin E helps to inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which in turn can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, etc.

08:47

Now, you might be wondering, hang on a minute, Katy. I thought you were going to talk about this in the context of fertility. I absolutely am. And it's really important to remember that when we're thinking about fertility as a symbol, a bit of a clue into what might be happening in terms of the rest of the body and drivers for health and disease. In terms of drivers for health and disease, then we do need to consider all of these things. And so if someone's high risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and all of these kinds of things, because of the amount of oxidative stress that they're under, then that is naturally going to be impacting their fertility as well. That doesn't mean that someone with high blood pressure can't get pregnant. But it does mean that the more, the more risk factors that a person has for their health in general, then the more you know, in terms of optimising health and optimising fertility, we really would want to be driving these things down driving these risks down, so that your body is a place where your reproductive system can say, oh, okay, great. We know that this is a really safe place. We know that this is a place where we can have a healthy pregnancy. Let's switch it on. Let's get going.

13:36

So specifically in terms of, Oh, one interesting thing, actually, that came out of this assignment, right at the bottom, I've got a little section. And I've spoken about in this assignment, my old assignment, I've spoken about the antioxidant properties, the cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, heavy metal, all of these things that I've already mentioned, how it links in with the immune system even. And then right at the bottom, I've got this tiny little section, where I've just said, and bear in mind, I didn't really have much interest specifically in fertility back then. I've said Vitamin E is also associated with the reproductive system and the term tocopherol. So if you remember, I said that vitamin E is divided into tocopherol and tocotrienols. So the term tocopherol is derived from the Greek words tos and phero, together meaning to bear children. So that is really interesting, and I wish that I'd expanded on that point back when I did this assignment, but I didn't, unfortunately, but really the point of that is that we have known for a long time that vitamin E is associated with reproductive health.

15:14

Now, the Research Board core evidence is varied on vitamin E., and in terms of kind of medical trials where Vitamin E might have been supplemented, I think I said similar to the vitamin D piece last week as well like with vitamin D, there's loads of evidence that says that vitamin D deficiency of vitamin D insufficiency is associated with all of these poor fertility outcomes, and how vitamin D, replenish and like good levels of vitamin D in the blood were associated with more positive outcomes, but not much in the way of clinical trials that say, Okay, well, if we do a trial where we give X amount of vitamin D to X amount of people in X circumstances, then does it increase the likelihood that they will have, you know, better pregnancy outcomes. So this is where some of the data is a bit lacking, to be quite honest. And, you know, perhaps this is an area where there should be more research. However, as I say, what we do know about vitamin E is that it is a powerful antioxidant. There is research around it in terms of both male fertility and female fertility. From a female fertility point of view, it's understood to have an impact on egg health, so it can be used to help to prevent ovarian ageing. So for anyone who's worried about that, who maybe has got a lower AMG, or they're worried about their age, then Vitamin E is definitely a really important nutrient. Just to, you know, if nothing else, to help prevent that oxidative damage. And we know that eggs on a cellular level, the health of our eggs, we really want to be preventing that oxidative damage to and the same with sperm. For females, it is also thought to improve the endometrial lining.

17:21

So when given for three months, this is in supplement form. I'm not going to talk about doses because I don't do that on this podcast. I don't ever want anyone to run out and start taking supplements on the basis of something I've said in this podcast because it's not appropriate. And you really need to get an expert eye cast on your situation and your individual circumstances before you start taking supplements. And I hope that that is really clear if you are a regular listener. So vitamin E supplementation for three months, I'm not going to talk about type. I'm not going to talk about dosages. But it is thought to be helpful for thickening the endometrial lining. So again, if you're in a situation where you know you've got an issue with either your egg health, your partner's sperm, or the endometrial lining, then Vitamin E could be a super helpful nutrient for you to consider.

18:26

Now I have to say that in my own practice, and whilst I do sometimes recommend vitamin E supplements, I love just recommending that people get enough vitamin E through their diet. Vitamin E is abundantly available in foods and eating, and this is where the Mediterranean diet comes in, which you'll see in a moment when I start talking to you about some of the really great sources of vitamin E. So really, when we're thinking about vitamin E, the first things that springs to mind are those oily foods, so things like nuts and seeds, olive oil, oily fatty fish, but also dark green leafy vegetables. And in fact, if we look at some of the top sources of vitamins E and vitamin E, sunflower seeds are really high up there. And then next in the kind of excellent range if you like a big height highest in vitamin E  are a series of dark green leafy veg. And if you think that dark green leafy veg has to be limited to things like spinach and kale, You're so wrong. Like, I'm going to give you a few examples here, but we've got things like yes, spinach, swiss chard, turnip greens, asparagus, beetroot greens, mustard greens, broccoli, yes, kale, collard greens. So, so many different types of dark green vegetables are really great sources of not just vitamin E, but all sorts of other nutrients like folate and vitamin C and even vitamin A, or beta carotene anyway, so dark green leafy vegetables are just hands down one of the best things that you can be eating on a really regular basis, as are those really great sources of healthy fats and so things like sunflower seeds, avocados are really rich in vitamin e, and then oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring. Shrimp even is a good source of vitamin E and extra virgin olive oil. And then even things like green beans, leeks, carrots, kiwi fruit, raspberries, cranberries, they all have some vitamin E in them. And, of course, the rest of the nuts as well, like walnuts. So really, if you're thinking about like a nice range of vegetables, and daily healthy fats in your diet, then you're going to be giving your body a really lovely dose not just of healthy fats, but vitamin E as well. And this has such a protective impact on our health at the cellular level, including our egg health and including our sperm health. So really vitamin E, I always think of as this just really nourishing, and I own nutrients and nourishing, but I see it as so like healing almost and nutritive. And it works really well with vitamin C as well. So again, if we're having those kinds of dark green leafy veg, which are also high in vitamin C, it's a really nice combo because, as with all antioxidants, if you have too much of them. And I don't think that you could get too much vitamin E from diet alone. But if you were supplementing with really high dose vitamin E, then you could be then at risk that that becomes bro-oxidative. And so we don't want that. And so it is a balance to be struck, but the Vitamin C helps to actually mop up any possible any, like oxidative damage that might come from the vitamin E itself. So those two working in combination together work very synergistically. They complement each other beautifully.

22:54

So really, in a nutshell, it is to say that we know and have known for a very long time that vitamin E is really important for fertility. There is not a huge amount of research in the way of clinical trials in terms of supplementing it. But there is a lot of research into diets that contain a lot of vitamin E naturally and its impact on health and fertility.

23:24

So that's, that's about all I have to say on Vitamin E, to be honest. Hopefully, that's been helpful. Really, I guess one of the big reminders to you, as I said at the start, is really optimising that digestion to make sure that you haven't got any issues with absorbing it. In case any of my listeners are still scared of fats or still feel that fats are bad. Please, please, it's high time we started to move away from that concept now. And if you're not getting enough healthy fat in your diet through nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, and good quality oils, then you're just not going to be doing your body any service in terms of its reproductive health of so many levels.

24:17

So I hope you found that helpful today. I'd love to hear how you feel your vitamin E intake is at the moment and whether you have found this episode helpful. So do go ahead, give me a review, and get in touch. I've got all of the ways you can get in touch with me on the show notes, which are also within the iTunes app if you click on the episode today and read the description. So do get in touch. Let me know where you're at on your journey. And if you feel confused at all about anything that you feel you should be doing for your own health and your own fertility. I do have a couple of spaces opening up for one-to-one work in July, so if anyone listening thinks that it actually is really time that it got some tailored support with this stuff and started to do some digging started to do some of the investigations. I do have just a couple of slots for July. So if you would like to go ahead and book a discovery call with me, you can do that. The link is in the show notes, and we can have a little chat through and figure out whether I am the right person to help you.

25:29

Okay, speak to you next week. Have a lovely week. Bye-bye.                                                                           

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
https://katybradbury.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

Love the show? Don't forget to leave a star rating and a review to share the love and help it reach others who need to hear this!

00:00

Hello, you are listening to Katy Bradbury, registered nurse and nutrition therapist. Today's podcast episode is called The Micronutrients Series Fat Soluble Vitamins Part 2.

00:15

So in today's episode, I am continuing to talk to you about micronutrients. So, over the next few weeks, I will be covering the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that are associated with fertility for lots of different reasons. And I just thought it might be a nice idea, as I explained last week, to go through these micronutrients in a bit more detail and give a spotlight to each and every one of them. And that's not to say that we should get fixated on any particular one of these micronutrients. It's more just to aid your understanding of why a varied diet, a nutritious diet that is full of different plant foods and all the different colours of the rainbow. And a varied diet generally, because it's not all just plant foods, is really, really important for fertility. So without further ado, I'm going to talk to you about vitamin D today.

01:45

Vitamin D is a really well known micronutrient; it's a really well known vitamin when it comes to fertility. And this is one that actually fertility clinics will often test. And if it's found that your vitamin D levels are subpar, then it may be that you need to go away and improve those levels before you have your fertility treatment. And that's because there's a wide body of evidence now that talks about this. So I'm going to talk to you today about what vitamin D is and what it does in the body. I'm going to give a brief review of some of the evidence in relation to fertility. And we're going to talk about things that can impact our vitamin D status and how we can improve it. So vitamin D, as I started last week with vitamin A, so I'm currently running through the fat soluble vitamins. So vitamin D is one of the fat soluble vitamins. That means that it needs adequate fat to be able to be absorbed and utilised. So unlike water soluble, which are water soluble, the fat soluble vitamins need adequate fats. So if you have an issue with either not having the right kind of fats in your diet or not absorbing your fats very well, then it may be that your vitamin D levels are depleted.

03:24

So vitamin D for fertility. So the role of vitamin D in general, so probably most of you are aware that vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, right? We are able as humans to synthesise our own vitamin D via the skin using sunlight using UVB rays. So once the UVB rays hit our skin, we are then able to synthesise vitamin D and use that vitamin D. There is some vitamin D in some foods, but you couldn't really get enough vitamin D from diet alone. It's not just about the foods you eat. We do need that sunshine to help us along.

04:20

So vitamin D is really important when we're thinking about bone health because it helps us absorb calcium, so it's like a bit of a lock and key mechanism in our ability to absorb calcium. The reason that's really important in terms of hormones and fertility is because it is really important for foetal development, right so you got to actually be able to produce the bones that will be the skeletal structure for your baby. We need to have enough vitamin D. It's also really important in those early years of rapid rowth, rapid rowth! Of rapid growth in childhood development. So it's a really important one for children and adults alike. And when we're thinking about the ageing process and getting older, we know that vitamin D is really important for bone health and preventing osteoporosis and these kinds of things. So really important actually across the whole lifespan.

05:24

Vitamin D is immune modulating, so it supports the immune system. And it really got quite a name for itself over the last few years in relation to the COVID pandemic. There was lots and lots of stuff coming out about how important vitamin D was in its role in our immunity and about it possibly having a protective factor against the severity of COVID. It's also important in the context of autoimmunity. So it is thought to be immune modulating and so having a good vitamin D status is really important in the context of autoimmunity as well. Lots of the clients that I have come to see me do have autoimmunity, more often than not with the thyroid, but in other parts of the body as well. Blood sugar regulation and metabolism generally. So vitamin D does have a really important role to play is thought to be, so people who have obesity and diabetes etc., are thought to have lower vitamin D status. And then it is also thought to have a key role in sex hormone synthesis. So sex hormones, male and female, need vitamin E tut vitamin D to be able to produce properly. And we do also know that all of our reproductive organs, all of our reproductive tissues, male and female, have vitamin D receptors within them. And that goes to show that vitamin D must be really important within those reproductive organs. Otherwise, they wouldn't have vitamin D receptors.

07:34

So lots of different things, lots of different roles that Vitamin D plays in the body. And within the context of fertility alone, there's been a lot of research into vitamin D. It is one of the biggest and most well researched vitamins that there is actually, and it's almost vitamin D almost ought to have a hormonal effect because a hormone is a chemical messenger, and vitamin D, such as the importance of vitamin D. That is, it is akin to being a hormone in of its own right.

