Can Yoga Help Women With Infertility?
BOSTON (CBS) - Lori Rimkus dreamed of motherhood but after several unsuccessful pregnancies, she needed to clear her head.
"It just created a lot of anxiety and it was building up and building up and I didn't really know how to deal with it," she said.
Lori found the help she needed at a yoga class specifically geared towards women struggling with infertility.
"I felt like I had somebody to talk to about what was happening," she said.
In recent years, these types of classes have exploded in popularity, with women undergoing fertility treatments and those just starting their journey.
"We found that women were really looking for a place to come where they not only could exercise their physical bodies, but they could come to place where they would feel support," explained Tami Quinn owner of the Holistic Fertility Center.
Experts agree that fertility struggles can take a toll on couples both emotionally and physically. They can also be difficult for women to discuss, even with family and friends. That's why these yoga sessions encourage women to share their stories.
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports.
"Women become very open. We pass the Kleenex box and give a lot of hugs," Quinn said.
"It taught me how to relax. It taught me how to let go," Lori added.
Doctors say yoga, and really any kind of exercise, is good for you. But there is no known connection to fertility.
"There have never been any studies that have shown that yoga improves fertility rates," said Dr. Samantha Pfeiffer of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.
Quinn says her center does not guarantee that women will leave with a baby.
"But we're pretty confident that you're going to feel happy and healthy," she said.
Now the mother of a healthy baby boy, Lori is convinced the yoga classes played a role. "It's really indescribable how you feel when you come to the end of a journey like the one I've had.
