Fertility Journeys 2014
FERTILITY JOURNEYS 2014 FERTILITY JOURNEYS REMAINS A WORLD-FIRST – FIVE RENOWNED EXPERTS OFFERING THEIR TIME AND EXPERTISE IN HELPING FIVE COUPLES CROSS THE BRIDGE TO PARENTHOOD. AS PROUD AS WE ARE TO HAVE BROUGHT FERTILITY JOURNEYS TO THE WIDEST OF AUDIENCES, WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT OUR VALUED EXPERTS AND EXTREMELY BRAVE COUPLES. The project comes with the intention of unveiling what each fertility process really involves – the pain, the pitfalls and the joy, from real people and real experiences. So, another two months have passed, with our five chosen couples continuing their individual programmes. And we’re delighted to report there is fantastic news for one of our couples, so please turn over for this issue’s update.
HYPNOTHERAPY: Russell Davis • NUTRITION: Dr Marilyn Glenville • CHINESE MEDICINE: Andrew Loosely • DETOX: Simply Healing • EGG DONATION: IVF Spain WWW.FERTILITYROAD.COM
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Your Fertility Journey
COGNITIVE HYPNOTHERAPY … WITH RUSSELL DAVIS
We catch up with cognitive hypnotherapist Russell Davis, who has now been working with 39-year-old Leah for five months. Leah, who had a child from a previous relationship 17 years ago, recently suffered two miscarriages, and in her initial sessions with Russell had used hypnotherapy as a way of channelling positive energy and emotions with the hope of getting pregnant again. And we’re delighted to annouce that Leah’s dream came true when she recorded a positive pregnancy test in August. Russell takes up the story. It doesn’t matter how many times I hear the words ‘I’m pregnant’ from a client, each time it is like a friend saying those words, and it never fails to make my day. So when Leah told me her news in August, I was absolutely thrilled. No wonder I love my job! Through this journey Leah let go of thinking patterns and beliefs that have been a habit, part of her life, for some time. She has come to a place where she realises her well-being is within her; she is more grounded knowing that nothing can make her feel anything she doesn’t want it to, and whatever happens she will be okay.
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Even before Leah found out she was pregnant she could see big changes on the way. She knew the feelings she had about her fertility were actually nothing to do with fertility at all. They were thoughts and stories about herself and about her life, ideas she had picked up over the years. She was applying these to her fertility and future. She now has an understanding as to what makes up the human experience and no longer needs to buy in to the stories, freeing herself to be present to the moment and to life. Before Leah received her news a friend told her she was pregnant. Leah had a very different
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experience than she had in these situations in the past. She felt fine and she still felt peace within herself. The stories she told herself in these situations in the past no longer had any power. It can be very empowering to know that no-one or nothing can make you feel anything. You no longer feel like a ball in a pinball machine, and that means can you alight from the emotional rollercoaster. Leah could continue her own journey with this peace of mind, not bitter about or envious of someone else’s pregnancy. And it is interesting how Leah’s relationship with chocolate has been an example of this as well. Her way of behaving had become her identity. She was known as ‘Leah the chocoholic’. We tell ourselves ‘it’s just how I am’. I used to think I was a worrier, ‘it’s who I am’. My mum’s a worrier, I am a worrier. But they are lies; they are not true. Leah’s friends cannot believe the change in her. She can now take chocolate or leave it. She is in tune with her body and her instinct which naturally wants healthy and balanced nutrition. The thinking habits about chocolate (e.g. how it will make her feel loved like she felt when her Nan gave her chocolate when she was three) no longer have hold over her. We chase our thinking in the same way a dog chases its tail. It does this because it doesn’t understand the nature of a tail. As soon as it realises the tail is part of itself, it stops chasing it. And similarly, when we come to understand the true nature of thought, we can stop chasing it. Leah has let go of the thinking patterns that held her prisoner. She used to think ‘I’m okay if nothing stresses me out’, or ‘I’m okay if all is good’. She used to think her wellbeing was dependent on external factors telling her she was too old, or perhaps there was something wrong with her and she didn’t deserve to get pregnant. Trying to control external stuff because you think your wellbeing is dependent on it is like being on a hamster wheel - it is tiring and stressful and gets you nowhere. You’ll be holding that stress in your mind and body. But not anymore for Leah. This new sense of freedom enables her to have a new experience of life and in life, to come back to the present moment in mind and body. This is where the magic can happen. From here, it is supporting Leah as required. She has a hypnosis track I recorded to help visualise her body doing what she wants it to do, and to envisage her baby thriving. Visualisation is a way of guiding your unconscious mind to do what you want it to do. Your unconscious mind controls all your bodily processes, so sometimes a little guidance can help it in very powerful ways.