08:14

So vitamin D and fertility. So there have been a number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. So these are really, you know, there's really widespread data available in this in the scientific literature, you know, looking at certain samples of 1000s of 1000s of people. So, findings from the research suggest that it's, it's mainly looking, by the way, the research mainly looks at vitamin D status. So there haven't been that many randomised control trials where there's been an intervention of a certain dose of vitamin D being given versus a control group where the vitamin D isn't given to see whether that might impact things. And part of the reason that I think randomise, sorry, yep, randomised controlled trials aren't necessarily, ran RCTs randomised controlled trials are seen as the gold standard when it comes to medical research when it comes to scientific research in general. However, they do have their drawbacks. In this, in a case like vitamin D, I think it's more powerful, too. And we could, of course, association does not always equal causation. But what we're seeing time and time and time again in the literature is that vitamin D status, so people who have low levels of serum vitamin D, so low levels of Vitamin D in their blood are more likely to have this whole host of complications with fertility complications with pregnancy complications with their health in general. So that really speaks volumes. And where it becomes difficult to say, Okay, well, let's then do a randomised control trial is because all sorts of things can impact people's vitamin D status. And the dosages are going to look different for everyone. So I don't know that we can necessarily say, Okay, well, guess if we supplement everyone with this amount of vitamin D, then we're going to solve all the fertility problems in the world because it's just not that simple in bodies and more complex than that. But what we do know, as I say, to come back to my original point about the research, is that these observational studies on 1000s and 1000s of women do say that people who are women who have deficient or insufficient vitamin D status are more likely to have or sorry. So women who have insufficient levels compared with women who have good levels of vitamin D in the blood. So, women with good levels, or replete levels of vitamin D is quite a nice way of putting it, have more live births, more positive pregnancy tests, and more clinical pregnancies. So that's really interesting. Across fertility clinics, all of those measures are higher in women who had adequate vitamin D levels. And there's been lots and lots of research that has found similar. There has been some research to say that women who have really quite a low vitamin D below 50 nanomoles per litre might be more likely to suffer from early pregnancy loss.

12:33

There are some studies that observe an association between vitamin D status and AMH Anti-Müllerian Hormone, which is one of the indicators of egg reserve. Vitamin D status is also connected with conditions medical conditions that we know impact fertility, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, and endometriosis. So, really lots of lots of ways in which vitamin D impacts female fertility or is associated with female fertility. And then there is also research now quite a bit of research associating vitamin D again, vitamin D, low vitamin D levels, with low serum testosterone, for men, and in their sperm quality as well.

13:38

So that is really interesting, isn't it, that across the male and female spectrum of fertility, vitamin D status is associated quite strongly and quite robustly with poor outcomes in terms of or good outcomes depending on the status for fertility. So undeniably a really important nutrient for fertility or a really important vitamin for fertility, I should say, because we don't always get it from our food.

14:14

So things that can impact vitamin D status, like why might someone's vitamin D status be low? Well, we know that it can be used for all sorts of things in the body, as I already described. So it may be that at different points in our lifespan, we use up more vitamin D than others. Things such as our genetics play a role. So we have a gene called the vitamin D receptor gene, the VDR gene, and that is involved in the methylation process, which I've spoken about on the podcast before. And it really is the vitamin D receptor gene, having a genetic variant on that gene that can really impact the way our vitamin D is actually used in the body. But other genes as well. It's not just the vitamin D receptor gene. It can be genes that are linked with our cholesterol status. And a number of other genes can have a proxy impact on vitamin D as well.

15:19

Lack of sunlight, so we know you know that we get vitamin D from the sun or we synthesise vitamin D from the sun. So having a lack of sunlight, particularly during the autumn months, if you live in the, you know, away, the further away from the equator you live, the less hours of sunlight you get during the autumn and winter months, and that can impact your vitamin D status. Another interesting piece of research around fertility, you know, suggested that the fact that most babies are born in the northern hemisphere, or you know, in the north, in the northern countries, most babies are born, or there's a drive for births when people got pregnant, basically during the summer, the summer months. So how many April babies do you know, for example, April is a really popular month for having babies, and it's hypothesised that vitamin D might have something to do with that. So, exposure to sunlight, the genetics.

16:34

So sunscreen, sunscreen blocks UV rays, right, that's how it protects our skin. And I'm not for a moment suggesting that anyone any of you go out all day in the sun unprotected because, of course, we need to protect our skin because we know that the sun's rays can be extremely harmful. So it's right that we protect our skin. However, if we, you know, if we put some cream on from before we even leave the house, and we reapply it all day long, and we never ever actually get any direct sunlight on our skin, then that can impact our vitamin D status. So I always say to people, you know, doing sort of 10 minutes or so, in the morning before the heat of the day can be a really nice idea.

17:23

Age, so there is an age-related decline in vitamin D status, and mineral status can impact it. So magnesium levels are thought to be associated inversely with vitamin D. Skin colour as well. So people, essentially humans, evolved. So, historically speaking, as we moved out of Africa and away from the equator, human beings' skin got lighter and lighter. And that is thought to be because there was then an evolutionary what's the word I'm looking for selective pressure on us because we because there were fewer hours of sunlight or less powerful sunlight the further away we got from the equator. That is why we have evolved lighter skin tones. And if you think of people from like Scandinavian countries, where there is really not a huge amount of daylight in the winter months, you know, they tend to have much paler skin tones, don't they? They're very, very fair. And a part of that is to help them actually absorb and synthesise vitamin D. So what that means is that people who have darker skin tones, especially people who have darker skin tones who don't live in equatorial or within the tropics and don't have that quite into that higher intensity of sunlight, they may be more likely to to be deficient or insufficient in vitamin D. So skin colour, sunscreen, age, mineral status, oh and fat absorption.

19:28

Fat absorption. I spoke about this last time in my introduction to this mini-series that our ability to absorb fats as a macronutrient impacts our ability to absorb and utilise the fat soluble vitamins.

19:46

So food sources vitamin D, and this is an interesting one because there aren't that many. And as I said earlier, you can't really get enough vitamin D from food alone. There are a few foods that contain some vitamin D, with salmon being the highest. Sardines contain some, and tuna contain some. Pasture-raised cow's milk also does contain a little,  eggs contain a little, and shiitake mushrooms contain a tiny amount as well. So definitely think about those kinds of foods if you are concerned about your vitamin D, but do know that lots of people do need to supplement.

20:33

So when I'm working with fertility clients, I always test vitamin D, and I like to see vitamin D serum vitamin D levels are between 100 and 120 nanomoles per litre. So that unit is really important because, for any of my American listeners or any listeners anywhere else in the globe, you may use different units. So I know over in the states, they use nanograms per millilitre, and that is different to nanomoles per litre. So please make sure that you're aware of that distinction. So I look for 120 nanomoles per litre for my fertility clients. And if people are below that, then I might consider supplementing and indeed Public Health England, because if the vitamin D insufficiency is deemed a public health crisis in the Northern Hemisphere, Public Health England recommends that everyone, everyone in the UK take 400 international units of vitamin D between the months of October to March. So that's, that's universal. But levels that I might recommend supplementing with really vary between 400 and 5,000 international units per day, sometimes even a little bit more on certain days of the week for certain people, but it really really does depend on the individual. So I would never recommend that any listeners ever go away and decide to supplement themselves without the guidance of a qualified practitioner because it really does depend on the individual. However, you know, if you are following the Public Health England guidance and supplementing with your 400 international units per day during those autumn and winter months, then please do look for D3, vitamin D3, as opposed to vitamin D2. It's far more readily absorbed, and your body does not have to undergo a conversion process. So when you're looking for a vitamin D supplement, please go for D3 over D2.

23:10

So that's it for me today. That's a whistlestop tour with the spotlight on vitamin D in the context of fertility, pregnancy etc. So if you found that useful for anyone that noticed, and you might have noticed that I am a day late and recording the podcast today. The reason for that is that I was bloody knackered last night because we had a wonderful long bank holiday weekend here in the UK with the Queen's Jubilee. So we had a four-day weekend, and it also happened to be my mom's birthday and my husband's birthday. So we had family visiting, and we had a bit of a party, so it was all go. I came to record my podcast yesterday, and I was just too tired, so so I'm recording it on a Monday today. I will be back as usual next week talking about the remaining fat soluble vitamins E and K in relation to fertility, so I really can't wait to speak to you then.

24:07

Just a quick reminder that the doors are currently open to my brand new membership. We had the first call last week, and it was so so wonderful to connect with the most incredible group of people again. And I'm really, really excited to be opening up this group way of working again is so nurturing and so powerful. So if that sounds like it could be helpful for you, please do take a look. There are just a couple more slots in the cheaper price bracket, the introductory price bracket of £50 a month. So it is an incredible, incredible value deal. If you want to come in and join us that you know there is, you can cancel at any time. But I don't think you'll want to once you get a taste of what it's like in there because it genuinely is such a wonderful, wonderful space. So I will leave the link to that in the show notes for anyone that wants to take a look, get all the information, and you can sign up on the spot. Or if you have any questions for me about the contents of today's show or about anything, or you want to talk about how ways in which you can work with me, whether that's one to one or in a group setting. Then drop me a DM on Instagram is usually best at KatyBradburyHealth, or you can always send me an email at support@katybradbury.com

25:44

All right, lovely to chat with you. And I will speak to you again next week. Bye

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
https://katybradbury.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

Love the show? Don't forget to leave a star rating and a review to share the love and help it reach others who need to hear this!

00:00

Hello, you are listening to Katy Bradbury. Nutritional Therapist and registered nurse. Today's podcast episode is called 'Is the Fertility and the First 1000 Days Membership Right for You?

00:28

So, hello, hello, good evening. I'm coming to you from the studio at the bottom of the garden, as you will probably know by now if you're a regular listener. Unfortunately for me, I am also joined by a rather large moth in the studio this evening and, put it this way, I'm not the biggest moth lover. They used to really freak me out, actually. Does anyone else get a bit freaked out by moths? I think it's the erratic nature of the way they fly, like they're just a bit all over the place, putting you on edge. They're a bit unpredictable. Anyway, I think he's settled down a bit for now. So  I've got a special guest today, it's the moth!

01:27

So I wanted to come and talk to you today about my fourth coming membership, which is the same title as this podcast 'Fertility and the First 1000 Days'. I am really, really excited about finally getting this membership up and running. It has been in the pipeline for a very long time. Yeah, I would say even the best part of the year. It's been something that I had the idea of more or less a year ago. The idea was that the people who first joined my group programme would have something to flow seamlessly into if they wanted to. It didn't quite happen that way. As a business owner and someone who works part-time and has my own responsibilities, lots of you will know that I was fortunate enough to come out the other side of my own difficult fertility journey and now have two very small children, it's been a bit of a juggle this last year, as my business has grown and I've had the pleasure and the honour of supporting more and more of you. It's been wonderful, actually and hand on heart, I love helping people like you so much that it was really the best decision I ever took to do this. But the membership has taken me a while to get set up partly because I've had lots of things on my plate and juggling lots of things. Partly just because I wanted to get it right, and it takes a lot of work to set up something like this and a lot of figuring out what the best way is going to be to actually make it the best possible service and the most effective one. So I can finally say that I'm about ready to open the doors. I have mentioned this before, I think I mentioned it a while back in December because I was hoping to open the doors earlier on in the year, and for a number of reasons, there was a bit of hold up. But I wanted to talk to you about five reasons why this membership could be ideal for where you are on this journey right now.

04:40

So five reasons, so first of all, and I haven't said exactly in this episode, what the membership actually is going to be? Hopefully, me explaining these five reasons is going to help to shed some light on it. Of course, I'm more than happy to answer any questions. So if you get to the end of this episode, you're like, okay, cool. Katy, I understand the reasons why this sounds like it could be just the ticket for me, but I'm still not exactly sure what it is or how to do it; then just drop me a message. I will also make sure that the link to sign up is available in the show notes because the plan is to get started this week. The first ten people to sign up for this membership will get it at a reduced price, which I'll talk about in a moment. And then after that, it will go up to the full price, so there's a really big incentive there to shift and to try and bag one of those first ten spots, and quite a few of which have not been taken because I haven't opened the doors yet, but quite a quite a few of which have gotten names put to them, shall we say.

