Fertility, Gynae, Miscarriage, Men & Testing
Fertility Testing & Investigation Review
Fertility Acupuncture Support
For over 25 years, I have specialised in helping couples who are interested in boosting their health as they start a family. Whether you have just decided that you’d like to become parents or if you have found conception a struggle and are embarking on IVF or natural fertility treatment, I can work with you along the way.
I'm also able to offer access to private testing facilities for evaluating women's hormone levels and Ovarian reserves, merging Western Medicine biomedical hormone analysis with Advanced Fertility Acupuncture treatments.
Our Baby Wall!
With Traditional Chinese Medicine and dietary/supplementary advice, I can offer a lifestyle path that will help you feel healthier, less stressed and more revitalised at this important time. I have supported women who have struggled with fertility issues such as PCOS, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis and unexplained infertility, as well Men who have been told they have poor quality sperm.
I offer initial 1hr assessments, as well as follow-up treatments including acupuncture, hormone/blood testing, dietary and lifestyle advice. It is worth keeping in mind that it takes at least 90 days for an egg to grow naturally and about the same time to boost sperm production, so whether you are interested in natural fertility or having IVF, I recommend a minimum of 3 months of weekly treatment.
Stress
Dealing with fertility issues can be extremely stressful, and this can create a vicious cycle, impacting on your body and hormones, which in turn creates more stress. Having the chance to relax during your acupuncture treatment may help your endocrine system to work better, and I believe this could improve hormone production and your overall health, putting you in a better position to conceive.
IVF
If you are considering IVF, it would be ideal for us to begin our treatment beforehand so you can feel your best from the very start. Usually, I would advise regular weekly treatment 3 months before and during your IVF cycle, as well as the day before egg collection and on the afternoon of embryo transfer and in the 2 week wait for a potential pregnancy. IVF focuses on super growing more eggs.
Gynaecological Issues
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition where the endometrial lining grows outside of the uterus. You may experience pain, spotting and painful intercourse, or you might not have realised you had endometriosis until you became faced with fertility issues. Whether you come to see me to help with the pain or because you’d like to start a family, I will treat you holistically by taking a full medical history and understanding how your condition affects you. Then we will discuss a treatment plan, which will include acupuncture as well as dietary advice.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (now know as PMOS)
PCOS is a medical condition of cysts on your ovaries which can prevent you from ovulating and may affect your fertility. In Traditional Chinese medicine, PCOS is defined as a damp and/or phlegm condition. If you have PCOS you may find that you have irregular menstrual cycles, have excess hair or acne, and that you may struggle with your weight. Many women with PCOS have high levels of insulin, and this affects your hormone production. So when I treat PCOS with traditional Chinese medicine, I will also suggest that you try a low GI/high protein diet as well as exercise for this metabolic condition. Together we can help you find balance.
Unexplained Infertility
It can be extremely frustrating to be told that you are experiencing unexplained infertility. Your Western medical tests results are normal, yet you are still not conceiving. With a traditional Chinese medicine approach, I will look at the whole picture of your health, medical history and journey to fertility. Before our treatment we will discuss everything that can affect fertility, such as your menstrual cycles, your diet and lifestyle, tiredness and stress.
Your current blood and hormone tests will be analysed with recommendations for any further indepth investigations and advanced blood testing, involving Auto-immune, Thyroid etc....further testing may be recommended to enhance our diagnosis and treatment protocols.
Our treatments will always aim to help you feel more relaxed, less stressed and more balanced.
Recurrent Miscarriage Support
Early pregnancy losses are quite common. Indeed the figures from the Miscarriage Societies of the UK and US show that roughly 10% to 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage.
Even more worrying is that around 75% of all cases the cause is not established or even tested. Many are "unexplained" and generally further investigations are not undertaken until the 2nd or 3rd miscarriage. Where upon the lady is referred a Multiple Miscarriage Unit.
The majority of those "unexplained" cases may be due to incomplete diagnostics, hormone deficiencies or low level autoimmune system problems and we find our role is to support those patients alongside further appropriate medical invetsigations.
"You have nothing to fear. If there is a problem, we will know. If there is not a problem, we will rejoice! The most important thing is to know that what went wrong with you is NOT your fault. It has a specific cause and understanding that cause fully brings with it the power to persist and move onward, even though the fear of failure will never leave you." Alan E. Beer, MD Make Your Body Baby Friendly
For these women we understand the emotional rollercoaster which is both soul destroying and emotionally draining. Eventually you become less optimistic, isolated, angry and bitter. We incorporate stress-relieving techniques within our treatments to help nourish the body and calm the mind/spirit with Traditional Acupuncture and other modalities.
Women 35 to 45
Whenever you are considering having a baby, it is important for your body to be as strong and receptive as possible beforehand. It can be more difficult to become pregnant over the age of 35, however, your health is more important than the date on your birth certificate. A healthy, natural lifestyle with regular exercise and a good balanced diet with few vices plus Fertility Acupuncture will support you on your fertility journey and any potential pregnancy.
We need a commitment of a minimum of 3 mentrual cycles to enhance fertility, further sessions may be required for any underlying Gynae issues.
Male Fertility & Sperm Health
It has been shown that for 40% to 50% of couples who are struggling to get pregnant, sperm quality can be an issue. Together, we will assess your health, diet and lifestyle, and come up with a personalised treatment plan for you. If you have had a Western sperm diagnosis, we can look at it together, and discuss ways to improve areas like sperm count, PH levels, agglutination, motility, morphology and volume.
You may be surprised to hear, besides Acupuncture, about the simple changes that can have a positive effect on your sperm quality, such as:
Taking a break from cycling
Resting your laptop on a table rather than your lap
Reducing alcohol consumption
Giving up smoking
Reducing workplace stress
Improving your diet
Keeping your mobile phone out of your trouser pockets
We have access to facilities for men to be tested for their sperm, including further detailed DNA Fragmentation and COMET testing.
Fertility Testing & Investigation Review
As a trained Phlebotomist I can help with running tests for the following hormonal deficiencies either through finger prick testing or full blood draws. See Pricing page for further details.
The following tests can be run:
- Women's Day 3 hormones - Estrogen, FSH, Prolactin, Lutein
- Free Androgen Index, SHBG,Testosterone
- Thyroid profile - TSH,T3,T4, Antibodies, Perioxidase
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Egg Reserves - AMH
- Liver/Kidney functions
- Cholesterol levels
- Day 21 Progesterone
- Auto-immune testing
- AFC's and Ultrasound Gynae Health scans
The results are provided from recognised labs with a Doctor's report included, as well as our analysis.