Receiving a diagnosis of ‘unexplained infertility’ can be terrifying for couples who want to get pregnant. They can feel helpless and frustrated with this diagnosis, but in my opinion it is not the most devastating news you might receive after a fertility investigation because it means that there is no medical reason you cannot become parents.

Stress and emotional concerns are creeping higher and higher up the list of common causes of infertility. Many couples have lost faith in the natural process of conception and maintain too strong a conviction in the need for medical assistance. And with more and more women in high stress jobs it’s really no wonder that conception doesn’t always occur immediately.  Stress is a major inhibitor of ovulation and fertility and it can also affect male fertility too. 

So if you’ve been given a diagnosis of unexplained infertility (which can make up 30% of all couples), therapies, like hypnotherapy, which aim to reduce stress and increase confidence and self-esteem can instil a sense of control in the client, which in turn enables them to maximise their chances of conceiving naturally or increases their chances of success with IVF, most certainly have a place.

Studies have shown that restoration of hormonal balance and eventual pregnancy may occur through the utilisation of hypnosis techniques and implementation of positive lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. Hypnosis is well recognised for its effectiveness in smoking cessation, weight control, stress release, and general habit changing. Interestingly, these same issues pose the biggest threats to fertility. 

Because the link between the mind and body can be so strong, hypnotherapy works best for problems when there is a psychological component. Hypnotherapy works on the premise that there are two states of consciousness – the conscious and the subconscious – which may be at odds with each other.  For example, a woman may say that she wants a baby but her subconscious fears may be stopping her from getting pregnant.

There is huge pressure on women these days to have the perfect life, body, job, partner and family, and many may have unacknowledged doubts and insecurities about motherhood and feel pressurised to conceive by those around them. It is important to find out what you really want because studies show that stress or anxiety about becoming a mother can prevent conception, so hypnotherapy can deal with doubts about your future role as a parent.

But how exactly does hypnotherapy work. It seems that hypnosis affects the hypothalamus—the neural centre at the base of the brain linked to the pituitary gland—and controls the flow of hormones in the body. The hypothalamus is sensitive to stress and acts as a bridge between the emotional and physical, turning emotional messages into physical responses that affect hormone levels. In this sense, the effectiveness of hypnotherapy on women with fertility problems is most certainly, ‘in the mind.’

Studies conducted by Alice Domar, PhD, director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Behavioural Medicine Programme for Infertility in Boston suggest that unresolved issues about having a baby can be removed with counselling and mind/body techniques such as hypnotherapy. In the first study published in 1999 in the Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association 42% of 132 infertile women in the programme conceived within six months of completing it. In the second study, published in 2000 in the journal Fertility and Sterility, 55% of the previously infertile women who met regularly in a mind/body programme conceived, compared with 20% of the control group who used no mind/body techniques and who did not attend meetings.

The research on hypnotherapy and fertility is fragmented and often appears in medical journals in the form of single case studies of individual patients. For example, a case study published in the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis in 1994 suggested that hypnotherapy could help in medically unexplained, functional and psychosomatic infertility. Yet there is enough evidence of this kind to suggest that hypnotherapy techniques can have a positive effect on fertility. This may be because like visualisation, Autogenic training (a form of thought control) and relaxation techniques it works by harnessing the power of your mind to work for you, rather than against you.

Homeopathy is said to be one of the safest medical treatments with no known side effects, and it may be a good option to treat infertility.

Several clinical trials have looked at the effects homeopathy can have on fertility. Preliminary research has indicated that homeopathic treatment may not only help infertile women achieve pregnancy but also help balance hormones and prevent miscarriage. Another study shows that homeopathy has potential for boosting fertility in men.

 

Homeopathic remedies for infertility will look to treat symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of infertility can manifest differently in different couples. Before any treatments are prescribed to an individual, his or her medical history, family history, moods, likes, dislikes, sexual history and emotional state are discussed thoroughly. 

 

Homeopaths believe that a person showing infertility signs may not be having direct problems related to the reproductive organs but something less obvious, like an emotional condition, depression, fear of conceiving or dietary problems that may be leading to infertility. Homeopathy is at the forefront of mind body therapies as it is able to treat on the physical level, but also just as importantly on the mental and emotional level too. Thus it can help to treat the anxieties, fears, disappointments and frustrations of the trials some couples go through in order to get pregnant. Through homeopathy, these problems are eased by using plant, minerals, or even metal sources.

In the preconception period, homeopathic remedies can help to correct some of the hormonal imbalances that underlie fertility problems. Pulsatilla is often given for women with no periods or irregular periods and general remedies for infertility include lycopodium, argentums nitricum and selenenium metallicum. However, the remedies work best if – like any complementary treatment – they are prescribed specifically and individually for the person concerned.

If a couple is undergoing IVF a sulphur/nux vomica detox programme can be useful but I strongly advise against using remedies that have the capability to exert a hormonal effect whilst a woman is undergoing IVF drug treatment, as this can have a negative impact on the treatment.

