Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Fri, Mar 29, 2013 @ 11:25 AM
In Many Different Opportunities Will You Find Fertility
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Grow something. Nurture it. Find what is needed to nourish and sustain it.
Find your own fertility. Beyond becoming pregnant.
Grow yourself.
Lisa Rosenthal's Google+
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Tue, Mar 26, 2013 @ 10:09 AM
RMACT Offers Patients a Free Fertility Seminar for Couples
Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) has created something very special for their patients. An evening for couples to understand and explore their own individual processes about infertility and fertility treatment.
A Fertility Seminar for Couples
The journey to pregnancy proves to be less stressful, and more successful, when the medical care is a comprehensive and coordinated approach that involves both partners as a couple.
Join us for a FREE seminar on: Thursday April 11, 2013 5:45 PM – 8:00 PM
10 Glover Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06850
Concurrent Sessions: 5:45-7:00PM
For our Male Patients: For our Female Patients:
Optimizing Male Fertility Fertile Yoga - Come experience guided meditation meditation and deep relaxation. Consider this a mini vacation, clearing your mind and body.
Questions to Consider About Your Lifestyle and Fertility
Have you ever wondered…
• If there is a relationship between diet, exercise, alcohol, stress, tobacco, or other lifestyle behaviors that may affect our chances of conception?
• How does my body weight, high cholesterol, diabetes, or medications affect my fertility?
• Are vitamins, supplements and protein powders helpful or harmful to my fertility?
If so, join Dr. Mark Leondires, RMACT’s Medical Director, and Carolyn Gundell, RMACT’s Nutritionist for an educational seminar addressing these and many more issues.
For Everyone: 7:00 – 8:00 PM Support and Encouragement for You and Your Partner
Lisa Tuttle, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, will lead a discussion that is geared toward helping partners support each other through the fertility journey.
Topics to be discussed include: understanding the typical male and female reactions to infertility and how different they are, what to say and what not to say and coping with the stress of infertility and managing that stress in your relationship.
A light dinner will be served
Free Admission for RMACT Patients, but please RSVP to Jenn at 203-750-7484 or jsantana@rmact.com
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Wed, Mar 20, 2013 @ 10:00 AM
Fertile Love - A Family of Two
We open our hearts to our beloveds and we create family. We are family, whether we are born to the same mother and father or whether we were born continents apart. We are family when our hearts connect. That bond does not disintegrate. Not with time or space or loss of communication or even death. We are family.
We are family when we are partners who have committed our lives and our hearts together. Our families are not created by enlarging to include a child. Our families are started through our love and committment. With or without a child.
Celebrate your family. In this moment. Your partner, spouse, beloved. Your sisters of blood and of spirit. Your brothers who hold you up and reflect your loving heart back to you. Your parents, the ones that brought you up and the ones that have helped you on different segments of your journey.
Fertility and Family
Our children do not make us a family. We are family when we love. Our fertility shines through our love, our ability to grow and explore new ways to be family.
We are family when we love. We are fertile when we watch our hearts expand to find the light. Our fertility is ours for the taking when we love. We are family, we love, we expand, we offer our hearts. To you.
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Fri, Mar 01, 2013 @ 10:24 AM
In Honor of National Nutrition Month, My Fertility Hero is...
Every once in a while, when I am so inspired, I write to you about a fertility hero. There are people that just do that. Inspire. It could be Lindsay Nohr Beck, cancer surviver and founder of Fertile Hope, an organization devoted to fertility preservation. It could be a man or woman who goes above and beyond in their quest to create their family and keeps their sense of humor. And cheers up other people. And spends time with their nieces and nephews. It could be my fearless partner in leading Ladies Night In, Carrie Van Steen, who gives her whole heart to her patients.
Lately, I've had one on my mind. And, as it happens, it is March 1, the first day of National Nutrition month. The timing seems fortutitous. Meet Carolyn Gundell, RMACT nutritionist. Where do I start? From the beginning.
