Fertility and mental health (explained by a psychotherapist and IVF mum)
Too Much Information, the women's health podcastShow Notes
Why do I feel so anxious trying to conceive? Can stress really stop you from getting pregnant? How can I protect my mental health during TTC or IVF?
On this episode of Too Much Information, Issy speaks to Helen Davenport-Peace, a psychotherapist specialising in reproductive trauma and supporting the fertility journey.
Together, they unpack the emotional side of trying for a baby, and unpick the myths around stress and conception.
Helen shares her own five-year journey to having her son through IVF, and the mental toll of waiting and uncertainty.
Issy offers her perspective from someone who has been trying for under a year, but still feeling the pressure.
This episode is for you if you are: on a fertility journey, no matter how long or short worried stress might be affect your fertility overwhelmed by fertility marketing dreading the next two week wait struggling with anxiety or sleep while TTC feeling lonely or guilty on your fertility journey trying to support a friend who's in the thick of it.
🎙️ Too Much Information is the women’s health podcast that's combines real stories with expertise. Follow us on Instagram at @too.much.info.podcast.
Fertility and mental-health support: Charities: Fertility Network UK | Fertility Action | The Fertility Alliance Emotional support and counselling: BICA Podcast: Don't Tell Me to RELAX
About our guest: Helen Davenport-Peace helps others navigate the emotional impact of trying to conceive. She works virtually and from her studio near Manchester. Her private practice, A Space for Becoming, will open in 2026. Website: helendavenportpeace.com Instagram: @helendavenportpeace
More from Too Much Information, the women's health podcast
How can you fix bloating and low energy? Should you be taking a probiotic for your vaginal microbiome? Can poor gut health affect your hormones, or even make it harder to get pregnant?
Does diet in the two week wait actually make a difference? Is beetroot juice backed by science, or just TikTok folklore? Pineapple core, Brazil nuts, French fries... can anything you eat actually help an embryo implant?
Are you using the word "vagina" wrong? What does a normal vulva actually look like? Is it okay if sex sometimes hurts? And why does your body change so much in your 30s and 40s?
What simple hacks can help you eat healthily when you're short on time? Do you really need more protein? And why is fibre so important?
What does it feel like to have an embryo transfer? Is natural better than medicated? And what should I be doing and not doing to increase the chances of implantation?