Fat in general has a bad reputation, and many women trying for a baby tend to avoid it as a matter of course, although it is the saturated fats, found in animal meat, dairy and processed food that are harmful, and which contribute to weight gain and reduced fertility. Omega 3 fatty acids (found in oily fish and flaxseed oils) and omega-6 fatty acids (evening primrose and starflower oils) on the other hand, play a crucial role in fertility and the development of a healthy baby. Scientists have looked at their role in pregnancy and found they are absolutely vital for the healthy brain, eyes and nervous system development of a growing baby

Fatty acids are the basic building blocks of all fats and oils. Some of these can be made by the body, while others cannot. The ones the body cannot make, and must therefore be obtained through the diet, are known as Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). They are known as Essential Fatty Acids because without them we die and if you don’t eat enough essential fatty acids reproductive hormone production and your fertility will almost certainly be compromised. Symptoms of deficiency include dry skin, dry hair, depression, poor concentration, weight gain, loss of libido and menstrual irregularity. It takes three months to build up your body’s stores, so if you’re trying for a baby make sure you eat some every day. Good sources include nuts, seeds, flaxseed oil, and oily fish. To avoid the consumption of toxins, always choose and use cold pressed preferably organic, unrefined nut or seed oil or extra virgin olive oil.

 

You should also eat oily fish (such as mackerel or sardines) and take a fatty acid supplement (the one I use in the clinic is Omega 3 Plus, see the Resources Page).

 

Oily fish

 

One of the healthiest sources of fatty acids is oily fish. Oily fish are not only important for your fertility and those of your partner but the benefit carries on into the pregnancy.  We know that women who eat fish at least three times a week have children who are more intelligent and better behaved. A study in the Lancet found that women who ate at least 12 oz (350g) of fish a week while pregnant had children who were more advanced in tests measuring motor, communication and social skills and had better verbal IQ scores.  The children of mothers who had eaten little or no fish in pregnancy were 35% more likely to have poor communication skills by the time they were toddlers and the risk of bad behaviour and low verbal IQ at the age of eight was almost 50% higher. 

 

What about all the concerns regarding mercury?  Mercury is classed as a heavy toxic metal, which is also contained in amalgam tooth fillings, and mercury at high levels has been known to cause brain damage to unborn babies. It does seem rather confusing that research is saying eat oily fish as it is not only good for your health and fertility but also the health and intellectual development of your baby.  And yet the Food Standards Agency is saying to pregnant women, be careful don’t eat more than two portions of oily fish a week!  

 

One study decided to have a look at what the levels of mercury in the babies were whose mothers ate fish once a day. The researchers checked the mercury levels in the umbilical cord of the babies and found that even with eating fish once a day, the mercury levels were generally low and confirmed that the babies were more intelligent. 

 

To keep mercury exposure to the minimum, you should avoid shark, marlin and swordfish when trying to conceive or when pregnant.  These fish live a long time so the mercury can be concentrated in these fish more so than other oily fish such as salmon, herring, trout and sardines etc.  Canned fish should be avoided too as researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US tested over 1,000 women.  Those who ate the most canned fish tended to have more mercury in their bodies.

 

Essential fatty acid supplements

 

I would still suggest that you definitely eat oily fish once or twice a week but also add in fish oil supplements as Omega 3 fatty acids are important for healthy brain and eye development as the baby grows in the womb and also for a healthy birth weight.  From fatty acids you produce beneficial prostaglandins which have hormone-like functions. They are believed to prevent low birth weight and decrease the likelihood of a premature birth. Fish oil has also been shown to help prevent blood from clotting inappropriately so fish oil can be beneficial to women who have recurrent miscarriages if the diagnosis has been linked to a clotting problem.

 

If you’re trying for a baby you and your partner should both take an essential fatty acid supplement every day.  For men, fatty acid supplementation is just as important because semen is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from these fats. Research has also shown that men who have problems with abnormal sperm tend to have lower than normal levels of beneficial prostaglandins and there are strong indications that increasing fish oil intake greatly improves the effectiveness of sperm and, therefore, it greatly improves a man’s odds of reproducing.

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To avoid ingesting harmful toxins and chemicals from the bones, skin and connective tissue of animals that may have been pumped full of chemicals and possibly growth hormones buy the capsules as fish oil gelatine, not animal gelatine capsules. But whatever fish oil supplement you choose, avoid cod liver oil capsules. In the sea fish can often absorb toxins and chemicals. Oil taken from the liver, the organ of detoxification, is therefore is likely to have higher quantities of these toxins than oil taken from the body of the fish. Recently, a number of companies had to take theirs off the shelves as contained very high levels of toxins called dioxins.  Also cod liver oil will contain high levels of vitamin A which are not advisable during pregnancy. 

 

Both you and your partner should take a supplement containing at least 600–700mg of EPA a day. The omega 3 supplement should also contain good amounts of DHA (at least 500mg a day), essential for the baby’s eye and central nervous system development once you get pregnant. (The one I use in the clinic is called Omega 3 Plus see the Resources Page). 

Note: don’t be misled by labels on supplements that say ‘fish oil 1000mg’ or ‘omega 3 1000mg’ – you need to read the breakdown of EPA and DHA to know what you are getting.  Also make sure that the fish oil you buy is in fish gelatine capsules and not bovine (cattle) gelatine. Or take linseed (flax) oil 1000mg. You can get vegetarian sources of EPA and DHA from algae but the levels of EPA and DHA are quite low.

 

Finally, don’t forget that fatty acid supplements aren’t just important for boosting fertility they are also important during pregnancy.  As mentioned above, are essential to the proper development of the foetus and in particular the development of the foetal brain and retina. The foetus will draw its supply of fatty acids from its mother and so the mother’s supply will decrease if she does not replenish it by eating foods high in omega 3 fatty acids as well as taking fish oil supplements. If you want to give your child the best chance at life then be sure to increase your intake of essential fatty acids for optimal development of your baby’s brain and vision.