06:07

So anyone, reason number one that it could be just the right thing for you is that it is practical. So this membership is really set up to be for the busy person because I know that so many of you are busy. If that is you, thank you for actually taking the time to be a regular listener to this podcast. I really do recognise that and appreciate that you come back each week and listen because I know that it's time-consuming. From what I've heard back from most of you, you get a lot out of it, so I'm really glad about that. But really, it's an honour to yourself that you do come back and give yourself this time each week to listen to this podcast, so that's a little side note, so thank you. So it's for the busy person it's not filled with reams and reams of information, so it's a bit different from my 12-week programme. Some of you listening will have done my 12-week programme already, some might have heard of it or considered doing it, and by the way, that 12-week programme I've switched up the way I deliver that now and that is actually now available as a stand-alone package as like a do it yourself. So it's something that you can move through their six taught modules, and you move through it in a do-it-yourself manner. That is now available for just £149. I wanted to make it really, really accessible. So I do have that for people who want to really sink their teeth in and learn all about those fundamentals for fertility. But the membership, the 'Fertility in the First 1000 Days' membership, isn't like that; it's different to the 12-week programme in that it is super duper Practical, not full of reams of information. It's got a few sections, really, really practical. So it's got a section on nutrition, a section on stress, a section on moving your body, and a section on toxic load and how to reduce your toxic load. And it's got a section on functional testing for fertility, so all of the info is designed to pack a punch. It's not lengthy. It's a mixture of content of videos and stuff like that,  some PDFs etc. Still, it's all focused on taking action to ensure that you are shifting your body into a state of becoming more fertile by the day. Hence, it's really practical, and it's all about taking action. There is, of course, a little bit of learning in there, but it's largely about the action taking.

09:28

Now, whilst it is going to be, just a caveat that, whilst it is going to be focusing on getting your body more fertile by the day, what I'm not promoting here, just to be very clear, because if you know me already, you will know that this is not what I'm about. I'm not promoting a quick fix here. Yes, I want it to be action-taking. Yes, I wanted to have as much impact as possible for the least amount of time. However, Every fertility journey is very, very different. And sometimes, there are lots of complex layers and reasons as to why you might be struggling. And that looks different for everyone. So all of the complex layers and the reasons are different for everyone. So whilst it's designed to pack as much of a punch as possible. I'm still not promising a quick fix. You know, it's about unravelling, breaking the chain in as many places as possible, and really just working to build up your fertility. What that means is to improve the chances, and everything around fertility is a game of odds. There are so so so so many factors that can increase the odds of you getting and staying pregnant. There are so so many factors that can decrease the odds of you getting and staying pregnant. So what we are doing in this membership is working every single day to increase those odds. But for some people, it will take longer than others. So it is practical action taking, but it's not a quick fix.

11:19

Number two, reason number two, it's affordable. So one of the biggest blocks that I get and I get a lot of inquiries, talk to a lot of people, and talk to a lot of you. And one of the biggest blocks I get from people is money is the financial side, and I get it because it's an investment working with me one-to-one and getting that expertise. And lots of people are doing things like saving up for IVF and having other treatments, etc., that are costly. And so I really wanted to be able to provide something that is really, really great service for people who might not be able to afford one-to-one support. So it's affordable. It's a fraction of the price that it is to work with me one-to-one. But the brilliance, the joy of it, is that if that is you. You are saving money or having to pay out for IVF or other treatments. This membership will increase the chances of IVF working and decrease the need to even resort to IVF. So it's low cost, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. So you know, if money has been a barrier to you being able to work with me in the past, then this really could be your chance.

13:02

It's supportive. Number three, it's supportive. So the big thing about this space that I'm creating is that it's not just a membership area online. So it's got the online library, where you get your login, and you can access all the tools or the practical things under those different sections that I mentioned already, the nutrition, the moving your body, the stress, the reducing toxic load and the functional testing. So there's loads of practical stuff in different mediums and modalities. But the really big thing about this membership is it's supportive. And what I mean by that is that we meet every single week in a group setting to run through everything, and that is what I'm all about, right? It's creating a space that is for you, that is open and nurturing and trusting and non-judgmental. And it really is going to be a place for you just to honour your journey, whatever that looks like for you. It's a place to share the realities, celebrate the wins, and be held through those toughest moments.

14:31

Now, feedback from anyone that has worked with me in a group setting before, because my 12-week programme used to be run in a group setting, so the feedback from that has always been overwhelmingly positive from that group model of working and anyone who has worked with me whether one to one or in a group setting, will know that my approach, whether in a one to one, or any setting where I'm holding that space for you in our dedicated space is one of kindness and I always hold love in my heart. And I know that sounds really cheesy, but I really do. I really do just feel so strongly about being able to support you, and that is what this is all about. So yes, it's about moving in the right direction. Yes, it's about increasing your fertility. Yes, it's about improving the chances of IVF success and reducing the need for IVF and having a healthy pregnancy. It's all of those things. But it's also about supporting you on what can be such a difficult and lonely journey. And I know because I've been there, I know because I've got years of supporting people in this position. And without tooting my own horn too much, I know that I'm really bloody good at holding the space for people. It's something that I've spent many years doing in different capacities, and I love doing. So it's having that space held for you that is supportive.

16:33

Reason number four is that it can grow with you. So one thing that I really, really love about the way I work is that many of my clients stay with me, so many of my fertility clients choose to stay with me, I'm talking about one-to-one clients here, choose to stay with me throughout their pregnancy, and well into the postnatal period,  and this is my whole thing, right? Its fertility and the first 1000 days, it's not just, okay, get you pregnant and leave you there. It's really appreciating that this journey into and through motherhood is a pretty wild ride from the very start. Going through that fertility journey, right the way through, and then transitioning into parenthood is really a remarkable journey. It's a journey in which our modern society doesn't really appreciate or pay as much mind to what it once would have done when we lived in more collective bands of people and had more extended families, etc. And that support just isn't there for women now. So it can grow with you.

18:04

The point of this membership is that it covers the fertility side and then what will happen as people start to move into the next phase of the journey through the pregnancy phase. Is that a different section of the membership that will open out for you. There'll be a dedicated meetings that are focused around pregnancy. There'll be dedicated resources focused around pregnancy, and then the same for the postnatal. So anyone that knows me will know that my expertise and experience cover fertility, and the first 1000 days it covers the whole journey. And I've got many years in my nursing in my public health nursing, my health visiting backgrounds, of supporting people, right the way through that journey. I just love it; I truly do. This is where my passion lies. So for you, this means ongoing tailored support as you journey through pregnancy and into parenthood.

19:10

The fifth reason is that you get discounts. So anyone who comes into this membership, as long as you're in the membership, will get a 10% discount with any of my one-to-one services, a 30% discount, so a whole third of the fundamentals for fertility course that I mentioned earlier, which is the 12-week programme. So if you haven't done that before, you can get that for a third off and then use the weekly membership calls to help support you through that programme if you haven't covered the fundamentals already. And also things that I have in the pipeline like retreats. This is holding retreats, and having special dedicated weekend breaks set up around this is very much in my pipeline. So there will be exclusive discounts on retreats as well. So lots and lots of discounts. And I know that people who have worked with me in a group capacity before have enjoyed the benefit of getting a discount on Adhoc one-to-one appointments. So again, if you haven't been able to work with me on a one-to-one package, then there is the option to sort of dial up and dial down the intensity at which you might want to work with me. And of course, if you did utilise that and get some extra one-to-one support with me during your time in the membership, I'm able to give you more tailored and personalised advice. I can give supplement advice. We can do testing or whatever you might need to do. So that's there as an option at a discounted rate should you need it at any time.

21:00

So that's the five different benefits. If you haven't got the picture already, what this membership looks like is access to an online library of resources that are practical in nature. They cover the five areas of nutrition, movement, stress, reducing toxic load and inflammation and functional testing for fertility. And then alongside that, we have our weekly meetups on zoom in a group setting every week. It is all about group coaching, it's about implementation, it's about accountability, and it's about emotional support. So it's a really, really special thing that's about to start. And I know that I'm going to be attracting the most amazing group of people because I always do like I absolutely love my clients and the people I get to work with. So I know that there will be an amazing bunch of people coming into this space. So ultimately, what you're getting here is comprehensive, holistic and evidence-based support at a fraction of the price of my one-to-one services.

22:24

So the cost, I don't think I've mentioned yet, I have in previous episodes, but just to remind you, at the cost of this membership is, for what you're getting, it really is an incredible deal. So the first ten people who sign up will be getting access, lifelong access for just £50 a month. So as long as you stay in the membership, that is what you will pay. So if you're one of those first ten people, even if you stay in the membership through pregnancy, through the postnatal, it doesn't matter if the rest of the membership goes up in price in the future. You will always have that initial price on it. So the £50 a month will stay in place for you. Anyone who joins after the first ten and gets that discounted rate, it's not that much more at £67 per month. So as I say, it's a fraction of the price of working with me one-to-one, and you really do just get so, so much.

23:28

If you're wondering about timings, the group call at the moment they're scheduled to take place on a Wednesday at 5 pm every Wednesday, and that's UK time. Every few weeks, the plan is to get a guest expert in to run some kind of practical session with you. So it won't be me every single week. It will be me most weeks, and then one of the weeks, it'll be a guest expert to come and deliver a really, really high-value session with you to support you on this journey. So as the membership expands and grows, I will probably start adding more times in, but for the moment, while it's still small, it will be on a Wednesday at 5 pm.

24:18

So that's it from me for today. Just in a nutshell, again, to remind you of the five reasons about whether Fertility and the First 1000 Days membership might be right for you, number one is that it is super duper practical. Number two is that it's affordable. Number three is that it is really supportive and nurturing. Number four is that it can grow with you right the way through your fertility journey through pregnancy and into motherhood. And number five is that you get discounts on my one-to-one services, on my fundamentals for fertility programme, and on any future retreats that I will be running.

25:03

If you've got any questions, if you're thinking, Oh, that sounds like it could really benefit me, but I'm not sure, or you've got anything to ask, please just drop me an email drop me a DM. If you follow me on Instagram at Katy Bradbury Health, I love chatting to people on DMS on there. If you're in my Facebook group, you can always pop a post in there and ask about it. You can drop me an email at support@katybradbury.com, and if you're hearing this and thinking, oh my goodness, get me in, I need to be one of those first ten people, then I will be putting the sign-up link in the show notes, which you can find at katybradbery.com which is my website, /podcast. That's where all my episodes are and all of my show notes. So www. does anyone even say that anymore? I feel like that's a proper 1990's thing to say. Anyway, I'll say it again. www.katybradbury, and that's Katy with a y KATYbradbury.com/podcast, and you'll find all of the show notes in there. The show notes usually come out on a Tuesday, by the way, so if you go there and the show notes for this episode aren't quite up yet, then that might be why. But if you can't find it for whatever reason, just drop me a message or email.

26:29

All right, well, I can't wait to see anyone who wants to join in there. And I will speak to you again next week. Take care.

https://katybradburyhealth.thrivecart.com/fertility-and-the-first-1000-days/

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
https://katybradbury.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

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00:00

Hello, you are listening to Katy Bradbury. Nutritional Therapist and registered nurse. Today's podcast episode is called 'Is the Fertility and the First 1000 Days Membership Right for You?

00:28

So, hello, hello, good evening. I'm coming to you from the studio at the bottom of the garden, as you will probably know by now if you're a regular listener. Unfortunately for me, I am also joined by a rather large moth in the studio this evening and, put it this way, I'm not the biggest moth lover. They used to really freak me out, actually. Does anyone else get a bit freaked out by moths? I think it's the erratic nature of the way they fly, like they're just a bit all over the place, putting you on edge. They're a bit unpredictable. Anyway, I think he's settled down a bit for now. So  I've got a special guest today, it's the moth!

01:27

So I wanted to come and talk to you today about my fourth coming membership, which is the same title as this podcast 'Fertility and the First 1000 Days'. I am really, really excited about finally getting this membership up and running. It has been in the pipeline for a very long time. Yeah, I would say even the best part of the year. It's been something that I had the idea of more or less a year ago. The idea was that the people who first joined my group programme would have something to flow seamlessly into if they wanted to. It didn't quite happen that way. As a business owner and someone who works part-time and has my own responsibilities, lots of you will know that I was fortunate enough to come out the other side of my own difficult fertility journey and now have two very small children, it's been a bit of a juggle this last year, as my business has grown and I've had the pleasure and the honour of supporting more and more of you. It's been wonderful, actually and hand on heart, I love helping people like you so much that it was really the best decision I ever took to do this. But the membership has taken me a while to get set up partly because I've had lots of things on my plate and juggling lots of things. Partly just because I wanted to get it right, and it takes a lot of work to set up something like this and a lot of figuring out what the best way is going to be to actually make it the best possible service and the most effective one. So I can finally say that I'm about ready to open the doors. I have mentioned this before, I think I mentioned it a while back in December because I was hoping to open the doors earlier on in the year, and for a number of reasons, there was a bit of hold up. But I wanted to talk to you about five reasons why this membership could be ideal for where you are on this journey right now.

