Give it a squeeze! What’s the best way to choose a perfect peach? Give it a squeeze! Now scientists say it’s the same for IVF embryos. Engineers are a practical bunch. Teamed with doctors at Stanford University, bioengineers realised the feel of newly formed IVF embryos offers a super quick indicator of viability. Normally it takes 5-6 days…
Miscarriage hurts, and is often misunderstood. Síle Seoige’s groundbreaking TG4 documentary ‘Deireadh Tochta’ follows her journey, shares stories, explores research, finds help. I’m delighted to have been part of her healing to a rainbow pregnancy. I was a ‘rainbow’ baby, born after my mother’s fourth miscarriage. She felt each of her pregnancy losses all her…
Hitting forty, trying to conceive and fearful of your fertility? Cue furrowed brows and quizzical head tilts. Sure, you look and feel about 25 – but just try telling that to your eggs or your doctor. Aging eggs with a fail-grade AMH put the heart crossways on otherwise young and sexy intending mothers. I know, because…
School Culture that Looked the Other Way I was an “unwilling bystander” in a school culture that looked the other way when abuse was occurring. This was before I stepped into the whistleblower role. I knew about an abusive teacher, but my attempts to stop his harmful treatment got me nowhere. Instead, I encountered all…
Incinerated and al dente spell doom for decent chips so I parted with my old deep-fat fryer last week. Could it apply to ovaries – a built-in obsolescence? Eggs get blamed for aging – is it a deserved bad rap? Ovaries are one of my favourite body parts, vying closely with wombs, vaginas (of…
Turn on, Tune in, Drop out Take my daily Mindfulness Challenge to see how easy it is to feel better, no matter what the week flings at you. Is your life on a frantic auto-pilot? Up out of bed, shower, coffee and hit the road in a blur of activity? A morning of phones. emails…
Anxiety about trying to conceive may actually be sabotaging your efforts to conceive. A new Swedish study finds anxiety and depression reduce the chances of getting pregnant and having a baby. It’s a vicious cycle, all too familiar for many women trying to conceive. How do you know if anxiety is sabotaging your efforts to conceive?…
Real Life Mindfulness Let me break it to you gently. Like it or loathe it, you can’t escape real life mindfulness! Taking a shower, baking a cake, making love, composing an email? There’s nothing new about present moment focus. And yes, we thrive on it. It’s credited with boosting creative thinking, reducing depression and improving physical…
We’re either not getting enough of it, can’t stop doing it, or need less than our partner. Always a reliable topic for a chat, sleep issues are big now during #COVID-19 lockdown living. ” Why can’t I get to sleep?…” I’m waking up at mad hours even though I’m working from home now.” “I…
Why do you think they call it Dope…amine Enjoying a break – but still can’t stop a sneak peek at your email or fb feed? It’s really addictive … and gets even worse back at work. Let’s look at email. How many do you clock up in a day? It’s a mainstay of contact for…