Tell me about infertility & hormones

Infertility and hormones are two unique entities that need individual attention before we do a thorough analysis into how hormones can affect your ability to conceive.

Fertility reflexology specialises in improving your hormonal balance, so ultimately you get pregnant.

Reflexology to improve fertility works in the same way as standard reflexology because it uses acupressure points on your feet to remove blockages from your system that prevent your body from working optimally.

Your MAR fertility reflexologist, Karen, can work alongside your doctor. All you need to do is feed their diagnosis through to her and she will adapt to support their work. This applies whether you’re undergoing infertility treatments such as IVF, IUI or IXY. She can also advise of ways to improve your BMI to improve your chances of a successful fertility treatment.

However, if you’d prefer to have reflexology independently of formal treatment to help you conceive naturally, we can focus on improving your chances of a natural conception. Either is fine.

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Conditions related to hormonal imbalances that we’ve seen respond well to reflexology

*Stress anxiety and insomnia
*Irregular/ heavy periods or interrupted or non-existent cycles
*PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
*Hormonal imbalances
*Dysmenorrhea (painful period cramps)
*Endometriosis
*Cervical problems e.g. overproduction of mucus and blocking
*Polycystic ovaries (PCOS)
*Pelvic inflammatory disease (inc. infection of any part of the female reproductive tract)

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Your glossary of some lesser explained terms

• Ovulatory dysfunction: “Ovulatory dysfunction is a common cause of infertility, often stemming from hormonal imbalances that disrupt the menstrual cycle.”
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): “Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition characterized by hormonal imbalances, including elevated levels of androgens, which can significantly impact fertility.”
• Thyroid disorders: “Thyroid disorders, which can lead to hormonal imbalances, have been linked to difficulties in conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy.”
• Ovarian reserve: “Assessing a woman’s ovarian reserve through the measurement of Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels can provide valuable insights into her fertility potential.”
• Assisted reproductive technologies (ART): “For couples facing infertility due to hormonal imbalances, assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as IVF offer a ray of hope.”
• Menstrual irregularity: “Menstrual irregularity is a telltale sign of hormonal imbalances and can be a barrier to achieving pregnancy.”
• Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH): “Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) plays a crucial role in stimulating the ovaries to produce eggs, making it a key hormone in the fertility process.”
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH): “A surge in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) triggers ovulation, making its measurement valuable in fertility planning and treatment.”

If you’re not getting the answers you need though, here’s a quick guide on some common tests for infertility.

* FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) releases the egg from your ovary, and along with LH (luteinizing hormone) stimulates ovulation.
If these reserves are low, as they tend to be in e.g. age related infertility, then this is an indicator that your natural fertility will be a problem.

Can too much oestrogen cause infertility?

Oestrogen levels affect whether and how well, you ovulate. This directly affects your fertility window. If your fertility window (amount of time you’re ovulating) is on the short side, there’s not enough time for your body to do everything it needs to before the window closes. So you move to the next stage without having done everything you needed in the preceding one.

Likewise, if you ovulate too early, then you haven’t had enough time to build up the hormone reserves you need to produce a follicle that contains an egg mature enough to be fertilised. Leave it too long and the egg has gone past its sell by date. Kind of. You get the picture.

High oestrogen levels can also prevent conception by leading to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis.

Karen at Essential Feeling has a track record of helping her client’s suffering with all the above issues.

* What is the pituitary gland?
The pituitary gland is part of the endocrine system, which is the collective name for all the glands in our body which deal with distributing hormonal messages.

This gland is a small, pea-sized gland at the base of the brain. It’s referred to as the body’s master gland because it controls/ stimulates all the other hormone secreting glands.

How does reflexology help to treat infertility?

By balancing your hormones, reflexology becomes one of the most relaxing of infertility treatments because not only are you ‘in tune’ at the end of your sessions, but you’re also dealing with the hormonal cause of female infertility.

What are the causes of female infertility?

As well as the list above, there are many lifestyle factors that can affect how easily it is for you to conceive.

These include what we eat, how we live and how we allow the actions of other people to affect us. Karen, your reflexologist will give you lifestyle hints and tips as you go through your sessions. She’ll combine this with counselling to help you through the tough times and overall ensure you are in the best mental place possible. This holistic approach to your fertility helps your body improve what is within your control.

Hormonal infertility can cause some common side effects.

Below are some side effects that may be a precursor to spotting infertility in women.

*painful sex
*heavy, long or painful periods
*dark or light menstrual blood
*Irregular periods
*hormonal changes, e.g. weight change, acne, facial hair
*underlying medical conditions

Can treatment for infertility result in pregnancy?

Approx 15% of couples struggle with running a full-term pregnancy. Whilst that’s many people, you can still end up feeling isolated. Because people dealing with infertility, don’t talk about it.

However, you don’t have to suffer in silence.

Karen is a certified counsellor. You can chat through your worst thoughts and fears with her within a safe and private environment.
This helps you feel better, before we even start with the intervention of reflexology on infertility and hormones.

That said, it’s important to understand that Karen isn’t a miracle worker. The system won’t work if all you do is come along to a session once a week. Well, it might, but you’re one of the lucky ones! To have the best chance of success, you will need to implement the recommendations.

For sure, we’ll work with you on solutions that fit your responsibilities. You are the only one who can put these into action.

We’ve known a lot of women over the years who turn up and then continue to binge drink, work excessively (really excessively) and then wonder why their fertility is still under strain.

Reflexology is great, but this is part of a package. We can give you the tips, but you need to create the behaviour that is conducive to improving your natural fertility.

Does reflexology help in IVF infertility cases?

If you’re having assisted conception, such as IVF, IUI or IXY, then reflexology alongside this is a brilliant choice. By balancing your hormones before you start, you’re giving your consultant a great base from which to start. Then throughout your drugs, we’ll leave your hormonal system alone and allow the doctors to do their work. Once you’ve had implantation, we’ll then pick up again to once again balance your hormones and leave you without the side effects of e.g. morning sickness.

How do I factor infertility and treating it into my life?

This is easy. When you have fertility reflexology with Karen, she will listen to you. Karen will chat with you until she understands the set of commitments that are unique to your life.

She will only make suggestions about how you can improve your natural fertility that are actually realistic for you to implement.

Karen believes that a series of minor changes that are easy for you to stick to, are better than a few big ones that create a level of stress that we’re trying to avoid. Adding to your stress levels is counter-intuitive.

It’s this pragmatic approach which helps improve your chance of carrying a baby full term.