Carolyn Gundell and Nutrition
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She has helped patients make substantial changes in their lives since she has joined the practice
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Her nutrition expertise when it comes to weight loss, food plans and understanding the challenging endocrine disorders of insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and PCOS is unsurpassed
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Carolyn has five board certified reproductive endocrinologists that she consults closely with to create plans for patients trying to conceive
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Her passion has led her to create seminars, such as pre-conception health and how to be healthy once you become pregnant
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She has led the charge to educate and support young women, NOT trying to become pregnant, who have PCOS and want to live their lives in as healthy a way as possible
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Carolyn has established on-going PCOS seminars and support groups to support and educate women trying to manage PCOS and trying to conceive
- She is an integral part of our new program for teenagers struggling with the effects of PCOS
Those are the formal things to know about Carolyn. I'm lucky enough to have an insider view. Here are some less formal things that inspire me about Carolyn.
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Those beautiful boards that tell you about pre-natal vitamins, PCOS and food? She makes them herself
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When she broke her foot, she continued to see patients, lug around empty boxes to review ingredients with patients and never lost a step (pardon the pun)
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She always has time to stop in at Ladies Night In, to chat or educate - at 8 pm, after a full day
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She will often walk someone over personally, for Fertile Yoga
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Carolyn will speak with any RMACT team member about food, diet, exercise. She gives of her time very freely
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When there is no appointment and a patient needs one, she will always find time
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She has more ideas on how to improve patient experiences at RMACT in 10 minutes than most of the rest of us do in weeks
Here a few comments from some of her RMACT colleagues:
Carolyn has inspired me very much.
I am trying to use some of her suggestions in my own life.
I am actually feeling the best that I have in some years with a better diet, vits and excercise. Thanks Carolyn! ~ Spencer Richlin, MD - Surgical Director of RMACT
Working with Carolyn Gundell as a part of the PCOS team has been truly inspiring. Her dedication, caring and willingness to spend time with each patient she cares for is remarkable. She will go the extra mile for anyone in order to help make their lives better. In addition, on a personal note, Carolyn is always there to help me in my own struggle with my weight and nutrition. ~ Diana D'Amelio - RMACT Physicians Assistant - PCOS and Third Party team member
Adjectives that I would use to describe Carolyn would include: passionate, dedicated, intelligent, resourceful, kind, and pretty darn amazing. Carolyn has changed the practice's thoughts and behaviors about eating and at this point hundreds of patients in the practice. Recently there's been a patient in our practice that I believe never would've gotten pregnant if she not met with Carolyn. Additionally she works hard and persistently for patients that are at risk from diabetes and significant obesity. She picks up things that the doctors don't pick up secondary to her inquisitive nature and unique relationship she has with patients.
She frequently teaches me things. She's always pleasant and positive and I feel thankful that I get an opportunity to work with her. ~ Mark Leondires, MD - Medical Director of RMACT
Carolyn shares a wealth of knowledge with a passion and energy that is inspiring. She works tirelessly to ensure the well being of her patients. Working with Carolyn is an enriching experience- I am always learning something new! ~ Eloise Downs - Registered Nurse on RMACT's PCOS Team
A final note about Carolyn. Lately, it's occurred to me that Carolyn is remarkable, in a way that I'm a little uncomfortable talking about. That's a word that's used a lot for her. Remarkable. Passionate is another word. Educated is a third. Those three words are probably the reason that she is able to connect so effectively with patients. When I look at Carolyn, I realize the point of looking past the physical being. Carolyn is a beautiful woman. She is also thin and svelte. I admire our patients and Carolyn's looking past one another's looks to see the person within.
When I first met Carolyn, I really wondered how men and women who were obese, overweight or even had just a few pounds to lose would take to working with someone who is a size 2. Her size intimidated me. Credit goes to her ability to make a connection despite the difference in outward appearances, for her to relate so passionately to patients who could be dismissive of her, but who are not. She finds the way, seamlessly into our patients hearts, to help and support them on their journey for their families.
I have a lot to learn from Carolyn too. I find I am in a large pool of RMACT team members and patients that are grateful we are lucky enough to have this fertility hero. Thanks Carolyn, for contributing your considerable self, size 2 or not, to the RMACT team and family.
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 @ 11:06 AM
Top 10 Fertility Health Do's and Don'ts
Too much information.
In the guise of giving as much fertility health information as possible, to be as thorough and comprehensive as I can be, evidently for some of you, I may be confusing. PathtoFertility, the blog you are currently reading has recently celebrated it's third birthday. Five blogs a week, fifty two weeks a year, times three; there's a lot of information here.
