Top 5 Things to consider when trying to CONCEIVE.

CONCEPTION is it really as simple as Women have eggs and Men have sperm … and all they need to do is meet up and “hey presto …… a positive pregnancy test”

NO! Absolute NOT.

So what seems to be the problem?

Well, unfortunately, in our medical world women are being conditioned into thinking their bodies are defunct, no good, unable to get pregnant, stay pregnant and then actually give birth having gone through this already very stressful journey!!

There are some really key factors that every woman should know about fertility and becoming pregnant. These are:
1. Know your menstruation and what happens during the month and whether you are actually Ovulating
2. Nutrition and supplements – what are you feeding your body and does this support you in your journey to parenthood
3. Find a fertility coach – those who have had coaches specific to their fertility have had enormous and invaluable emotional support & focus to navigate the additional stress and strain that conditioned infertility can have on a woman and their relationships.
4. Acupuncture is a complementary therapy which can help to balance the body from the inside out with an established body of evidence to support its use in fertility, conception and when embarking on Assisted Reproduction Therapies (ART) such as IUI and IVF.
5. Hypnotherapy. Alongside fertility coaching and acupuncture this therapy really connects the mind to the body helping to reduce stress and dive deep into the emotional abyss that contains all the elements which may be preventing pregnancy without you actually realising.

So lets take each of these things one by one:

Ovulation:
Every month a woman will tend to ride the menstruation and ovulation rollercoaster. Hormones are a big player here and when all is well you will have a period and then ovulate (release an egg). And if your timing is right, you will have made love to your partner and the sperm will have fertilised the egg. A couple of weeks later you will miss your period and take a pregnancy test which will confirm you are pregnant.

So what can be the issues with ovulation and menstruation?

Well, first and foremost are you actually having a period? If not then there is no lining in the womb (uterus) to enable the fertilised egg to implant. If you have got to this stage then are you ovulating? Is the ovary releasing an egg to be fertilised?

When there are physical diagnosis, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t get pregnant – it means your body is out of balance somewhere. Diagnosis can be fore example, medical tests which indicate high FSH levels, endometriosis, PCOS, Issues with the thyroid, digestive system. Some women are actually made to feel too old and therefore their body clock is ticking which deems their body incapable to naturally conceiving. Some women have had a baby before but are now struggling to conceive.

In addition, could it be that the sperm quality or motility a potential barrier? Are you a same sex couple looking at ART, and attempts are failing on transfer?

So many variables it may be that there may be more than one. But the good news is that it is possible to identify and work in this area to understand what is happing each month.

Nutrition & Supplements:

We live in a society where diet is full of processed foods. We don’t really understand the micro/macro nutrients our bodies need in order to function to the best of its ability.

One of the most important parts of the diet is to take from foods or supplements the nutrients our bodies need but can’t make or can’t get enough. This is why all adults should take a vitamin D supplement and in addition those trying to conceive – folic acid.

However, did you know that our diets have omega 6’s in them. Omega 6 is required for the body but if you have too much it can lead to inflammation in the body and create a harder membrane around our cells making it very difficult for the cells to pass things in and out of themselves that they need. To overcome this your Omega6 should be balanced with your Omega3 in a 3:1 ration. There is growing evidence which supports the use of Omega3 in fertility and conception. I use this Omega3 with my clients following a blind dry blood spot test to determine initial parameters which we then retest (again blinded) to see and understand how the body reacts when the Omega’s are balanced.

There is also gut health to improved the microbiome and optimise absorption of the nutrients and all of these are vital to enhancing the environment ready to conceive a baby.

A Fertility Coach:

Helps to support those struggling to conceive, through the emotional times of the month when your period appears – YET AGAIN, or when there are life stressors which impact on you emotionally, be it family, work, partner or another cycle of ARTs when your emotions are at an all time high and your positivity at an all time low.
You may worry about loss if you have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth. You may have taken on board the worries of healthcare professionals relating to your age, You may not be able to look to the future due to the journey so far. You may wonder if you will ever be able to conceive or if there has been a life disruption or disharmony that you need to talk through to help you relax and bring back positivity.

Just having someone to work through the issues, understand and be empathetic to your situation and help guide you through it which aligns to your way of doing things. Supporting your emotional and mental wellbeing.

Acupuncture:

This is a recognised therapy which uses fine needles which are inserted into points on the body. Each point is located on an energy channel (also called meridians) to establish Qi (pronounced ‘chee’). Qi may need to be balanced so when using the points the needles cause the body to react by sending natural endorphins to the site allowing the body to self-heal and reinstate natural balance within the body.

There is a wealth of studies and research material which underpins and supports the use of acupuncture in the area of women’s health and especially fertility and conception. I use acupuncture in my practice to enhance the parenthood journey and alleviate many issues in the body which present as pain and disharmony.

Hypnotherapy:

What it is not – it is NOT about you NOT being in control!. Many people, when hypnotherapy is suggested, think of the days of people being on stage succumbing to the tasks the hypnotherapist tells them to do – to make an example or fool out of them.

WHAT IT IS – It is a therapy which helps you to obtain a very deep state of relaxation and engage your subconscious mind (where all your thoughts and habits are contained) and to work with part of your mental wellbeing to help you deal with the emotions you experience and process the things that are stopping your body conceiving.

This may not sound logical but your thinking brain only engages 5% of what happens in a day – everything else is done subconsciously. If you imagine your body like a computer and your brain like the processing centre which continually does all the background checks regardless of what your do. For example, lets say you intend to drive to somewhere, half way through your drive you realise you have taken the route you take every day to work/school/visit a friend or relative. Well that is because your brain has stored the route in your subconscious. You may also not remember the exact details of this journey on this day. This is because you are in a trance and your body operates in auto-pilot.

So why is this important to know. Well because if you have unprocessed emotional and mental wellbeing issues, your body will respond to these on a subconscious level. For example, if you have had the seed that your body clock is ticking and you are advancing past 35 you may think you can’t conceive. Add on the career you have built and the doubt you will be able to manage being a parent with a career and what happens? Well there is evidence to suggest that your body will subconsciously stop you conceiving by using your hormones to prevent ovulation or by contracting the fallopian tubes to prevent fertilisation. Your body is amazing and it is important that you don’t underestimate it.

Why Work with ME?

As a trained midwife, I am able to fully support and immerse myself in your world. I understand the physical, emotional and mental toll this has on you and for you. The fear, the grief, the blame, the shame and the longing to be a parent.

I understand how the physical body works and adapts from menstruation and conception, through pregnancy and loss all the way through to birth and trauma. This allows me to support you on a deeper level. I work with you through my coaching and hypnotherapy training to employ my refined skills in this area. Teaching you what is happening and empowering you to be strong and positive through your journey.

If you are close enough to me I also perform acupuncture, but can also advise on what working with an acupuncturist in your area can bring to your journey

email: [email protected] for further information or to book a 1-2-1 discovery call.