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Leah’s 12-week scan was approaching quickly at the time of going to print
Leah writes… I have amazing news… as I type I am currently nine-and-a-half weeks pregnant! I still cannot believe my luck! I know the sensible thing to do is to ground myself and be realistic about the various hurdles we still need to get past, but I simply cannot help but be ecstatically excited! We have had two early internal scans to check the position and all is well and good. When I saw this tiny blob on the screen with this flickering heartbeat I cried tears of joy! We both did. I have a good feeling about everything though. This is the furthest along I have reached and the first positive test in years! My partner and I are just so overjoyed… all the hard work has finally paid off! By the time this article goes to print I should have had my 12-week scan and our fingers and toes are crossed that all goes well and we would have been able to share our great news with family and friends. I know that they will be as thrilled as we are! So what changed for us to finally get our wish? I believe it to be a combination of changes dietary, lifestyle (regular gentle exercise and stress reduction), the course of Chinese herbs that I had recently taken, supplements, and most importantly the change in my thoughts and beliefs with the help of Russell. When I had an ‘a-ha!’ moment a couple of months ago about my true feelings and my fertility it shocked me to the core. I was listening to a fertility webinar about feelings when it suddenly struck me that deep down I still had this feeling that I couldn’t conceive. That fear of diagnosed and potentially undiagnosed medical reasons was preventing
me from conceiving. I was disappointed with myself that I was carrying this false belief but once I began working through it the feeling evaporated. I feel this was the key. So much has altered in my mindset - the hopelessness has gone, replaced by feelings of positivity and gratitude for the gifts we do have. Currently I am feeling very well and even though I had healed my thyroid problem I still have to be especially careful now to keep my thyroid health in check. I will need to have regular blood tests to check my levels and be under the care of an obstetrician. And I have to continue to be mindful of my diet, rest and stress levels. So for now I am just enjoying every moment. Naturally thoughts come and go of all the possibilities, some good and some bad. What is different now is that I have learnt what Russell has been trying to teach me, that these are just thoughts and they are not real. I simply cannot predict the future so I am not allowing myself to get caught up in the negative patterns I used to have. Oh my, what a difference! I have just had a lovely two-week holiday in Greece which couldn’t have come at a better time. It allowed me all the rest and reflection time I needed. I did very little and it was great! I constantly remind myself, ‘oh yes, I am pregnant’ and get excited all over again; it’s a lovely feeling! So, I’m looking forward to the 12-week scan and know things are going to be fine - I just can’t wait so that I can finally tell everyone… we did it, we are having a baby! I am so grateful for the help I have received from Russell Davis and to Fertility Road magazine for this amazing opportunity, I cannot put it into words!
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Your Fertility Journey
NUTRITION…
WITH DR MARILYN GLENVILLE We catch up with Dr Marilyn Glenville, the world-renowned supplement and nutrition expert, who as one of our chosen Fertility Journeys experts, has been working with Sonya and Paul. The couple had been in the bracket of unexplained fertility after three failed ICSI treatments from 100 per cent fertilisation. In the last issue they began working with Dr Glenville by putting together a supplement programme that was individually tailored from nutritional profiles and Paul’s sperm DNA fragmentation profiles. Sonya and Paul’s follow-up consultation Sonya and Paul came back to see me to talk about how they had been progressing since I last saw them and to go through their test results. We talked about how well the dietary changes had been put into place since the first consultation, as Sonya had mentioned that she was waking in the middle of the night - this is indicative of blood sugar imbalances, so I had asked her to make sure she was eating little and often during the day. Sonya mentioned that she was sleeping better and that her periods were not so painful. I had already suggested a good programme of supplements that Sonya and Paul were to start straight after having the blood tests including a multivitamin and mineral designed for fertility, vitamin C and also Omega 3. Painful periods are caused by substances found in every cell of your body, called prostaglandins. Many prostaglandins are healthy; however, some increase your body’s sensitivity to pain and can cause your muscles to spasm and these are commonly called ‘bad prostaglandins’. Cells in the womb lining release prostaglandins when the lining starts to shed during your period. This release triggers contractions of the womb and, for women who have high levels of bad prostaglandins, these contractions can be painful. Omega 3 fatty acids provide the raw materials for the production of good prostaglandins. Also, in Sonya’s fertility supplements were good levels of the B vitamins (research has shown that the B vitamins can significantly reduce the intensity of period pains), vitamin E (which has been shown to reduce painful periods), magnesium (which acts as a muscle relaxant and your womb is a muscle) and zinc which converts Omega 3 fatty acids into beneficial prostaglandins.