04:40

So five reasons, so first of all, and I haven't said exactly in this episode, what the membership actually is going to be? Hopefully, me explaining these five reasons is going to help to shed some light on it. Of course, I'm more than happy to answer any questions. So if you get to the end of this episode, you're like, okay, cool. Katy, I understand the reasons why this sounds like it could be just the ticket for me, but I'm still not exactly sure what it is or how to do it; then just drop me a message. I will also make sure that the link to sign up is available in the show notes because the plan is to get started this week. The first ten people to sign up for this membership will get it at a reduced price, which I'll talk about in a moment. And then after that, it will go up to the full price, so there's a really big incentive there to shift and to try and bag one of those first ten spots, and quite a few of which have not been taken because I haven't opened the doors yet, but quite a quite a few of which have gotten names put to them, shall we say.

06:07

So anyone, reason number one that it could be just the right thing for you is that it is practical. So this membership is really set up to be for the busy person because I know that so many of you are busy. If that is you, thank you for actually taking the time to be a regular listener to this podcast. I really do recognise that and appreciate that you come back each week and listen because I know that it's time-consuming. From what I've heard back from most of you, you get a lot out of it, so I'm really glad about that. But really, it's an honour to yourself that you do come back and give yourself this time each week to listen to this podcast, so that's a little side note, so thank you. So it's for the busy person it's not filled with reams and reams of information, so it's a bit different from my 12-week programme. Some of you listening will have done my 12-week programme already, some might have heard of it or considered doing it, and by the way, that 12-week programme I've switched up the way I deliver that now and that is actually now available as a stand-alone package as like a do it yourself. So it's something that you can move through their six taught modules, and you move through it in a do-it-yourself manner. That is now available for just £149. I wanted to make it really, really accessible. So I do have that for people who want to really sink their teeth in and learn all about those fundamentals for fertility. But the membership, the 'Fertility in the First 1000 Days' membership, isn't like that; it's different to the 12-week programme in that it is super duper Practical, not full of reams of information. It's got a few sections, really, really practical. So it's got a section on nutrition, a section on stress, a section on moving your body, and a section on toxic load and how to reduce your toxic load. And it's got a section on functional testing for fertility, so all of the info is designed to pack a punch. It's not lengthy. It's a mixture of content of videos and stuff like that,  some PDFs etc. Still, it's all focused on taking action to ensure that you are shifting your body into a state of becoming more fertile by the day. Hence, it's really practical, and it's all about taking action. There is, of course, a little bit of learning in there, but it's largely about the action taking.

09:28

Now, whilst it is going to be, just a caveat that, whilst it is going to be focusing on getting your body more fertile by the day, what I'm not promoting here, just to be very clear, because if you know me already, you will know that this is not what I'm about. I'm not promoting a quick fix here. Yes, I want it to be action-taking. Yes, I wanted to have as much impact as possible for the least amount of time. However, Every fertility journey is very, very different. And sometimes, there are lots of complex layers and reasons as to why you might be struggling. And that looks different for everyone. So all of the complex layers and the reasons are different for everyone. So whilst it's designed to pack as much of a punch as possible. I'm still not promising a quick fix. You know, it's about unravelling, breaking the chain in as many places as possible, and really just working to build up your fertility. What that means is to improve the chances, and everything around fertility is a game of odds. There are so so so so many factors that can increase the odds of you getting and staying pregnant. There are so so many factors that can decrease the odds of you getting and staying pregnant. So what we are doing in this membership is working every single day to increase those odds. But for some people, it will take longer than others. So it is practical action taking, but it's not a quick fix.

11:19

Number two, reason number two, it's affordable. So one of the biggest blocks that I get and I get a lot of inquiries, talk to a lot of people, and talk to a lot of you. And one of the biggest blocks I get from people is money is the financial side, and I get it because it's an investment working with me one-to-one and getting that expertise. And lots of people are doing things like saving up for IVF and having other treatments, etc., that are costly. And so I really wanted to be able to provide something that is really, really great service for people who might not be able to afford one-to-one support. So it's affordable. It's a fraction of the price that it is to work with me one-to-one. But the brilliance, the joy of it, is that if that is you. You are saving money or having to pay out for IVF or other treatments. This membership will increase the chances of IVF working and decrease the need to even resort to IVF. So it's low cost, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. So you know, if money has been a barrier to you being able to work with me in the past, then this really could be your chance.

13:02

It's supportive. Number three, it's supportive. So the big thing about this space that I'm creating is that it's not just a membership area online. So it's got the online library, where you get your login, and you can access all the tools or the practical things under those different sections that I mentioned already, the nutrition, the moving your body, the stress, the reducing toxic load and the functional testing. So there's loads of practical stuff in different mediums and modalities. But the really big thing about this membership is it's supportive. And what I mean by that is that we meet every single week in a group setting to run through everything, and that is what I'm all about, right? It's creating a space that is for you, that is open and nurturing and trusting and non-judgmental. And it really is going to be a place for you just to honour your journey, whatever that looks like for you. It's a place to share the realities, celebrate the wins, and be held through those toughest moments.

14:31

Now, feedback from anyone that has worked with me in a group setting before, because my 12-week programme used to be run in a group setting, so the feedback from that has always been overwhelmingly positive from that group model of working and anyone who has worked with me whether one to one or in a group setting, will know that my approach, whether in a one to one, or any setting where I'm holding that space for you in our dedicated space is one of kindness and I always hold love in my heart. And I know that sounds really cheesy, but I really do. I really do just feel so strongly about being able to support you, and that is what this is all about. So yes, it's about moving in the right direction. Yes, it's about increasing your fertility. Yes, it's about improving the chances of IVF success and reducing the need for IVF and having a healthy pregnancy. It's all of those things. But it's also about supporting you on what can be such a difficult and lonely journey. And I know because I've been there, I know because I've got years of supporting people in this position. And without tooting my own horn too much, I know that I'm really bloody good at holding the space for people. It's something that I've spent many years doing in different capacities, and I love doing. So it's having that space held for you that is supportive.

16:33

Reason number four is that it can grow with you. So one thing that I really, really love about the way I work is that many of my clients stay with me, so many of my fertility clients choose to stay with me, I'm talking about one-to-one clients here, choose to stay with me throughout their pregnancy, and well into the postnatal period,  and this is my whole thing, right? Its fertility and the first 1000 days, it's not just, okay, get you pregnant and leave you there. It's really appreciating that this journey into and through motherhood is a pretty wild ride from the very start. Going through that fertility journey, right the way through, and then transitioning into parenthood is really a remarkable journey. It's a journey in which our modern society doesn't really appreciate or pay as much mind to what it once would have done when we lived in more collective bands of people and had more extended families, etc. And that support just isn't there for women now. So it can grow with you.

18:04

The point of this membership is that it covers the fertility side and then what will happen as people start to move into the next phase of the journey through the pregnancy phase. Is that a different section of the membership that will open out for you. There'll be a dedicated meetings that are focused around pregnancy. There'll be dedicated resources focused around pregnancy, and then the same for the postnatal. So anyone that knows me will know that my expertise and experience cover fertility, and the first 1000 days it covers the whole journey. And I've got many years in my nursing in my public health nursing, my health visiting backgrounds, of supporting people, right the way through that journey. I just love it; I truly do. This is where my passion lies. So for you, this means ongoing tailored support as you journey through pregnancy and into parenthood.

19:10

The fifth reason is that you get discounts. So anyone who comes into this membership, as long as you're in the membership, will get a 10% discount with any of my one-to-one services, a 30% discount, so a whole third of the fundamentals for fertility course that I mentioned earlier, which is the 12-week programme. So if you haven't done that before, you can get that for a third off and then use the weekly membership calls to help support you through that programme if you haven't covered the fundamentals already. And also things that I have in the pipeline like retreats. This is holding retreats, and having special dedicated weekend breaks set up around this is very much in my pipeline. So there will be exclusive discounts on retreats as well. So lots and lots of discounts. And I know that people who have worked with me in a group capacity before have enjoyed the benefit of getting a discount on Adhoc one-to-one appointments. So again, if you haven't been able to work with me on a one-to-one package, then there is the option to sort of dial up and dial down the intensity at which you might want to work with me. And of course, if you did utilise that and get some extra one-to-one support with me during your time in the membership, I'm able to give you more tailored and personalised advice. I can give supplement advice. We can do testing or whatever you might need to do. So that's there as an option at a discounted rate should you need it at any time.

21:00

So that's the five different benefits. If you haven't got the picture already, what this membership looks like is access to an online library of resources that are practical in nature. They cover the five areas of nutrition, movement, stress, reducing toxic load and inflammation and functional testing for fertility. And then alongside that, we have our weekly meetups on zoom in a group setting every week. It is all about group coaching, it's about implementation, it's about accountability, and it's about emotional support. So it's a really, really special thing that's about to start. And I know that I'm going to be attracting the most amazing group of people because I always do like I absolutely love my clients and the people I get to work with. So I know that there will be an amazing bunch of people coming into this space. So ultimately, what you're getting here is comprehensive, holistic and evidence-based support at a fraction of the price of my one-to-one services.

22:24

So the cost, I don't think I've mentioned yet, I have in previous episodes, but just to remind you, at the cost of this membership is, for what you're getting, it really is an incredible deal. So the first ten people who sign up will be getting access, lifelong access for just £50 a month. So as long as you stay in the membership, that is what you will pay. So if you're one of those first ten people, even if you stay in the membership through pregnancy, through the postnatal, it doesn't matter if the rest of the membership goes up in price in the future. You will always have that initial price on it. So the £50 a month will stay in place for you. Anyone who joins after the first ten and gets that discounted rate, it's not that much more at £67 per month. So as I say, it's a fraction of the price of working with me one-to-one, and you really do just get so, so much.

23:28

If you're wondering about timings, the group call at the moment they're scheduled to take place on a Wednesday at 5 pm every Wednesday, and that's UK time. Every few weeks, the plan is to get a guest expert in to run some kind of practical session with you. So it won't be me every single week. It will be me most weeks, and then one of the weeks, it'll be a guest expert to come and deliver a really, really high-value session with you to support you on this journey. So as the membership expands and grows, I will probably start adding more times in, but for the moment, while it's still small, it will be on a Wednesday at 5 pm.

24:18

So that's it from me for today. Just in a nutshell, again, to remind you of the five reasons about whether Fertility and the First 1000 Days membership might be right for you, number one is that it is super duper practical. Number two is that it's affordable. Number three is that it is really supportive and nurturing. Number four is that it can grow with you right the way through your fertility journey through pregnancy and into motherhood. And number five is that you get discounts on my one-to-one services, on my fundamentals for fertility programme, and on any future retreats that I will be running.

25:03

If you've got any questions, if you're thinking, Oh, that sounds like it could really benefit me, but I'm not sure, or you've got anything to ask, please just drop me an email drop me a DM. If you follow me on Instagram at Katy Bradbury Health, I love chatting to people on DMS on there. If you're in my Facebook group, you can always pop a post in there and ask about it. You can drop me an email at support@katybradbury.com, and if you're hearing this and thinking, oh my goodness, get me in, I need to be one of those first ten people, then I will be putting the sign-up link in the show notes, which you can find at katybradbery.com which is my website, /podcast. That's where all my episodes are and all of my show notes. So www. does anyone even say that anymore? I feel like that's a proper 1990's thing to say. Anyway, I'll say it again. www.katybradbury, and that's Katy with a y KATYbradbury.com/podcast, and you'll find all of the show notes in there. The show notes usually come out on a Tuesday, by the way, so if you go there and the show notes for this episode aren't quite up yet, then that might be why. But if you can't find it for whatever reason, just drop me a message or email.

26:29

All right, well, I can't wait to see anyone who wants to join in there. And I will speak to you again next week. Take care.

https://katybradburyhealth.thrivecart.com/fertility-and-the-first-1000-days/

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
https://katybradbury.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

Love the show? Don't forget to leave a star rating and a review to share the love and help it reach others who need to hear this!

00:01

Hello, you are listening to Katy Bradbury, nutritional therapist and registered nurse. Today's podcast episode is called What can we learn from our ancestors about fertility?

00:28

Hello, and welcome. It feels really strange actually coming to you today. I am recording the episode, would you believe, on a Saturday, not a Sunday, which is very bizarre. It doesn't make a difference to you because I will still be releasing on Sunday night, as usual, but I just found myself with a spare moment. And I was feeling really pensive. I've just been into my Facebook group and done a live video there. And I thought now's a good time to come and talk to you on the podcast. So here I am.

