Stress, mental health and extending your family (Ep22)

In today’s episode, we speak to fertility expert, Gabriela Rosa about some of the common issues faced by women who are trying to conceive a child while also juggling a professional career and family.    Even if you aren’t looking to extend your family, Gabriela’s advice about managing your stress and physical and mental health can help you keep your wellbeing in check.   Gabriela talks about:  her FERTILE method, a unique framework through which she looks at a holistic picture of a person’s health to determine what issues are getting in the way of conception;   her views on stress – not just the mental stress that might come to mind, but the stress felt by our bodies that we may not even recognise but which may cause our bodies to shut down some of the systems we need;   the need to accept what you can and can’t control. Gabriela’s advice: get your strategy right and then accept that conception is no longer within your control. What you can control, however, is your mind spiralling out of control.  “Follow your bliss” – do something else that you love to keep your mind occupied;   how we can go about making our own health a priority through food and exercise by thinking strategically and making health a habit;  her controversial research about the negative effects of coffee on a woman’s and a baby’s health; and   her answers to our listener questions – tips for couples trying to conceive when one partner works a FIFO roster and how to deal with morning sickness when we do get pregnant.  You can find out more about Gabriela’s method on her website or find Gabriela on Facebook and Instagram.   Don’t forget to join our online community of professional women juggling career and family and, of course, subscribe to the podcast!  Happy juggling!