This is the 6th show of The Reproductive Challenged Woman, but the first of 2007! Happy New Year! This is going to be a fabulous year for us all! I can just feel it! I hope you all feel joy and excitement when looking ahead to this year as being one in which you realize some major goals and expectations in your life...especially the dream of being a mommy!

Since the beginning of a new year sometimes inspires us to make changes in ourselves, I thought this would be a good show to have a guest come by and chat with us about something that we sometimes forget to do...a thing that is actually quite important to us all, but especially to those of us who are battling infertility. And that is relaxation.

When we have to go to the doctor for just a checkup, it can be quite stressful. (especially the gynie...at least for me) But when you find yourself then having to go through invasive exams, catheters being maneuvered into places that you'd rather never venture, needles being injected with drugs that sometimes burn like a bonfire under your skin...(just to mention a few scenarios)...you find it impossible to relax through any of it. The reproductively challenged woman that deeply desires to be a mom, finds herself in one of the most stressful situations imaginable for a female. And, as we know, stress can make anything worse than it already is. If a woman wants to give herself the best possible chance to conceive, relaxation techniques can only enhance her efforts. Relaxation is something we should all consider to be imperative to a healthy lifestyle. But I know personally how relaxation can escape you on a daily basis for many years when you are battling infertility.

My guest today is Fran Skindzier. I was referred to her by my very first guest on The Reproductive Challenged Woman, my good friend, Sue. Sue found Fran's healing touch therapy crucial in her efforts to relax while going through her three attempts of invitro. Fran also worked with Sue's husband, so that they could help each other as a couple, on their own, in their quest for calming relaxation.

Fran is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, nationally certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. She graduated from Utah College of Massage Therapy and has been doing professional bodywork since 1994.

The main objective of Fran's work is to relieve stress in the human body, mind and spirit. She feels that this work is so important because research has found that approximately 90% of doctor visits are due to varying degrees of stress. She uses a wide range of touch therapies to achieve the best results for each client. She understands how reproductively challenged women can find themselves in the most stressful time of their lives, and she not only puts them into a state of relaxation in her sessions, but also teaches them (and their spouses) how to help themselves by performing relaxation exercises on each other. Fran has also given workshops and talks on stress relief.

One of the most interesting things I learned from our chat, was that we each receive stress through our senses, and depending on what we primarily are (ie. auditory, visual, kinesthetic...), will depend on how we receive it, and how we might best relieve it.

So sit back and get ready to learn how to relax, as Fran shares with us a wealth of information and even walks us through a few relaxation exercises that we can do as we listen! Enjoy!