01:11

Welcome. As usual, I'd love to hear from you. I absolutely love hearing from my listeners. So if you're a regular listener and you haven't given me a rating or a review yet, please do take just a minute and do that. That would be absolutely amazing, not just to give me a massive confidence boost but to help the people who really need to hear this to actually help it reach more people. So if you're a new listener, then welcome to you too.

01:52

I wanted to talk to you today about a topic that is very close to my heart, actually, because it was something that first sparked my interest many years ago. Back, back, back when I was a teenager and I'd finished my A levels, I'm going to give you a bit of backstory here. I was a teenager, and I was finishing my A-Levels sorry, I hadn't finished them. I was finishing them. And we were at the point where we were applying for university. And I knew I definitely wanted to go to uni. That wasn't the issue. The issue was, oops, of course, turn my phone on silent, okay. The issue was that I didn't know what I wanted to study. Now, I knew I was definitely interested in things. And I knew that I was interested in particular things, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. I already knew that I was ultimately interested in people. I love people. I love connecting with people. I just find people; I find humanity just incredible, actually. And I find it fascinating. And I find all of the multifaceted layers of what it is to be a human being just so interesting.

03:40

I always have done, and I was doing my A levels that I chose at my A levels which I thought would really quench my thirst for everything I just said about my kind of quest to know and understand more about humanity. And I chose for my A-levels, two have my A -levels anyway, I chose psychology and sociology thinking yeah, brilliant, like, understand the human mind. Understanding humans at a social level like that is going to be great. I'm going to love it. I didn't! I actually hated studying psychology and sociology. And I think that part of it was maybe that I didn't connect with my teachers that well, I did with a few of them, and part of it was just the time in my life. You know, I was a teenager, I was looking for more. I was questioning things. I just wasn't satisfied with it. But one of the big things that bugged me about psychology and sociology was this whole piece around everyone theorising everything and people being on one side of the fence or the other. So you've got different types of psychologists, and they will argue with each other, right? It's the same with philosophers. They all argue with each other. And they will say, No, no, no, no, no, no is this way, my way is the right way.

Of course, you know, a bunch of old men. By old men, I mean, like, olden times, men. And they all just were waving their flags and trying to get everyone on their side. And to the point where it just blinkered their views, they started to try and explain the whole world through their narrow lens of the theory they'd come up with. That's just not right. It's just not right. And I got so annoyed with that. And I was like, can't people see that this is just wrong, like, the world is more complex than that. And people are more complex than that. And there's a bit more nuance here, guys, like, come on.

06:08

So, and I realise I'm being a bit long-winded in my introduction here, but it's important to give the backstory. So I didn't know what I wanted to study. I was like, 'there must be something, there must be something that is to fire up my interest. And that is going to be about what I want it to be about'. We went to a sample lecture. We went to our local university, which I'm from East London, so it was the University of East London. And we have a little open day thing there as part of a college trip to the University of East London. And they very kindly put on a load of sample lectures for us to help us decide on our subjects. And so we were looking, we could do four or five different seminars, I think, in the day. And I was looking on this piece of paper at the list. And we had to tick the boxes for the ones we wanted to attend. And I was looking down this list, and I saw a word that I'd never seen before, and it was anthropology. And I was like, Oh, right. Okay, I've never heard of that before. I have no idea what anthropology is. I tick that box because I don't know what I want to do. Let's tick the box and go and see what anthropology is about.

07:27

I went to this seminar on anthropology. And honestly, my jaw was on the floor for most of it, and I came away thinking bloody hell, like this, this is what I want to do. This is the missing link for me. This is what I've been looking for. This is incredible. And that's what I did. Now, I remember the lecture I went to; they were ultimately trying to sell the University of East London. They were trying to get us on board with UEL because that was their uni. And, of course, universities are all money-making establishments now. But they were talking about their particular course. And the fact that their course was special because their anthropology programme was biological and social anthropology combined. And this was special because there are only a handful of universities in the country that did those two together.

07:29

And I realised that I had to do a combination of biological and social anthropology because doing social anthropology alone, which I guess is more the traditional type of anthropology that a lot of people think of when they think of anthropology, was just not going to be enough for me, I needed it to be more comprehensive. It was going to be just a little bit too sociological, but with different cultures, if I did just social anthropology, so I went on a quest. I didn't particularly want to go to UEL because I wanted to go away for uni and live away from home etc. And the University of East London was on the doorstep for me. I did apply there, but I didn't choose in the end, so where I went to Durham. That was the polar opposite of on the doorstep because that was 300 miles away on the other side of the country, right up in the northeast. So off I toddled to Durham University. I spent three years studying biological and social anthropology, and I loved it. I absolutely loved it. And that was my first foray really into understanding the world through the lens that I now understand the world.

10:05

And a significant part of that lens, a significant part of how I view the world, is through an evolutionary lens. Because we are animals, just like any other animal on the planet, we're not just like any other animal on the planet, we're very, very different. We're very unique from any other animal, but we are mammals, and we are primates Aad our bodies, our current human body, what we look and how we present now, in our current form, hasn't changed a huge amount, right? It hasn't changed a huge amount in the last 20,000 years. And that's not very long in evolutionary terms, 20,000 years. But one of the main reasons for that is because we, instead of having to, so the thing about evolution is that animals or any organism, any living thing, has to adapt to its environment physically, right. And so animals are incredible, like mind-blowingly, adapted to their environment. If we look at the finches in the Galapagos Islands and we look at all the different characteristics they have, each one of them is just beautifully suited to the environment in which they live. And, and that's beautiful, that is symbiotic with nature. And that's the way it's meant to be for them. But humans are very interesting because our brains are so big for our body size, right? So we got a lot of brainpower, and we developed this prefrontal cortex in our brain, which is the real thinking brain. So we're able to have abstract thought, we have complex communication skills, arguably, most of us anyway. And, you know, we're really quite incredible beings. And what we started to do as humans was, instead of our bodies having to adapt to the environment, we started changing our environment to suit us. So that's how eventually, we came from being cavemen to living in small societies and building huts and then starting to work the land a bit and starting to use tools and working together. And then the agricultural revolution, farming, and then the world just changed, you know, we took over. Because we didn't need to be in a set environment anymore, we could change our environment. And that is so powerful.

13:21

However, there is a mismatch, and although we have been very, very clever in being have changed our environment, in a lot of ways, our environment has changed so rapidly, in the last, well, certainly in the last 20,000 years. But even in the last 100 years, even in the last ten years, five years, our environment has changed dramatically. And that looks very, very different from the world in which we developed biologically. And so there is a mismatch between that kind of natural world, living in small bands of people living in a natural environment, compared to the way we live now. And so the pressures and strains on us are very, very different now.

14:18

Now, the reason I'm talking to you about this today, the reason I wanted to come and talk to you about this, is because, as I say, this forms the backdrop for a lot of the way I think about the world because of my background in anthropology. I wanted to just have a quick think today about some things that we can learn from our ancestors about fertility. Because one of the most striking facts about fertility or infertility, people who struggle with fertility, is that people didn't use to struggle. Fertility is decreasing. We know this, sperm health is decreasing, egg health, we know that people, statistics of people struggling with fertility in different forms, whether that's reproductive conditions, or just unexplained infertility, whatever it looks like. All of those cases are on the rise rapidly. But it didn't use to be like that. And I'm not saying that nobody ever, in the caveman days, I'm not saying that nobody ever struggled with fertility. I'm sure they did. We have to be very careful about over-romanticising those times because there was a lot that was really harsh about those times, right? We didn't have the comfortable lives that we do now. We didn't have the kind of social setup that we do now, either. So I think that life could be pretty brutal at times, and people died a lot younger and died mostly from infectious diseases. You know, we didn't have antibiotics, we didn't have modern medicine. So life looked very, very different. But one thing that people weren't doing was struggling on mass with fertility.

16:20

So I got a list of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 things here that are examples of things that we can learn from our ancestors about fertility. And I've spent a really, really long time given the backstory there. So I'm going to whiz through some of these because it's not rocket science. But it's a really, really helpful reminder that these are the things that in the modern world, for all of its wonders, for all of its conveniences for all of the amazing things about it. There's a lot that we're not doing that well. And there's a lot that we're not doing that well, that we did do that well, once upon a time. And that that is the way our bodies were created. And that was the way our bodies are biologically suited to, and there is a mismatch now between the way our biology is set up, what it's geared up for, and what we're actually presented within our day-to-day reality.

17:34

So you can probably guess the first thing is nutrition. Nutritionally, things look very different now from what they did once upon a time. We talk about the Mediterranean diet and whole foods diet, and back then, people literally lived off the land. And so it was what was available to them. It was seasonal eating. It was freshly slaughtered meat or preserved in some way. Freshly caught fish and then whatever was hunted or gathered in the immediate environment. So lots and lots of plant foods, maybe as treats, access to honey and those kinds of foods. But ultimately, diets and nutrition look very, very different back then. And that is the environment to which we are adapted. We did not have convenience stores. We didn't have supermarkets. We didn't even have some of the products that are available as a result of mass farming, in particular grains. Now, I'm not saying that those foods shouldn't have a place in our diets today. I'm just saying it's worth thinking about the fact that lots of people will, for example, have bread, pasta, or some kind of modern grain for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And that is the staple part of what is on their plate. And that just isn't suited to what things used to look like for us. And even the amount of fibre I think I mentioned in one of my podcast episodes on digestive health, there is a huge difference between modern hunter-gatherers and Westerners in terms of the weight of their poos. So, modern hunter-gatherers, their poos are so heavy because they're super dense because their diets are full of fibre. And for the most part, in the modern Western world, we just don't get anywhere near enough fibre. We do not Eat anywhere enough plant foods, whole plant foods, I should say. So nutrition is one.

20:08

Movement, those ancient societies, those ancient ways of life, they moved their bodies, all day long chairs were not a thing, chairs were not a thing. And now, especially in the post-COVID era, so many of us just sit at a desk all day at home, you know, we don't even have to go out to go to work anymore half the time. And if we look at the chair, you know, our optimal position for sitting is to squat. And if you look at a baby or a young child, what do they do? Naturally, they squat, and their squat form is on point. I go to the gym, and I try to squat like a baby; it's just nowhere near as good. But that is, that is how we should sit, squatting. That's what we're designed for in terms of our legs, pelvis, etc. But we don't. We're lazy. We take the path of least resistance. And over time, over generations, and over decades, we get too comfortable sitting on a flat chair and being immobile. And then the squatting becomes really uncomfortable and feels unnatural, but actually, it's the natural thing. Moving our body walking around, being naturally active as part of day-to-day life—number two.

21:35

Communities, the third one. In tight-knit communities, so many people now undergoing difficulties with their fertility feel alone. And so you could feel like you're connected with the world around you in that, you know, you might have a job, go to work, have a partner, and have a family. But it's not the same. It's not that kind of everyone is up in everyone else's business. Now, of course, there are benefits to privacy.

22:10

And I think that personally, I am quite a private person. But there is something to be said for that sense of community. Because it means that as much as everyone's up in your business, it also means that people are holding each other. And to be told is to be nurtured, and to be nurtured is for a problem to not feel as bad as what it might do otherwise.

22:37

Sleep as well. So again, we didn't have; okay, we might have mastered fire, but we didn't have electricity back then. And so, once the sun went down, we were exposed to darkness. And darkness meant that our melatonin could properly produce our sleep hormone. And sleep was of a lot better quality. So even though we didn't have beds and all of those nice, cosy Modcons that we have now, we were living in tune with nature. And that's the next one connecting with nature. That was a huge difference. Like now, we live in the comfort of our house. We live in four brick walls, and it always feels strange to be out and about. If you've ever been, for example, here in the UK, we've got, I'm going to use the example of the Lake District, and we love going; it's one of those beautiful places in the world. But wherever that is for you, we've got loads of amazing places of natural beauty here in the UK. We're very fortunate. And you could go to any one of those on a trip, right? And you might go out walking, and have you ever been on an experience where you've been out walking, and maybe the sun has started to come down? And in your head, you're starting to freak out like, what happens if we get lost out here? And the idea of having to spend the night out in the wilderness is quite scary, isn't it if you've ever been in that situation?

