Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to attend part of a NaPro conference for FCPs, medical consultants, and more. Since I'm none of the above, I just attended one day as a participant and my DH came along to watch Baby R. I was most excited about seeing and hearing from some of the big names in NaProTechnology: Hilgers, Yeung, Nolte, Stanford, and Boyle.
The thing that I personally took away from all the discussions was the importance of decreasing inflammation in the body. It's still unknown whether or not I have endo (in women with recurrent pregnancy loss, Dr. Yeung said a high percentage of them do have endo), but that is just one of the causes of inflammation in the body. Others could be stress, allergies, food insensitivities, etc. An anti-inflammatory diet includes eliminating dairy, wheat, and sugar. And an anti-inflammatory diet is good for women with persistent pain.
I find it so interesting that I conceived and stayed pregnant while following my food intolerance avoidance diet (no eggs, sugar, dairy, or gluten) along with taking LDN, which I found out helps reduce inflammation as well! I was reminded that I most likely have too much inflammation in my body again, and I'll probably feel better and stay healthier if I work to eliminate some of that (I am following a dairy-free diet at the moment, but that's all). It also convinces me that when it is time to start trying to conceive again, it will be important for me to get back on that avoidance diet along with LDN.
Dr. Yeung, who has done extensive research and work with endo patients, recommends all his patients follow an anti-inflammatory diet (whether or not he's diagnosed them as having endo) and take Omega 3 supplements. Those 2 things alone have been enough for some of his IF patients to conceive! He recommended at least 2,000 g. of Omega 3s a day, and not all supplements are created equal. You need to look at the EPA content of each capsule (it should be 700 mg). You can also have a blood test done to check your levels and determine your daily Omega 3 dosage. More info can be found here, under the "new treatment strategies" button. Even if you're not interested in the Omega 3 info, check out the website. It's FertilityCare of Europe, and it has great info on LDN and food intolerance testing as well!
In addition to seeing Napro greats, I got to meet not 1, not 2, but THREE bloggers! I had this lovely lady save me a seat for one of the sessions and then we had lunch together. She is adorable. I wish she would post a picture on her blog for you to see her as she's simply gorgeous inside and out. It was so fun chatting with her. There's just something about talking with other women who "get it." You truly can't compare it to other discussions.
I also got to briefly see this blogger, who is just as outgoing and bubbly in person as she is on her blog. I got a hug from this lovely lady, who I had previously prayed for during this last Lenten Prayer Buddies. How cool is that? When you get assigned someone during Prayer Buddies, you don't often think you'll get the chance to meet them, especially if they live in another country! Both of these women are working tirelessly to bring NaPro to their country.
I'm so thankful for NaPro and what it's done for so many women. It was fun to be able to bring our NaPro baby down to the conference and meet other FCPs and medical consultants working so hard to care for women's fertility issues. I know not all of you who read this blog have had the same positive experience with NaPro, and I wish that wasn't the case. I wish NaPro was able to help you get pregnant and grow your family as your heart desires. I don't know why that hasn't been the case, but know that I pray particularly for you!
The thing that I personally took away from all the discussions was the importance of decreasing inflammation in the body. It's still unknown whether or not I have endo (in women with recurrent pregnancy loss, Dr. Yeung said a high percentage of them do have endo), but that is just one of the causes of inflammation in the body. Others could be stress, allergies, food insensitivities, etc. An anti-inflammatory diet includes eliminating dairy, wheat, and sugar. And an anti-inflammatory diet is good for women with persistent pain.
I find it so interesting that I conceived and stayed pregnant while following my food intolerance avoidance diet (no eggs, sugar, dairy, or gluten) along with taking LDN, which I found out helps reduce inflammation as well! I was reminded that I most likely have too much inflammation in my body again, and I'll probably feel better and stay healthier if I work to eliminate some of that (I am following a dairy-free diet at the moment, but that's all). It also convinces me that when it is time to start trying to conceive again, it will be important for me to get back on that avoidance diet along with LDN.
Dr. Yeung, who has done extensive research and work with endo patients, recommends all his patients follow an anti-inflammatory diet (whether or not he's diagnosed them as having endo) and take Omega 3 supplements. Those 2 things alone have been enough for some of his IF patients to conceive! He recommended at least 2,000 g. of Omega 3s a day, and not all supplements are created equal. You need to look at the EPA content of each capsule (it should be 700 mg). You can also have a blood test done to check your levels and determine your daily Omega 3 dosage. More info can be found here, under the "new treatment strategies" button. Even if you're not interested in the Omega 3 info, check out the website. It's FertilityCare of Europe, and it has great info on LDN and food intolerance testing as well!
In addition to seeing Napro greats, I got to meet not 1, not 2, but THREE bloggers! I had this lovely lady save me a seat for one of the sessions and then we had lunch together. She is adorable. I wish she would post a picture on her blog for you to see her as she's simply gorgeous inside and out. It was so fun chatting with her. There's just something about talking with other women who "get it." You truly can't compare it to other discussions.
I also got to briefly see this blogger, who is just as outgoing and bubbly in person as she is on her blog. I got a hug from this lovely lady, who I had previously prayed for during this last Lenten Prayer Buddies. How cool is that? When you get assigned someone during Prayer Buddies, you don't often think you'll get the chance to meet them, especially if they live in another country! Both of these women are working tirelessly to bring NaPro to their country.
I'm so thankful for NaPro and what it's done for so many women. It was fun to be able to bring our NaPro baby down to the conference and meet other FCPs and medical consultants working so hard to care for women's fertility issues. I know not all of you who read this blog have had the same positive experience with NaPro, and I wish that wasn't the case. I wish NaPro was able to help you get pregnant and grow your family as your heart desires. I don't know why that hasn't been the case, but know that I pray particularly for you!
Thanks for all the great info from the conference! How interesting that they are focusing on inflammation! Good thing I've had my food intolerance testing!
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds awesome!! Wish I could've gone.
ReplyDeleteHow neat that you were able to attend the conference! It sounds like it was awesome. Thanks for sharing some of the new information! Hope you're doing well and that R's reflux is better!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of good information! I was trying to cut back on dairy (just because, mostly), and I totally caved this weekend. It's interesting to think about all the things that cause inflammation.
ReplyDeleteHow wondeful that you were able to attend this! So much information! And how much fun to get to meet some bloggers!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for including the information about inflammation and what to look for in an Omega 3 supplement. I need to take them, but I didn't know what made a good supplement...or how much to take. I think it's so awesome that you got to attend the FertilityCare Conference and meet other bloggers! I hope to meet some of you guys one day!
ReplyDeleteI agree, polka dot is a pretty special lady! Glad you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting!! I have to say, I feel much better on my diet (no dairy, gluten, eggs, soy as well as some other specific foods I tested for) even though I got the results after conceiving. I am hoping to stick with it after baby arrives. I am happy to hear they are encouraging people to look into testing for food intolerances and reducing inflammation! And I am sure seeing your NaPro baby was such an encouragement to them. The NaPro MC's seem to have it the hardest... it's not easy being an MD who goes against the typical ART approach.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stressing the info about inflammation! I needed to read that. I've been thinking about getting the food intolerance testing for my DH and I.
ReplyDeleteAlso ... SO HAPPY you got to meet all THREE lovely ladies at the conference and had an amazing time!
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me to recommit to reducing inflammation by eliminating sugar / wheat / eggs and dairy. Got a great Omega supp from my naturopath, too. (And thank you for your prayers!)
ReplyDeleteMJ