For those of you out there who would like to know the basic things to do and not do, it can be overwhelming. So, pared down, if you are not in fertility treatment or seeing a board certified reproductive endocrinologist and simply want the benefit of being as fertility healthy as possible, then here are the basics. If you become interested in any of the items listed, there are blogs on this site that will go in the why's, why not's, and other details.
Do
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Sleep a minimum of seven hours a night
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Take a good prenatal vitamin with folic acid
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Excercise mindfully. Walk, don't run. Yoga, yes, not hot yoga
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Eat a healthy diet, with plenty of colorful vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, fruit, good oils
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Drink plenty of healthy, non-caffeinated, non soda fluids
Don't
These are your bare minimums. Think of it as your foundation. There are many other ways to enhance your health and improve how you are feeling. Without these foundational elements, nothing else that you will do will have a lot of efficacy.
These Are Only Suggestions to Help You Get Pregnant
Please note
Having a cup of coffee or a glass of wine will not mean that you will never become pregnant. Or even that you will not become pregnant during the cycle in which you have those things. Nor will having a cookie or a bowl of ice cream. These things, after all, are not birth control. They will not create a miscarriage or an unhealthy embryo or fetus.
These are suggestions for you to be able to use as ways to create that stable foundation for a healthy pregnancy and baby. These are suggestions for you to become a healthier person, which is the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and baby.
We are all human beings. We all do the best that we can. Even with these foundation items, there will be times when you indulge. Forgive yourself and move on. In other words, do the best that you can. Be mindful.
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Fri, Feb 22, 2013 @ 10:40 AM
A Chance to Speak Out About Infertility
It's time. 
Back in the dark ages, no one talked about infertility and fertility treatment. Well, almost no one. Here and now, guess what? Many of us still don't talk about infertility and fertility treatment. Two major side effects of infertility; isolation and shame.
There are many reasons not to talk about infertility. If you're reading this, you may recognize your reason on this list; shame, privacy, insurance coverage, fear of pity, avoiding unhelpful help, easier, sparing the other person(s) pain, thinking that you will be pregnant soon enough so it's not necessary, jealousy and envy, not wanting to be the topic of conversation. And more. It's a partial list, your reasons may not appear there.
Celebrities Talk Too, Including Mrs. New York
I had all those reasons. But I had something else too. A big mouth. Which, it turned out, was a good thing. It got me out of myself and into volunteering. These days infertility is all over the news. Even the celebrities talk about it, embarassing as it could be for them, even damaging to their public personas. Still, they talk about it. Check out Mrs. New York in our photo.
I started talking a long time ago. I started volunteering. I started writing. I did interviews. I did television shows. This was over twenty years ago. I haven't stopped since. My biggest reward is to see infertility conversation out of the closet. To see it discussed on all major media and social media platforms. It just isn't enough though. It's time. We need you. I need you.
Please Join the Conversation at Fertile Yoga on March 11, 2013
I was asked to be interviewed by a very sympathetic television reporter. She would like to video a Fertile Yoga class, on March 11, at 11:30 am. Most likely the class will be taught at Blackbird Yoga, in Georgetown CT, about 20 minutes north of Norwalk and 20 minutes south of Danbury.
I need you. I need you to come and take class that day. If you can find a way to be comfortable, we would arrange for you to be interviewed as well. This is an opportunity to come out of the closet. To be with a group of people, acknowledging this very prevalent (one out of six people will face the challenge of infertility) health problem.
Come be part of the solution. Bring infertility just a little bit more out of the closet. Find your own voice and let it be heard. My email address, if you are interested, is exhale2inhale@gmail.com. Please put in the subject line ~ Fertile Yoga - It's time. For those of you who participate, there will be a little concrete sign of our gratitude.
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Mon, Jan 02, 2012 @ 10:56 AM
RMACT shares their Fertile New Year's Wishes and Hopes:
Wishing you a happy prosperous 2012. I am hoping that this year will be a year to always remember. As long as there is hope, there is faith. Good luck!!~ Natesha L.
Hope that your wishes and hopes are fulfilled~ Linda C.
To all of our RMACT patients,
I know it is so hard to see beyond the scope of your Fertility journey. The days, months, years, the ups and downs and the arduous task of always trying to be positive can definitely get in the way of life’s other offerings. My wish for all of you is that you are able to reach out and grab hold of all the joys that family, friends, good health, and any and all personal accomplishments can bring you.
