Women's Health and Issues

This guest post is from the nurses at Laurel Fertility Care, a local fertility practice with offices in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Modesto. Visit them online at www.laurelfertility.com.

Throughout patients' fertility journeys, it can be easy to forget the other health practitioners who play a vital role helping patients reach their fertility dreams. At Laurel Fertility Care, one of the most important relationships occurs between the patient and nurse. Every visit to the doctor's office either starts or ends with a check-up with the nurse to ensure that the patient is nurtured emotionally, physically, and mentally. Below is a list compiled by nurses at Laurel Fertility Care of what they encourage patients to understand and think through before agreeing to any treatments.

1. Understand (and explore) your reproductive system. "Yes, this may sound like your fifth grade health class instructor," commented Laurel Fertility Care nurse May Pepito, "but honestly it is so helpful to know how an average female reproductive system works and how your reproductive system regularly functions. Understanding and educating yourself before going into your fertility doctor's office will save you time and money." For more information, visit WedMD's comprehensive page.

This guest article is by Lisa Brent, ND, LAc. Lisa is a naturopathic doctor specializing in women’s health and integrative gynecology at the Owning Pink Center in Mill Valley, CA.

Are you in your early forties and doing everything right, yet gaining weight with every passing year? You aren’t alone. Ask any mom and chances are she will tell you that her metabolism has changed over time, and especially after pregnancy. While we are all guilty of snacking on goldfish scattered on the floors of our cars, most of us do try hard to eat well and get some kind of regular exercise. It is frustrating when these efforts do not produce the results they used to when we were younger.

What’s the root cause of this age 40+ weight gain?

There are two main reasons for this: stress and metabolic compromise. It is well known that metabolism changes over time. Around middle age, many women begin to slowly gain weight even though they have not changed their diet or exercise regimen.

Are you a mom who has trouble getting enough sleep? You're not alone! In this guest article, Dr. Lisa Brent offers some facts about insomnia and what you can do to combat it and get the rest you need and deserve.

“Sleep when the baby sleeps” is advice many mothers receive when they bring a new baby home. This is a really great idea, but it is not always so easy to do. For many women, sleep does not come easily, even when they are completely exhausted by the daily (and nightly) demands of motherhood.

There are many factors that go into the decision to grow your family, and affordability is usually one of them. To determine whether or not a second child is financially feasible, you need to consider the costs of raising that child from birth through financial independence, which is hopefully when they graduate college. Here are a few of the largest expenses to evaluate.

Does Size Matter?
Housing-related costs (mortgage, insurance, and property tax) are the largest expenses for most families. In planning for Baby #2, ask yourself if you need (not want) to move to accommodate your growing family.

In this guest article, Mill Valley naturopathic doctor Lisa Brent offers some insight into how stress affects moms' lives and how we can cope with it.

We love our children. They bring joy, love, and many gifts to our lives. We devote ourselves to our kids and we cherish our bond with them above all others.

At the same time, the work of caring for another human being can cause a significant amount of stress for women. The demands of motherhood impact many areas in our lives: our time, our sleep, our finances, our emotional lives, our relationships and more.

Motherhood also brings with it a whole new set of worries. We can become anxious about our children’s safety as well as about their behavior and social development. We often fret that we are not going a good enough job. Mothers are bombarded by advice and theories from experts about the right approach to motherhood. Much of this advice can be conflicting and may not fit with our particular child’s needs. This often leads us to question ourselves and become stressed out by the consequences of making a mistake. And every new stage in our children’s lives presents us with a brand new set of challenges.

Looking to build strength, tone muscle, and improve aerobic fitness in an outdoor setting, all while helping raise money to fight breast cancer? Fitpink is a Marin-based organization that provides “all outdoors” small-group training for women who are looking to get fit and help a great cause.

Fitpink was founded by Novato resident Ian Tonks, who was inspired by his passion for fitness and interest in women’s causes. A native of England, Ian holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Northumbria and an MBA in strategic leadership from Dominican University of California. He has more than 20 years of professional experience as a leader in youth sports programming, development, and fundraising, and has worked with athletes in several professional sports leagues, including Major League Soccer and the NFL.

Before becoming a mom, most women have a relatively unlimited amount of time to take care of themselves, whether it is leisurely shopping for new clothes or spending a few hours at the gym on the weekend.

When you become a parent, time becomes a lot more valuable and scarce. As a mom, you have also taken on a new role as your family’s ambassador, the official head and authorized representative of your family, and should feel and look the role! Of course, you have a lot less time to take care of yourself because you are busy taking care of everyone else. Even when you do find the time, you may not feel like you have money to spend on yourself.

Ever wondered if a fitness boot camp is the right way for you to get in shape? Marin fitness expert and owner of Novato Adventure Boot Camp Carlos Payte explains what it's all about in this guest article.

"What is Novato Adventure Boot Camp and how could I possibly be helped by it?” That is one of many questions that people think as they hear the name, see the bright-orange-and-red SUV heading down the streets of Novato, hear the buzz around town, or quietly observe as they walk their dogs past one of our locations in Novato. Americans seem to constantly be looking for better, more efficient, more fun, and more challenging ways to get into better shape.

We all know the familiar rush to join a new gym (or renew that old dusty membership card) after the holidays. We all know the promises to ourselves, the new commitments, and the dedication that we really WILL stick to it this time around. The fact is that most of us don’t stick to our commitments when it relates to taking care of ourselves. We have work, families, friends, volunteerism, and just that one last committee at school we promised to sit on during these tough times for our schools and kids.

I decided that I’m going to do something for myself this year—I finally joined our local health club and I’m going to get myself back into shape. I signed up at the Marin YMCA a few weeks ago, and have to say that it was the best decision I’ve made so far this year. Not only am I able to take advantage of the workout room, but our entire family can participate in the classes and programs they have to offer as well.

One of our favorites features so far is the indoor pool. Believe it or not, we have been making a lot of use of it during on these recent rainy weekends, and my kids are able to burn off some energy as well as brush up on their swimming skills. My son wants to join the swim team in the spring and he needs to be able to swim the length of the pool first, so we’re getting in some valuable practice time.

There’s something I love about swimming in an indoor pool on a rainy day. At first thought it seems a little odd to want to go swimming when it’s cold and wet out, but once you get to the pool it’s warm and pleasant and a contrast to the yucky weather going just on the other side of the windows and walls.