fertility

Hypnotherapy for fertility, helping couples to conceive is my area of specialism. I have a wealth of experience of IVF and support to natural fertility, enhanced by hypnosis and acupuncture.

I work with my colleague Frank Fan who is a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Together we can offer couples a programme of Acupuncture and Hypnotherapy support to enhance the possibilty of natural conception and assisted conception cycles in order to give couples the very best chance of success. We see couples from Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

There are many causes of Infertility or an apparent inability to conceive. Sometimes couples seek help after several months, others have been trying to conceive for several years. As a rule of thumb, if the female partner is over 30 it is worth seeking assistance after 6 months; if the female partner is under 30 then it is worthwhile for the couple to leave it a year before a doctor’s appointment is necessary. “Trying to conceive” is defined as a couple having regular sex without the use of any contraception.

Both female and male partners can have structural problems of the organs which makes conception difficult or unlikely. A man may be producing too few sperm or the sperm may be of poor quality. There may have been injury to the testicles or a previous vasectomy. The female partner may not be ovulating. She may have a structural problem in the womb, endometriosis or fibroids, which make implantation of a fertilised egg difficult. She may suffer from a hormonal imbalance or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. And there are further, more rare causes of infertility.

Along with these causes are the couples who are diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”. This is a particularly depressing diagnosis as some couples feel guilty that they have “failed” to conceive. Others just wish they had a diagnosis of something wrong that could be fixed.

Still other couples suffer repeated miscarriages. These couples ride the rollercoaster of fate again and again as joy at becoming pregnant turns into worry and loss. And in extreme cases a fear of pregnancy results.

No matter the cause of infertility, it is often a mentally disabling condition that is the instigator of much stress and anguish. Even worse is the fact that it is a silent condition as very few people admit to having difficulty in conceiving. Yet they are often surrounded by friends and family having babies and constantly fending off the questions of when they will have a family.

Trying to conceive is fraught with stress and the longer it goes on the more stressful it can feel. Add to that the pressure from a diagnosis of "infertility", "sub-fertility" or even "unexplained infertility" and the problem is doubled. The very words used and the medical procedures involved create negativity and in many cases a self-fulfilling prophecy. even "trying" to conceive implies that there is a possibility of failing. I like to change such words and prophecy, and that starts by talking about natural fertility, not infertility. Having difficulty in conceiving becomes "taking time to conceive" and "trying to conceive" becomes "waiting to conceive." The vast number of us will have children of our own, even if it takes longer than we had expected, even if some help from the mainstream medical profession is required.

In the modern world we often have sub-conscious barriers to conception. Just consider that very many women choose to time pregnancies and spend time using contraception before actively waiting to conceive. so most women will have spent some years actively trying very hard not to become pregnant. This becomes an ingrained habit buried deep in the psuche of the woman. How is the mind then to turn this around and accept that now it is in fact ok to be pregnant when it has spent years desperately trying not to be!

Hypnotherapy can be an extremely useful therapy to help those couples wishing to conceive. I can work with both partners and it is often useful to meet with both to start with. Then I will work usually with the female partner to reduce stress first of all as it is known that stress is a barrier to conception. I will also address unresolved issues in a woman's life which may be sub-consciously stopping her from conceiving. Then I will work with her to help the mind help the body on it's road to conceiving, using hypnotic imagery and powerful NLP techniques.

Very often there is a deep rooted fear that is preventing conception and this is often completely out of the woman's conscious awareness. Sometimes the negative and painful depictions of childbirth that the media, particularly TV drama, like to portray results in a fear of childbirth. This can be a very powerful contraceptive. For other women a previous traumatic birth can leave them with such a strong fear of giving birth again that they will subconsciously avoid pregnancy. In its extreme form tokophobia or extreme phobia of childbirth and everything relating to it will prevent a woman from becoming pregnant. These are all issues that can be resolved calmly and gently with hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy can really help you if you are suffering emotionally as a result of taking time to conceive. It can help you to unwind, de-stress and feel better about yourself. Very many couples start to doubt themselves and their self-esteem takes a knock. Fortunately this is an area which can be easily addressed with hypnotherapy. I can also help you to stop worrying about it and start enjoying the rest of your life too.

You will no doubt already know that stress is a barrier to conception and have heard about the couples who have just given up trying to conceive only to fall pregnant as soon as they stop "trying." Their only trick was to reduce their stress levels by stopping thinking about it. I can help you to reduce your stress levels too.

I have extensive experience of IVF cycles and assisted conception and I am uniquely placed to help couples going through these treatments. I have strong links to Care Northampton, which is an excellent fertility clinic with impressive results. I can offer a full support to any and all of the IVF and assisted conception programmes. There is evidence to suggest that hypnosis increases success at IVF treatment. The most likely scientific explanation for this is by increasing blood flow to the ovaries and uterus during the stimulation phase and by inducing profound relaxation at the time of embryo transfer in order to give implantation the very best chance.

Don't forget however that at a cellular and chemical level, the mind controls the body and if you can help your mind to accept pregnancy consciously and sub-consciously then it will act on these levels to achieve the outcome that you desire.

Frank also offers TCM and Acupuncture to help both partners with any of the following conditions: PCOS, low sperm count, hormonal imbalance, recurrent miscarriage. Go to our TCM website to find out more

Helen McPherson DCH GQHP NRH

For a no obligation discussion of how I can help you, contact me:

Telephone: 01327 300133

Email: info@northamptonhypnosis.co.uk

Golden Health Therapy Centre,

21 Sheaf Street,

Daventry,

Northamptonshire NN11 3AZ

For further information see my Links page