7 strategies to minimise pelvic pain when you are trying to conceive.

You could be one of five women suffering.

From painful sex, bad periods, fatigue, and bloating.

The pill or Mirena has kept you pain free. But when you stop contraception to try for a baby all those terrible symptoms come back with vengeance.

OR you might be experiencing it for the first time.

Doctor’s understanding of pelvic pain is still emerging. Getting access to good support can be VERY difficult.

What it all means and what you can do to help it.

Because let's be honest. It's hard enough trying for a baby without adding in painful sex, bloating and fatigue.

When I talk about pelvic pain, I'm not just talking about endo. Pelvic pain is an umbrella term that includes:

• PCOS
• Period pain
• Vaginismus
• Vulvodynia
• Adenomyosis
• Endometriosis
• Irritable bowel disease
• Painful bladder syndrome

Pelvic pain affects 1 in 5 women.

Yet, pain often takes a backseat when you are on a fertility journey. Too often dismissed as being "normal".

But persistent pain is not normal. You don't have to suffer.

If being on the pill or Mirena helped enormously, then try these other strategies to minimise your pain.

Pain happens at the brain.

I'm not saying you are crazy. Your pain is very real. Stay with me.

Once you understand this, you will never look at your pain in the same way.

All pain comes from messages sent from the brain. Yes, your brain is that powerful.

People think pain is physical.

Your brain creates a map of what is normal. Anything outside of that map is perceived as danger. And anything dangerous elicits a pain response. Personal experiences expand or shrink that map.

You brain is basically trying to pre-empt what is dangerous and send messages of pain to stop you from damaging yourself. It is always trying to protect the physical you.

If you’ve had painful periods your whole life, your lived experience maps periods as dangerous. This alteration in your brain processing means that every time your period is due or comes it will send out increasing pain messages.

The same goes for bladder pain and gut pain. We need to look at the physical aspects, but the thing that really makes a huge difference is assessing how the brain is responding to what is happening with the body. This is why I talk about stress and mental health a lot!

Pain is an emotional experience.

Pelvic pain is influenced by many factors. Inflammation, fatigue, and hormones. But also, stress, our thoughts feelings, and emotions. It’s what we in the industry describe as a matrix with many different influencing inputs. It makes this complex, doesn’t it?

Words matter.

Pain is more than just physical. It is also affected by our environment, thoughts, and what we hear.

Conversations with friends and also doctor shape our thoughts around pain. If you feel dismissed or pain is catastrophised then what you feel changes.

Upbringing and experiences all contribute to how your body deals with pain.

Pelvic pain is a whole-body problem, not just the pelvis. Everything is connected.

All aspects of your health and well-being contribute to how you feel. And pain is something you feel. It’s an emotional experience.

When researchers said negative things to patients, their brain scan show the parts of the brain that respond to danger were lit up. Whereas the people that had positive or neutral language didn’t have the same response.

The brain can change. It’s ‘neuroplastic’, but you don’t have to remember that word. Just think about play dough. The way our brain sends messages and it perceives pain and danger can be re-moulded just like play dough. We can literally recreate and redirect neural pathways.

This is how.

8 ways science can improve your pain.

1. Exercise: Find what you like. Dance, swim, you name it. Hatha yoga in particular has shown to improve pain. Research shows that there is a decrease in pain for women who exercise regularly.
2. Heat: It fills up the nervous system with heat messages disrupting the messages that will later become pain when they hit the brain. Chinese medicine tells us it improves blood flow. Think heat packs, hot baths and warm compresses.
3. Women’s Health Physiotherapy: Can help you expand your brain’s map. This is done by physical exercises that can expand the map’s boundary. This is a part of the re-moulding process. Think play dough.
4. Acupuncture: As an acupuncturist I have seen the benefits over and over again in my clinical practice. Period pain, bloating, fatigue. Find a practitioner that you align with.
5. Pelvic pain education: Learn about how pain works. That’s what this newsletter is all about. The more you know, the better your brain will interpret signals that cause pain. Research tells us this is one of the most effective in reducing pain! Check out the resources I have linked below.
6. Psychology: This is a tricky one that often gets poorly communicated. To be clear, your pain is real. I haven’t suggested it because “you are making it up”. Tools such as CBT are fantastic at reducing pain, recreating new views and beliefs around pain, and releasing trauma from the body. Find a therapist that specialises in pelvic pain.
7. Anti-inflammatory diet: Reducing the inflammation in your diet can also reduce the inflammation in the uterus and surrounding organs.
8. Sleep: If you aren’t getting enough sleep, your pain is going to be worse. Sleep is essential to help the body manage metabolic regulation, mental health and pain. Try meditation before bed.

Check out these resources for anyone trying to conceive experiencing pelvic pain.

I know today’s newsletter was science heavy. The take home I want you to leave you with is:

• that your pain isn’t just disease
• or inflammation stuck in your pelvis that needs to be cut out.
• You have the power to get better control over your symptoms.

And the same goes for your fertility. Find what works for you. It will fast track your journey to having a baby.

Jaya x