National Infertility Awareness Week | RMACT Walk for Healthy Families

  

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A Weekend for Healthy Families

Whew, what a weekend!  Two events for healthy families kept us busy and smiling at the end of National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW).  At the Stamford Hospital Fairfield County Women's Expo, I spent the weekend with RMACT's Norwalk and Stamford patient coordinators talking to women about fertility, infertility, babies and PCOS. 

Cori, Justine, Melissa and I answered questions and gave out educational materials.  More than that, we heard women talking about their fears; about not conceiving; about being too old; about having missed their chance; and about their reproductive health.  We heard success stories from patients of ours who stopped by to say hello and from women who had problems years and years ago.  While one in six couples have trouble conceiving, it appears that many, many more of us have been touched by infertility, whether it's a friend or family member.  Almost everyone knows someone who has struggled.  It's a small world.

March of Dimes Walk (Danbury)

Perfect segue into the March of Dimes Walk: small world and healthy babies, healthy mothers, health families.  How wonderful to see so many of the RMACT team out there--volunteering, walking, showing their support.  Thank you to Tally Jacobs, for the wonderful job that she has done for the past three years, pulling us all together!  Check out our Facebook page to see the pictures of our RMACT staff who got up and out early on a Sunday morning to put their muscle behind their hearts.  It's not too late to donate to this worthy cause, in case you weren't able to come out and walk. 

Next week, on Sunday, May 6, 2012, we walk in Stamford!  Please consider joining us or donating or both.  Click here to find out how.

Opening Up in Fertile Yoga

Meanwhile, at Fertile Yoga this past week, we women put our heads and hearts together and created some magic.  We welcomed new women into the group and found that by opening up, our newcomers were able to find themselves in a place of comfort and understanding that they did not expect.

How good to know that we are not alone.

National Infertility Awareness Week | RMACT Event Tips: 4/28 and 4/29

  

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Weekend Event Tips for National Infertility Awareness Week

Since 1989, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association has organized National Infertility Awareness Week®--April 22-28, 2012 this year--a nationwide campaign intended to educate the public about infertility and the concerns of the infertility community.  RESOLVE intends this special week to provide events and activities designed to encourage grassroots advocacy and motivate the infertility movement. 

Join RMACT for the Action and Weekend Fun

RMACT is joining the call to the infertility community to participate this week, to stand together and reach out.  As RESOLVE points out, millions of people need education about a disease that is often overlooked and misunderstood by healthcare professionals, the government, insurance companies, the media, and even friends and family members.  We're going to have fun while we take action this weekend.  Won't you join us?

Walk With Us For Healthy Pregnancy

Help Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) take another step towards healthy pregnancy!  This year, we will join thousands to walk in the annual March for Babies, in support of the March of Dimes, by walking in Danbury on April 29, 2012 and in Stamford on May 6, 2012.  Throughout Connecticut, during late April and early May, a total of nine events will take place across the state, aiming to raise $1.2 million.

Making Strides for Healthy Babies

The March of Dimes notes that this is the nation’s oldest walk fundraiser honoring healthy babies as well as those who need help to survive and thrive.  The March for Babies has raised a total of $2 billion since it began in 1970.  The March of Dimes uses these funds to help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies; to fund research to find answers to the problems that threaten babies’ lives; and to provide comfort to families who have a baby in neonatal intensive care.

Join Us to Support the March of Dimes

Join us for either walk in Danbury or in Stamford, or to make a pledge to March of Dimes.  The money we raise for March of Dimes supports healthy pregnancies, which, as you know, is a priority of our fertility clinic RMACT.  The babies and parents who benefit are our friends, colleagues, families and neighbors.

We're looking forward to walking with you!

. . . AND . . . 

Fairfield County Women's Expo

The Fairfield County Women's Expo, sponsored by Stamford Hospital, will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, and on Sunday, April 29, 2012, both days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Expo will be held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, which offers free indoor parking.  Visit the RMACT homepage and click on the banner that matches the image above to retrieve a free $5.00 coupon for admission (regular price $10).  RMACT will attend for the third year in a row and we're looking forward to it.

What you can find at the Expo this year:

Free Health Screenings provided by 

Stamford Hospital:

Fertile Support Offerings at Leading Infertility Clinic in CT

  

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Fertility Support

What are you doing to support yourself during infertility or fertility treatment?  Carrie Van Steen, who is sitting right next to me as we wait for Ladies Night In, wants to know.  She wants you to consider something new for yourself, for the spring. 

CT Infertility Clinic Offerings

Consider what we are offering for the next several weeks at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut, the infertility clinic in CT designated as one of the select nationwide Centers of Excellence:

• Pre-Conception Classes - with CT Nutritionist Carolyn Gundell, MS (March 17, April 14, May 5): Come learn about how to be proactive on your path to fertility.  Make lifestyle choices that will support your future pregnancy.

• PCOS – Women to Women - Peer Support Group – with Nutritionist Carolyn Gundell, MS in Stamford (April 5, June 14): PCOS is a lifelong endocrine syndrome with many variables.  Come learn more about it in this group of peers.

• Acupuncture for Fertility with Acupuncturist Amy Matton, MS, Lac, or Acupunturist Jing Zhang, Lac - These wonderful, compassionate professionals can do either traditional acupunture for fertility or laser sessions anytime during your fertility treatment cycle, including right before and after your embryo transfer.

• Stress and Fertility Workshop series with Fertility Counselor Lisa Tuttle, PhD (March 20, 27, April 3) - Come in and meet with Lisa privately for infertility therapy or with your partner.  Consider it a mental health tune up!

• Fertile Yoga with me (Certified Yoga Instructor Lisa Rosenthal) - Gentle, restorative yoga with an emphasis on poses poses for fertility and guided meditations that relieve stress and optimize your chances to conceive.

• Ladies Night In (Carrie Van Steen and Lisa Rosenthal) - Laugh, cry, share, and even find a new friend.  Dinner's on us while we welcome you to join us for a chat.

• Cooking Classes for Fertility Nutrition - Chef Alison Milwe-Grace & her partner Olivia Savarese of AMG Catering & Events is sharing her cooking skills & passion for food with RMA patients in a series of class offerings this winter/spring.  Come join us and learn how to plan and prepare quick, easy, and nutritious meals in a fun environment.

• March of Dimes Walk - April 29 (Stamford) and May 6 (Danbury) - RMACT is taking part in the March of Dime's 5k walk for the third year.  We would love you to join our team of walkers.

• A Family of My Own Conference - CT Fertility Doctor Mark Leondires is speaking! (April 21) Rye Brook, NY - This conference will shed light on traditional and alternative ways of conception, including  Assisted Reproductive Technology, Alternative Possibilities and Adoption.

• Stamford Women’s Expo - April 28 and 29 - RMACT will be here for the third year in a row, along with many other health professionals.  Talk about a treat: lots of beautiful things to look at and buy as a gift to yourself or to another!  Have a fun weekend.

Quite a few of these events will be taking place in honor of NIAW - National Infertility Awareness Week, which runs from April 22-28, whether they actually occur during the week or not.  National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) encourages infertility awareness, education, and understanding.

Support for Infertility

On a more personal note, as I write about support for infertility:

• Enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face;
• Slow down long enough to appreciate the glorious weather;
• Notice the signs of spring coming up everywhere--daffodils, crocuses, and more;
• Treat yourself to something different: a book, a movie, a night out with friends, a chatty phone call, a game of racquetball, Zumba, a cooking class, music at a coffee house, a concert.

There's no limit to what you can do to enjoy yourself this spring.  If you are not feeling a lot of joy, try something new.  See what opens up.  And then let us know.