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Blood test results I had suggested in the couple’s first consultation that they both have a full blood screen for nutritional deficiencies including the antioxidant vitamins - vitamin E, lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, minerals – zinc, calcium, chromium, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, vitamin D, the B vitamins and the essential fatty acids, Omega 3 and Omega 6. I wanted to make sure that they were not deficient in key nutrients that are known to affect fertility both for the man and woman. It also meant that even though I had started them on a good supplement programme I could then adjust the programme depending on their individual deficiencies and make their programme personalised. Sonya Sonya’s blood test results showed she was deficient in copper, zinc, manganese and red cell magnesium. (Red cell magnesium is the most accurate way to check whether someone has a magnesium deficiency rather than just the plasma levels.) Sonya was also deficient in vitamin D and low in the Omega 3 EPA (the anti-inflammatory part of the fish oil). Paul Paul was only deficient in two minerals, copper and zinc, but also in vitamin D. His Omega 3 fatty acid levels were fine. I’d also asked Paul to have a sperm DNA fragmentation test and this showed a higher than normal rate of DNA fragmentation with the lab commenting that this level would make it difficult for Paul and Sonya to produce viable embryos either in natural conception or IVF.
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Supplement programme In the light of these results, I then amended Sonya and Paul’s supplement programme. For Sonya extra vitamin D, copper, magnesium and manganese were added in on top of the supplement programme recommended previously. There are good levels of zinc in the fertility supplement so I have not added in extra. For Paul extra copper was added and again there were good levels of zinc in the fertility supplement so this was covered. In the light of the sperm DNA fragmentation results I have also added in co-enzyme Q10 and two powerful antioxidants - acetyl carnitine and alpha lipoic acid - to try to reduce the level of DNA damage. Dietary recommendations The aim is for them to continue to eat well but using the supplements to correct the deficiencies that have shown up from the blood tests and to try to help reduce sperm DNA damage. The additional recommendation, which is especially good for Paul but also helpful for Sonya, is to ‘eat a rainbow’. All the different colours we find in fruit and vegetables give us different antioxidants, which have beneficial effects on our health. Think of the colourful fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, apples and tomatoes and the wide variety of colourful vegetables such as sweetcorn, green vegetables, beetroot, pumpkin (squash) and carrots. Future plan The plan is for Sonya and Paul to continue eating well, to take their own individual programme of supplements for three months and then retest those nutrients that they were deficient in. This makes sure that the levels have been corrected. Paul will also go back for another sperm DNA fragmentation test at this point to see if the level has reduced.
Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD is the UK’s leading nutritionist specialising in women’s health. She is the Former President of the Food and Health Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine and the author of 13 internationally bestselling books including Getting Pregnant Faster and Natural Solutions to PCOS. For more information go to marilynglenville.com/clinic. Dr Glenville has a number of clinics, in Harley Street, London, Tunbridge Wells, Dublin and Galway. If you are interested in a consultation (in person, by phone or Skype), you can contact Dr Glenville’s clinic on 01892 515905, or by email: health@glenvillenutritionclinic.com. Dr Glenville is running a two-night Fertility Retreat at the luxury health spa, Champneys, Tring on 21-23 November 2014. Visit champneys.com or call 0843 316 2222.
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Your Fertility Journey
CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE... WITH ANDREW LOOSELY
We pick up where we left off with Louise, who in the last three months has started working with the founder of Natural Fertility Expert, Andrew Loosely. It’s early days, but Louise is optimistic about what the future might hold. Louise writes… I’m now into my second month of treatment on Andrew Loosely’s programme, The Baby Creating Plan, and I’m feeling ecstatic! I’ve already lost 10lbs in weight and I’m so delighted, as the IVF clinic will only treat me if I lose enough weight before my treatment date.
