How does infertility impact your mental health?

Infertility Support

Meet my guest Natasha Devon, MBE who is on on a mission to save the nations mental health, she launched her charter in 2017

I found out about Natasha Devon, whilst working at Bauer, presenting on Hits Radio as she has been a part of a campaign called Wheres your head at and it was my interest in this, that lead on to the recent Grazia interview I gave about my experience of going through fertility treatment whilst presenting a live radio show. It was also how I learned about becoming a Mental Health first aider, which is something I'm planning on doing this year. You can too.

The way it works is it can be for a group 8-16 people and either invite the trainer into your workplace if you work in a larger business, or you can contact Mental Health First Aid and join a random one, which Natasha explained to me that as an instructor she thinks that is actually a better way to do it, as sometimes when she goes into a business there is a pre-existing dynamic, there’s someone annoyed with someone else.

Natasha and I talked about anxiety as she explained 'It’s ok to feel anxious you don’t need to deny the feeling but you need coping strategies

Her advice is to try for 30 min a day to empty your stress bucket, to release that adrenalin and cortisol from your system, and restore the chemical balance that is your mental fitness

There has been researching into the effect of stress on your hormones however it’s v.difficult to get the NHS to admit there is a link between your hormones and your mental health

However, if you have a hormonal imbalance it will bring on symptoms that are very similar to anxiety

We talked about the importance of putting a safety net for yourselves

In terms of dealing with your mental health when trying to conceive, Natasha suggested one hour of self-care - which can be physical, relaxation, or creativity.

It gives you an identity outside being a prospective parent. Think about noting the times in your cycle and then making sure you ring-fence tie for your self-care

When it comes to your mental health it's an ongoing process. Natasha spoke about how when you hear stories in the media about the person who lost half their body weight nobody ever checks on them later on.

On talking about her own mental health, Natasha explained "Mental Health is an experience you are living every day. I manage pretty well. I used to have a couple of panic attacks a day and now I have a few a year."

She talked about finding the right help, a therapist, knowing her triggers and how it was she had a lot to learn to get to that point and how she knows she will have a dip at some point in the future, but that's OK as it doesn’t mean she has relapsed.

Natasha also spoke about her own situation in that she is a 37-year-old childless woman who has made the decision with her partner not to have children, however, she said ' The number of times in an average week when I am asked, so when are you going to have babies then and I always think what if I couldn’t and people need to be more mindful that not everyone is following this prescribed pathway.'

To find links to further advice and support on mental health (including no panic) visit here

and check our Natasha's book:

Plus you can follow her on Twitter/Instagram: @_NatashaDevon

I mentioned in this episode about sending me a clip of audio - like a day in your life. If you fancy sharing what is going on with you in 1-2 minutes to be played out on The Fertility Podcast, please email a clip to [e-mail]

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Thanks as always - Nat x