top of page

Your IVF abroad Podcast

with Emma Haslam

Does Sleep, Stress or Sex Really Affect Your Fertility? With Tracy Dyson.

25th August 2026

Season 5 Episode 8

Show notes:

Sleep, stress and sex can all play a role in reproductive health, but fertility is complex and struggling to conceive is rarely as simple as needing to sleep more, stress less or time sex perfectly.

​

If you're trying to conceive, you've probably been given a LOT of advice about what you should and shouldn't be doing.

​

Get more sleep. Stress less. Have sex at exactly the right time. Track your ovulation. Stop tracking your ovulation. And, of course… just relax.

​

But how much do sleep, stress, sex and lifestyle actually affect your fertility?

​

In this episode, I'm joined by fertility acupuncturist and hormone health educator Tracy Dyson to cut through some of the noise around trying to conceive and look at what might genuinely be worth paying attention to and what you probably don't need to be beating yourself up about.

​

We talk about the relationship between sleep and fertility, whether stress can affect your chances of getting pregnant, and why telling somebody struggling with infertility to "just relax" isn't particularly helpful.

​

We also get into sex and trying to conceive including whether you really need to be having sex at very specific times, what happens when intimacy starts to feel like another fertility task, and when tracking ovulation can be useful versus when it simply adds more pressure.

​

In this episode, we cover:

  • Sleep and fertility and how much sleep really matters

  • Whether stress can actually affect fertility

  • Why "just relax" isn't the answer

  • Practical ways to support yourself when fertility itself is stressful

  • Sex, ovulation and the pressure to get the timing "right"

  • How trying to conceive can affect intimacy

  • Fertility and ovulation tracking helpful tool or added pressure?

  • Some of the biggest misconceptions around lifestyle and trying to conceive

  • How to focus on what may actually matter without feeling like you have to do fertility perfectly

​​

If you're trying for a baby and wondering whether you're doing enough or worrying that something you're doing (or not doing) could be affecting your chances then this episode is for you.

​

About Tracy Dyson

Tracy Dyson is a fertility acupuncturist and hormone health educator based in Slaithwaite, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

​

She works with people both in person and online and specialises in complex fertility cases, including recurrent miscarriage, stealth pathogens and reproductive immunology.

​

Website: pointsclinic.co.uk

Instagram: instagram.com/pointsclinic

​

​

💛 Want some independent help with your fertility journey home or abroad?​

​

If you're feeling stuck, in limbo, don't know what to do next or aren't sure who to trust, I can help you look at the bigger picture after working with 100s people globally.

​​

As an independent fertility strategist, I look at your history, what's already been investigated, where there may be gaps and what your options could be whether you ultimately decide to have fertility testing or treatment here in the UK or abroad and how I can help you with both.

​

I don't work for fertility clinics and I don't accept clinic commission, so my advice is always focused on what is right for you and if you decide to have fertility treatment in your home country I may also be able to still guide and support you.

​

👉 Watch my free training here:

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/freemasterclass

​

​

Links & Resources:

​

​​​​​

Want to learn more about going abroad for fertility treatment?​​

​

​​​Book a free no-obligation call with me and let’s talk about what’s going on for you and whether working together is the right next step. https://calendly.com/yourivfabroad/15min

FREE Online fertility pharmacy introduction - Need an introduction to a specialist pharmacist for a no obligation quote for all your fertility medication at competitive rates and delivered globally?
yourivfabroad.co.uk/online-fertility-pharmacy-service

Your IVF abroad planner/journal - Keep everything organised and in one place, and document your journey and feelings along the way. Find out more/buy one here: yourivfabroad.co.uk/shop

bottom of page