Vitamins and minerals including zinc, B12, B6, folate, vitamin D Test group 1 is to assess how well my ovaries are working and to see if there might be indicators of issues with egg quality.
The Baby Creating Plan is a Herbal Treatment Programme that is tailored to my personal needs and the herbs are prescribed by Andrew. This means that I take herbs throughout the different stages of my cycle, and he changes the herbs as my fertility health improves.
Test group 2 is to see whether I have ovulated or if there are any issues with implantation. Andrew told me that this area is frequently overlooked, and often not thoroughly investigated in conventional medicine.
My energy is already higher, my psoriasis is much clearer, my cycle is better, and I’m feeling physically and emotionally really well!
Progesterone levels need to be a minimum of 20nmol/L for ovulation and 30nmol/L for implantation, with 50nmol/L required for a healthy early pregnancy.
My test results Just before starting The Plan, Andrew requested a series of tests to see how well my body was working, and to identify any areas that might be out of balance. He requested a general hormone profile, a detailed thyroid test, and a series of vitamins and minerals to be tested too. The tests had to be done on specific days of the month, with a simple blood test, and this is what he requested: Test 1: days 1-3 of my cycle: FSH Estradiol Prolactin LH Test 2: seven days after ovulation: Progesterone
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Thyroid panel including TSH, Free T3, T4, Free thyroxine and thyroid antibodies (Thyroglobulin and Thyroid Peroxidase)
As well as having lost weight and feeling more energetic, my temperatures are as high as 36.3°C (in the follicular phase), which is really great news. WWW.FERTILITYROAD.COM
Until meeting Andrew I wasn’t aware that these tests had to be completed on specific days. I’ve since realised that my hospital had been testing me incorrectly, as if I had a 28-day cycle, which is not the case. This means that my previous test results were pretty much useless.
Louise and partner
My tests with Andrew are now back, and everything is good apart from my progesterone, which he suspected was low. It was 3.3nmol/L, which is 10 times lower than the minimum required for implantation to occur! He assures me that herbal medicine can help this, by helping my body to restore its own natural production of progesterone, through increasing the natural resources that my body needs to manufacture it. Alongside his treatment Andrew asks all of his clients to use BBT (basal body temperature) charting. I had to start mine before the treatment started so that we have a natural marker to compare my later results to. We discovered that my temperatures were really low at 35.5°C, which is much too low for any part of the menstrual cycle. Andrew told me that the first half of the cycle (follicular phase) should be around 36.2-36.5°C, and the second half of the cycle after ovulation should be around 36.7-37°C. Anything below or above these levels in either phase is an issue and could cause problems with conception. Although this all sounds a bit negative, I’m so pleased to be working with Andrew and to know that we have a way to balance this all out. It’s just a matter of time. Sessions with Andrew Although I’m on an IVF Preparation Programme with Andrew to help me get my body into the best possible shape before I attempt my last round of IVF, he has advised that we continue to try naturally during that time and see what happens. Andrew has worked with thousands of women over the years and frequently has a waiting list, so I’m delighted to be able to work with him so quickly! I meet with Andrew every two weeks to have a follow-up session so that he can monitor my progress, check the herbal medicine, answer my questions and concerns and offer me guidance on things that I can do at home myself. During a session he usually asks me a series of questions on the following subjects: • My general health • My energy level • Appetite • Bowel movements • Urination • Sleep pattern • My mood • My cycle in general
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With this newfound knowledge and working with Andrew and his team, I now feel that I have people who understand and support my journey and I feel as if I’m in the best hands possible. • My period and the colour, consistency, and whether there’s clotting, pain or other symptoms • Ovulation and whether I experience cervical mucus, and if so what quantity and quality Each session varies and he asks different questions depending on what he sees in my BBT chart. We also look at the charts together and he explains what’s going on, and what still needs to be worked on. For the first time ever I can say that I feel fully supported and that I’m in the best hands possible for my journey! It’s such a different experience than the medical one I’ve been down for the last few years. The results so far As well as having lost weight and feeling more energetic, my temperatures are as high as 36.3°C (in the follicular phase), which is really great news. Needless to say I’m very excited by this as I now feel that I’m on the right track! Andrew explained that according to Chinese Fertility Medicine, my body is underactive and is unable to warm itself sufficiently throughout my cycle - specifically during the luteal phase. This lack of warmth links to a deficiency of
progesterone, which is vital to address before doing IVF to encourage implantation. By using specific herbs he is able to internally ‘warm’ and activate my body, helping it work more efficiently and produce the right levels of hormones. Andrew explained that although I received progesterone as part of my IVF cycle, it was a synthetic form of the hormone, which is not the same as my own progesterone. He explained that if my natural levels were low, the synthetic progesterone would not help address the underlying cause of the deficiency, and in some cases might actually make it worse, as it blocks the progesterone receptor sites on the cells. This could mean an even lesser chance of implantation if the cells are blocked, as my body then can’t make its own. If I can increase my natural levels, indicated by test results and higher BBT temperatures, then I stand a much higher chance of conception. With this newfound knowledge and working with Andrew and his team, I now feel that I have people who understand and support my journey and I feel as if I’m in the best hands possible. I feel that for the first time in a long time my dream of having a baby may actually come true!
