Fat and Fertile

<p>If you've been hurt by the healthcare system while trying to access fertility care, you are not alone, and you are not broken. This episode is for anyone who has experienced harm, dismissal, or humiliation from healthcare providers and is now caught in the incredibly difficult position of needing care from a system that has already hurt them.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><p>What healthcare trauma actually looks like, and why so many fat folks experience it without ever naming it that way</p><p>How your nervous system responds to perceived threats (fight, flight, fawn, and freeze) and why your fear is not self-sabotage</p><p>The <strong>Prepare and Care</strong> framework: practical steps to support yourself before and after appointments</p><p>The difference between advocacy mode and survival mode, and why it matters</p><p>How to find trauma-informed providers, and what to do when that's not possible</p><p><strong>Key takeaway:</strong> Your fear of being harmed again is a completely rational, protective response. You do not have to be in advocacy mode all the time. Sometimes just getting through the appointment is enough.</p><p><strong>Resources & Links</strong></p><p>📖 <a target="_blank" href="https://mybook.to/fatandfertile"><em>Fat and Fertile</em></a> </p><p>🌿 Work with Nicola: <a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/roadmap">Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap </a></p><p>📱 Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">@fatpositivefertility</a></p><p>📧 Email: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week's episode is about something I hear constantly and it makes me genuinely angry. You can't access fertility care until you lose weight. But you can't access support to lose weight. And they won't investigate the health condition that might be causing everything in the first place. Round and round you go.</p><p>If you're stuck in this loop right now, this one is for you. And the first thing I want you to know is: it is not your fault.</p><p>In this episode we cover:</p><p>Why the NHS BMI cutoffs for fertility treatment are arbitrary, not evidence based, and not actually NICE guidelines</p><p>Why this catch 22 is intentional and how the system has been designed to exclude people in bigger bodies</p><p>How to advocate for your health conditions separately from your fertility goals, and why this matters</p><p>Practical steps to document refusals, push back, and escalate if you have the capacity to do so</p><p>How to take care of your mental and emotional health when you're fighting a system that should be fighting for you</p><p>Useful Links:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/guide">Download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Call</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">Follow me on Instagram</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">Email me a question for a future episode</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week's episode is a permission slip. If you've been drowning in fertility diet advice and quietly wondering whether you're doing enough, this one is for you.</p><p>Spoiler: you probably already are.</p><p>In this episode we cover:</p><p>Why "eat enough" is the only nutrition advice that actually matters, and why that's harder to hear than it sounds</p><p>How the fertility diet industry profits from making us feel like we're always one superfood away from getting pregnant</p><p>Why your relationship with food matters far more than any specific foods you're eating</p><p>What the social determinants of health tell us about how little individual food choices actually impact fertility</p><p>Why the "perfect diet" is rooted in diet culture, capitalism, and colonialism, and what that means for how we think about food</p><p>Useful Links:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/guide">Download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Call</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">Follow me on Instagram</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">Email me a question for a future episode</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>This week's episode tackles one of the most common things I hear from folks who come to work with me: "my doctor told me pregnancy in my body is dangerous." And honestly, it makes me angry. Because what you're being told is very often not the full picture.</p><p>If you've ever left a fertility appointment feeling more scared than informed, this one is for you.</p><p>In this episode we cover:</p><p>- Why the research on BMI and pregnancy risks is more divided than your doctor is letting on, and what that actually means for you</p><p>- The difference between correlation and causation, and why it matters so much in this conversation</p><p>- How statistics are routinely exaggerated and used against fat folks to deny or delay fertility care</p><p>- The real numbers behind gestational diabetes and other pregnancy risks, so you can see the full picture</p><p>- Practical questions you can ask your provider to push back on fearmongering and get genuinely informed consent</p><p><strong>Useful Links:</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/guide">Download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Call</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">Follow me on Instagram</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">Email me a question for a future episode</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>

<p>Today's In Your Corner question comes from an Instagram follower asking: </p><p>"<strong>How do I find a fat-friendly fertility clinic?</strong> My local clinic won't treat me at my current BMI and made me feel terrible at their open evening. How do I find a clinic that won't shame me? And what questions should I ask before booking to avoid wasting time and money?"</p><p>If you've had a similar experience of not being able to access the care you need, this episode is for you. You are not at fault. This is the fault of the clinic and the fertility industry for being so fatphobic and biased against fat people.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><p>- Where to start looking for fat-friendly clinics (including my clinic recommendation list with over 100 clinics)</p><p>- How to ask other fat folks for recommendations through local and online communities</p><p>- Essential questions to ask before giving a clinic any money (and why you need answers in writing)</p><p>- How to protect yourself emotionally during the search process, including getting your partner involved</p><p>- Why you absolutely deserve care that respects you and treats your boundaries appropriately</p><p><strong>Useful Links:</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.fatpositivefertility.com/guide">Download: Fat Person's Guide to Getting Pregnant</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fertility-roadmap">Book a Fat Positive Fertility Roadmap Session</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/fatpositivefertility">Follow me on Instagram</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">Email me a question for a future episode</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fat-positive-fertility-clinics-high-bmi">Fat-Friendly Fertility Clinic List</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Fat and Fertile at <a href="https://fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">fatpositivefertility.substack.com/subscribe</a>