Best wishes for all things wonderful in the new Year!
Laurie P.
Third party Coordinator
May your deepest wishes be fulfilled with the coming new year!~ Mary H.
Wishing our patients a year filled with hope, love and much happiness! ~Justine S.
Wishing all the patients at RMA peace and joy this holiday season, and dreams fulfilled in the year ahead!!~ Amy M.
Here is what I know:
I will be spending New Years Eve with dear friends, who have become family to us.
That I greatly value the people I work with. I adore them personally and respect them professionally.
That those of us at RMACT will continue to work our hardest to help you fulfill your family-building dreams.
And I know that fertility treatment works. I thank Dr. Leondires and Monica when I look at my Lego-loving, sweet, funny 6 year old son and wonder where I would be without their help and support.
Lastly, I know I have a fantastic husband, a true partner and best friend to celebrate all of life's victories, no matter how small.
I hope 2012 brings you everything you wish for, and that you find the time to celebrate even your smallest victories.
Robin M.
May you find Peace and Love this Holiday Season! ~Alicia M.
May you have a very Happy Holiday and safe New Year!~ Andrew F. 
"The beauty of the holiday season can remind us of all the beauty in life that we take for granted. Our family, our friends, and our faith." ~ Diana D.
I wish you all the peace and wisdom to make 2012 a year full of personal growth and success. Whatever else happens is just a bonus! I find you, our patients, a constant source of strength, motivation and inspiration and am honored to participate in your care, as well as accompany you on your fertility journey~ Mark Leondires, MD- Medical Director of RMACT
I wish for our patients to have a meaningful 2012 that is filled with fulfillment~ Joshua Hurwitz, MD- RMACT
2012, a new beginning. An ending. A new beginning.
The RMACT Team offers you wishes for a Fertile New Year.
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Fri, Dec 30, 2011 @ 07:05 AM
New Year's Eve Message from Medical Director of RMACT
Who would ever think that they would get hundreds of holiday cards with children on them every year?
Since 2002, I have looked forward to the holiday cards I receive from all over the world from patients of RMA of CT. As a staff we look forward to them. We oooh, and ahhh over each one. At times we giggle at the utter adorableness and there are times we are simply humbled by the stories which accompany these cards.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of this holiday bounty is that these are cards from couples from all walks of life who may have never had a family, celebrating theirs with us. I recently received a card from a patient from2002. They continue to remember us and share their family with us, even 8 years later. The picture of their now family of four is so special to me as a reminder of how the work that we do creates on-going joy for families. I am constantly touched by the humanity and passion of all of our patients. I have heard from several patients that they have their children wave when they drive past the office. When I went into medicine I wanted to be a pediatrician. The path I took is more fulfilling than I imagined, helping people make their little one’s.
So I thank all of you who send cards and notes and SO look forward to more. It is amazing to think that we have helped bring over 2,500 children in to families where they were so very wanted. Truly, we have a magical responsibility, as the birth and growth of a child is a magical journey.
Please share this with those who want children; that there are many paths out there and to seek help if they are having difficulties.
Happy New Year to All....
Mark Leondires, MD
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 @ 07:21 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to our patients and patients everywhere from the staff of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our wonderful patients! Let us all be thankful for all the wonderful things that we have and hopeful for all the wonderful things that our future will bring.
Diana D.
Thanksgiving is a time for family. We are all part of a family with hopes and dreams. As we walk together with friends and family we must be thankful for what we have with a hopeful eye to the future. To all of our patients (extended family) I wish you the best this day and hope you do reach your dreams in the future. Or (touch the sky in the future)
Dr. L
I am thankful for life, family and friends.
Kimone N.
I am thankful for family, friends, and magnificent co-workers.
Natesha L.
I am very thankful for a wonderful 2010; a seamless wedding, wonderful in-laws, great job, and amazingly supportive friends and family.
Teresa Z.
I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to slow down a little and share a wonderful meal with busy family and friends.
Tina C.
On Thanksgiving we have to savour the people we are around and celebrating with. Be in the here an now and enjoy the moment of the holiday. We all deserve to have fun on Thanksgiving. Be Mindful, which means to focus and enjoy the little things - smell of the turkey, or the baking of a pie, or your company.
Dr. R
I am thankful for my family and both our grandchildren and especially for our rmact ivf grandson!