24:10

And isn't that incredible, the idea of spending that, I'm not talking about camping and camping is different because again, camping is quite comfortable. All of those things, but the idea of having to just be out in the wild, can fill us with quite a bit of fear. That is very different because we used to live out in the wild. It was no big thing like that was how we lived. So it's this disconnect from nature. It's the fact that we live our lives and then go out in nature, we go for a walk, you know, rather than being completely immersed in nature.

24:48

Spirituality as well. So we know from research, and this isn't an exact match from what I'm saying, but we know from research that there are some zones in the world that have been studied, and they're called the Blue Zones. And the people who live in the blue zones have the highest numbers of people who live over 100 years old. And so there's been research done on those parts of the world. I can't remember how many; I think there's maybe like eight or nine of them, these blue zones across the world; there's a place in Greece, I think there's somewhere in Japan, I can't remember the rest of them. And the research looked at the commonalities, and it came up with this list of things. And it's not that different to some of the things I've spoken about here. But which is why I'm connecting it because I think that those people are living more in tune with perhaps how we might have once lived. But one of the things that came out in the Blue Zones research is spirituality of some description. It doesn't matter what but having some connection to something bigger, whatever that might be, whether it's a God, whether it's a religion, whether it is even nature, but something bigger, whether it's some kind of universal force that you connect in with, at a deeper level, outside of your kind of immediate physical, external environment, has been found to have a huge positive impact on health and well being. So I thought that was really interesting as well.

26:37

So what have I said so far? I've said nutrition, I've said movement, I've said community, I've said sleep, I've said connected with nature, I've said spirituality, and the other one is stress.

26:48

You might argue that our ancestors might have been even more stressed because they were faced with life or death situations, probably, fairly regularly, whether that was the threat of wild animals or whether it was the threat of starvation, or, you know, survival. However, yes, those stresses were real, and they were big. But the way our bodies are adapted physically and physiologically is that our bodies are adapted to those stresses. So those threats to life stresses and how that is mismatched with the modern world is that you know, 999 times out of 1000 distress that you face is not a life or death stress. It's not. It's work stress, financial stress, relationship stress, traffic stress, road rage stress, or hanger. It's like back pain or inflammation. It's anything; infertility and those stresses are very different. But because of the evolutionary mismatch, our bodies treat it in the exact same way that they would have done once upon a time, which was a threat to life. And when we are pummelling and hammered with the same stresses day in and day out, over and over again, and we're not doing anything to buffer them, we're just trying to muddle through and get through it somehow. And we're not taking measures to activate that parasympathetic nervous system, the calming nervous system, and we're in this heightened state all of the time. Our bodies think that we are under constant threat to life. And that has huge repercussions for fertility. Because for a lot of people, it can simply mean that the reproductive system is switched off because the body doesn't deem it safe to reproduce. So there's a huge mismatch there with the stress as well.

29:09

So there's a lot there, right? What can we learn from our ancestors about fertility? It's what we put into our bodies. It's what we eat; it's how we move. It's the way we connect with other humans community. It's sleep; it's night and day and connecting with nature. It's having some kind of spirituality, whatever that looks like. And it's how we manage our stress. It's not rocket science, but those are the things that it has to come back to. And those things are significant.

29:40

So those are some of the examples of what we can learn from our ancestors about fertility and a bit of backstory about my love of anthropology. But that's it. That's what I'm going to talk to you about today. Those are really all of those things are the reason that in my group I work, so in my membership that I'm just about to open the doors for, there are still a few paces places left at the cheap early bird price of 50 pounds a month. These are the cornerstones that we cover. And it is practical. It's not a load of teaching. There is a little bit of teaching there, but it is practical tools. And it's meeting with me every week in a group to share your experiences, get group coaching, work through this stuff at your own pace, be accountable, and share the highs and lows and everything else. So if you feel like you want my support, then this will be the best value way to get it. There are a few spots left at the 50 pounds a month early bird price. So if you do want to get in, please let me know now because I've been a bit held up opening the doors to this membership. But we are starting imminently. And when I say imminently, it's going to be in the next week or two. So by the end of May 2022, we'll be getting going. I will put a link in the show notes to sign up for anyone who wants to sign up, and if you're lucky, you might catch one of the early bird 50 pounds a month slots. If not, it's still only 67 pounds a month, so it's still incredible value. If you want to know more, if you want to know more about what it would be like to work with me, whether that's in the group setting or with one-to-one support or with my group, my 12-week programme, which is just a DIY pre-recorded programme. Drop me a line; let's talk. I am happy to talk anything over with you to think about how I can best be of service.

31:59

So that's it for me. I hope you had a lovely weekend and I'll speak to you again next weekend.

32:06

Take care bye

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12 Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
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Email:
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Love the show? Don't forget to leave a star rating and a review to share the love and help it reach others who need to hear this!

0:01 

You are listening to Katy Bradbury, a registered nurse and nutritional therapist. Today's podcast episode is called "Five Lessons Learned from Attending the Fertility Show Live."

0:14 

So hello, hello. I can't believe it's been a week already since I last spoke to you. So I hope that you have had a lovely week, wherever you are and whatever you've been doing. I thought I'd come and do a very special little episode today, and this is actually the second podcast that I've recorded this week, not for one of my own, but I was a guest expert on another person's podcast this week which was wonderful. If you don't already know it, and if you are one of my listeners who has got a current eating disorder, or has had an eating disorder in the past, then her podcast is called 'Bulimia Sucks', and her name is Kate Hudson Hall. She was absolutely lovely, and it was a real pleasure to go and talk to her this week all about eating disorders in relation to fertility. So it was a really lovely, warm conversation, and I believe it's the 20th of June that the episode is going to be released. So I will put it on all my platforms, and hopefully, you can enjoy listening to that as well.

0:33 

But for this week, I wanted to come and share some lessons with you because I have been at the Fertility Show in London, Olympia, and it's been a really long weekend. Actually, it's been a really long day today. I am exhausted, and I actually felt like just going to bed. I was like, no, I will go and record this podcast because, on the way home, my mind was buzzing from all the wonderful people I spoke to and who I connected with. It was just such a lovely event to attend as a practitioner. Myself and some of my colleagues from the fertility nutrition centre had a stall. So we were lucky enough to be able to speak to all sorts of different people and also to be able to have a wander and connect with some of the other incredible people and services that are out there. I spoke to loads of people, I learnt loads of things, and I just wanted to come and share with you five of the lessons that I learned from attending the fertility show.

3:32 

So the first lesson was, and I did already know this but talking to so many people in such a short space of time really, really just reminded me that no two stories are the same. There are so many different journeys and stories through fertility out there. And oh, it was incredible talking to some of you. I was honestly so struck by the resilience and openness and the strengths, I guess, of everyone I spoke to. I spoke to people from all different types of IVF journey, so a lot of the fertility show does have IVF exhibitors. So a lot of the talks, etc., are very much geared around IVF, which I will come on to one of my later points. So lots of the journeys were around IVF and all sorts of journeys from people who had had multiple rounds of IVF that hadn't worked, so lots of people who were really feeling like they were struggling with implantation and people who had embryos in the freezer at the moment, and we're kind of questioning what their next steps should be. I spoke to single women who were getting sperm donors. I spoke to women in their 50s who were getting egg donors. It was just incredible. It really, really was, and people were just so open and willing to share their story and happy to be listened to, I think, actually. So it was wonderful. I absolutely love connecting with people on this topic. I know that it can be a really difficult and unfortunate journey for a lot of people. Still, I really do love connecting with people who are on different journeys. I just think it's incredible. I really do. So that was my first lesson, and as I say, it wasn't, you know, it wasn't a new lesson. It was something I definitely already knew. But it was just wonderful to connect with so many people in so many different stories.

6:32 

The second lesson, and this is sliding into the nutrition talk now, is that so many people are low in Zinc. So at our store, we were doing some zinc testing. Now, it's not the most rigorous Zinc testing. We weren't doing serum, and we weren't doing blood testing or anything like that. But what we were doing is using a solution, a zinc solution, it's called Zinka test, and you can use it to check to give an indicator of what your zinc levels might be doing. Zinc is really commonly deficient, or people often have insufficient levels of Zinc and magnesium as well. There are two minerals that, although they are widely found in the food world, we often find that levels are quite depleted. So like levels are, especially for things like magnesium, levels are depleted in the soil because of our farming practices in the modern world, not allowing the soil time to replete its nutrients. So the knock-on effects of this are quite big. And also, lots of people don't have a particularly nutrient-dense diet these days. So we were doing the Zinc testing. It's a little solution, and it's quite fun. You swirl it around in your mouth, and depending on what taste you get in your mouth after swelling around in your mouth, it gives an indicator of what your zinc status might be. And the very vast, vast majority of people had insufficient levels of Zinc. I think I did one or two people where their levels seemed like they were probably pretty good. And most other people are not that great. There was no one who, so with this zinc test, if you taste nothing at all after you've switched it around in your mouth, then that is an indicator that you're zinc level may be quite depleted. So there wasn't anybody that said they couldn't taste a thing, but there were quite a few people who weren't really getting much through. So the good news is, is that the zinc tests that we were doing actually gave everyone that was taking a good old dose of Zinc, so at least they came away having had some, but I do think that that was really interesting and absolutely testament to how lots of people who really feel as though like you know they have a pretty good diet or they take certain supplements or whatever might still be depleted in Zinc and other nutrients. This isn't a call for everyone to go and start supplementing with high-dose Zinc by any stretch of the imagination because it has to be tailored to you. We had to be very cautious about, you know, just going all-in with supplements, but it was certainly interesting.

10:00 

And that leads me to my next point. So lesson number two was that many people are low in Zinc. Of course, Zinc is a really important nutrient for reproductive health, so it's a really great one for sperm health. It's well researched for the health of sperm. But it's got many, many processes in the body, including being enzymes and cofactors, for all sorts of different things. But it's also a really important nutrient for the immune system. And we know that when we're thinking about things like inflammation, being a driver for struggles with fertility, that very much links in with the immune system. So Zinc is a really important nutrient. It's not. I know I'm joking about it that many people are low in Zinc, but actually, that means we need to think about this, right? It's just a nutrient. It's not nothing. It means we really need to be thinking twice about what we're doing and thinking about whether nutrient deficiencies could be playing a role in your fertility issues. So that was number two.

11:27 

So number three, kind of leading on from that point, really, lots of people are taking supplements that are completely inappropriate for their needs. Now, we were not able to really discuss supplements in much detail today because our regulatory guidelines say we can't just dish out supplement advice willy-nilly. It has to be tailored to the individual. And if you go back and listen to one of my previous episodes, I'll double-check the number as I talked to you so that I can tell you which episode it is, but I did do an episode recently on prenatal's it was called 'Which Pre Natal Should I be Taking', and the take-home message from that episode was, not to tell you which prenatal you should be taking, unfortunately, as much as I would love to, it's episode number 44. But the take-home message really from that was they aren't all created equal. And what is suitable for one may not be suitable for another, and the quality of some of them, even some of the more popular brands, isn't that great? So some of the more popular brands, even though they are quite expensive, and everyone else takes them and that what might be what is recommended on the NHS or whatever else might not be that great for you to be honest, because the levels of the nutrients in them might not be great, they might not be that absorbable. They might not be in forms that are appropriate to you, and they may contain things that aren't suitable for you, or they may not contain enough of things that you need more of. So when we're thinking about supplements, and the vast majority of people that I spoke to, who were taking a lot of supplements, when I asked them, 'Okay, so you're on this big list of supplements whose told you to take them?' the vast majority of people were not taking these supplements under the guidance of a skilled and knowledgeable practitioner. They were taking supplements, and I don't. By the way, if this is you, please don't feel as if I'm pointing the finger. I'm just saying that there's a lot of misinformation out there, and it is a really complex web of information. So all the people that came that chatted to me who were taking lots of different supplements were all bright, intelligent women who were clearly spending a lot of time doing research, and, you know, reading up on these things, and that's great. That is, you know, that is incredibly empowering. But it has taken me years of training to get to my current knowledge of what is suitable for people and why. And my recommendations for supplements will always be based on lab testing as well to actually back up what we're doing because sometimes we do lab testing, and it Oh! Okay! That supplement would not be good for you. In fact, it could be detrimental. So we need to tread with caution with supplements, and that was my lesson number three is that lots of people are taking supplements that are completely inappropriate for their needs.

