Calling all TTC over-achievers, type A, and chronic researchers! This episode is for you if you find yourself struggling with the lack of control you have in the fertility journey and are ready to move out of the frustration.

Discover how reconnecting with your body and intuition while embracing self-reflection and exploration can transform your experiences with fertility. Jessica Katz, a licensed mental health therapist, shares insights on balancing high-achieving traits with self-compassion, and teaches practical tools to reduce overthinking.

• The symbolism of the Empress Tarot card as a metaphor for nurturing and self-awareness in fertility

• Common challenges faced by overachievers and perfectionists dealing with infertility

• The pitfalls of over-researching and trying to control every outcome in fertility treatment

• The importance of tuning into the body's sensations and intuition

• Practical exercises: walking around questions, body pendulums, and cultivating somatic awareness

• Connecting the masculine (achievement, control) and feminine (trust, surrender) energies

• The impact of stress on reproductive health and methods to activate the parasympathetic nervous system through yoga

• The significance of self-love, acceptance, and honoring the body through difficult fertility journeys

• Jessica’s approach to working with clients across multiple states

Connect with Jessica Katz:

www.empresscounseling.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/empresscounseling/

Free Infertility Mental Health Starter Kit: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1626237/159278213335352485/share

Fringe Fertility is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Kerry Hinds ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Fertile Body Yoga⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – a virtual holistic wellness hub for those going through fertility. She focuses on the mind, body, energy & soul while supporting people with Ayurveda for Fertility,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ fertility yoga classes,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠collaborative workshops⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The BMI is being used to decide who gets access to fertility treatment. Clinics turn people away. Insurance denies coverage. And it is happening based on a number that cannot distinguish muscle from fat, was never validated against reproductive outcomes, and was built on data that excluded women entirely.

In this episode, Kerry gets personal about her own long and frustrating history with the BMI chart and unpacks the real story behind this 200-year-old tool: its origins, its documented racial and sex biases, and why the research is actively calling for change in how fertility clinics apply it. She also brings in an Ayurvedic lens on body constitution and ojas, and why the body types most often turned away by BMI cutoffs may actually be the most constitutionally resourced for fertility.

If a number on a chart has ever made you feel like you do not belong in a fertility clinic, this episode is for you.

What we cover:

• Where the BMI actually came from (and who it was built to measure)
• Why it is considered both racist and sexist by design
• How Ayurvedic body constitution challenges the one-size-fits-all model
• Ojas: what Ayurveda has always understood about fertile bodies
• What the current research says about BMI cutoffs in IVF clinics
• Practical steps if a BMI number is blocking your care

Read the full blog post + resources: https://fertilebodyyoga.com/blog/bmi-and-fertility-and-why-i-hate-the-bmi/

Resources

Devlin, Keith. “Top 10 Reasons Why the BMI Is Bogus.” NPR, July 4, 2009. https://www.npr.org/2009/07/04/106268439/top-10-reasons-why-the-bmi-is-bogus

“Opinion: Women With Obesity Are Often Restricted From IVF. That’s Discriminatory.” NPR Health Shots, January 14, 2024. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/14/1224546666/opinion-women-with-obesity-are-often-restricted-from-ivf-thats-discriminatory

Boots, Christina, et al. “Addressing Weight Bias in Reproductive Medicine: A Call to Revisit BMI Restrictions for IVF Treatment.” Fertility and Sterility, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38750875/

“Body Size, Fertility, and Reproductive Justice.” MDPI, 2022. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4184/2/2/11

Charaka Samhita (ancient Ayurvedic foundational text, approx. 400–200 BCE)

Your dosha, or personal constitution, determines how you approach & experience your fertility, as well as what yoga poses are most balancing and nurturing. Take the quiz, find out your predominant dosha, learn how it affects your fertility experiences, and get 3 poses that align with your inherent nature!

Kerry Hinds is a E-RYT, RPYT, Relax and Renew® Certified Teacher, Ayurvedic Heath Advisor, Fertility Yoga Teacher and Trainer, and Reiki Practitioner. She is the founder of Fertile Body Yoga and teaches weekly fertility yoga classes and offers other avenues of mind + body support for those trying to conceive. All is available in the FBY Virtual Studio.

Get your free e-book and start transforming your journey today!