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Your Fertility Journey
CATCHING UP WITH OUR OTHER COUPLES Having caught up with three of our experts, things are still progressing well with our detox experts Simply Healing, and egg donation specialists IVF Spain. Emma and Craig, who have been travelling to mainland Europe for their work with IVF Spain, are about to start their second attempt at egg donation, having suffered an initial setback in May. Dr Natalia Szlarb, International Medical Director at IVF Spain explains: “The fresh embryo transfer unfortunately did not result in a positive outcome. After a certain time for reflection, we would now recommend the couple go ahead with a frozen embryo transfer. “Each embryo transfer is like a puzzle. We have to make sure that all the pieces are in place in order to have the best chance for success. At IVF Spain, as an initial approach we offer our patients exclusive egg donation where all the stimulated eggs from one donor go to one patient. This treatment choice has an accumulative live birth rate of over 75%. The piece of the puzzle relating to the embryo quality is guaranteed through the young age and proven fertility of the egg donor. “In the second attempt, or Frozen Transfer, one of the areas we will be focusing on is the uterus lining so that we can create the best environment for embryo implantation. We will be discussing the various options with Emma and Craig at their upcoming visit. We would like to wish them all the best in their fertility journey with us at IVF Spain, and by insuring that all the pieces of the puzzle are correctly in place, we hope to reach our shared goal, the birth of a healthy child.” For our detox specialists, Simply Healing, things have been moving nicely with Mita and her partner Pardeep. The couple had twice visited the West Sussex retreat for an extensive range of detox and massage/reflexology treatments. Mita was set to undertake IVF over the summer but chose to delay in order to spend time with the experts at Simply Healing. Here’s founder Vivien Kay’s update: As the saying goes ‘all eggs in one basket’! After Mita’s first fertility enhancement juice cleanse with us at Simply Healing Detox Retreats we were very hopeful of her success.
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And it was great to see her sticking to the rules and giving us and herself 100 per cent. We, in turn, decided that it would benefit her to have a pre-egg collection Mini Detox. Mita came to stay with us firstly to relax her and to help stimulate her follicles. She had the following specific treatments: Abdominal Sacral Massage, Reflexology Link, a relaxing Lymph massage, Colonic Hydrotherapy and healing hand treatments, along with herbs, supplements and freshly made juices throughout the day. Having observed how she responded we were confident that her egg collection would be more successful than on previous attempts. Mita left us and the following day she went for her egg collection. We were thrilled when she let us know that she had produced double the number of eggs of good quality this time round, and that she and her husband were feeling extremely optimistic. At this time we are looking forward to continuing our involvement with Mita and her husband, full of positivity for good news to come.
Simply Healing Detox Retreat offers a five-day fertility plan and we are very happy to say that we have an exceptional level of success with all our programmes. For more details please go to our website simplyhealingcentre.com or give us a call on 01403 822117. The caring, nurturing team at Simply Healing are always on hand to offer support and advice.
As always, Fertility Road is hugely grateful to the time and expertise offered by our five experts, and we wish all couples the best for the next couple of months.
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