15:22 

Number four is to say that it's a growing field, fertility is a growing field, and there is more and more research out there which is really exciting. And there's more and more technology out there as well and the advancements, advancements, is that even a word advances, sorry, I'm really tired, I've got brain fog. It's been a long weekend. Advance, I know I'm going to go with advancements. The advancements in technology are quite incredible, actually, in this really exciting things going on. Again, we need to tread with caution because just because there's an advancing technology doesn't always mean that it's a good thing to do. But in practical terms, we were opposite a stand, and I was chatting to the guy there, and they developed a new supplement for sperm, specifically for sperm. There was some pretty decent research behind it. I'm always a little bit wary because there are 1,000,001 new supplement companies, and when we're nutritionists, we kind of get bombarded by companies wanting to get us onboard. But I chatted to this guy, and considering I'm a bit of a sceptic with new things like I need to know that supplement is really good before I recommend it, and I am quite excited by this one for sperm health. I'm not going to share what it is because I don't want anyone to just rush out and buy a supplement just because they've heard it on a podcast because of the reason that I just spoke about before is that not all supplements are suitable for all people. But it was really exciting to hear. And I actually got a bottle, a three-month supply of this supplement, which was worth over 100 pounds. I'm very, very excited to send that to one of my current clients who I think it will be perfect for.

17:38 

Now, what else did I want to talk about with some of the exciting advancements and developments? I wanted to talk about that. Oh, and the other thing about sperm health that I wanted to talk about is this emerging availability of at-home semen testing. And I really do think that that is going to be so helpful for people because it's, for want of a better expression, it is a bit of a ball ache. I don't know any man that is thrilled about having to go to a clinic and produce a sperm sample. It's awkward. It's uncomfortable. And whilst I don't have that much sympathy, because I think that the women, if you're familiar with wonder, then you will know, I think ultimately the women get it worse and no question. But nonetheless, it can be a barrier, and I'm always for males getting involved and also having the appropriate testing done, et cetera, because it takes two to tango. In a couple situation, that is, in a heterosexual couple situation, but it's just trying to break down those barriers, isn't it trying to get there to be as few barriers as possible. The whole home sperm testing thing is not new. I know of a company that does it already, which is great, but the company that I already knew about was not doing semen morphology, and that, for me, is a key part of the equation. So I learned about a new company that is starting to offer at-home sperm testing where you go, and they've got this special packaging, which means that the sample is collected by the courier and it's preserved well enough to actually make that sample viable. So that was very exciting to hear about. And the third example that I wanted to give you is, is a device; I need to go away and look at this in a bit more detail, but it's certainly interesting; it is a device, and I can't remember the name of them now, but it's a little device. It's a vaginal device, and you pop it into your vagina after sex, and it's almost like a cap, it's almost like a moon cup, actually, but it's higher up. So it goes around, essentially the rim of the cervix. And it holds the sperm in place, and you keep it in for an hour after having sex, and it literally helps the sperm stay in place. So, for example, you know, that may be helpful. I know; I'm guessing here because I haven't had the chance yet to sit and actually look at some of the studies that have been done on this product. But for examples where there might be issues with motility, swimming in the right direction, etc., then that could be helpful. And they were really pleased that they were having some good success rates with that. So I just thought it was really interesting to hear about some of the different things that were available. So that was the fourth is; it is a growing field, and there are some exciting new developments out there. And even some of the IVF clinics were, you know, talking about some of the new developments that they've got and some of the research that they're doing, et cetera.

21:26 

But that leads me on to my fifth and final lesson learned from today. And I'm ending on a little bit of a not-so-great note. I've spoken about a mixed bag of things, some positive and some not so positive. But the last point is a bit of a bugbear, maybe not the best point to end on, because it's going to be me getting my ranty pants on. But what really, really struck me, perhaps more than anything today, as people are getting mixed messages.

22:03 

And it's already a really confusing place to be. If you're in that place where you're struggling with your fertility, whatever that journey looks like. And you're trying to do something about it. You're trying to learn. Perhaps you're under a fertility clinic. Perhaps you're under a doctor for this. Perhaps you're even under a doctor for something else as well. And then perhaps you also, you know, maybe you're working with a nutritionist, or you're keen, or you follow nutritionists on Instagram, like me, and you're trying to get information from us as well. And it just turns into this big mishmash of information, which can be really hard to process. And then what happens is, if that's not kind of bad enough, this big ball of information that's hard to process is that you get people pooh-poohing things. And we attended some talks. Today, there were different talks going on that were largely being delivered by fertility clinics. And there were quite a few talks around. So I went to one that was all about implantation failure, why that happens, and what to do about it. And then there was a talk right at the end of the day about how to improve IVF success. Now, you would think, I would have thought that nutrition would at least be mentioned in some of these. And the talk that I went to earlier on, there was a very, very, very brief mention of nutrition and lifestyle in amongst the rest of the technologies that the clinic was offering. But the talk at the end of the day, I didn't attend, and I'm glad I didn't, because it would have made my blood boil, but I was told by some of my colleagues afterwards that the doctor, Professor, in fact, I believe he was who was delivering the talk at the end of the day on how to improve IVF success not only did he not mention nutrition, but he pooh-poohed it, and he categorically said, and bear in mind all the people that were sat in that talk were people like you who had come up to us and chatted to us and listen to what we had to say and taking it all in. And then they go to this talk right at the end of the day. And this big guy, big shot Professor in a suit, stands up at the front of the room and says there is nothing that can be done to improve egg health or sperm health using nutrition and lifestyle. There is nothing that you can do. Honestly, I mean, it is just laughable. I laugh because it is laughable, and I just can't quite believe that there are people that are as sceptical as that because of nutrition, and this is another interesting thing. I'm going to just tag another cheeky lesson off the back of this one, actually, which is that people's perception of nutrition, like lots of people that did speak to us, and this is again, it's not I'm not blaming anyone here, because I think it's fascinating, listening to the language that people used when they spoke to us, but lots of people considered us as an alternative therapy, like complementary therapies and this kind of thing.

25:47 

And I don't mind being put in that bracket, but complementary therapies are, for me, things like acupuncture, reflexology, etc. And I truly believe that those therapies can be incredibly helpful on fertility journeys. But nutrition is not an alternative therapy. Nutrition is life. It is literally life. And if we didn't need nutrients, then we wouldn't need to eat. It's as simple as that. Eating is about more than just calories. It's about more than just energy. And I'm sure I can feel myself getting on my high horse about here, but I'm sure that if you are one of my listeners, if you're a new listener, then hi, welcome, but if you are one of my listeners, I'm sure I'm not preaching. No, I'm sure that I am preaching to the converted here because you will all hopefully know from listening to the podcasts just how important nutrition is and that it's not a side thing. It's not like an additional thing that can give you a boost. It is the thing. It is everything. And I just think it's such a shame. I think it's incredibly disheartening not just for me and my colleagues in our profession. But for everyone out there who is being let down by people who they feel like they should trust and should be listening to. So we, as a society, we put doctors and professors etc., on a pedestal, right? We really feel as though we should be listening to them. And I'm sorry to say that they're not always right. And again, I'm not Doctor bashing here, and the point about this being mixed messages is that there was, conversely, there was a talk on the Saturday by a wonderful female gynaecologist; I believe it was, again, I didn't go to that talk, but my colleague spoke very highly of it. And she was talking in detail about all the ways in which nutrition and lifestyle can impact things. And so, and that's great, she clearly is upon it. And when we're thinking about nutrition, there is so much research out there now that looks into nutrition and fertility and certain nutrients, deficiencies and the pressures and strains that are on the body that nutritional therapy can help to unpick to discover and to fix.

28:48 

And I just found it really disheartening that again, as I say, the these mixed messages that people are getting and I find it in my practice as well, you know, is people coming to me and then they'll go to their doctor, or they'll go to their fertility clinic. And then they basically get told, It's all just a load of B-word because this is a clean show. And I always feel difficult having conversations around that with my clients because I don't want to then turn around and make them feel pulled in multiple directions by saying, Oh, no one, what they're saying is a b-word. And then it just gets into silly pettiness, and I'm not about that. But what I am about is giving people information that they can trust.

29:40 

And just be mindful like, I'm not anti-IVF. I think that IVF can be the most incredible thing. But I do think that people are almost spring-loaded and kind of fast forward into these IVF journeys, where they needn't necessarily be and then nothing is done to say how that journey might be supported with nutrition and lifestyle. Now, there are some incredible clinics out there, IVF London, Alpesh from IVF London, here at the fertility nutrition centre, we've got a great relationship with them, and they do appreciate these things. So it's not all bad, but it's tiring, frankly. And it's frustrating. And it's annoying to me that we are in this day and age where there is so much research out there. And there is so much evidence. It's not woo-woo, it's not complementary therapy, it's science, and it's still being disputed by the medical profession. And I just think that it's such a shame.

29:40 

So sorry to end on a down note. I should have done that in a different order. Really? Shouldn't I?

30:24 

I think overall, it was an incredible weekend. And I just absolutely loved talking to all of you. So if you did attend, if any of my listeners did attend, and if any of you came to talk to us at the fertility nutrition centre stall, then huge, big, big love to you and thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories and for being so amazing, actually, on this journey that you're on.

31:38 

So thank you as well to my listeners, and do give me a star rating on the podcast if you're a regular listener. I know there are a lot of you actually that I've spoken to. They're like, Oh, I love the podcast, but I haven't. I must get around to reviewing it, review it. Review it now; now is the time because it really just helps to get the message out there to the other people that could benefit from hearing it.

32:04 

Anyway, I am done. I am going to go to bed exhausted. I will come and speak to you again next week. I can't wait to connect with you again then,

32:15 

Take care, bye-bye

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
Katy Bradbury | From fertility to the first 1000 days

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

Love the show? Don't forget to leave a star rating and a review to share the love and help it reach others who need to hear this!

0:02 

Hello, you are listening to Katy Bradbury, nutritional therapist and registered nurse. Today's podcast episode is called the Self Love Episode.

0:27 

Hi, welcome back if you're a regular listener, and a very warm welcome to you if you are a brand new listener. I am sitting in the studio as usual at the bottom of my garden. I'm recording this episode today because if you are a regular listener or if you happen to listen to last week's episode, last week was called The Love Episode. It was really all about love in the context of partner relationships. The impact that some of the things around a fertility journey can bring to a partner relationship in terms of some of the challenges, and then I guess giving some tools and things that you might want to focus on and work around with regards to some of those things. Now, when I recorded the episode last week, I was well aware that there was a portion of people that were being excluded from that episode because it was all about partner relationships. I think I mentioned a few times across the episode that if you are someone who is not in a partner relationship who is trying to conceive or planning for pregnancy, then you might have felt a little bit left out. I was thinking about that after I recorded the episode last week. I was like, aww, I know for sure that the majority of people that I do and have worked with have been in relationships. Still, I had this little niggle, and I was it did leave a proportion of people out. Low and behold, the very next day is a stark reminder of this fact, I had a call with someone who was a prospective client, and she'd been on my radar for a little while. I was aware of her and her situation. I didn't know her new situation because previously when we last spoke, she was in a relationship. But we spoke last Monday, so literally, the day after I recorded the episode last week, and we spoke the next day. She told me, I haven't had an update for her for a while, Katy. Since we last spoke, my partner and I have split up. It wasn't right for us but what I've decided to do is to go it alone. I really want to be a mum, and I'm going to go down the donor sperm route, and it's happening. Can you help me? Let's do this, let's prep for this IVF cycle that I'm gonna have; I'm super pumped, and I'm honestly so excited for her, and I'm delighted to help her actually on this journey. I'm so so excited. It just reminded me; that the timing of it was impeccable because I just recorded this episode all about partner relationships. As I say, whilst the majority of people that I work with are in partner relationships, there was a part of me, when I recorded the episode last week, was like, Oh, just something didn't quite sit right. Then I had that call, and I was like, "oh man, yeah," there are probably quite a few people that did listen to the episode last week that were a bit like ", oh!"

4:33 

Now, of course, not every episode is going to be right for every person. What I did want to do today was come back and talk about self love. Because, of course, Self Love is the way that we feel about ourselves generally and is a huge part of the fertility journey, and oh my goodness, it can be a roller coaster, can't it? Honestly, I think that my relationship with myself deteriorated. That was the thing I think for me that just snowballed and deteriorated when I was struggling with my own journey. That was the thing that then started causing the panic attacks and started causing this really acute stress and anxiety. I cannot tell you the amount of people that I work with who come to me saying, Katie, I feel like my body is broken. And that's just so sad, isn't it? Like, how upsetting is it to feel that way about your own body about yourself, because then it brings in the entire rhetoric, it brings in so much negative self chatter. It can really snowball quite quickly. So that's one of the reasons I wanted to talk about self love is because this relationship with our bodies can be really difficult on this journey. And we also often take it upon ourselves, and let's face it, and please don't get me wrong, there are so many partners out there that are super supportive and just wonderful. But more often than not, as women, we are the ones who take it upon ourselves when we're undergoing some kind of fertility journey and bear the brunt of the responsibility.