Janice P.
I’m grateful for my wonderful father and boyfriend, without them I’d be nowhere in life. I am also grateful for this new job I was blessed with. Amazing co-workers, patients. Couldn’t get any better than this!
Terilyn M.
I am thankful for working in such a great place with such amazing people to be able to help our patients achieve wonderful families.
Dr. H.
I am so thankful for the love, support and encouragement of my family and friends (and, on a lighter note, I am also thankful for Glee (my favorite!) and my IPAD). Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Robin M.
I am so very grateful for another amazing year of wonderful memories from families, friends and of course our patients at RMACT.
Carrie V.
I am very Thankful for 2 girls that started of as co-workers and have become family to me. I am also thankful for having amazing kids and a husband.
Lettycia C.
I am thankful for friends, family and good health.
Rachel V.
I'm thankful for my families, both at home & work. And for our patients getting pregnant and knowing that we have a small part in their success & happiness. Happy Thanksgiving,
Dawn K.
I am thankful for the health of my children.
Jocelyn C.
I am thankful for having the opportunity to care for patients that are trying to expand their family.I am thankful for my family.I am thankful that my sister is cancer free after 5 years. I have so much more to be thankful for, the list goes on and on
Brigitte A.
I’m grateful for: HOUSE on Mondays; GLEE on Tuesdays; HUMAN TARGET on Wednesdays; FRINGE on Thursdays; and Simon works on Fridays…
Laurie P.
I am thankful for my wonderful family, friends, and co workers who have supported me and have always been there. I am thankful for hellos and smiles I’m able to share with everyone each day! Happy Thanksgiving!
Soochi V.
I am thankful for my family and health.
Linda C.
I am very grateful to work with such a caring, dedicated team of people at RMA. I am also grateful that my own struggle with nfertility paved the way for me to have such a rewarding career. Lastly, I am so grateful to the couples who let me share their fertility journey, and who never cease to amaze me with their strength and perseverance to become parents.
Lisa T.
With the many obstacles that may have happened in my life, I am grateful to overcome challenges and succeed by choosing to be happy and joyful for the moment.
Petra S.
This time of year makes me think of all that I am thankful for which of course includes my family & health, but I am also so grateful for the kindness of strangers and generousity of their hearts time and again.
Alicia M.
I am thankful for my Patients. As I share my knowledge, I end every visit with a greater understanding and professional growth- from my patient discussions. Also, my mother was a great role model. She showed me how optimizing her health through healthy eating, spiritual growth, and physical fitness helped her face her daily life mental and physical challenges. I am thankful for the opportunity of working with a wonderful RMA team of doctors and staff who support my nutrition / wellness passion and offer excellent, comprehensive reproductive healthcare.
Carolyn G.
I am thankful for my wonderful family,good health and for my JOB! Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Dori W.
I am grateful to have such great people to work with!
Kristin A.
To all the RMACT patients I am thankful for the opportunity to know so many of you and be a part of you journey. Wishing you peace on this Thanksgiving and success in the year ahead!
Amy M
I'm thankful for my patients, who teach me something new about hope every day.
Nora B.
Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Tue, Oct 04, 2011 @ 09:00 AM
Guilt and regret often surround infertility.
I know I started listing all the bad decisions that I made when I discovered that I was not conceiving and might never.
I went all the way back to the fourth grade. I was not nice to a girl in my class. I was most definitely not nice. Actually, I was downright mean.
Was that why I was being punished? Was it for every bad decision that I made after that?
Every time I had an opportunity to be kind and I blew it?
Did I have things entirely too easy and it was my turn?
If I had been nicer to my mother when I was a teenager, kinder to my sister, friendlier to my neighbors?
Was it because of these things?
I wondered if there was just one thing that tilted the scales towards my being infertile.
Or if it was just simply a culmination of an early lifetime of making bad, insensitive, unkind choices.
It didn't help that my infertility was unexplained. That just caused me to look for answers that went past my uterus, fallopian tubes and eggs.
Maybe I just wasn't meant to have kids.
Only, who decided that?
I wondered what I had done so bad to have deserved infertility.
I knew there were worse things to have. Cancer, strokes, heart attacks.
It was hard to feel grateful.
Mainly, I just felt miserable, alone, guilty and ashamed.
And I was never quite sure how I got there.