Although some of our clients do write or email us – or send us photos of their babies – not everyone is happy to have a testimonial published.
So you may find it useful to read some case studies.
These give examples of how reflexology and hypnotherapy can be used to treat infertility and other allied conditions.
Names and other information that could lead to a client being identified have been altered.
Reflexology Case Studies
Pippa’s Story – PMS/Infertility
Pippa wanted to address her PMS symptoms before starting to try for a baby. For seven days of every month she was feeling dreadful – irritable, bloated, tearful, thinking irrational thoughts, retaining fluid, and being very short-tempered. In addition, once her period had started she experienced severe abdominal cramps.
At her initial consultation we spent a lot of time exploring her symptoms and how they affected her, looking at the stress factors in her life and at her diet and nutrition.
We treated Pippa with reflexology thoughout an entire menstrual cycle, made some changes to her diet and suggested some vitamins and minerals that would help. Her PMS symptoms reduced and her general well-being improved enormously.
3 months later, Pippa rang to say she was pregnant, she continued with her treatment throughout her pregnancy, and after a very straightforward pregnancy and delivery had a beautiful little girl.
Lucy’s Story – Amenhorria/Infertility
Lucy had been trying to conceive for 9 months when she came for intial consultation. Her menstrual cycle was very sporadic, ranging from 40 – 80 days, and menstruation was scanty. She had been trying to keep fit and healthy and was exercising 5 days a week, and also had a very active work-life. Whilst Lucy was taking lots of exercise she wasn’t very good at managing to eat healthily, and was skipping meals.
We gradually made changes to her lifestyle and diet, reducing the levels of exercise, eliminating caffeine (very slowly- doing this quickly can make you feel wretched), and suggesting alternative ways of managing stress.
It took 6 months to regulate Lucy’s cycle and to improve her overall health and well-being. During that time she had a laparoscopy ( explorative surgery to assess the reproductive organs), and was on her way to have IVF for ‘unexplained infertility’.
Thankfully, she conceived, and is now expecting her first child. She is fit, well and decidedly blooming!! She has decided to wait to find out the sex of her baby, so that she will enjoy the added surprise.
June and Chris’s Story – Irregular Cycle
June and Chris had been trying to conceive for 10 months and were beginning to feel anxious that all was not well. They were sent a pre-conceptual questionnaire to complete and arrived for their first consultation feeling nervous but hopeful, and not quite sure what to expect!
We discussed their circumstances at length, looking for what might be the key issues we needed to address.
June’s cycle was very irregular, and she worked long stressful hours, suffered with IBS, and occasional asthma. Both Chris and June had already made some changes to their diet, and were taking some multi-vitamins. We made some more recommendations to help them both on their way to becoming parents.
June fell pregnant within her first menstrual cycle after just two reflexology treatments! She has also continued with treatment throughout her pregnancy, and all is well.
They are now awaiting the birth of their first child
Zoe and Jack’s Story – IVF/ICSI – Success after 5 Years
Zoe and Jack’s history was much more complex. They had arrived in this country to try another attempt at IVF/ICSI, and had already been trying to conceive for five years, they wanted some additional help alongside their treatment to improve their chances of success.
They had previously had 5 attempts at IUI and 3 attempts at IVF/ICSI without a single success. They were despondent but determined.
Again, we began with a comprehensive medical history, as a means of identifying what some of the issues affecting their fertility might be. We discovered a number of interesting points. Zoe had an irregular menstrual cycle ranging from 22-28 days. It also seemed clear that she was suffering with a progesterone deficiency as she was spotting late during her cycle before her bleed began. She also experienced repeated bouts of cystitus.
Jack had always produced poor semen analysis results, with motility and morphology issues. He drank coffee, beer and cycled everywhere! Jack was referred for further detailed semen analysis with an andrologist.
We made some gradual changes to lifestyle and diet for both Zoe and Jack. Stopping the cycling, exchanging beer drinking for small amounts of good quality red wine, and eliminating the coffee (slowly!). We also made some changes to the vitamins and minerals that they were taking, and ensured that they were of good quality.
They both attended for weekly reflexology treatments. This allowed us to work on improving Jack’s semen analysis results and improve the regularity of Zoe’s menstrual cycle, alongised improving their general health and well-being.
Five weeks later, Zoe conceived naturally for the very first time – they were ecstatic, as you can imagine. Sadly, the pregnancy was not stable and they lost they baby at five weeks. We worked very carefully to re-establish Zoe’s cycle as they had already booked themselves in to have IVF/ICSI. Their cycle of IVF beagn two weeks later, and we worked very closely alongside this to enhance its success, using Reproflexology techniques.
To their delight and amazement, they conceived again – this time with twins!! Zoe sailed through her pregnancy, giving birth naturally, to a little boy and a little girl.
Hypnotherapy Case Studies
Sally’s Story
Sally came to see me before what she and her husband knew was going to be their last chance to have a baby using IVF.
Previous pregnancies had failed because Sally had been unable to hold on to the foetus for more than a few days. She was unable to see any future life without her own natural child and felt her life had no meaning without a baby of her own.
Because of the timing of her treatment at Nurture she only had one session of hypnotherapy with me. Firstly, under hypnosis, we addressed her concerns about natural motherhood. We explored the other options open to her – adoption, fostering and accepting the situation and living as a childless couple.
I also gave her suggestions that her womb was a welcome and comforting place and that her embryo would find a safe home there and not want to leave until he or she had reached their full term.
At the end of the session Sally told me that she felt much more relaxed about motherhood. She now completely accepted that if this last chance failed she could still lead a fulfilled life by exploring her other options. Becoming a natural mother no longer had the same significance for her, a revelation that came as a considerable surprise..
But this last chance did not fail. Sally held on to the baby and enjoyed a “normal” assisted pregnancy and in due course gave birth to a baby boy..
Judy’s Story
Judy was delighted that she was finally expecting a baby after trying unsuccessfully for some time. However, when we met she told me that she wished that she had the gestation period of an elephant – twenty-two months, in case you were wondering.
Although she very much wanted the child she was carrying she was terrified of the act of giving birth.
We worked together on the origins of her fears and developed suggestions for pain free childbirth which were given to her under hypnosis. After just three sessions her fear of giving birth had evaporated and she left the therapy room telling me “I wish I was giving birth tomorrow!”
Pam’s Story
Pam was finding that all the fun had gone out of her sex life with her partner. With love-making dominated by their efforts to conceive she could hardly find the enthusiasm she wanted when they needed to have sex during her fertile period let alone at other times of the month.
Hypnotherapy got her enjoying making love again – not just for procreation but for recreation too.
Pam and her partner still have not succeeded in starting their family but they are having a lot more fun trying!
Liam’s Story
Liam’s wife Rose was expecting a baby in five month’s time. A moderate smoker up until she became pregnant Rose had stopped smoking as soon as she knew she was expecting. Liam continued to smoke but now wanted to stop. Not only did he want to support Rose but he also wanted to set a good example to his new son or daughter by being a non-smoker.
As Liam had the very best of reasons for wanting to stop he came to me for the usual two hour long session to cure him of his smoking habit. Some smokers need a follow-up session, provided free, but Liam was among the estimated 95% of my clients who succeeded in giving up after just one treatment.
Apart from the health benefits to himself, to Rose and to their new baby he also found the £2000 he was spending each year on his 20 a day habit a useful addition to the family budget.