On top of that, layered into that, is the fact that it's cyclical, right. So assuming that you do have a menstrual cycle, whatever that looks like for you. You could just take a battering, right? Like every time your period comes, it can just feel horrific. It's almost like, and I'm working on the assumption that there is a monthly cycle going on here. But every month, it's just like, bam, you're not pregnant, bam, you're not pregnant, bam, you're not pregnant, and it can just feel like waves crashing over you that can just get worse every time. Then if you're someone who has an irregular period, which lots of the people that I work with do, and I did, I don't anymore. Still, I did. Some months, my cycle would be like 26 days and then other months, it'd be like 66 days, and it's just like, What the hell is going on? I just couldn't understand why my body was letting me down so much, and I felt like such a failure. Then for people who don't have a menstrual cycle, that brings a whole new tier for things as well because it's just like, hang on a minute, like, how am I supposed to get pregnant when I'm not even cycling. There are lots of different ways and tiers that this can present as. I'm not trying to put words on you, and I'm not trying to describe your own experience because it is different for everyone. But these are common themes that I see across the majority of people that I work with.

On top of that, all of that, the feeling like your body's broken and you don't know what's going on, the confusion, the feeling of let down. And also that linking into your very essence of femininity and womanhood. You could also just feel like you've lost yourself because, on a journey like this, you can end up having thoughts and feelings that just don't feel line up with who you thought you were. When I say that, I'm really referring to feelings like jealousy and bitterness when it comes to other people, right? Because you don't go through this journey in isolation. You go through it in the context of a person in a friendship group with family and within society. There is no way that you can go through this journey without knowing someone that gets pregnant or having someone in your periphery that gets there before you do. That can elicit some really horrible thoughts and feelings that you don't even recognise, like hang on a minute; that's not me, what is going on here? Which are all normal, by the way. All normal thoughts and feelings.

10:04 

Then tiered on that, I've already mentioned this sense of womanhood and that kind of like, it can feel like that very essence of your femininity isn't working for you. And then for some people, for example, who've had ectopic pregnancies, or who've had tissue or even organs removed as a result of endometriosis, for example, that can exacerbate that even further, right, if you've had endometrial tubes taken out. That can have a huge impact on your sense of self with regards to Fertility as well. If you are overweight, and you're told that that's to blame, or you're underweight and told that that's to blame, this is completely tied into our bodies and the way we connect and relate to ourselves.

11:10 

It's just so easy to get caught up in that it's so easy to get caught up in those waves of emotion and the negative self-chat, and that can take over. For me, it did, it took over, to the point where eventually it was running the show, and I could barely function. Actually, I really struggled. I don't want that for any of you, and a huge part of my work now is not just the nutrition, not just the lifestyle, but actually providing some of that emotional support as well.

11:51 

Another thing is that many of you, many of the people that I work with, I see focusing on the negatives. I did this as well, and I'd still do this. This is my natural tendency that I've had to do a lot of work on and continue to do work on, but many of you I see focusing on the negatives, even when there are positives to be drawn. So for me, for example, I'm the type of person, and I know so many of you are as well, where you can achieve something, you can meet a goal, you can do something that you hoped you would do. And instead of celebrating that, your mind just automatically goes to the next thing or why that thing wasn't as good as what it should have been. As I say, it's just this constant negative self-chat that can really, really take over.

12:49 

In the episode today, I just wanted to remind you of something that I say time and time again, but it's always worth being reminded of. And that is that fertility is a game of odds. And while there are certain conditions and certain imbalances in the body that can impede those chances of having a baby, it does not mean that there is no chance. It's very rare that someone in my sphere comes to me, and ive just said there's just no chance is not going to happen. So it's a game of odds. And if it's a game of odds, then we need to be focusing on improving those odds, right? If the odds are 100 to one, it's difficult to count the odds Exactly. But we know the things that can be done to improve those odds and to make it more likely. And I started using the analogy here; that's really not great for me because I don't know what 100 to one means in 10 to one means is 10 to one better than 100 to one, I don't know 10 to one. Yeah, I don't know. So I've used a terrible analogy there. So you can definitely laugh at me. But regardless of my knowledge of it 10 to one and 100 times, it's still a game of odds. We want to be in whichever direction that is in. We want to be working to improve those odds. And that is absolutely possible. And what that means is that there are small things on your journey that are absolutely to be celebrated because they are increasing those odds.

14:46 

Things like these are some of the examples of things that have happened to people within my world. Clients, group programme participants, people in my Facebook group, people I chat to etc. and its things like improving the husband's motility parameters through working hard on diet and lifestyle, through things like shortening the number of days spotting before a cycle, going from like four or five days spotting to two days spotting, that's amazing. Has your period returned after not having one for a long time? That's huge, increasing the number of follicles seen in a scan, improving AMH, and getting a higher fertilisation rate in an IVF cycle. All of these things are things I see week in and week out with people that I work with. So I guess I just wanted to go through a few things today that can help bring a little bit of hope. But also just a few tools and tips. I've just got three things here to talk about.

16:03 

So first of all, just hats off to you, really, and kudos to you because it really does take, regardless of odds and regardless of anything else, or how let down you feel by your body, or anything else that I've spoken about today, the fact that you are on this journey at all, takes an incredible amount of strength and resilience to withstand a journey like this with all of the peaks and troughs and hope and a lot of the time shattered dreams takes a huge amount of strength and resilience. That is within you that strength and resilience has not come from anywhere else; it has come from within you.

16:51 

I was talking in a recent Instagram video that I did about research that has found that an infertility diagnosis or struggling with infertility in women has a similar emotional impact to a cancer diagnosis. And yet, when you're struggling with infertility, many of you, the people in your life, won't even know you're expected to just go and carry on functioning as normal. You still have to go to work. You still have to socialise and be a person, right? Yet you might be feeling like you've just had this crushing blow.

17:33 

So, three things that we can be doing or you can be doing to elicit some self love, because I am absolutely congratulating you. I'm congratulating you for being on this journey at all and for the strength and resilience it takes. I'm congratulating you for being here listening to this podcast and taking an interest in things that you can do to improve your chances. And I am congratulating you, just for being you and for being the incredible person that you are. So a few things that you can do to help on that self love side of things, which I think ultimately is something we could all do more of.

18:28 

Number one is to keep track of the successes. So this is something that I've already touched on. Don't dismiss those successes. You might not be pregnant yet. Or you might not have your baby in your arms yet. And that might be something that feels really difficult as milestones go past where you'd assumed or hoped that you would have your baby by now. But each step you take gets you closer to that goal. So keep track of the successes, and celebrate those successes. This isn't me saying that you have to wear rose-tinted glasses about everything. It's not me saying that we don't acknowledge when things are really crappy. It's not me saying that we don't kind of stay true to ourselves. But it is about not dismissing the things that are really significant, as some of the things that I mentioned before. So absolutely. I'm celebrating you if you have had some successes, and I'd love for you to celebrate yourself too.

19:36 

Number two is affirmations. Now, affirmations, if you're familiar or not familiar, are about using words using the power of words to just create a more, I guess, just a more hopeful and, some say, a positive mindset shift. And again, it's not about creating false positivity. It's not about forcing it. It's just about opening up to the possibility. Because when we're thinking about things, and we're dwelling on how awful everything is, and we're stuck in that space because it really can leave you feeling stuck. And I was massively stuck when it was me, and how I didn't have that support. Partly my own fault because it's not like I didn't have anyone supporting me in my life. I just don't think I opened up. I just didn't really feel like anyone truly understood me. And I got stuck, I got stuck in a rut, and I felt let down by my body. And I just get, as I say, I let myself spiral. But there are things that you can say to yourself, and if you remind yourself have them every single day, then your body and your mind can open up to that possibility. And you can start to just release some of that negativity and some of that stuckness. And just be and feel that bit more open to the possibility that things could go your way. So affirmations can be really, really simple. And I'm going to give a couple of examples in a minute. But some of the things that you can actually do with those affirmations, you might take a short daily practice where you write them down, you might write them down, like you know, a few times in a row like, like Bart Simpson and the Blackboard writing down his detention notes after school, right. So you might write them down, you might like, take a picture of them and put that somewhere you see a lot. So, for example, you might write them down and then put them on your fridge. Or you might put them as your screensaver or your background on your phone, somewhere where you look, you see a lot, and you will see them, and you will read them, and they will be going into your subconscious. But also some people, and this is something that I do with my own affirmations now, recording yourself, saying them and then playing them back. So you're listening to my voice right now, right. So if you're a podcast listener, then audio might be a medium that does it for you. And so maybe that would work really well for you is recording yourself, just on your phone, saying a few of these affirmations a few times over 6,7,8,10 times over for each one and then record while you're cooking the dinner or out of your walk wherever it is that you might usually listen to this podcast and listen to yourself saying those affirmations. Some examples of affirmations, and I'm just giving you a couple here because really, they need to come from you, and they need to come from the heart. But some examples would be I'm stronger than I know. I trust and love my body. My hormones are working in perfect sync to create new life. I am safe. I am loved. And even just listening to those, even for me, saying those words out loud. Brings a nice little warm feeling to my heart. Words are powerful. They really are. And they can have a really wonderful impact if we commit to something like that. By the way, if you if, there's a sceptical part of you listening to that, thinking yeah, right. Okay, I'm just gonna manifest my baby into life. Please don't think that's what I'm saying. I'm not naive. I know how sceptical it can feel when you're on this journey. All I'm saying is that affirmations can be a powerful tool for just alleviating stress and just opening yourself up to the possibility. That's all I'm saying.

24:25 

Then the third thing is to join a community. And there are a number of communities out there. There are some really wonderful ones out there. But one community that is imminent. An offer on offer to you as a listener is my new community, my membership community which is a really affordable monthly membership. Where we can meet up every single week, and it's a real community where you get instant access to tonnes of tools. So you'll have a resource library available to you with things that can help with all of this that I'm talking about today, but also really practical things as well, with regards to nutrition and lifestyle. The main thing is the space each week during our live calls to come and share, connect with others on this journey, and just be you. And that can mean crying if it feels horrific that week. It could mean celebrating and sharing wins and encouraging others, and ultimately just being in that space that is safe and loving and nurturing. And to allow yourself to be supported in taking steps and having accountability towards taking those steps towards a healthier and more fertile body and mind. So I would love for you to come and join my community. And it's going to be called Fertility and the first 1000 days. I do already have my free Facebook group, which is also called Fertility and the first 1000 days. It's my thing; obviously, this podcast is the same name. But this is like the community times 100. Right? It's a community that really stepped up a notch. So it's not a half-hearted thing. It's like, okay, this is us, this is my tribe, these are my people. And so, if that sounds like it would be a nice thing for you for where you're at right now, to learn a bit more about steps that you could be taking to maximise your Fertility. And to connect with others who are in the same boat and to just get my expert help and support and advice week in and week out, then it can be a really, really great option. So I will put the link in the show notes to sign up for that if you want more. But if you are just curious to know more and you want more info, then drop me an email at support@Katybradbury.com, or drop me a DM on Instagram at Katy Bradbury health. I'd be more than happy to chat with you about this.

27:33 

But ultimately, if you listen to this episode today because you're feeling rotten, and you're having a day or a week or a month or even a year where this journey just feels insufferable and horrific, then please know that I know how horrible it can be. And please know that you do not have to be going through this alone. You can love your body again. I promise you can fall back in love with yourself again. And please just come and chat with me if you need to.

28:05 

Sending you lots and lots of love today. And I will speak to you again next week.

8:09 

Bye

WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET KATY'S HELP:

Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership:
Fertility and the First 1,000 Days Membership

Fundamentals for Fertility online course:
12-Week Fundamentals for Fertility Course with Katy Bradbury (evergreen)

Book a discovery call to talk through your needs for working together 1:1:
Practice Better

More info can be found about Katy on her website:
Katy Bradbury | From fertility to the first 1000 days

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katybradburyhealth

Email:
support@katybradbury.com

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