DAILY BREEZE, Redondo Beach, CA
OFFERING HOPE
by Melissa Evans, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/04/2008
The stress, money and marital problems were bad enough. But after
months of trying and failing to get pregnant, the ultimate blow came
when a good friend didn't invite Paula Dowd to a baby shower for fear
it would be hurtful.
"People can't relate," Dowd said. "They don't understand
what you're going through. You start to feel more and more socially
isolated."
 |
| Once Paula Dowd, now 40, learned stress-reducing techniques, she had Finley through in-vitro fertilization and two years later became pregnant wtih Ashlinn. (Photo by Robert Casillas/Staff Photographer) |
Dowd's struggle with infertility, which she eventually
overcame, led to a new outlook on life - and a major career change. A
few years after her ordeal began, Dowd quit her job as a marketing
VP for AT&T, went back to school and became a Mind/Body clinician to help infertile
women. This month, Dowd will begin support classes at her new
MindBodyWellness clinic in Redondo Beach, a practice that she hopes
will complement fertility physicians in the South Bay. "As a society, we tend to minimize the impact that
infertility has on women," Dowd said. "For some women, particularly in
some minority cultures, child-bearing is their sole purpose in life.
It's like, if I can't do this, who am I?" More women than ever are struggling with fertility
problems. Roughly 15 percent of couples - whether the problem be with
the woman, man or both - can't conceive for a variety of reasons,
according to the Centers for Disease Control. Health experts say one of the factors is that women are
waiting longer to have children. The number of new mothers over 40
tripled from 1980 to 2005, according to the California
Public Policy Institute. Nationally, the average age of first-time
mothers rose to an all-time high of 27 in 2005. After the age of 35, it
becomes much more difficult for women to conceive naturally.
Dowd was certainly in tune with today's trend. At 32, she and
her husband decided they were emotionally and financially ready for a
family. After a year of failed attempts, she started to get worried. They spent thousands of dollars on various medical
procedures, but nothing worked. She was also diagnosed with polycystic
ovary syndrome, a condition in which the female body produces a high
level of androgens, or male hormones, that inhibit pregnancy. Tensions were running high, she said. Dowd had no problem
adopting, but as an only child, she wanted at least one biological
child. "I had a strong desire to carry that genetic link to the future," she said. She
decided to try a 10-week mind-body class suggested by her fertility
doctor. In the group meetings, participants talked about what they were
going through, meditated, practiced yoga and learned how to take care
of themselves. Armed with a calming CD of music, she went to her doctor
for in vitro fertilization, an expensive procedure in which the eggs
and sperm are fertilized in a petri dish. A month later, at age 34, she
was pregnant. "It was totally different that time," she said. "I went into it completely relaxed, centered."
Research
shows that when stressed, the body triggers the "flight or fight"
response and releases toxins to ward off danger. Those toxins can lead
to a number of health problems, including infertility, she said. Dowd was resigned to adopt a second child - she and her
husband had already spent about $30,000 on fertility treatments, which
weren't covered by insurance. But she continued to practice her
relaxation techniques, and became pregnant again at 37 without any
medical assistance. That's when Dowd became a believer. After being approached
by a few women at work who struggled with similar problems, the new
mother decided on a new career path.
She became a certified Mind/Body clinician and began working with
women individually at her MindBodyWellness clinic in Santa Monica. Dowd,
who is now 40, plans to hold her first group meeting at her new office in Redondo Beach later this month. In addition to helping women conceive, she said she hopes
her work will create happier women, and therefore happier mothers. Even
if women can't conceive, "they will become parents if they want to be,"
she said, referring to adoption and other options. "We don't realize how much control we have over our
bodies," she said. "For me this is about giving women possibility and
hope." FIND OUT MORE
For information about the MindBodyWellness clinic in Redondo Beach, call 310-373-9355 or go to www.mindbodywellnessla.com.
|
